Wharton Chance Me

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

I’m really excited to apply ED to Penn for Wharton but I’m afraid that I don’t have enough business extracurriculars… Track Team and part time job take up a lot of my time along with Boy Scouts so I hope they recognize that. Do I have any glaring weaknesses that I’m just not seeing? If anyone could comment on whether I’m just being silly or if I have as good a shot as anyone else on this board, it would be greatly appreciated.

ACT 34 (E 34, M 35, R 34, S 32)

  • SAT II: Math2: 800 Bio M:790 Physics: 760
  • Unweighted GPA: 4.1/4.33
    -Weighted GPA: 7.2
  • Rank/Percentile: 8/310
  • AP: Statistics 5, Physics C Mechanics 5, Microeconomics 5, Macroeconomics 5, Biology 4, Lang 4
    Senior Year Courses(all APs): APUSH, Calc BC, Chemistry, Spanish Lang, Enviro, Lit and Comp, Physics C Electricity and Magnetism

Awards
AP Scholar With Distinction, Johns Hopkins Book Award, Eagle Scout with Bronze Palm

Extracurricular (place leadership in parenthesis):

-Eagle Scout (Assistant Senior Patrol Leader
-Varsity Track Team 4 years( Captain 2 years)
-Physics Olympics( Captain 2 years)

  • Grade School Track Coach (4 years)
  • Private Tutoring Business in all subjects
    -Ping Pong Club( Captain 3 years)
    -Basketball Team
    -FBLA
  • NHS, world language honor society, history honors society, math honor society, English honor society
  • Salsa Dancing Club

Job/Work Experience:

-Dishwasher at Pizza shop in 10th grade ~10 hrs/wk
-Acme Cashier in 11th grade ~15-20 hrs/wk
-current waiter at a retirement community ~15 hrs/wk

Volunteer/Community service:
Eagle Scout Project- 500 hours

  • NHS community service- 50 hrs
    -Grade School Track Coach- 200 hrs

Duel Enrollment: A in chemistry course at local college

Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
Income: ~160,000
Area: Suburban PA

2

I think you are a strong applicant. The private tutoring business is interesting and the fact that you can juggle a part time job with athletics, on top of your business and boys scouts is pretty impressive.

The process is a complete lottery and Wharton is basically as selective as it gets. Apply to some safeties, nail the essays, spend time editing them over and over again, and hopefully you’ll get in. Wish you the best of luck!

3

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. Do you know what the validity in people saying Wharton only accepts people with good business extracurriculars is?

4

Most, or perhaps nearly all, 17/18 year olds don’t have what adults would consider meaningful/substantive business extracurriculars. How could they with all the challenges of high school and lack of experience in business matters?

You have a strong competitive application for Penn. Penn is a very selective college and there is no guaranteed acceptance. Best of luck.

5

Very true, thanks @fogcity ! Does anybody see anything that I can work on immediately? I feel as though most of my accomplishments are set and I can’t make myself any more appealing. I am finished tests, because I don’t think the difference between a 36 and 34 is sizeable enough to take the ACT 3 times. I am preparing for FBLA Economics, but those results will not be available until after this process is over. Does anybody have any ideas?