What do you guys think?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Hey guys,
So obviously since I'm interested in going into business, I checked out UPenn/Wharton. So far it looks like an awesome school. I know it's no shoo-in, so I need some opinions on what I need to improve to increase my chances at admission. (Also, can someone tell me if it's possible to double major at UPenn, and if so, can I double major in engineering (civil? mechanical? not sure yet) and business (economics possibly))? Thanks in advance! </p>

<p>State: CT
School Type: competitive public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Hooks: legacies (grandparents) at UPenn</p>

<p>SAT I - 2050 (700M, 680W, 670CR) I'm retaking in the fall, along with the ACT for the first time.
SAT IIs - 760 Math II, 710 Physics, 680 Chem
APs - I took Spanish Language and Lit last month...probably 4s or 5s in both.
GPA - ~3.82 (3.91 freshman year, 3.68 soph year, 3.90 jr year)
Class Rank: 17/450 ... our school doesn't officially rank, so colleges won't be able to see this. (My rank has been going up a lot since freshman year...32>18>4 so I've been improving quite a bit. Too bad my overall rank is still kinda bad.)
Senior course load - AP physics, honors human anatomy, AP Calc BC, AP stats, AP psych, honors world literature, honors modern poetry.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
- top 16 award swimmer for 5 consecutive years, placed 2nd at state championships (26ish hrs a week) --> I'm going for recruitment at NESCAC schools and attempting it at some ivys
- piano: winner of a state piano competition, honorable mention in 2 other separate piano competitions, 3rd place in another state competition, winner of a contemporary piece competition, soloist at school, benefit concerts (6-7 hrs a week)
- violin: member of an audition-only regional orchestra for 3 years, member for an audition-only state orchestra for 2 years, participated in the CT high school music theater award-winning pit orchestra from Les Miserables, principal 1st violin in school orchestra <a href="6-7%20hrs%20a%20week">2nd seat</a>
- Founder and president of Odyssey of the Mind [an international creative thinking club, we do mostly engineering projects. Our team won 4th place at the state competition this year]
- Co-president of Freethinkers club [philosophy, culture, politics, basically a discussion club for any and everything]
- Co-president/reviver of Future Business Leaders of America
- Composer
- Photoshop artist, graphic designer
- I plan on sending recordings of my original compositions as well as of my senior recital (for piano and violin)
- Winner of Excellence in Music award and Society of Women Engineers award for excellence in natural sciences and mathematics at school (I'm not sure these matter, but they might)
- 250+ hours community service at a nursing home, I plan on finding a place to volunteer this summer that has to do with engineering or business</p>

<p>Recommendations should be excellent from both teachers and swim coach (from whom I plan on getting an additional rec from). Not too sure about my counselor, but it should be at least decent. I think my essays should be pretty good as well.</p>

2

<p>pretty low chance, your scores are too low and gpa isn’t great, legacy might help somewhat though</p>

3

<p>Ehh, lemme think… No. Your GPA and SAT are both subpar, and co-president of the Free Thinkers Club… C’mon. You need to aim much lower, look at schools ranked 20-50, you have a shot at these. Not to bash or be offensive at all, but Penn is a pipe dream with those stats. And I’m not saying I’m any better, don’t draw that conclusion, Brown is my pipe dream, so I understand…</p>

4

<p>I don’t think my GPA is too low. 3.82?? That’s a mix of A’s and A-'s…definitely competitive. I understand that my SAT scores are low, but I am planning to retake. Keep in mind my 2050 was after 0 preparation. I’m spending this summer studying for SATs and practicing for my senior recital, so hopefully I can bring my SAT up to 2250+.</p>

<p>@EliKresses
What’s wrong with co-president of the Freethinkers’ Club? Just because it’s not a national club that every school has doesn’t mean it’s not worthy. With narrow-mindedness like that, Brown sure is a pipe dream. Good luck kid.</p>

5

<p>^ Your rank, gpa, and test scores are too low, it is very hard to get into ivies/top schools these days</p>

6

<p>Kid, I got a 2070 and got waitlisted at Penn STATE. With a 3.7 GPA. And I’m in IB. Take advice and use it. Improve your stats.</p>

7

<p>Kid, admission isn’t all about SAT scores and GPA. Did you have good ECs? Did you demonstrate passion? Were you just a generic kid? On the other hand, you could’ve been over qualified for Penn State. I know a girl who got rejected from UConn and Tufts, but accepted to Princeton. Another girl in my school got into HYPSM, Dartmouth, Duke, Vanderbilt, and more, but rejected at UConn and Tufts as well. </p>

<p>I already know that I need to bring up my SAT scores. My GPA and rank however, are just fine, and I know that. 17/449 is within the top 4% of my grade in a very competitive public school in CT which regularly sends multiple kids to the Ivy League and NESCAC schools.</p>

8

<p>Ugh, don’t listen to these people they’re idiots. Your rank is great and you said they don’t see it so it doesn’t even matter. Your GPA is great too. My unweighted GPA was 3.66. And your says are good. If you think you can get higher, retest. Just try to get your sats in the middle 50%. And the person who got waitlisted at Penn state clearly sucked in other areas because my friend got a 1900 and got into Penn state honors (and she’s white, an orm). You’re fine. Just focus on your essays. </p>

