University of Pennsylvania ED Class of 2021 Results

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
41

Accepted- Nursing

Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 2240 (best single sitting/ superscore)
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): M- 800; R- 720; W- 720; Essays:10
ACT (breakdown): 36 composite (R- 36, W- 36, M- 35, S- 35)
SAT II: Chem- 800; Math II- 800; Chinese- 790; Biology- 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): doesn’t rank but according to last yr’s data 10%-20%? (~11%?)
AP (place score in parenthesis): didn’t send in any AP scores but AP Chinese/ Calc BC/ Lang & Comp- 5, AP Chem/ Bio/ US History- 4, (heh) AP Physics- 2
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP French, AP Lit, Econ/Gov, Physiology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
2nd place American Protege International Music Competition (Fall)
6th place in Intro to Parli at States

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
HOSA (later changed to HEAL): Secretary (2015-2016), Activities Coordinator (2016-2017)
Piano
Church: very active; attended mission trips; Art ministry (2015-2017, leader 2016-2017), praise team pianist (2015-2017)
idk taking care of 3 yr-old sis? (cooking, entertaining, etc)
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service:
Peak Physical Volunteer (for ~3 hrs a month, for 4 months…)
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (i put this in additional info b/c i’m starting january)
Church
Summer Activities:
Rosetta Institute of Biomedical Research- Cancer
BLI- Biomed and Surgical
Lots of church activities :slight_smile:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
CA- 7/10? it just didn’t feel right
Supplement- 9/10 I talked about my interests, and how/ why Penn’s opportunities (specifically for me: nursing program (+ summer study abroad), United Hospital clinic/ opportunities, penn mentor music program, and church) specifically aligned with my interests and what I am going to do at each of those places that will help me grow and help impact my community.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): (couldn’t read any of them, but taking a guess…)
Teacher Rec #1: French Teacher- 10/10 I know she took a whole day off just to write her student’s apps, and I know her very well as she had me for 3 years
Teacher Rec #2: Chem H Teacher- 5/10? LoL i don’t think he even remembers my name but w/e I did well in his class so I guess it’s ok
Counselor Rec: 8-9/10? She’s very experienced in her field and I talked to her a couple of times and she’s really really amazing :slight_smile: but I only really talked to her this year so…
Additional Rec: Pastor- 10/10 She’s amazing and she really helped me grow into the person I am today :slight_smile: She’s seen my evolution (bad wording but w/e) so I think she wrote some really great stuff :smiley:
Interview: 8/10? I started off very shaky but I think it got better b/c my interviewer was super nice and super super chill so I felt a lot more comfortable :slight_smile:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes (but haven’t submitted FAFSA/ CSS/ etc stuff yet oops)
Intended Major: Nursing!!!
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 300k? (we live in bay area so)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: ACT score
Weaknesses: not a lot of volunteering, not a lot of extracurriculars/ leadership, no hook, no huge accomplishment (ie cure cancer), asian?, female applying to nursing?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
I am very privileged to come from well-off family that can afford tutors so it def helped in some of my studies (I took AP chem/ bio outside of school through tutor), but I did self study for ACT so it proves that having that tutor doesn’t mean everything, though it is def an advantage
Outside of that, I do think one of the reasons I got in is that the passion I portrayed in my supplement was reflected in my actions. I wasn’t involved in a lot of extracurriculars, but I did put a lot of energy into the things I loved to do (ie: church- 9 hrs week avg, excluding mission training etc) and I found ways to impact my community with the gifts/ interests I have. So passion, and aligning that passion with what Penn offers (in supplement and interview) are very important in the admission process (at least for nursing), much more so than grades are :slight_smile:

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: UPenn was first school I got results for :slight_smile:

General Comments :
I didn’t think I would get in but I am very thankful to be part of the Nursing class :slight_smile: and I look forward to it a lot. To those of you applying RD/ in the upcoming years, really show your passion in both your essay and your academic/ nonacademic life :open_mouth: If you can’t juggle lots of extracurriculars, I suggest you drop the things you are meh about and really pursue the ones you love :slight_smile: Find very specific examples in the penn student life that directly targets your interests and you’re off to a good start:) Best of luck to those of you applying :slight_smile:

42

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): Didn’t Take
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): Didn’t Take
ACT (breakdown): 34C (34 E, 35 M, 30 R, 35 S)
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 790 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91 (Weighted - 4.40)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Na
AP (place score in parenthesis): BC Calculus (5), AP Computer Science (4), AP Language (4), AP Language (4)
Advanced Classes (Above AP in my school): Vector Calculus, Oracle, Complex Variables/Analysis (Took in Boston University, 400 level course so a typical senior level mathematics course)
Senior Year Course Load: Shakespeare (H), History (H), Differential Equations Research (H), Linear Algebra (Adv), Cyber Security (Adv), AP Physics C
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None
Common Awards: Leadership Awards in an organization (regional), 23rd in statewide math competition, AP Scholar with Honors, Student Athletic Award (Didn’t submit this), Adam and Abigail State Scholarship (Didn’t submit this either)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Team (A Team Leader, 9-12), Varsity Cross Country (9-12), ASIT Company (A mock company, 11), JV Track and Field (9-10)
Job/Work Experience: Data analyst at a startup with a lot of of applied knowledge from Oracle and Math (11), Supervisor and instructor at Kumon (10-12)
Volunteer/Community service:Chief Manager for town chapter of a volunteer organization (1000+ hours with a lot of international experiences, 9-12)
Summer Activities: EMC Star Program (10), Boston University Course (CAS MA 412 - Complex Variables), Oracle Certified Associate (Took multiple tests and become an official associate in Oracle 12c - SQL meant to be taken by IT professionals and I was the only kid in my oracle class ever to accomplish this feat)

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 9, It was a deeply personal essay about how I took matters into my own hand of a personal challenge I faced and grew into a person so well beyond what was expected of me.
Penn Essay: 8, It was extremely specific and I knew exactly what I wanted to study, how I was going to do it, how I was prepared through my activities and classes to achieve what I wanted to achieve and that was to make AI

