Current school: Emory University
UPenn School: CAS
Major: Philosophy and German studies
GPA: 4.0
SAT: never took it
ACT: 31
Hooks: VERY low income, have lived on my own since 16, first generation, and, this isn’t exactly a “hook,” but I grew up in a crazy abusive environment and I wrote about that in the additional info section of the Common App
ECs: paid work, that’s literally it. I have never been big on doing a bunch of activities because I’m obnoxiously shy and afraid of people haha
Applied: Penn, Barnard, Swarthmore
Accepted: Penn
Declined:
Waitlisted:
(Haven’t heard from the other two yet)
It sucks to see so many people with better stats than me who got rejected so many more people deserved to get in than they had the space for! For what it’s worth, I think my background must have given me a HUGE leg up, since colleges have begun to seek out disadvantaged students more. So if people whose situation is like mine see this in the future, APPLY! Don’t be discouraged if you’re a little less-than-stellar on paper but have circumstances to justify it. I honestly don’t compare stats-wise to anyone on this thread but it can still happen!
@ivyleague2
It was really hard this time around in my opinion. Less than 200 people were accepted from the 2700 that applied. 7.41% of applicants were accepted. From what I heard 8.5-9% is usually the transfer rate for upenn.
@CharlieTheTankEngine Anytime you’re dealing with schools in the top 25, it comes down to qualities like the essay, supplements, demonstrated interest (if the school tracks this), etc. Though our stats/ec’s/work/recs are probably in the same range, we’re all similar applicants and the office has the luxury of picking and choosing who they prefer. There’s really no way around this other than to apply to a ton of schools, apply to places that have guaranteed admissions, or apply to schools with rolling admissions so you know the decision faster. It really is a brutal system.
Rejected
Wharton
I was slightly saddened by the decision but ultimately, you can’t really be disappointed when there is a 90-something percent rate of rejection.
Congratulations everyone who got accepted! Penn is my dream and I will certainly be applying next year.
P.S. Did anyone in this thread get accepted to Wharton? Extremely selective, as always.
@VaishS if you click the FAQ on the decisions page, they have the numbers listed there. I simply did the math and it’s a 7.41% transfer acceptance. @xyz4at What ECs did you have?! Also, congratulations! What do you think was your hook?
Hey guys, I am late because I’ve been freaking out since the decisions came out.
Accepted to Wharton as a Sophomore transfer!
Current school: UT Austin (Business Honors)
GPA: 4.0 (Have an A- and a possible B+ currently)
SAT: 1440 (superscore)
EC: Investment team and other bussinessy stuff. Passionate about community service.
I am also first generation, Latino, low income, and was valedictorian of my high school. Grew up in a border town and my perspective on education really changed after senior year.
so many more people deserved to get in than they had the space for! For what it’s worth, I think my background must have given me a HUGE leg up, since colleges have begun to seek out disadvantaged students more. So if people whose situation is like mine see this in the future, APPLY! Don’t be discouraged if you’re a little less-than-stellar on paper but have circumstances to justify it. I honestly don’t compare stats-wise to anyone on this thread but it can still happen! 
