Will I get into UPenn ED?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
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Scores:

33 on ACT, 34 superscored
35 E; 33 M; 34 R; 33 S

Subject Tests:
800 Math II
750 Bio E

Average- 92.6% for Grade 11. I am have taken three AP’s and my school only offers three AP’s. (my average in grade 9 was low but I progressed and got better)

ExtraCurriculars:

Medical Internship at Einstein Hospital while staying at UPenn campus- got a letter of reference from this internship and it was really competitive to get in

President of Green Initiative- saved like 10k+ water bottles from being recycled and amended school recycling policy. Working to switch caf mtrls to biodegradable

President of Destination Imagination- 1st Place in Nationals

Founder/President of National Honors Society- tutor 20 kids in nearby school, and pick up trach 1hr/week

York Youth Developmental Council- Spearheaded 7 events: STEM conferences, mental health conferences, recruited 10 members for the council

Founder, JJC University Prep- Free SAT/ACT tutoring service to help kids who can’t afford all the books required to succeed. I have a website: https://joshuad821.■■■■■■■■■■■/mysite-2/

Senior Prefect- 1 of 8 selected from 200+. Spearheaded school food bank, and commerce projects. Play a crucial role in school events: homecomings and open house. Have provided 50+ tours

Surgical Volunteer, Markham Stouffville Hospital: 1 of 2 selected from 100+ volunteers to work in SADU; Assisted approx. 250+ patients; Interact with nurses to understand post-surgical care;

Counsellor, York District School Board: Worked with a child with severe disabilities; Enhanced motor skills via lego based act.,and mobility via a walker;Integrated her into camp social life

Student Participant, Ontario Legislative Assembly: One of 45 students selected across Canada; Collaborated with MP’s to draft mock bills; Represented Markham in workshops and debates

Honors:

BOOOOOOOM! [Art Website], Published National, International11, 12
Ontario Destination Imagination Engineering, First PlaceNational11
St. Michaels Battle of the Bards Poetry Contest, First PlaceSchool10, 11
Basilian Book Award Recipient (Average greater than 90%)School10, 11
Honor Roll, St.Michaels College SchoolSchool9, 10, 11

Family:

1st person in my family to go to university

Recommendations:

An admissions counsellor said my recs were impressive so thats not a problem

Thanks in advance!!!

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major?

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Medicine (Neuroscience) and Im applying to the college of arts and science. Also I am canadian…if you couldnt tell @bichon_frise99

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lol, I could tell. The internship sounds like it’ll help you a lot, glad you could get a rec from that.

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Thanks @bichon_frise99

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I don’t know if you will be able to make (or, at this point, have made) the cut at UPenn. The fact that your school reports a grade percentage is unfortunate, because it places you on the border of the 80 percents. ACT is also a bit low. Extracurriculars can only get you so far. And you are applying as an international. And you are Asian (Indian). And you are male. If ur straight, then thats also not a plus factor. All of these don’t seem to play in your favor very well. I know students with decent stats (like urs) but who rode the “great extracurriculars” train with the hopes of getting into a school like UPenn, and were only disappointed when, despite their genuinely great ECs, were rejected. Even in the Early Decision round. With decisions coming out in like 5 days, I wish you the best of luck, however.

Sorry if this isn’t what you were expecting, but I was trying to give an honest Chance Me.

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@collegeboi2023 I disagree. I think that the ACT is relatively good, as it is sitting in Penn’s average ACT range. I do agree that there are a few things out of the applicant’s control which are not in his favor, but EC’s look outstanding to me. @OP, I think you have a decent shot of making it. Good luck!

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@kindablue, decent is a good word. I do agree he has a DECENT shot, but keep in mind that students who apply matching the “middle” range of ACT scores have to work a lot harder to get in that students who are at the top (36) of that university’s range. For example, if a schools’s bottom 25% might be 32 ACT. The reality is that a student who applies with that score has to work tremendously harder on his/her application than the student with a 36, unless that 32 is a recruited athlete or a questbridge scholar (its hard there too). In this case, a 33 regular/ 34 super score is OK, but paired with a decent grade average (he only reported grade 11?) means a slim-decent chance, if the rest of the application was framed very, very, very, very well.

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@collegeboi2023 I still think the OP has a pretty good chance or at least a good of a chance as anyone else. I don’t think his GPA is wildly out of their range but yes it does seem a bit lower than other applicants. Overall, my understanding of the college admissions process is that if you match the stats range (like you’re within it), they won’t toss your application immediately or anything like that. Matching the stats then allows the applicant to move through to ECs/honors/recs etc… I’m not saying this is how Penn goes through apps because I’m not entirely sure of their particular process, but I think this idea is common among college review processes. The ECs looked stellar AND the OP is a first-gen student. Bonuses in my eyes, but I understand your point about stats.

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@kindablue thanks a lot. I was rejected. My average this year is a 95.67% so I think thats good. I have a research position at a well known university which is really hard and so time to see what happens with the other unis