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 (Probably) I couldn’t read my letter but he loved me and was someone I got to know on a very deep level and connected very well too. He saw potential in me.
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10 (Probably) Again, I couldn’t read it but I surprised her with the amount of effort I put in and I got very close to her as well.
Counselor Rec: 8/10 (Probably) I got to know her very well and she said I was one of a kind student in terms of academic focus, but beyond that she didn’t know me too deeply
Additional Rec: None
Interview: 8/10 - I tripped up a few times, but I conveyed my ideas and reasons for why I wanted to attend Penn and asked good questions and the entire thing lasted a bit over an hour.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Artificial Intelligence (Dual Degree Program)
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Charter (Public)
Ethnicity: Asian (Indian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100K+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: Really was the passion I had in whatever I did. I may have not done too much honestly but whatever I did, I made sure that it was what I really loved. Also meaningful advanced classes which I took outside of school and put it to use in the real world. Not falling into the stereotypical “top” student and joining things like NHS, getting millions of awards (I wasn’t even that smart for them lol) but rather branching out into new things.
Weaknesses: Didn’t have perfect grades or ACT scores. No major awards.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably a bit different than most Asian male applicants as I devoted so much time to volunteering and helping others and using a lot of what I learned in class and applying it to the real world.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: ED BABY!

General Comments : Don’t think that there is only one path to getting accepted, there are so many different avenues to explore and discover and making sure you choose what’s right for you is much more important than anything else. Focus, work hard, don’t think about the results and you’ll get what you deserve. That being said, good luck to everyone!

43

I’ve always appreciated the effort that went into these results threads, and now it’s finally my turn to repay some of that kindness. Hope this helps!

**Decision: Deferred **

Wharton

Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 2240 (720/770/750),
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): 2290 (740/770/780)
NEW SAT: 1530 (770 M/760 R)
ACT (breakdown): 1st try 33C (33/34/28/35), 2nd try 35C (35/33/36/36)
SAT II: 750 Math, 690 Chem :confused:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 14/550
AP (place score in parenthesis): Stats (4), Psychology (4), Chem (5), Calc AB (5), Lang & Comp (5), APUSH (5), WH (5), Physics 1 (5), Human Geo (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Macro, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Spanish Lang, AP Bio
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, NMSF, Lots of state Key Club awards, some regional speech awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Key Club 4 years (Lt. Governor & District Project Committee Sec., former Webmaster, Committee Head, and Freshmen Class Director)
  • Debate Team (Captain)
  • Improv Troupe (President)
  • Science UIL Club (Chem & Physics Tutor)
  • Chess Club (Chess Teacher)
  • League of Legends Club (President lol)
  • NHS (Member)
  • multiple roles in some other clubs, but didn’t include in app

Job/Work Experience: Babysitter & Private Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: 500+ hrs, mostly with Key Club
Summer Activities: volunteer mission in Fiji, Key Club conventions, & lots of summer school
Essays (rating 1-10, details): personally, I feel like you can’t really quantify writing quality, but I will try my best. Common App - wrote it about my experience with bartering in China and how it showed me the power of communication, 8/10
Why Penn - good but generic, 7/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP Chem teacher & Key Club adviser, cant say for sure b/c I didn’t read it but around a 8/10,
Teacher Rec #2: Spanish teacher I’ve had for 3 years, knows me very well. 8/10
Counselor Rec: For some reason my schools assigns students a different counselor every year, so I never got to build any meaningful relationships. Likely generic, ~5/10
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Had it over Skype and experienced a lot of technical difficulties. It went well when we could actually hear each other lol. 5/10,

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Business Economics and Public Policy, Management
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nah

Reflection

Strengths:ACT, GPA, EC leadership, APs
Weaknesses: rank, subject tests, counselor LoR, shaky interview
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: SATs weren’t standout enough, lack of creativity in my essays
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: UT Austin (BHP pending)

General Comments : This has been a very stressful process and it pains me to know that I’ve still got another 4 months of anxiety and anticipation left. However, this result has not reduced my passion for Penn in the slightest.

As for advice, all I can really say is this: don’t be afraid to take a risk! Looking back, I really regret not being more bold when it came to writing my essays and that could have made the difference. Also, actually study for your SAT IIs lol.

Congratulations to everyone who got in! I know y’all will all make the Quaker name proud :smiley:

44

[asize=4]Decision: Accepted [/size]
College of Arts and Sciences
Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 2210 CR: 640, Math: 780 Reading: 790
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): 2240 CR: 670, Math: 780 Reading: 790
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math: 800, Physics: 780
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3 A*‘s, 1 A, 1 B
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: A’ Level Math, Physics, English, Computer Science, AS’ Level French
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Regional Distinction in Cambridge International Examination O’ Level Math

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Member Pakistan National Under-19 Riding Team, Captain Varsity Riding, Winner of multiple national riding awards, many school riding awards, in dressage, jumps, and tent pegging,
Director Public Relations Aitchison College Model United Nations, Director Public Relations, Aitchison Business Concept, Head of Event Fete Internationale Francaise a Aitchison College

Job/Work Experience: Internship at WWF
Volunteer/Community service: Food distribution Robin Hood, Food distribution Akhuwat, Taught children in a community, made a documentary on Life Straws
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): very good
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Computer Science, 9, based on academics, seen
Teacher Rec #2: French, 10, highly personal, based on personality, seen
Counselor Rec: 9 or 10, not seen
Additional Rec:Riding Director, 10
Interview: Very good, 10

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Math
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Pakistan
School Type: Semi-Private, British system
Ethnicity: South Asian, Brown
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Sports, Academics, community service, interview, essays,
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments :

