I was wondering if anyone would take the time to discuss my chances for getting into Penn early decision. I believe my academics and tests are pretty solid but I go to a very small school where there are no AP classes and the only extracurricular activities are pretty much sports and NHS.
Academics:
3.9 Unweighted GPA
Taking math at local community college.
34 ACT superscore.
Extracurriculars
Baseball team: freshman, sophomore, senior year
Treasurer of my school’s advanced choir that has won some choral competitions, last year when I was the treasurer, we raised enough money to go on tour across the country
NHS
4 Volunteer hours per week pretty consistently.
Part time job for around 9 hours per week.
Essays
I think my essays and recommendation letters are pretty solid. In my essay I talk about how I would be only the second student from my school to ever attend Penn, how my friends thought it was weird that I wanted to go to an elite school unlike everyone else at my school, and how I am challenging the odds. Then I talk about wanting to use an education from Penn to succeed in my field, and help future students at my school achieve similar goals.
Essay topic sounds very weak, tbh. I recommend something more personal, about you and your activities/interests. Wanting to go to an elite school doesn’t set you apart from the thousands of other kids applying ED to Penn. Every one of the applicants also wants to use an education from Penn to succeed in their field.
ECs really aren’t that bad. Just average. Baseball is good and probably takes up a lot of time, although idk why you didn’t do it junior year. The fact that you are a successful treasurer is good, as well as your volunteering. The essay topic doesn’t sound the greatest, but if you can really make it unique to you somehow then do it. From the info you have given, however, it doesn’t seem like it. I am going through everything mentioned in your essay, the fact that my friends are telling me I am crazy and I’ll never get into Yale and whatnot. I have actually been subject to a lot of criticism for the amount of effort I put into my schoolwork. If I can write the exact same essay as you and have it be true, it isn’t unique enough. For ED I’d put you at a 30% chance of getting in. Not great, but not out of reach.
The essay seems pretty generic, so you might want to change that. ECs don’t seem too bad, considering your job and volunteering. Once again, ED chances aren’t great but you should definitely try. Good luck!
Baseball and choir treasurer are not the level Wharton needs to see.
You can get your own read on what Wharton expects and needs to see, in ECs, stretch, and balance. Where the hs doesn’t offer, many kids find opps outside.
So look into what Wharton says and shows. I wonder if there are other ways you’re involved in activities that you omitted here, thinking they aren’t official enough. You do have some time to fine tune, even now.
^^^It is extremely difficult to do an internal transfer into Wharton. Admissions officers are well aware of the “game” some people try to play of applying to somewhat a less competitive school in Penn (admittedly they are all extremely competitive in terms of admissions) and then trying to do an internal transfer to Wharton and that practice is actively discouraged. I would encourage you to apply to the school within Penn you want to attend. The chance of admission for any unhooked applicant to Penn is small so expand your horizons.