<p>Hi everybody. I am currently a rising senior who wishes to apply to Penn through regular decision this fall/winter.
It would be great if you guys could tell me if I have a chance of getting in or not.</p>
<p>Little personal background:
I was born in a different country (Azerbaijan), which is located in Eastern Europe/Western Asia and close to the Middle East, so I kind of consider myself White/Asian/Middle Eastern. I moved to Philadelphia when I was 7 so I currently live very close to the university itself (I heard somewhere that you have a higher chance of getting in if you live in Philadelphia, is that true?) My brother already attends Penn and he is in CAS and in the class of 2016 (I know legacy is for parents and grandparents only, but does having a sibling who currently attends Penn affect your chances at all?) I go to a charter school in Northeast Philly that was actually voted Charter School of the Year in 2007. Our class size is very small and there's only about 100-120 kids in our whole grade.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:
I've been in numerous clubs since my freshman year.
-Astronomy Club
-Environmental Club
-Students Against Destructive Decisions
-Student Council
-European Club (co-founder and current president of the club)
-Varsity Soccer (also a co-founder and current captain. Since our school is quite small and we didn't have a soccer team, a couple of friends and I took initiative and started our own official school team)
-Do Something Club, which is basically a volunteering club (I am the marketing director of this club)
-National Honor Society
-Jewish Relief Agency (delivered food to poor Jewish families around Northeast Philadelphia)</p>
<p>Volunteering:
-Local library
-Pennypack Park (helped clean up the park with a park ranger group)
-Ronald McDonald House (cooked dinner for and interacted with kids who had sicknesses)
-my high school (helped out during events such as annual school raffle, etc)
-Penn Summer Teen Volunteer Program (actually volunteered the the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, did some clerical work in the offices and also helped out doctors and nurses in the operating rooms)</p>
<p>Other:
-Young Scholars program at Penn, a program in which I get to take 1 class each semester at Penn with current Penn students. I've taken 2 classes already, Intro to Environmental Earth Science (B) and Elementary Russian (A). I think this program could really help with my chances since it shows that I'm already accustomed to taking classes at Penn and have done very well in them.
-Worked as a cashier and customer service representative at a Russian grocery store for almost 3 years.
-Spent my freshman and sophomore years traveling in Europe and America, but spent my junior year summer studying, working, and volunteering.</p>
<p>Grades and ETC:
-SATs, which I think are really low, but then again, I know people with around the same score as me who have gotten in. 1940 (630 Math, 630 Reading, 680 Writing)
-SAT subject tests - none yet. I plan on taking Math 1, Math 2, and either U.S. History or Literature. I expect a score of somewhere between 650-800 on math 1 and math 2)
-ACT - didn't take
-GPA - unweighted 4.0, I'm not sure about weighted.
-APs - Our school only offers 5 APs, and I will have taken 3 of them by the time I graduate. (English, Calculus AB, and U.S. History)
-Senior Year Course Load - AP Calc, Video Journalism, AP History, Anatomy (like I said my school is very small and we don't have a lot of different classes to take)
-School Rank - Our school doesn't rank, but I'm definite that I'm in the top 5%.</p>
<p>Income Bracket:
-Not sure but somewhere around 75k, my family has to pay around 20-25k for my brother who is currently attending Penn.</p>
<p>Strengths - I think my strengths are in my volunteer experience and extracurricular work. (I volunteer at Penn's Hospital so I think the admissions people will look at that as a plus, and I already take college classes at Penn, so that's also another plus. I've also started 2 of my own clubs at school, so that shows commitment.)</p>
<p>Weaknesses - My SATs.</p>
<p>So that's about it...
I'm constantly stressed about getting into Penn since it's my #1 choice. I don't want to apply early decision because I've heard from some people that you only apply to Penn early if you are fairly sure that you are going to get in, which I don't think I am since I am lacking in some departments.)</p>
<p>Anyways, do you think I have a chance of getting in? Also, what are some things I could improve on while I still have the chance? Thanks so much for reading.</p>