Maybe since they have confirmed that 81 offers were made keeping the yield in my mind, it would be good to know that how are those spots filling up? Because most of the applicants who are interested in accepting have already replied with their decisions. But yeah, I am not sure if they will be willing to share that detail in the first place. Also, I am an international so it is really expensive to make a call from here and so I was just displaying my request to the “awesome” dude/dudette who has been such a support in these tough times. I really have my heart out for you man. Don’t feel pressured to call but if you do, then please consider asking the aforementioned. Thanks!
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I’m not pressured to call at all 
and your question is a great choice, I’ll make sure to ask that!
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Great then! (ps: there was a typo. i meant yield in mind, not yield in my mind. there’s nothing in my mind lol, except the image of an imaginary acceptance letter that just doesn’t ever come thru.)
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@Awesome5510 timeline about the next wave
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I am still confused whether saying if I’d be willing to pay fully (even though I applied for aid) is necessary? The office told me they’re need-blind during waitlists, but I don’t know if I should believe that.
14th Call to Admissions after Commitment Day:
Everything I quotations are exact words of the AO.
The AO that answered my phone today (I feel like I recognize the voice from another time that I called and looking back at the response from last time it seems like he does not disclose as much information as other AOs) wasn’t really able to provide much information (maybe also because there truly isn’t anything that he can tell us about) so I’ll try to ask the same questions either after lunch break today or tomorrow. Also this AO was pausing for long periods of times after my questions was asked, if that means anything (base on my experience they don’t really pause that long but it could be just his habit).
- Do you happen to know how are the spots filling up for the 81 offers?
“Uhh no. We don’t release that information.”
- Is there an estimate of how many offers that will be released for the second wave if there is one?
“Uhh we we also don’t release that but so so the waitlist is done on a on a rolling basis Umm you know it happens in the month well the rest of this month and into June and possibly even into July.”
- When will the next wave of decisions be released?
“Uhh no it it’s probably it’s anytime over the next over the next few weeks.”
- Should we be expecting something by next week since that is the response deadline for the first wave?
“Umm you’ll you’ll likely would receive you could receive an email Uhh after that deadline but it’ll be unlikely before that.”
- Email like as an email for an update to the waitlist like maybe a extended waitlist or a closure of the waitlist?
“Yes.”
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I don’t necessary think it matter that much because of couple reasons:
1st case scenario: your family income is quite low and you need a substantial amount of FA
Result: (If they are looking at need) They won’t accept you even if you indicate that you’re willing to be full pay because obviously your family circumstances don’t allow you to do so and if they do accept you it’s like admitting they are looking at needs which they most likely wouldn’t want people to know if they are really doing so.
2nd case scenario: your family income level is in the middle then telling them full pay or not wouldn’t matter because they know that they can offer you less FA and you’ll be able to pay more on your end and even do a little stretch and do full pay.
3rd case scenario: your family income is quite high and you can absolutely do full pay then there wouldn’t be a need to indicate your willingness to do full pay.
(All above are my personal assumptions made on the assumption that they are looking at need)
(Penn does have a public standing of need blind for both regular and waitlist applicants and past evidence has already proven so)
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UPenn is truly need-blind. You can even change your FA status after you got admitted.
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Continuously calling them won’t do anything.
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You actually add lots of extra workload to them so they can’t do their job hence making processing the waitlist slower. 
I think you meant to reply to me.
Sorry if I brought trouble but personally for me I think the benefit of calling out weighs the cost.
First of all, all of my conversation time with the AO never exceeds 3 min (it might seem a lot just looking at the text version but usually it lasts barely two minutes) and I’ve been very respectful and straight to the point when calling (I write up scripts to avoid asking repeated questions). Second of all, if I don’t call I’m sure others will want to call and if one of us calls, it actually saves the AOs time to answer one call then answering all these calls with similar answers (at least it’s how I look at it), and lastly some people on this thread are internationals and can not call so despite calling might not really be helpful, I am willing to call for them even if it just makes someone feel better for a split second. Lastly I apologize if I’m calling too much (I do have this feeling lately) and thus slowing the process (personally I have faith in the admissions committee that these calls will not slow them down) and in the future I’ll limit the times that I do call (and post about calling).