45

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective: Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 2400 one sitting
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 Math Level 2, 770 Chem, 760 US History, 680 Japanese (rip- I’m targeting Japanese)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Australia doesn’t have a GPA system
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Equal first and top 0.3% in Australian Mathematics Competition, top 0.81 percentile in Australian Economics Competition, State winner of Japanese speech contest for two consecutive years, Gold award in Australian Linguistics Olympiad.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Leader/founding member of Model UN club (state level), Amnesty International President, lead cellist in orchestra, 3rd speaker in debating team, Student Representative Council member.
Job/Work Experience: Interned at tertiary MUN conference
Volunteer/Community service: Homeless food kitchen and food/material drives for refugees with Amnesty.
Summer Activities: Visiting family in Taiwan, exchange in Japan.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App essay was quite personal and implicit, but I’m not the greatest writer so maybe a 9/10? Why Penn would be around a 8/10, and my Huntsman essay would be around a 9/10. I think my essays carried my application tbh
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Econ teacher- I audited his course and he was my MUN coordinator, so I’m sure it was spectacular.
Teacher Rec #2: Japanese teacher- she absolutely adores me so letter would be stellar as well.
Counselor Rec: Reinforced my academic strengths and great personal qualities.
Additional Rec: Headmaster- emphasised my intellectual curiosity and passion for human rights.
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No, but I should have haha
Intended Major: International Studies and Business
State (if domestic applicant): Sunshine State :wink:
Country (if international applicant): Australia
School Type: Private, independent with Christian affiliation
Ethnicity: Asian (Taiwanese)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Selected on nation wide leadership to New Zealand for Model UN- met Attorney General of New Zealand and some government officials to discuss Indigenous rights.

Reflection

Strengths: SAT score, essay
Weaknesses: SAT Japanese score, lack of work experience
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Interview was great, I think all these small factors contributed to my acceptance. Ultimately, I was able to show my love of Penn and this evidently came through.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments : I didn’t found my own company, create a charity or intern somewhere amazing, but I still manage to get into Huntsman! Don’t lose hope guys, I started off crying in grade 10 after seeing the caliber of accepted applicants to Penn, and now here I am as one of those living legends lol- PM me if you want further advice :slight_smile:

46

**Decision: Accepted to Wharton **

Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 2110 (690 CR, 700 M, 720 R) (didn’t plan on submitting these scores but CB sent them anyways with my math subject test)
SAT I (superscore): 2130 (690 CR, 720 M, 720 R)
ACT (breakdown): 35 composite (34R, 35E, 35M, 35S)
SAT II: Math II 780, Bio-E 790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): low-mid 90 average throughout high school
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t officially rank, but definitely top 10/300ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): Macro and Psych (5), Micro (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Data Management (online through my school board during semester 1), World Issues (online through my school board during semester 2) Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, English (summer after Gr 11), Philosophy, Economics, Band, Accounting, Sociocultural Anthropology (Semester 1) and Macroeconomics (Semester 2) at a university
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National history essay writing contest, national chem contest, featured on some national youth installation featuring millennial changemakers, random other things etc., nothing too major

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Official municipal youth advisory board (executive), city youth council (executive, deputy-director of enviro committee), environmental non-profit (founder/ exec director), school environment club (co-president), school music council (exec), various music groups (played trumpet), UN youth assembly delegate
Job/Work Experience: Summer social media intern at human rights organization
Volunteer/Community service: VP of local senior home youth council, organizing volunteer and resident programs/ fundraisers/ activities.
Summer Activities: Month long residential summer program at a university, previously mentioned internship, travelling with family, and a bunch of volunteering.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App: I’d like to say 10/10 just because I spent 2+ months on it, went through 11 drafts and had 12+ pairs of eyes see it through. Definitely one of the best things I’ve written, and it talked about my love for the environment using anecdotes from my childhood (when I organized fundraising bakesales/ garage sales in Grade 5) and throughout high school, comparing my passion to an overarching painting/art metaphor (cliche i know lol). Not really sure how to describe it but I thought it was creative, flowed well, and worked.
Supplementary: 7/10, Nothing too special, but was still well-written and well thought through. Did the usual: mentioned clubs/ courses/ professors I was interested in, etc.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 from my Grade 11 Law Teacher, he loved me and I had the highest mark in his course in the past few years. His reference was glowing, excellent, and super long, and he let me read it over (tbh i def don’t think I deserved half the things he said about me in that reference haha)
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10 was from my Grade 9 Geography teacher who also was the staff advisor for the school environmental club in which I participated in for 4 years, and was the co-president of for 2 years. She was also an advisor for an environmental non-profit I started and organized a 14-day Europe trip that I went on in Grade 10. She was basically a life mentor and good friend and let me read it over. It was glowing and super thorough with lot’s of anecdotes and concrete examples to demonstrates my characteristics.
Counselor Rec: 8.5/10, I actually had my counselor as my gym teacher in Grade 9 so he knew me better than most counselors. I didn’t read it over, but I assume it was probably pretty generic. I did give him a lot of prep materials and he talked very highly of it though.
Additional Rec: 7/10, it was from the volunteer coordinator at a long-term care centre I’ve been volunteering at since Grade 9. It was nice but pretty generic and nothing special.
Interview: 8/10, It was online, went well but nothing too special. My alumni interviewer’s wifi was actually really bad so it kept disconnecting haha.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Wharton with a concentration in Finance or environmental management and policy, hoping to pursue a double degree in Environmental studies at CAS after freshman year (or at least a minor)
State (if domestic applicant): Ontario
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: meh public school with around 1200 students
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~$150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NA

Reflection

Strengths: Strong focus in my application (environmental activism + public policy, showed in one of my awards, ec’s, references, essays), common app essay, and teacher references were glowing
Weaknesses: test scores were meh (especially my first SAT 1 scores), teacher references weren’t from “conventional subjects” and one of them hadn’t taught me since Gr 9, no work experience, didn’t make that well use of my summers, grades and course rigour (I didn’t take Calc BC even though it was offered at my school, and my mark in Calculus and Vectors was bad first term lol, and not that many AP’s), no major international awards
Why you think you were accepted: I was just super lucky and I guess the ad com was looking for someone passionate about the environment + public policy on that particular day at that particular time.
Where else were you accepted: no where yet!!!

