Hey guys, I’m a rising senior potentially applying ED to UPenn! I know this is a reach for everyone, but I’m especially worried because of my average GPA. I am hoping to boost it up by first marking period senior year. Here are my stats:
GPA: ~3.7 UW / ~4.2 W
SAT 1: 2370, 770 M 800 CR 800 W (1st sitting)
ACT: N/A
SAT 2: 790 USH, 790 Lit
PSAT: 231 (NMF qualified in the state of NJ!)
AP: AP Lang (5), APUSH (5), AP Calc AB (4), AP Physics 1 (2 lol not reporting)
Top 10% because my weighted GPA is 4.0+
I’d just like to note that my unweighted ALL COURSE GPA is around 3.65-3.7. If it is just strictly unweighted CORE COURSE GPA, it is around ~3.5. (I got a C+ in Pre-Calc H that messed everything up, and just a couple B+'s…). However, every year I have taken a very rigorous schedule; for core courses like Math, Spanish, English, Science and History I have always taken Honors or AP, never regular. In freshman/soph years I took 5 Honors classes, in junior year I took 4 APs and 1 Honor, and in senior year I plan to take 6 APs (pray for me…). I go to a medium-sized competitive public HS in NJ and I’m an Asian female.
I realize I am not a straight A student, but I believe my GPA is just enough to make me competitive, and hopefully my high standardized testing makes up for it. As for UPenn ED, I hope ED will greatly help my chances, and I also plan to get recruited for my creative writing by the Kelly Writers House (they say they recruit similarly like athletes). I have one several writing awards and I am published in a pretty well-known literary journal (Adroit Journal). I don’t know if I will get recruited (though I have spoken to the head of the house and know someone currently in there) but I know writing is probably my main “hook”. In addition, I am also an All-State Orchestra level violist and an active speech/debater with just a couple small-ish awards. I have a few leadership positions, like Editor-in-Chief of my HS literary magazine and more.
What do you think my chances are for UPenn ED (pooossibly Columbia ED but I favor Penn b/c Kelly Writers House) and other top schools like UChicago (EA), JHU, Cornell, UCLA/UCB (OOS), Northwestern, NYU? (Don’t worry, I have some safeties!). Thanks guys!