filling this out pretty late, woah. anyways
**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I {best single sitting) (breakdown): 1380 (730 R&W, 650 M, 18 on essay)
SAT I (superscore) (breakdown): 1420 (730 R&W, 690 M)
ACT & SAT II: n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/321
AP (place score in parenthesis): Gov & APUSH (both 3s omfg)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: ap psych/latin/english, calc 2, advanced portfolio development (we dont have ap art woops) and foods & nutrition
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): questbridge finalist
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): art, violin/chorus for 3 years, FBLA (vice president), NHS (vice president), student council (secretary), MUN (president)
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: did concessions at girls bball games for 2+ years, volunteered at the library over the summer, run school store every morning/afternoon
Summer Activities: um… besides working on art, admittedly not much ^^; visited a lot of museums, took part in a disability rights march, etc.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 8, maybe 9? wrote about a childhood experience that inspired my interest in art. it’s a memory i’m really fond of which made it easier to write, and it helped that i got a lot of people to read through it and share their thoughts
Why UPenn: 7. penn was the first school i visited, even when i knew nothing about college. focused a lot on utilizing my opportunity as an undecided student not just at penn, but in the city of philly, to figure out how i can impact the world. also touched on developing a better sense of my identity as a southeast asian woman and an artist
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: (10) teacher/student council advisor, honestly my mom (i opened the acceptance letter with her lol) and bestie! afaik was really personal and touching
Teacher Rec #2: (8) latin teacher all 4 years, really tight, knows me as a student best
Counselor Rec: (8) super supportive and knows my circumstances
Additional Rec: (10) my principal who happens to be a upenn alum lol?? he’s also my best friends’ dad so he knows about my home life p intimately. has seen me at my worst and at my best, one of my favorite people in the world
the 2nd rec was actually sent on accident so my counselor sent another, which they apparently received?? that one was a 9/10 but idk if they actually read it, written by my art teacher who i’m also incredibly close with
Interview: 9/10, literally it felt like i was chatting with a familiar teacher/friend! she was really easy to talk to and we shared a lot of laughs and smiles. she was a poli sci major; at one point i talked about my interest in art and how i loved the murals around philly that showcase poc life and she actually told me about the mural arts program - all in all just a really cozy and fun interview (she sent me a congratulations card when i got accepted omg!!)
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: yep
Intended Major: undecided! i love art but i don’t know if i’m committed to majoring in it
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: title 1 public school, really diverse
Ethnicity: Asian (Cambodian)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <$10,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation, low income single mom household among other circumstances, my first name might’ve piqued some interest lol, maybe being southeast asian??
Reflection
Strengths: essays, interview, QB applicant
Weaknesses: SAT, AP scores were medicore as heck omg
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: i think the interview/my essays really reflected my character and how that’s been shaped by my experiences, both good and bad. honestly my home life (a lot of abuse, neglect, for my entire junior year i had to live with a friend) is what motivated me to push myself for penn - i felt very genuine about who i was and i’m thrilled that it worked out!
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: applied via QB so only uchicago, which i was deferred from
General Comments:
honestly i still can’t really believe this happened, i looked at this website monthly and felt so anxious that i didn’t compare well scorewise. my sister told me for the longest time that i probably wouldn’t get in, so i’m just beyond thankful i did. congratulations to everyone who was accepted ed & rd too!! whatever college you guys are attending, or if you’re browsing these forums and sweating your socks off, know that you will be great and do great things no matter what happens c: