visual studies major admission question upenn

so i’m a secondary legacy at upenn (my grandpa went to wharton in the 50s). i’m applying RD as a visual studies major. i don’t have bad grades necessarily, 3.6 gpa (brought down by a bad soph year due to health, explained on common app) and 1300 SAT (1600 scale). i’m also submitting a portfolio. i know being a legacy isn’t really much of an advantage but more of a push if i were otherwise qualified. i’m getting the vibe that i won’t be accepted and i’m making my peace with that, but i’m just wondering if anyone knows if i really have any chance of getting in bc most people usually apply for math/science majors while i’m going for something a little more off the beaten path. plus i have meaningful extra-curriculars, service, (secondary) legacy status, a strong portfolio, and an amazing letter of rec from a very acclaimed professor who taught me my soph/junior year. maybe that stuff can distinguish me and make up for my slightly less than stellar grades?

I’d say no, it won’t make up for your stats. Penn doesn’t make decisions based on major in the college you apply to, since I believe everyone is automatically considered undecided when you’re a freshman. Considering your circumstances, I don’t think your GPA is as much of a problem as your SAT. A 1300 is way too low to get accepted to Penn. Your stats indicate that you are probably not able to handle the academics there. This may be wrong, but I’ve heard that Penn only acknowledges legacy if you apply ED, so that won’t help you. I suggest still applying, but keep your expectations low. Good luck!

@znasevich as an RD applicant claiming legacy, I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much on Penn. My college counselor told me the dean of admissions said a while back that if you have Penn in your life (i.e. have legacy) and aren’t willing to say that Penn is your favorite (i.e. apply ED), they’re not too interested in your RD application. There’s no reason not to apply to UPenn RD, but do try to create a list with several schools that have fair rates of admission for someone with your numbers (SAT, GPA, class rank, etc.). I think you’ll find somewhere great.

thanks! i was just curious about what other people (who don’t know me) thought. i definitely don’t have my hopes up about it, and penn isn’t actually my top choice anyway. i’ve already been accepted to jefferson / philadelphia university, drexel, and fordham, and my top choice is drexel for the D&M program so it’s most likely that i’ll end up going there. applying is going to be more about going through the motions than anything else. thanks again!

Well congrats then @znasevich !