General Comments : I came into this thinking I could be all ambiguous and not reveal my identity but it’s kinda obvious so if you’re from Toronto and know who I am hey!! Anyways, good luck on the admissions process. It is a horrible soul-sucking experience full of stress, all-nighters, coffee/ redbull, endless sacrifices to study/ work, dumb standardized tests, and false rumours/ misconceptions that just perpetuate everyone’s stress and ughhh I’m so glad I’m done with it all. Generic advice but find something you love and go for it. Focus your application around your passion and prove how you can make a difference in their school community. Work hard, don’t be afraid to be creative on your application, quantify your accomplishments when possible, and go into the experience expecting nothing, because in the end Ivy League admissions is all just a lottery and I happened to get lucky. I’m still in shock over my acceptance and also I’m basically living proof that bad marks and lack of Calc BC is not the end all for Wharton (despite many things I have heard during the application process), so hopefully that brings someone comfort lol

47

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:

SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 1420 – 730 M, 690 R
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): 1450 – 730 M, 720 R, 23/24 Essay
ACT (breakdown): 30 (32 E, 28 M, 33 R, 28 S, 32 W)
SAT II: 710 Math II, 700 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/131
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5), Calc AB (5), US History (5), English Lang/Comp (5), Environmental Science (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Psych, AP Bio, AP Art History, AP Calc BC, AP English Lit/Comp, Arts Elective
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

  • National Hispanic Scholar
  • National Merit Commended Scholar
  • AP Scholar with Distinction
  • Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award
  • Technology Student Association Webmaster Competition, 3rd, National
  • Scholastic Art & Writing Award (Gold)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Technology Student Association // 4 years (Webmaster Event, 1st State, 3rd Nationals)
  • Communication Arts Honor Society // 2 years (Co-Founder, President)
  • National Honor Society // 3 years
    Job/Work Experience:
    • Design Studio Intern // 6 years
      Volunteer/Community service:
  • Ronald McDonald House // 2 years (Youth Leadership Council and Family Service Volunteer)
  • Children’s Hospital Volunteer // 2 years
  • Hospital Volunteer // 2 years
    Summer Activities:
  • Children’s Hospital Volunteer // 2 years
  • Hospital Volunteer // 2 years
  • National Youth Leadership Forum: Advanced Medicine & Healthcare (at Johns Hopkins)

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

  • Common App (9): I wrote about my arts major and the process of making a short film and how it taught me more about myself and how my art can have an impact on others.
  • Supplement (9): I wrote about how I wanted to combine art & science (medicine) with Penn’s curriculum, I’ve toured many times and had many specific programs and clubs I mentioned wanting to be involved in.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP Calc AB Teacher (10)– I had this teacher for 2 years, and he saw me grow while facing challenges in AP Calc. I also peer tutored for one of his classes so he could speak to my desire to help my classmates and underclassmen.
Teacher Rec #2: AP Environmental Teacher (10)– This teacher understood me well both as an individual and as a student. He also nominated me for another award, has been extremely supportive of me, and I peer tutor in his class currently so he could also speak to how I help others.
Counselor Rec: (8) She doesn’t know me on an extremely personal level, but had us answer a set of detailed questions that she used for reference when writing our recommendations, so she could include very specific and supportive details.
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: My interview went well, the alum was very supportive and excited to share his experiences at Penn. He also lives in my state so he knew about the distinguished arts programs at my school, and he also had an interest in the arts, so we had an in-depth conversation about my interest in art/medicine and where Penn can take me.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: YES!
Intended Major: Visual Studies
State (if domestic applicant): Delaware
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public Arts School
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $150,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation

Reflection

Strengths: GPA/performance in school, Essays (I really got to show my personality, and my right/left brain interests and how Penn specifically will let me expand on these)
Weaknesses: SAT/ACT scores weren’t in the typical Penn range.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My unique perspective on the arts/medicine, how I really honed in on my interests during high school, and my academic accomplishments. I also applied to a major that isn’t very popular, though I’m extremely interested in its programs.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: n/a

General Comments : I hope this was helpful, I know I looked to College Confidential a LOT during the college process. I also hope that I’m proof that you don’t need perfect test scores to be admitted to Penn, and that Penn truly values you as a person, and what you’re interested in. So my biggest advice to all prospective applicants would be continue to challenge yourself inside of the classroom and perform to the best of your ability, and ultimately to pursue YOUR interests and what YOU are passionate about–don’t do things for the sake of putting it on a resume or because you think it will “look good to colleges”. Keep up the good work, good luck to you all! :x

48

Decision: Accepted

College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1440: 760 CR 680M
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: 660 Biology 670 Math I (yikes, didn’t study for these)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): school doesn’t do the 4.0 scale - 94.5/100 UW 105.6/100 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/554
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Lang (5), Psychology (5), Bio (4), APUSH (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): didn’t take
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Calc AB, AP Stats, AP Physics I, some honors classes for a medical program my school offers

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Placed 1st in my state and 4th in the US for an FBLA project, AP Scholar with Honor

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Medical Explorers (President), Class Council (Vice President), Cross Country - 3 years Varsity (Captain), Track & Field - 4 years Varsity, FBLA, Key Club, National Honors Society, Chemistry League, Brain Bree
Job/Work Experience: Work at a waterpark over the summer
Volunteer/Community service: NHS, Medical Explorers, Key Club, FBLA - probably all adds up to around 150 hours
Summer Activities: Between work & practice, I don’t really have time for anything else lol
Essays: Common App 9/10- talked about how my Ethiopian heritage fostered my love for running, good content but could have been better executed
UPenn Supplement 10/10- probably one of the best things I’ve ever written, talked about my passion for Neuroscience and my love for the school
Teacher Recommendation: English Teacher 10/10 - he really likes me, I visit him all the time and I always got the best essay grades in his class
History Teacher 8/10 - she also really likes me but my AP Bio teacher was originally supposed to write my rec letter so when he fell through, she saved me and wrote it less than a day. Bless her soul, but it was probably rushed
Counselor Rec: 9/10 - we are very close and she has known since my freshman year that Penn was my dream school. She does have a lot of students to take care of though
Additional Rec: none
Interview: Went great, we spoke for nearly an hour and a half

