URM Chances at UPenn and UChicago?

Transfer Students
1

<p>UPenn transfer student?
Hi, I am from a state university from Illinois. This year, I got into Cornell as a transfer student. However, because of lack of financial aid, I will stay at my current university. This year, I will be applying as a rising junior. However, I would like to attend UPenn/UChicago for the Fall 2012 semester! I was wondering if anyone could chance me?</p>

<p>High School Stats:
ACT: Super score was a 30, 29 regular
SAT: Didn't take them
SAT II's: Didn't take them.
Had a weighted GPA of 4.65/4.00
Took 13 AP Classes
AP Scholar w/ Distinction
Did not take the PSAT's (stupid me lol)
Ranked 3rd out of 500 students.</p>

<p>College Stats:
Took 18 credits for both semester (total of 36 credits my first year)
Due to AP credit, most were courses for my major and were junior/sophomore level courses. One spanish course was at the 300 level. I have a gpa of 3.9 at this moment. The courses, in my opinion, were rigorous. Also, my school does not practice grade inflation - sucks but kinda good in a way.</p>

<p>I am applying for Political Science and Spanish. </p>

<p>My passion is to become a doctor one day, working with Latino communities and lower income patients.</p>

<p>Extracurricular:
The most important in college include:</p>

<p>Research for Spanish
Helping the latino center at my school
Working with immigration organizations around Chicago and helping undocumented students
A Hispanic Medicine Organization
Homeless Shelter
I am also planning on helping at Cook County Hospital which is a free hospital to low income patients.</p>

<p>Also, here are some hooks:
Mexican-American (I guess you can call me that lol)
First Generation
Low Income
First to go to college
Activism with immigration reform within my state</p>

<p>As you can see, I didn't spread myself too thinly in college because I want to demonstrate my passion to help the Latino/undocumented community. I think UPenn would be perfect for me b/c of its environment, the resources they provide to undocumented students, and because I feel like I could change UPenn's community by making them become more aware of undocumented people. Also, I want to work within UPenn to initiate a form of the Dream Act within Pennsylvania. </p>

<p>I forgot to mention that I was a biology major but switched to political science b/c I am heavily involved in politics and I want to be able to develop my speaking/writing skills in order to become a better versed physician. And, Spanish because I want to retain my spanish fluency and maintain an appreciation of my culture.</p>

2

<p>You have posted it again and again. If you are so determined then go for it. A 3.9 in state school is not competitive at all in this sea of 4.0 with rigorous schools and rigorous courses. ACT is just average. Other things are good. Worth a shot if you do not need any FA</p>

3

<p>Penn’s not big on junior transfers iirc</p>

4

<p>I thought Cornell was a generous school where financial aid was concerned, especially to minorities like yourself. Well, I may be new and inexperienced, or maybe your current school bribed you with an even larger offer.</p>

<p>Truthfully, many people who post here are just nervous and want someone else to tell them their chances. I mean, people with 3.7 college GPAs and above should be smart enough to get an estimate of their own chances by looking at similar cases. The most direct method is to ask yourself the following question: “Am I in the top X% of transfer applicants?”, where X is the transfer acceptance rate from last year. With your stats, you probably are in the top 15% of people who apply to Pennsylvania. And the top 14% who apply to Chicago.</p>

<p>Of course, the essay is the most important part in super competitive schools like Chicago. Well, I think so, anyway. Your reasons are competing with other people’s reasons. Simply make your reasons more important than everyone else’s. As an example, there’s one applicant who wants to move in because Penn has awesome housing (which is a lie). Another one wants to transfer because his previous school had a terrible social environment. A third wants higher academic rigor in his curriculum. The fourth applicant wants to go to Penn because he is interested in particle physics, and Chicago is the only university with a super mega neutrino death laser, so he is really passionate about Penn.</p>

<p>Now, the reasons are probably going to be less epic/drastic than that last one. Regardless, the first three applicants are ones I would reject. The first is trying for trivial reasons, the second bashed his own school in, and the third gives reasons which are too general. The colleges you are applying to are pretty damn special. Doing research proves to admissions officers how far you are willing to go, and how much you have invested in your school. Show them you care.</p>

<p>Most importantly of all, make the essay genuine. There are students who want to go to transfer into higher ranked schools simply because of the prestige. You want to be someone who can look back at your years there and smile. By all means, avoid sucking up to the school. Yet what separates the cream from the coffee are transfer applicants who are seriously passionate about their chosen school. In the end, they are the ones who manage to write the most compelling pleas.</p>

<p>I know the supplement for Chicago is very intellectual. Measure your own abilities and confidence, then proceed accordingly. Play the essay safe or go super creative. Only you can decide.</p>

5

<p>For college admissions, first gen = first to go to college</p>

<p>But of course you know that, because I told you the same thing in the thread you started less than a week ago. Instead of starting a duplicate thread, bump your other one.</p>