I am a legacy at Wharton and strongly considering applying there. ED would surely bring a boost to my application, but to be honest, I am a little concerned about being bound to that school if I am admitted. So, the other option would be Regular, but I am a bit afraid that I will be penalized for applying Regular as a legacy. My question: applying Regular as a legacy would they 1) penalize me 2) treat me exactly the same as a non-legacy applicant 3) give a boost to my application?
With such a large percentage of the class getting selected in the ED round, you can’t wait to the RD round. Give it serious thought and see if you’re willing to “be bound” to this school. Could do a lot worse. Only choose another school in the ED round if it truly is your first choice.
Thanks for the responses! I completely understand that ED will always provide a significant advantage. I am just asking that if I apply as a RD, will I be penalized for being a legacy who did not apply ED?
I don’t know if they will penalize you, but they will likely conclude that Penn was not your first choice. My daughter got into one of the combined programs at Penn this past round, and in my experience they want people who want Penn. Your chances regarding of legacy will go way down in the regular round because they select so many in the ED round.
Agree, Penn will probably figure that the school was not your top choice since you would be a legacy who did not apply ED. How will that impact you? I don’t think any of us can presume to know what goes on behind those closed doors when admissions decisions are being made. In the end it is your choice as to how to proceed (for full disclosure I’m a Wharton alum – loved the school).
They will definitely not penalize you for applying RD. At the very worst, they will consider you as they would any other applicant. You’ll be competing against a bunch of people who also chose to apply RD instead of ED so it’s not like you’d be unique in not being prepared to commit ED. There is ABSOLUTELY no evidence to indicated that your application would incur a penalty of any kind. Legacy status only helps.
@hsgraduate2017 Think about the schools that you would be tempted to turn down Penn for, if admitted. Now thin IF you would really regret it if you were bound to Penn but had acceptance letters from these other schools. If you think yo would regret it don’t apply ED. If on the other hand you would be perfectly happy choosing Penn over these other schools, ED is for you. Your legacy status will definitely help you during ED. During RD it is not that you will be penalized for being legacy and not applying ED but you will face lower chances of getting in. Ultimately ED is for your absolute first choice or in the case that you have 2-3 schools that are truly tied in terms of preference for you, and you have a higher chance in one vs the other because of legacy, connections etc.