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biological Basis of Behavior
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <40,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation

Reflection:

Strengths: Penn Supplement, GPA, extracurriculars, leadership
Weaknesses: Standardized test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my essays really showed how passionate I am about about their neuro program. Plus, my hooks didn’t hurt.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted - Rutgers

General Comments: I’m still in shock. Penn has been my dream school for the longest time and I can’t believe all my hard work has paid off. Go Quakers!

49

MODERATOR’S NOTE:
One again, per the very first post in this thread, only results are allowed here. Any other question/comment, no matter how insightful, will be deleted.

50

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective: CAS
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 1420: 700M 720R (didn’t send)
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 33C: 31S 32M 33R 34E
SAT II: 760 Math II, 720 Math I
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0, 5.36 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):4/399
AP (place score in parenthesis):AP Psychology (5), APUSH (4), AP Lang (4), AP Stats (4), AP World (3), AP Env (3), AP Human (3) (will graduate with over 18 AP’s)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Physics 2, AICE Thinking Skills, AP Calc AB, AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Econ, AICE Euro History, Chem Honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Princeton Book Award, AP Scholar with Honors, NHS, Academic Achievement Award (4 years), Student of the Month (4 years)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Cheerleading: JV (captain, 2 years) Varsity (captain 2 years), Pre-Med Club (secretary, VP, President), Marine Science Club (VP, President), Student Government (Secretary, Secretary, VP, President), Mu Alpha Theta (VP), Envirothon, Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society; professionally trained ballet dancer, competed in the YAGP and made it to NYC finals, danced on Lincoln Center Stage, performed with professional ballet companies in the Nutcracker for 8 years, attended ballet summer program in Gothenburg, Sweden, Miami, and NYC
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: 200+: 100+ through ballet performances, volunteer at local philharmonic with performances, The Grace Place of Naples volunteer, beach clean ups, school related events
Summer Activities: Internship at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Gothenburg Sweden (assisted with research), scrubbed in on a surgery in Gothenburg (laparoscopic appendectomy), shadowed local surgeons and watched orthopedic and plastic surgeries, attended ballet summer intensives
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (9/10): personal with a lot of literary style, discussed my ballet experiences onstage, family and background (moms from Sweden and dad is from Cuba), surgery I scrubbed in on
Supplement (9/10): very personal with how I would use penn’s resources to my advantage, discussed clubs and organizations I would like to be a part of, interest in research project, why penn is the perfect school for me
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP Bio teacher (8/10) helped me figure out what I want to study
Teacher Rec #2: APUSH teacher (10/10) she loved me, one of the best students in her class
Counselor Rec: (8/10) had to write recommendations for over 150 students
Additional Rec: (10/10) I interned with this doctor in Sweden, know her personally
Interview: (10/10) really connected with my interviewer. She attended the Wharton school and we bonded over a lot of different things, had very similar personalities. Lasted almost 2 hours. She gave me highest recommendation

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mathematics
State (if domestic applicant):FL
Country (if international applicant):USA
School Type:Public (1600)
Ethnicity:Hispanic
Gender:Female
Income Bracket: $150,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation, first generation american

Reflection

Strengths: extra curricular’s, interview, essays (specifically supplement)
Weaknesses: Standardized test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I can’t pinpoint why I was deferred but I have a feeling it was my test scores. I’m confused though because I thought my hooks and EC’s would help.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: n/a; Applying to ivies, BC, Northwestern, Duke, UF

General Comments : I was expecting a different, more positive decision, but I still have another shot so I’m going to put in all my effort to making Penn see what they would be missing without me

51

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective: CAS

SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 690R, 740W, 770M, 2200
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): 710R, 740W, 770M, 2220
ACT (breakdown): 35C~ 35E, 36M, 35R, 34S
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Bio M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/500
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB Physics SL (7), IB Spanish SL (6), IB Mathematics HL, IB English Lit HL, IB History of Americas HL, IB Biology HL
Senior Year Course Load: IB Mathematics HL2, IB English Lit HL2, IB History of Americas HL2, IB Biology HL2, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB Philosophy SL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, Norcal Honor Band, Best Cameo COSMOS UCD

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Future Medical Professionals (Co-founder, President)
Model UN (Founder, President)
Academic Decathlon (President)
Journalism (Editor-in-Chief of school newspaper)
NHS
Varsity Tennis (since Freshman year)
Marching Band
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service:
4H SET (Site Leader)
Youth Commission to City Council (Job Preparedness Committee Chair)
Summer Activities: COSMOS UC Davis, Duke TIP Field Studies, Lab intern at UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 9/10 talked about finding myself at my high school of 2400+
Supplement: 10/10 had an intense interest for BBB and referenced courses, programs, and facilities that I would immerse into
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher #1: 10/10 was my really chill chem H teacher in 10th grade and currently my IB Bio teacher. Likes me a lot and hinted that he included I would always get perfect or almost perfect scores on his rigorous exams.
Teacher #2: 10/10 very sweet Spanish teacher!! She adores my ambitions and work ethic, so I’m guessing it was really good. She said she couldn’t fit everything into one page.
Counselor Rec: 9/10 counselor doesn’t truly get to connect to every student but we had a meeting and she got to know me pretty well. Said I was definitely bound for an ivy league. Jubilant writing style (probably helped?)
Additional Rec: 10/10 was from the mayor of my city of 100k +. Has a really busy schedule but was able to write one for me since I’m part of the youth commission branch of the municipal gov
Interview: 9/10 very casual phone call. Interviewer said I was a good fit to the urban atmosphere and programs offered at Penn!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: BBB
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Chinese (it’s possible to get in as an East Asian!)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$250k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Under-represented county ?