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Very true and I understand that by calling there won’t be much information given (nor will it in anyway enhance my chances), it’s hard to explain but I guess it became a habit of me?
Again, I don’t mean to sound sarcastic or rude to anyone on this thread but if I am please point it out. (I’m so worried that there’s going to be some conflict on this thread like there has been on some other threads)
Don’t worry haha. I’m just saying that more likely than not, most applicants will not come off the waitlist. You typically do not get the types of responses you all are looking for (the person answering the phone doesn’t have much freedom to discuss I suppose), and it just makes the process of “moving on” harder generally.
Thank you for pointing this out. And yes I do understand that the chances of getting off is like almost non existent. However this whole thing has an incredible amount of weight in my heart (it’s been my top choice for years and I literally had all my plans set for Penn) and I can straight up say that I’m not going to get over it (I always had a way of getting over things by asking myself if this is going to matter after five or ten or twenty years but this is something that might not matter as much after a long time but it’s always going to matter for me) I’m ready to take a gap year and reapply so when the waitlist gets closed off I’m going have a meltdown, cry and do that whole emotional routine (I’ve tried to get over it previously but I really just can’t do it before the official rejection) but I’ll definitely move on and try harder next year.
There is really not one college you have to get in. It’s all in your mind. Move on, you may find another college is better for you.
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I think I will also take a gap year and apply next year, though my dream school is a different one. I hope we can both get in!
I sincerely admire the determination to be a UPenn student but my advice for those who want to take a gap year and apply again next year is to take some time to seriously consider how this process may play out. Right now you have approximately five months until the early decision deadline (November 1, 2021 I believe). Five months might seem like a lot of time but depending on how you use your time, it might not be. You are all qualified to be amazing students at UPenn but there are also a lot of rising seniors who will have the same qualifications to be great students at UPenn in the c/o 26 as well. If you want to do this you really have to have something compelling to add to your previous application. How did you grow since first applying to UPenn? What skills have you learned? How have you strengthened your skills? How will you be a better student and active member in your communities since the last time you applied? When you apply again you are going to have to answer the question, “Have you previously applied to UPenn?” and you are going to have to answer “yes”. Some might see this as dedication and commitment. Maybe you’re lucky and the person/people reviewing your app think, “Wow! this person is willing to do whatever it takes to be a student at this school and is motivated to contribute positively to our campus.” On the other hand they might think, “Why did this student take a gap year instead of attending a different institution? Did they think they were too good for other universities?”. It’s a completely different situation if you didn’t get in anywhere else or for some reason you couldn’t attend the schools to which you were accepted. Those are valid reasons. You can also have a valid reason for not wanting to go to a school as well. It’s going to be a tough battle if you don’t have a REASON. Maybe it’s a specific program or organization at UPenn that you are extremely passionate about. Just SOMETHING. It will look bad if your reason is that you only want to go to UPenn. I am not trying to dissuade anyone from choosing this path, but I am saying you need to consider every possibility and really take these next few months to carefully and thoughtfully craft an outstanding application, because what happens if you apply next year and you don’t get in? Do you do the same process the next year? I believe everyone here WILL accomplish amazing things (and clearly already have) and I truly believe those who have expressed interest in taking a gap year have the potential to create outstanding applications. This is not a negative post at all. Awesome5510 you seem like an AWESOME person, and I have faith that you can have a successful application next application cycle and that you will work really hard to create a thoughtful app and I wish you the best of luck and success with the wait list!
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Thank you so much for all those encouraging words! I am currently preparing to make my gap year meaningful and I am currently working on my own cosmetics brand (with a bit of success).
Also I wonder what’ll be a good reason to state for taking a gap year (would it be weird that I’m taking a gap year after intentionally skipping my 10th grade year so I can graduate early?) (actually this is quite ironic lol).
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Thank you so much for the advice. I’m also considering taking a gap year, though I will apply early to another school (not UPenn). The thing is I didn’t apply to that school this year, so they’re gonna see a complete new application with a gap year. What would be your advice for me?
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