<p>Hello, I am 14 years old and was wondering, what can I do to get on the right track for UPenn. I'm going to one of the best high schools/boarding schools in America, and am just wondering if there is anything to do to prepare for UPenn or any other Ivy League schools? Should I practice that SAT, or start "racking" up community service hours? Any suggestions would be considered useful and I would just like to start my high school career on the right foot, Thank you.</p>
<p>You’re smart for planning ahead! Certainly, you should take the most rigorous course of study which you are able to handle - just be careful that you make good grades in your tough classes (colleges would rather see an A in an honors level class than a C in an AP/IB class). </p>
<p>Study for the SAT all through high school and try to pump up your score every time you take it. Do not be afraid to take it 3-4 times, just do your absolute best! Remember that this is only one part of your application. </p>
<p>As for what you said about community service, all of your extracurriculars should be activities about which you are passionate. Of course more will probably look better, but do not do an activity just for the sake of your college resume. When you apply to college, it is quite obvious who is “padding” his/her application in comparison a genuine candidate (who can also get into Penn/whichever school without “fluffing” up his/her application).</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>You can study all you want and get a 2300 on the SAT, and that’d be great. However, it’s important to know that everyone else will be that way too. You need to be different; do something unusual. For example, you can start a small business of some sort. A lot of students don’t do that because it seems daunting, and in a way, it is. But the more trouble you go through and the more developed your project gets, the better it looks to UPenn admission. And your business doesn’t have to be Wal-Mart status; you can just have 2 employees and call it a business.
Of course, there are lots of other options: run your own newspaper, raise money by [enter something you love to do] and give it to kids in Africa. If you start that now, you might be able to accumulate thousands of dollars by the time you enter senior year. And THAT, is one impressive service.
I’m telling you this because you still have time. You can start now and become someone who POPS out amongst the sea of students. </p>
<p>Of course, don’t forget the usual straight-A’s. Oh! Yeah, and have fun.</p>
<p>Grades and SAT scores are essential…but find activities/community service you are passionate about it and dive in 100%. The majority of the applicants will be at the top of their class so you have to stand out. IMO they are looking for well-rounded kids who stand out from the crowd. Kids who can do it all and still come out on top. But don’t forget to have fun…you have to enjoy what you do if you want to be able to show them why you are the best candidate for them.</p>
<p>Start off by not worrying about college and just try to enjoy yourself. If you really are going to a top boarding school, they should have a college counseling office that will help you when the time comes. Right now, do what you enjoy, and continue doing it until you graduate. Things you’re passionate about matter more than anything (I went to Exeter and did photojournalism and a sport, and got good grades. Very little to no community service, at least that I put on my app. Didn’t start worrying about college until junior year. Got into Wharton. Pretty simple.)</p>
<p>before you go to upenn or wharton make sure you check it out thoroughly.
upenn is not in a very desirable area. the campus food is horrible, so bad for that matter that the street vendors sell a lot of food.
crime is rampant in this area and you are in the middle of a city. upenn does not really have a campus. there are city streets running through it.</p>
<p>Be a Boss 10 char</p>
<p>That is not true at all. Penn has a great campus, in fact a much more defined campus that many other city schools like Columbia and NYU. There is no more crime than in any average city, people like to give West Philadelphia a bad reputation, but this is largely unwarranted today. The area has undergone major changes in the last few decades and is now doing much better.</p>
<p>hypocrat is pretty wrong. Poeme nailed it. Penn’s campus is actually pretty well defined. I think that even if you go to a small liberal arts school in the middle of nowhere, there will be streets running through it. obviously, it’s in philadelphia so there are streets. thats kind of obvious, but it has its own strong personality as a campus and there is a clear divide between what is and what isn’t on campus.
as for food- the dining halls are ok (probably no worse than most college dining halls), but the Food Carts and campus restaurants are fantastic. you can get a large/delicious food cart meal for $4-6 and most restaurants are cheap as well.
yes, crime happens, but in my 4 years at penn, i don’t think more than 1 or 2 students have ever been mugged. you are pretty much ALWAYS in sight of a penn police officer, even 3-5 blocks off campus.
so don’t worry, penn is fine in those areas.</p>