Reflection

Strengths: Grades, recs, ECs, passion
Weaknesses: Not that many awards or super high achievements
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: idk, I worked really hard for Penn and I guess they saw my extreme interest in their academic/ social life
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A

General Comments : Excited to be part of the Class of 2021!

52

**Decision: Accepted / CAS **

Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 1520
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): 1530 (790 M 740 R)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 E, 36 M, 34 R, 35 S)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry, 770 World History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.07 (School has weird 4.333 “unweighted” scale)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AB Calc (5), AP Chemistry (5), AP World History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: BC Calc, AP Bio, AP Gov, AP Macro, AP Spanish, AP Lang
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Publication of research paper in National High School Journal of Science, Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) State Division Winner

Subjective:

  1. Piano Music (13 years): Church Assistant Pianist (4 years), Chaminade Club Scholarship Music Festival Winner, MTNA State Division Winner
  2. Senior Patrol Leader: Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout
  3. Research Lab Assistant at Brown University, publication of research paper
  4. Dental/Medical Assistant, VBS Leader, 504 hours of community service in Peru in three years
  5. Camp Counselor (3 years), 336 hours
  6. Taekwondo (4 years), Black Belt 1st Dan
  7. Tennis Varsity (4 years)
  8. New England and Rhode Island Math League (B Team)
  9. Math/Chemistry Tutor, self-initiated (2 years)
  10. Church Youth Group President, 1.5 hour drive from home to churcb
    Essays (rating 1-10, details):
    Common App: 9; I was truly myself when I wrote this. I wrote about my recognition of being Korean, Christian, and LGBT, and how that shaped my identity in creating me. Honest tip: I know plenty of people have already told you this, but you really really have to be yourself when writing essays!
    Penn Supplement; 8; It was pretty generic but I wrote how I’m very goal-driven, how my goal involves studying biochemistry, and how Penn will help me reach that goal. Be specific when mentioning what you plan on doing!
    Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
    Teacher Rec #1: 9; Chemistry teacher that loveeeeeees me. Surely, she wrote a good one!
    Teacher Rec #2: 8; Math teacher that also admires me. Very straightforward guy.
    Counselor Rec: 8.5; I constantly met and talked with my counselor, was always nice to her. Be nice to your counselor! Get to know him or her!
    Additional Rec: 8.5; One from a mentor from the research facility in Brown University. She really saw me as a mature, responsible, and dedicated person and I’m pretty sure she wrote a good one.
    Interview: Good! Lasted around 50 minutes, showed more of the personal side of me. Don’t flaunt about your accomplishments or anything; be upfront and real about yourself.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Nep
Intended Major: Biochemistry (may probably switch to chemistry)
State (if domestic applicant): Rhode Island
Country (if international applicant): United States
School Type: Competitive Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$250,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): LGBT…?

Reflection: I was super stressed through the entire process, but in the end, it went well. So glad of how it turned out. Again, I’ll say: BE YOURSELF. I think that is one of the greatest quality that I showed. Don’t be fake or anything.
Strengths: Honestly, I don’t know.
Weaknesses: Asian, rich, male, piano-playing, good-grade, typical applicant.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably LGBT, showed my sincere passion through essays. It’s all in your commitment to something you want to do in life!
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Applied ED here! Was going to apply RD to Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, Rice, Swarthmore, and Amherst

General Comments: Firstly, don’t obsess over CC. CC can be toxic and very hurtful, and I was crazy over CC, which is one of the greatest mistakes I have done. It is a great resource to use, but don’t be excessive over it. Secondly, BE YOURSELF. SHOW THAT YOU ARE PASSIONATE. Thirdly, have hope: you can do it!

Just wanted to post my results for the archives and hopefully it’ll help a prospective applicant. Again, try to stay away from this site! Only use it sparingly!

Good luck to you all!

53

**Decision: Deferred **

Rejected M&T, Deferred Wharton

Objective:
SAT I (one sitting) (breakdown): 1560 (780 CR+E, 780 M)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 R, 35 E, 34 M, 33 S)
SAT II: 770 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5), Euro (4), English Lang (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: BC Calc, AP French, AP Comp Sci A, Gifted Philosophy, AP English Lit, Honors STEM Research
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar, not much significant stuff otherwise

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

Clubs/Activities: Varsity soccer and lax starter (4 years, lax defensive captain), Mathletes (PR), NHS, SNHS, FHS, FBLA (regional awards, Historian), STEM Project for science fairs (creating an emergency app w/GPS services and voice recognition), etc.
Job/Work Experience: Lacrosse Ref, Soccer Trainer, Cashier/Counter Manager at an Italian Restaurant (25 hours/week)
Volunteer/Community service: Special Stars (taught soccer to kids with autism and aspergers), Athletes Helping Athletes (Treasurer), Junior Volunteer local SPCA
Summer Activities: Work, summer lacrosse
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (10/10), “Why M&T” (9/10), “Why Wharton”(8/10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8.5/10
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10
Counselor Rec:10/10
Additional Rec:N/A
Interview: 10/10 (He was awesome, and we had a great conversation that went late)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Computer Science and Entrepreneurship and Innovation (M&T) or Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Marketing (Wharton)
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Not even close to aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Double Legacy

Reflection

Strengths: test scores, Common App essay, legacy, research project
Weaknesses: GPA, lack of national recognition, recommendations?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: GPA, lack of national recognition, very strong applicant pool, lack of CS until senior year
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Penn State (accepted), haven’t heard from anyone else

General Comments : I’m definitely a bit disappointed, but I understand that my GPA and my lack of significant national recognition hurt me in general, not to mention the effect of my lack of computer science until senior year and how that affected M&T. Out of the 8 kids from my school who applied ED, 6 got rejected, and my friend who applied to CAS and I are the only ones left due to deferrals. Getting this far has been an accomplishment! I’m excited to see what happens in the RD round even though I have so much work to do now. Penn was my dream, and it still is. I hope to join you guys next year as a Quaker!

