<p>How did you guys do your why Penn essay? How did you keep it under a page? There are just so many things i want to put down that my essay seems unorganized. Did you solely talk about academics, or put the clubs and activities you wanted to join in there too? Any examples, help or advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. </p>
<p>Also, please feel free to private message me if you would like to help correct my essay.</p>
<p>mine was less than 1.5 pages</p>
<p>Almost a page.</p>
<p>I was just accepted to the Wharton School ED. In my why penn essay, I basically praised the breadth and depth of the wharton program, touched upon some other academic interests, and then went into clubs and activities. Make sure you open and close your essay in an interesting way... don't make it a page long drawl in which u kiss their asses. (Don't get me wrong, do some ass-kissing, but be smart about it.) Hope that helps, good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, im not going to make it over a page because they say not to. Also, any interesting ideas on how to open and close?</p>
<p>I opened mine by describing the day that i first visited penn w my dad (how i didnt like it at first bc it seemed too urban, but then saw the inner heart of campus and fell in love w it). For a closing, I touched upon some penn traditions that I found particularly amusing (i.e. throwing bread after 3rd quarter). Also, make sure you cite specific details about penn that u cannot find anywhere else. Don't just say "i want to study abroad," say "Penn's study abroad program in this country matches my interests because..." You have to impress them with your knowledge of the school.</p>
<p>btw... which school/program are you applying to?</p>
<p>Find something interesting to say. Something unique to you. If you can't find the answer yourself to "Why Penn?" maybe the school isn't right for you. I myself talked about the renaissance man ideal, and how Ben Franklin empersoned that, and how Penn continues that tradition.</p>
<p>I talked about sex, baby
I talked about you and me
I talked about the acorn...and the tree
I talked about the bird and the bees.</p>
<p>But serious:</p>
<p>I talk about penn's focuses approach and research opportunities, etc</p>
<p>Im applying to the college, i talked about the PPE degree (philosophy, politics, and economics) and how i thought that was a unique and interesting course of study. I also fit in club sports, frats, service, and even ROTC. But the main focus of my essay is going to be about the academic opportunities.</p>
<p>Penn's PPE department is fabulous.</p>
<p>But avoid falling into the Law School trap, don't make it to apparent that that is your plan.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great advice</p>
<p>If theres anyone who got in who's interested in reading my essay and making corrections, if you would Private Message me or email me @<a href="mailto:skier13_@hotmail.com">skier13_@hotmail.com</a> that would be great. Thanks a ton.</p>
<p>i just wrote about why i loved it. i was honest.</p>
<p>I believe the purpose of the Why Penn essay, like all the other parts of the app, is to tell the admin what makes you a good fit for Penn.
It's also to show why Penn is a good fit for you.
Honestly, I think the adcoms consider the 1st criterion to be slightly more important than the 2nd, but maybe I'm overreaching.</p>
<p>At any rate, I worked hard to write it with "answers" to both of the above included in EVERY paragraph, by describing what skills and interests I have to share (based on previous experiences and activities I've participated in) and then immediately tying them closely to the sorts of (SPECIFIC) programs that I expect to take advantage of at Penn. </p>
<p>I didn't talk about the coursework or anything like that. That part confused me, and I wasn't sure where to get the information.
Plus it's not like I've ever been concerned about Penn's academic calibur!
I tried to allude to that... </p>
<p>I'll use my own essay as an example. My intro was about my love for business, which started when I was a little kid and still playing with dolls (ex: I knew that Barbie was made by Mattel corporation, and that she drove a Corvette, but I never actually had or wanted a Barbie myself).
It's weird. It's a hook (and it tied well into my other essay--a first experience--about loving country music even as a small child).
So then I talked a bit about Wharton, how I've adjusted my high school curriculum to take classes that will prepare me for its rigors, and so on.
I talked about my work on the school newspaper, and how exciting it would be to work on the Daily Pennsylvanian (sidenote: I've learned since then that the editorial board is 80% male. APPAULING). Yada yada yada...
I concluded the essay with a vivid description of Locust Walk and how impressed I was by it and all that it represents.
If you've visited Penn, I suggest that you mention that in your essay somewhere, somehow. It need not be explicit, but for regular applicants it's a reminder that you're not demonstrating a passing interest in the school.
Visiting is by no means a commitment to attend, and it doesn't mean you're gonna for sure get accepted, but I think they do take notice. </p>
<p>Hope that helps!
Good luck to all pending and future applicants</p>
<p>That was great, country.</p>
<p>Could I throw this past you guys (not to highjack the topic or anything)?</p>
<p>I'm going to do a take-off on "It's a Wonderful Life" for my hook. I'll be standing by the mailbox, suddenly apprehensive about putting my application in. Clarence will come, and show me all the good things that could happen to me if I would put it in. <em>insert Penn stuff through experiences here</em></p>
<p>At the end, I'll go back to my body and I'll see the mailtruck drive away, so I'll say it didn't matter anyway, and that I would have loved to go. Then, it'll go something like:</p>
<p>"Hey, Clarence." Q stopped the angel from walking away. "What happens if I don't go to Penn?"</p>
<hr>
<p>"MAY THE RATS EAT YOUR EYES!" cried the grizzled shell of a man from his cigar box pulpit. "The darkness comes! IT WILL DAMN US ALL!"</p>
<hr>
<p>Q nearly trampled Clarence as he rushed to catch the slowly disappearing car.</p>
<p>Would that be okay?</p>
<p>uhhh i'm confused</p>
<p>Umm, it would be original for sure . . . </p>
<p>It would probably give the admissions guys a refreshing change.</p>