<p>Signed, someone who actually got in.</p>

9

<p>Wow thank you so much hopeful201. Finally some honest, good feedback. Is there anything else you think I should improve on other than SATs? What does UPenn like to see?</p>

10

<p>For Wharton, show that you’re good in math. They look for people with great math scores. Also, show how you’re a leader because they want to produce future CEOs and titles similar to that. And just show your application, show your passion for Penn beyond wharton. The clubs, the city, the campus, the opportunities. Focus on that in your essays. My one friend was a double legacy and got deferred then denied. This other guy in my school got denied during ED and he def had better grades and sat scores than me. I sent acts (32, which is middle 50). So just show passion and that you have a personality.</p>

11

<p>I’m with hopeful on this: You’ve got a chance, certainly, especially if you apply early decision. As an alum, I’ve been doing admissions interviews for Penn for a long time, and although it’s frustrating – so many remarkably good kids are rejected these days – it’s also encouraging that the school looks at lots of different facets in deciding. As a result, after all these years, I can’t predict who will get in.
The volume of extracurriculars doesn’t matter so much as the passion you have for anything: an academic subject, your music, what have you. And the early decision application shows a real enthusiasm for Penn, which counts for a lot. (That’s also the stage where more weight is given to legacy admissions.)
Good luck.</p>

12

<p>Okay, so I just found out that my grandfather got his MASTERS at Penn, and my grandmother only attended, but didn’t get a chance to graduate. Does this still count as legacy at Penn?</p>

<p>Also, I just found out about the Jerome Fisher M&T Program which looks to be literally perfect for my interests. I also see that they only admit about 50-55 people. This is obviously ridiculously selective. Do any of you know anything about this program and if I have a chance at all?</p>

13

<p>The kid from my school who got into M&T was a semi-finalist for both Intel AND Siemens and had an almost 2400 and over a 5.0 GPA and 5s on all APs. He was a member of 20-something clubs and an officer of 10 of them. He was a student council executive officer. He also runs his own small business. He turned down M&T for another awesome school (got into every Ivy except Harvard as well as Stanford, Duke, MIT, Northwestern, and WUSTL).</p>

<p>That’s the kind of kids who get into M&T. That’s not to say you couldn’t get in, but you have to realize that it’s a very self-selective pool of applicants and very competitive.</p>

14

<p>We’re trying to give you an honest answer, don’t expect to get in, you’re stats are mediocre for ivies, though there is a slight chance you could get lucky.</p>

15

<p>In the beginning of freshman year, a girl in M&T told me that she originally didn’t think she could get into M&T because while her grades and test scores were very good, she didn’t feel like she was outstanding. However as she said, they must have seen something in her. On this forum, people portray the students in Huntsman/M&T/Wharton almost as deities who have perfect test scores, have published original research, or run a start up company. This view is completely exaggerated. These students are human too, many of them I have met are incredibly intelligent (although the smartest people I have met at Penn pop up from all over the place, not just one major or school), but they’re still normal people who have successes and failures like everyone else.</p>

16

<p>Look at those who got accepted in by either ED or RD. Many 2400-SAT and 4.0-GPA and watever prizes still got rejected, so I dont think Penn will emphasize that much on SAT scores (of course they are still important, but not the most). Esp Wharton, as a business school, I think they will look more at your leadership, you passions and practicality etc, you may wanna increase your chance by showing that through your essays?</p>

<p>Im applying ED for Wharton this year as well and of course Im super scared, not to mention my chance wil be hurt since I am applying for in aid (int’l student). I think you should improve your SAT, one thing, and write perfect essays:D Life is never just about grades man.</p>

17

<p>Again, the people who said you’re scores aren’t high enough can go look at the decision threads from last yr. Many “ideal” students were rejected. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you have perfect “stats” that you’ll be guaranteed a place at Penn. As long as your within the score/GPA range for Penn (usually listed on Princeton review or the admissions page) then you’ll be okay. The application process is holistic and they are really looking for high achieving students with PERSONALITY. Matter fact, in an interview with Dean Furda he said that they look at test scores for less than 30 secs. So improve your scores if you can but don’t fall into a pit of despair if it’s not what you wanted. If your passionate about getting into Penn, show it your essays. That’s your best bet.</p>

<p>Btw it never hurts to apply to M&T. It’s a TOUGH program however. My friends’ schedules include a lovely mix of physics, chemistry, and calculus on top of our required Management class. But if you want to apply go ahead. There’s a section on the app where you check that you would still want to be considered for Wharton or Engineering if you are rejected from M&T so applying isn’t do or die.</p>

18

<p>would you apply to penn ED or RD?</p>

19

<p>I am honestly undecided. I like it, but I am also interested in other schools. I’m not going to lie and say I LOVE PENN, but I certainly would be very happy going there. What do you think? Do you think it would be advantageous for someone like me to apply early?</p>

20

<p>don’t listen to people on CC…they will never admit that anyone has a good chance ANYWHERE. don’t listen to these losers, laodicean, you have an excellent chance.</p>