Hi, my name is Chris I’m a junior from New Jersey. I go to a top-ranked high school in the nation. I have a 94.5 GPA, 1570 SAT score, 800 on SAT Math 2 and 800 on SAT Chemistry. I will also be conducting research with a medical professor at Rutgers University this summer and do a lot of volunteer work. I am also completing an IB curriculum and will graduate with an IB Diploma.
My family cannot afford meeting with somebody to find out my admissions chances and my guidance counselor is no help at all. What do you guys think of my chances of admission to the University of Pennsylvania, particularly Wharton?
At my school, a 95 is reported as a 4.0, and a 94 is reported as a 3.9 so I’m still unclear as to where I would fall on that scale however at most schools anything above a 93 is a 4.0.
Here is the evident problem I see. You are aiming for Wharton, but are doing medical research. Maybe get something business related because at the moment it seems more focused to other areas outside Wharton. However, your stats are strong, so that is a plus. At the end of the day, you want to put together an application that looks like a future businessman or one that aspires to study within that area. With those ecs, it looks like you are going across the spectrum of academia. Additionally, volunteering is the standard and is expected nowadays.
Your stats look pretty strong, so you have as good a shot as anyone else, but as I am sure you know, so does almost everyone else who is applying to Wharton.
One of the biggest parts of any college application is “Why this College/University?” essay. So when you go to apply to any colleges make sure you really spend time focusing on that essay. Your answer should really be unique to each college and really show them why you want to be a part of their University. Review the Penn website and find things that would really interest you and how you could see yourself being a part of it. This should also tie into any volunteering or extracurriculars you have done in high school.
As a side note, my son is a freshman in the M&T program at Penn and Wharton and he didn’t have any business related ecs. So it is possible to get into the business programs without it.
Remember that all colleges have their own way of calculating GPA. In general, I think you are right that anything above a 93 is a 4.0, but never too sure.
You look to be a competitive applicant with academics and ECs that should get you a serious look at any college. The rest will depend on things we can’t see such as your essays, LORs, depth of your ECs etc.
Any elite college (with acceptance rates often in the single digits) should be considered a reach for any unhooked applicant. IMO it is impossible to chance at these hyper-competitive schools as there are many many more well qualified applicants than there are spots available.
Be sure to take the time to search out a group of match and safety schools that appear affordable (run net price calculators) and that you would be excited to attend.