urgent! debating ED for penn and EA to stanford

<p>I visited Penn and fell in love but Stanfords always been my dream school! im doubtful of my chances at stanford..?
I hafta make the decision to do ED within the next few days.
I 'll be happy at Penn too but always will wonder "waht if i had applied to stanford"
but ED helps and I know these two schools are my top choices</p>

<p>here's my stat's but I guess I want to be convinced by penn people to go to Penn! or convince me otherwise</p>

<p>Unweighted: 4.0
Class Rank: 1/160</p>

<h1>of AP's: 9 (including senior year)</h1>

<p>SAT: 2360 (CR: 800, Writing: 800, Math: 760)
SAT II: Bio-750 Math II-750
AP Scores: all 5's and 4's</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars: (I think this is where it may be weak)</p>

<p>Class Board (10-12)
School Ambassador (9-12)
Varsity Tennis (9-12)
School Orchestra (9-12) -- Concertmaster
Seattle Youth Symphony (9-11) -- Assistant Concertmaster
Seattle Music Conservatory(9-10)
Junior Statesmen of America (9-12) -- Cabinet representative
American Cancer Society, Relay for Life planning committee (11-12)-- advocacy chair
300+ volunteering hours (hospitals and american cancer society)</p>

<p>Employment:</p>

<p>Paid internship at a music camp (taught little kids) 50 hours -- summer of 11th grade
Coached a USTA team at a tennis club/ taught lessons-- summer of 11th grade
My string quartet plays at various events/weddings -- 10-12th grade</p>

<p>Honors/Awards:</p>

<p>AP Scholar with Distinction
National Merit Semi-finalist
National Honors Society
qualified for districts for tennis
Nationals Honors Ensemble MENA -- assistant principal
National Orchestra ASTA
All-Northwest Orchestra
All State Orchestra
won few regional violin competitions
School Music Scholarship -- "Best Student"</p>

<p>Recs/essay:</p>

<p>i personally think these are my strongest points. very close with my teachers and proud of my personal statement--received many compliments</p>

<p>Additional Info:</p>

<p>**i've helped start Relay for Life teams at my school, had various school fundraisers, started a bracelet club at school raising money for American Cancer Society, went to speak for a bill at the Capitol
-i am also Asian.. </p>

<p>thank you so much!!</p>

<p>I think ED will give you a strong chance, but if you feel that way about standford, then you may want to reconsider. Only do ED if it’s your absolute first choice.</p>

<p>I think that you’re qualified enough to stand out in the RD round.</p>

<p>You are a very competitive applicant at both schools however the odds are slightly in your favor for UPenn versus Stanford. You don’t say what you’re going to major in and that plays into this decision. Your “what if” statement, regarding Stanford, tells me that you should apply RD at both, as Quantifier posted^^^, so you aren’t asking this question of yourself should UPenn accept you ED.</p>

<p>I think you should stand out, though you never really know with schools like Penn. I presume you are applying to CAS for Penn? If so, you have a pretty good chance of going there RD. If you are REALLY that torn, I would do EA at Stanford and RD at Penn. Best of luck :)</p>

<p>yes i’m doing CAS! ah, i feel like RD for Penn is so competitive and I love Penn!</p>

<p>tough. ):</p>

<p>but thank you</p>

<p>so what did u choose??
i am sending to penn early too. what major are you looking at??
the competition is insanely hard and seeing your credentials (which are BRILLIANT btw) its even more so.
i just have one question, if ppl like you dont get into stanford, who does?? apart from your SAT 2 math II , u have a near perfect application.</p>

<p>Whoa we’ve got close to identical resumes (nearly the exact same stats), except I’m not as involved in music. I have been playing the piano for many years though, and I’m extremely active in interscholastic academic competitions. I also coached a USTA Jr. Team tennis team this summer for crying out loud. Anyway, I face the exact same dilemma, either to play ED to the Vagelos program at Penn or REA to Stanford. I would definitely prefer HYPS to Penn, but I’m not very confident about getting in to any of them RD. Honestly, I don’t believe penn’s college of arts and sciences is good enough to justify an early decision. If I got into the Vagelos program, then maybe it would be worth it. By the way, I didn’t exactly fall in love with Penn’s urban campus either, so I’m not sure what I want to do at this point, with the deadline approaching in 2 weeks.</p>

<p>thank you! i dont think my ECs is anything stellar though. However, I did choose Stanford. came to a conclusion today. Might as well, right? worked this hard for the last 4 years-- it’s kind of exciting too applying to all these colleges… (: and im expecting a rejection from stan, knock on wood, but i know i can be happy anywhere. I think Penn’s CAS is just as good for ED – it has majors unique to penn such as politics, philosophy and economics (which just happens to combine all my interests…). best of luck to everyone! </p>

<p>i say be daring. it’s your last chance to make a choice based on wants rather than needs.</p>

<p>chelsearox— do you think i have a good chance at RD for upenn? i know the competition is ridiculous )):</p>

<p>You have a pretty nice chance at RD for the CAS. Of course nothing is certain, but you good chances at Penn and Stanford. Good luck!</p>

<p>coming from a penn student, apply early at the school you absolutely want to be at more than anything in the world. i didn’t because i doubted myself as well and i really regret it.</p>

<p>on a similar note one of my friends here applied early and then later regretted it when he got in early and didn’t get the opportunity to see what would have happened with his dream school. </p>

<p>penn is an awesome school but if it’s not your absolute #1 then really don’t apply early and regret it later.</p>

<p>ive actually changed my mind again and is debating penn… i just love the city feel. should i risk my chance for getting into a even more “prestigious” college</p>

<p>I think if you are undecided, that’s your answer. If you really love Stanford, I would apply there, and Penn RD. You have a great shot at RD Penn in my humble opinion.</p>

<p>what do you mean by if youre undecided, that’s your answer???</p>

<p>I mean that you should really only choose ED if you are absolutely positive that Penn (or wherever), is the perfect place for you, above all other schools. So if you are undecided, that should be your answer as far as choosing someplace to apply ED, because you don’t know the one place for you. Basically, since you are going between the two, better to apply to both and then figure it out, rather than limit yourself to one when you aren’t 100% positive. </p>

<p>(Hopefully this clarifies)</p>

<p>Ok couple things here. First of all, I would not apply ED to Penn if it isnt really your clear first choice. Believe me, you will eventually want to know exactly what schools would have accepted you and what schools would have rejected you. With that said, I would be really surprised if Penn rejected you if you apply ED. I would also be surprised if you don’t get in RD at Penn. However, your potential RD acceptance is certainly less than a “sure thing.” </p>

<p>Now regarding Stanford. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but your application doesn’t read the same way a standard “Stanford accepted” application would read. Don’t get me wrong. I think you have a good shot at HYP. However, Stanford likes those kids who did really unique things in school, so really let your personality shine in your essays there. They are even more important at S tha00n in other places. You certainly have a chance there REA, though.</p>

<p>thank you so much! I understand my ECs are average but i’m really hoping my essays will help, especially considering Stanford gives me four chances to “prove my worth/personality” with their abundant essays. haha</p>

<p>yet, at the same time it seems foolish to blow my chance at penn for an acceptance to stanford with its 7% acceptance rate… especially since i KNOW i’ll be happy at penn.</p>

<p>Bottom line, if you really love Stanford, give it a shot ED. When will you get the chance to apply there as an undergraduate ever again? </p>

<p>If you really can’t decide between either, apply to both RD.</p>