54

I also got rejected. It was really disheartening. Everyone here who got rejected and deferred have really good stats and I’m sure you all will get into an incredible school. Just because it’s not Penn doesn’t mean anything bad! I’m sure you all will find a school you’ll love and excel in! :slight_smile:

55

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective: College of Arts and Sciences
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): None
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): None
ACT (breakdown): 33C [34E, 33M, 35R, 29S]
SAT II: Math II 730 US History 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): only know weighted (4.02) strong upward trend though no B’s toward end.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 3 Euro, 4 Bio, 5 US History
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP MacroEcon, AP Physics 1, AP Gov, AP Comp Sci, AP Lit, and AP Calc AB
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, Awards for Soccer, and School Academic Awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Club and School Soccer, Student Body, President of Investment Club, and Latin Club
Job/Work Experience: Summer camp counselor and tutor
Volunteer/Community service: NHS and volunteered for local public Soccer league as a coach and ref.
Summer Activities: Summer camp counseling
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, got it read by a Stanford graduate and he said it was great: talked about struggle being first generation and my experience overcoming adversity and how it made me a stronger person. My supplement was prob a 5/10; very cliche looking back on it and not really impactful.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Not sure

Teacher Rec #1: Not sure
Teacher Rec #2: Not sure
Counselor Rec: Not sure
Additional Rec:
Interview: Honestly very ordinary, my interviewer had been in meetings the whole day and was late. I would just say it was a normal conversation nothing great.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private Catholic
Ethnicity: Iranian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 50,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM maybe and first generation

Reflection

Strengths: Honestly pretty average application
Weaknesses: SAT II scores, GPA, extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Penn is an amazing school and I honestly was average, getting in would be left up to luck. Could have had a better GPA and better extracurriculars.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: No others so far

General Comments : Pretty bummed but at the end of the day it is Penn. It just sucks because I was never aware of what I had to do to be competitive for schools like Penn until my junior year because my parents barely know anything about college. Congrats to everyone who got in!

56

Please replace the “[a” below with just “[” before posting.

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]

Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): N/A
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 Composite: 35 English, 35 Math, 34 Reading, 36 Science
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Japanese, 730 Biology M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Full IB Diploma, HL Math Spanish History English Biology, SL Chemistry TOK
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Gov (President 11th grade, Representative 9, 10, 12), NHS President 12th, Mu Alpha Theta President 12th, Assistant Technical Director (12, 11) and training for this position in 10th), also Head of Lights in (12, 11, 10)
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Really basic stuff like beach cleanups (I live in Hawaii and it is very common here), campus clean ups, tutoring, etc.
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments :

57

Sorry old comment got messed up.

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): N/A
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 Composite: 35 English, 35 Math, 34 Reading, 36 Science
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Japanese, 730 Biology M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Full IB Diploma, HL Math Spanish History English Biology, SL Chemistry TOK
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Gov (President 11th grade, Representative 9, 10, 12), NHS President 12th, Mu Alpha Theta President 12th, Assistant Technical Director (12, 11) and training for this position in 10th), also Head of Lights in (12, 11, 10)

Job/Work Experience: None

Volunteer/Community service: Really basic stuff like beach cleanups (I live in Hawaii and it is very common here), campus clean ups, tutoring, etc.

Summer Activities: None

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App 9/10: Wrote about duality in my culture between Japan and America (I was born in Japan but moved here) and how I found a common place for both of them in Student Gov.
Supplement 7/10: Talked about CURF (I referenced a specific research project), one school policy, and about math (Academic Interest)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
English Teacher: 8/10? I actually don’t know. He’s an amazing writer but I don’t know if what he wrote about me was good.
Math Teacher: 8/10? Opposite here I think. Probably wrote good things but not much of the whole rhetoric thing. Dunno though.
Counselor: 9/10 Student gov adviser as well so we were close outside all the classes and academic stuff. She is also a great counselor in general so yeah.

Interview: Pretty average. I accidentally brought up the suicides in Penn lol. But it was okay because my why Penn answer was pretty great (at least I think).

Applied for Financial Aid?:No
Intended Major:Biology
State (if domestic applicant): Hawaii
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: High school? (Definitely not feeder) But it was private.
Ethnicity: Japanese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Let’s just say over seven digits.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Dual citizen of Japan America?? Not much tbh. Just an average Asian-American try hard.

Reflection

Strengths: Presentation. I milked my dual culture thing so hard in my essay and it fit perfectly with everything else when I wrote it. No research, no startup, no awards, no sports. Just took 1 background and presented it on a gold plate. Also Test scores were high too. I bet the recs were good too.
Weaknesses: No research, no startup, no awards, no sports. ECs were generic. GPA freshman year maybe?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly don’t know. Probably academics + cultural diversity.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Just here. One and done let’s go!

58

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 34 superscore, (31M, 35E, 34R, 36S)
SAT II: didn’t take any!! :slight_smile:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.76
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): I’ve only taken the Physics 1 test so far; it was a huge nightmare lol. I got a 3.

IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Stat, AP Psych, Eng Honors, Calculus, Organic Chem (1st semester), Astronomy (2nd semester), Chorus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): LOTS of dancing. Dance classes for 16+ hrs/week, Select Choral Ensembles, School Musical (Dance Captain, Supporting Lead), Community/Regional Musicals, High School Dance Team (Co-founder & President), Future Physicians and Nurses Club
Job/Work Experience: Babysitting
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at Hospital, Volunteer for Special Needs Kids @ town camp
Summer Activities: Volunteer for Special Needs Kids @ town camp, Regional Theater Conservatory Work, Shadowed a Physical Therapist

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Tbh, I’m not the biggest fan of my writing and I usually have to stay away from it for a couple of days before I can look at it again. The common app was so hard for me to write and I’m still not satisfied with it. The topic was generic, but the flow was decent. (7/10) My Penn Supplement was written the day before apps were due but I still worked really hard on it! (7/10)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): (5/10)

Teacher Rec #1: My Physio teacher from last year who I really kissed up to and I did pretty good in her class. (8/10)
Teacher Rec #2: My English teacher who I had freshman and junior year who really liked me (9/10)
Counselor Rec: The poor lady writes at least 150+ recs. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was generic. (6/10)
Additional Rec:

Interview: Strange. It was short (compared to past interviews) and there was some awkward silence when she would scroll through her phone to look for questions to ask me. Her mom also called her in the middle of the interview; you could tell she was a pretty busy woman. But she complimented me at the end even though I didn’t feel so good about it, so maybe things went okay.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: of course
Intended Major: Nursing
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Filipino, Chinese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200,000 +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: ACT scores, good essay/recs???
Weaknesses: low gpa, no AP scores sent, no subject tests taken
Why you think you were accepted: i have absolutely no idea. couldn’t tell you.
Where else were you accepted: university of pittsburgh :slight_smile:

General Comments : GUYS. THIS IS THE REAL REASON WHY I MADE THIS POST. If you look at my stats, they pale in comparison to some of the amazing students that have posted on this thread. When I went to a UPenn college fair, there were papers that said a Chem Subject Test was strongly recommended for the nursing track. Since I haven’t taken chem since sophomore year and didn’t know I wanted to be a nurse until this year, there was no way I could take it. And yet… I still got in. I still got in with a pretty average gpa and few leadership positions. And in no way am I bragging about this - I’m extremely grateful for this acceptance and I know that there are a bunch of qualified students who could also be where I am. But to future applicants who read this - know that THERE IS ALWAYS A CHANCE. No matter how low it is. Believe in yourself :slight_smile:

59

**Decision: Accepted **

CAS

Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown):
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown/superscore): C34 E35 M36 R30 S36 (took it like 3 times)
SAT II: Physics 800 MathII 780
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):probably 1-2%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Japanese (5), Environmental Science (4), Euro Hist (4), Music Theory (5), Physics C Mechanics (5) Macro Econ (5) Micro Econ (5) Chem (5) BC Calc (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Eng, Newspaper, Choir + Beginners Chinese & Linear Algebra @ local university.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
MTNA (senior piano div) State Honorable Mention x2
Midwest Mathcompetition Qualifier
ARML Iowa Rep (9-11)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Semi-Competitive Piano
School Newspaper
Choir/ Show Choir
School Musical

Job/Work Experience:Tutored music theory a bit at my teacher’s piano studio
Volunteer/Community service: Helped out at my old Japanese School
Summer Activities: Visit relatives at japan for about a month + Engineering Summer Academy at Penn (summer after junior year)

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 9/10 compared perfecting a piano piece to befriending a friend crush
Additional Info: 10/10 How my Japanese culture and American culture intertwine. Strong presence of Japanese even though I grew up in the US.
Why UPenn:9/10 What if Batman had gone to UPenn?

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10. :Chem Teacher. I TA her rn and shes super cool
Teacher Rec #2:9/10.Econ Teacher, I missed 2 weeks of class due to virus & missed 3 tests but I got back on track within 2 days and he was amazed by it
Counselor Rec: 9/10 I think my counselor like me?
Additional Rec: 7/10 Choir Director. He thinks highly of me but I really don’t think we was able to write anything super strong

Interview: It got really awk at the end but other than that I think we jived well. mostly.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:No
Intended Major: Undecided
State (if domestic applicant): IA
School Type: Lol Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Japanese)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Uhm…

Reflection

Strengths: Grade, AP, Essays, Teacher Rec & ESAP
Weaknesses: Asian, Interview, Additional Rec, Lack of Job/Volunteering, Kinda empty summers
Why you think you were accepted: I think it’s because I connected my essays with my extracurriculars well. Also the essays were kinda bomb.
Where else were you accepted: Nowhere else bc didn’t apply anywhere

General Comments : I just wanted to do this because I was super reliant on last year’s ED thread. I hope class of 2022 applicants find this useful.

60

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 1390 (750 CR, 640 M)
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): (same as above)
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II: None
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/617
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), Language and Composition (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Math SL (6), Bio SL (5)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Theory of Knowledge, IB 20th Century Topics, IB Music HL, Honors Financial Algebra (Already taken highest level math), IB Language YR2, IB Spanish 5
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge Finalist, first place in various choral festivals, national merit commended scholar (lol)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chamber Choir (President), Vocal Ensemble (President), Spring Musical (Lead role each year, captain), Fall play (Lead role each year), Model UN (9-10th), NHS, Spanish Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: Old Navy (9 months), Tropical Smoothie Cafe (Past 8 months)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Personal Statement (9 at least) - described how I lived in Kosovo for 6 years and how it has shaped me into who I am; Supplement (8) - described my passion for music, social justice, and international relations and how I will pursue each at Penn

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Music teacher (10) - directs my choirs, musicals, and is married to my private vocal teacher, I have a close relationship with him as he’s been my teacher every year in multiple classes, says I am the best student/leader he has ever had
Teacher Rec #2: Junior year history teacher, now administrator (9) - not as close of personal relationship but still definitely close, says I am best history student he’s ever had
Counselor Rec: (8) Is aware of my achievements but has no personal relationship with me
Interview: Went very well, was casual but insightful and easy-going

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: International Relations
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Urban, public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~30K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: EC’s, essays, recommendations, courseload
Weaknesses: SAT’s, awards
Why you think you were accepted: I AM A REAL PERSON! I have done ECs that intrigue me BECAUSE I have passion for those areas - not because it will look good on an application. I projected who I am on my app, not who I think they want.