Yet another Chance me thread...Wharton

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
1

<p>Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Asian (Indian)
Type: International Student</p>

<p>Predicted grades for IB:</p>

<p>HL Economics 7
HL Business Management 7
HL Math 6</p>

<p>SL English 5
SL French Ab. Initio 7
SL Chemistry 7
Bonus Points: 2/3
IB Total: 41/45</p>

<p>Not sure how the IB grades translate into GPA. School doesn't rank us, but I know I am in the top 5%.
Taking the highest course load possible.
Standardized Testing:</p>

<p>SAT I - Math 720, CR 670, Writing 620. Total: 2010 (1390)</p>

<p>I know it's disgusting, wayyy below anything Ivy Leagues look at. Might retake it in November or worst case, December.</p>

<p>SAT IIs taking Chemistry & Math II in October, aiming 800 at Math II and 700+ Chemistry.</p>

<p>Academic Awards:</p>

<p>-UK Senior Math Challenge Silver Medallist: Top 10% of the world.
-Kumon Math Program - Gold Medallist 4 years consecutive and member of the Advanced Student Honor Roll.
-Winner of the Principal's Award at school for achieveing Academic merits in 7 out of 8 subjects.
-Academic Excellence Award winner - 9th and 10th grade.</p>

<p>Extra-Curriculars:</p>

<p>-Model United Nations - 4 years.
Positions held: Assistant President - Special Conference Sub Committee 2, Chair - Security Council, Chair - General Assembly 1, Deputy Chair - General Assembly 6. Organized a conference with a team of 3 others for middle school kids: Coordinated it ourselves.
Awards won: "Best Delegate Award" won 3 times in 5 conferences.</p>

<p>-Debating Team - 4 years.
Captain for the past year, won "best speaker" award 7 times during the year.</p>

<p>-Student Council - 1 year.
Position held: Chief Treasurer and Leader of Fundraising Committee. Organized school prom and winter dance; Completed the budgeting for the entire council as well as balancing the accounts.</p>

<p>-Cricket - 8 years.
Vice-Captain of team for the past 4 years. Recently won "Most Improved Player" and nominated "best bowler" for the calender year having taken most wickets for the team.
Used to be a member of the country's national cricket team before starting IB (way too hectic).</p>

<p>-Mathematics Peer Tutor - 2 years.
Position Held: Senior Tutor; Helped other high school kids with math problems during lunchtime and after school on a voluntary basis</p>

<p>-UN Day: Indian Folk Dance Performer.
Never learnt dancing in my life, Spent the past 4 months training every weekend to perfect the steps.</p>

<p>-Weight Training Club - 1 year.
Woke up every morning at 6 and went to school at 6.30 to train, weight lifting - rigorous exercise.</p>

<p>-Frisbee Club - 1 year.
This was more of a fun thing, rather than being professional. Learnt a few new frisbee tricks and the art of playing ultimate frisbee.</p>

<p>Community Service:</p>

<p>-Institute of Mental Health - 2 years.
Position Held: Volunteer Leader; Coordinated activities and organized groups to volunteer at the institute of mental health; Organized fun badminton games with the patients and befriended them over the 2 years.</p>

<p>-Home for the Autistic back in India - Spent the summer volunteering there.
Taught autistic kids basic english letters and words, painted with them etc.</p>

<p>-PE Service Group - 1 year.</p>

<p>Work Experience/Internships:</p>

<p>-Interned 2 weeks at a consultancy firm in India which involved maintaining and auditing financial records of client firms.</p>

<p>-Worked on a part time basis (Every Saturday) for 2 months at an accounting firm.
Position held: Research Assistant. Tasks again involved balancing accounts and maintaining paperwork.</p>

<p>-Will be interning this December at a micro finance bank in India to learn more about development economics and self-financing. As a part of the internship, I will be visiting many villages with an experienced economist to monitor the income situation of the poor and the status of poverty-alleviating mechanisms in these rural areas.</p>

<p>I know most other Wharton applicants will have just as strong if not stronger applications. I also know my SAT score is a huge hole in my application. But with my IB grades, ECs and the work experience: would I stand a chance, is it worth considering applying to UPenn? I am looking at only Regular Decision. </p>

<p>Intended Major: Economics.</p>

2

<p>Your SAT scores are the big problem here. Right now, that is below the 25th percentile…I think you basically have to retake it and get a better score to have even a decent chance of getting in.</p>

<p>If you make a big improvement then you are pretty well off considering your ECs and grades.</p>

3

<p>Your IB scores are excellent, to be sure.
However, your SAT scores are abysmal for Wharton’s standards.
Being an ORM international student doesn’t exactly help either.
Unfortunately, I think this is a no-go.</p>

4

<p>Besides your SAT’s, everything else looks fine albeit too scattered to present any real focus. Make sure your interest in business comes through in at least one of the essays or short answers (feign it even if you hate it!). </p>

<p>Btw, you’re getting a bsc in econ but most wharton courses are nothing close to econ (aside from some intro stuff first year). Wharton is generally more practical (think ripping apart financial statements) although you can take many electives in the college to satiate your intellectual curiosity. Just be aware that it is VERY different from a traditional econ degree.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the replies guys. Yup, I agree - the SAT score is disastrous, but my issue is I don’t know if I have time to retake them. SAT IIs will be occupying my October and November is probably the most hectic period for an IB student in my school. All our major essay and internal assignment deadlines crop up during this time. I wouldn’t want to retake without preping sufficiently less I score badly again.</p>

<p>Can I possibly take it in December? Would I still have time to send the score? Since I am an international student, I am not sure as to how early I send in my apps. Then again, I will be applying online so I think I will have time.</p>

6

<p>I thought the ECs and the work experience/internships would present a finance career in mind. If it helps, most of MUN conferences both as a delegate and as a student officer were in the Economic and Social Council. Student Treasurer really does the same job as the treasury department of a country albeit at a much more micro level.</p>

<p>The sport and dance/volunteering activities were things I did more as a leisure activity rather than with college in mind or to understand economics better.</p>

<p>Finally, all the math stuff actually comes back in and relates directly with economics due to the immense amount of math content it uses and requires. I guess I might have to explain some of these in my essays to let the ad coms know I am serious about economics</p>

7

<p>your IB scores are not set in stone. They are only predictions and thus should be disregarded in this chance thread.</p>

<p>Besides testing, you are very solid.</p>

8

<p>Bump bump 10char</p>

9

<p>Lets get your fundamentals right first. Wharton offers you a B.S. in economics but its nothing lke your rountine liberal arts economic major. You are going to be studying business electives here. Secondly I want you to understand that its very very competitive and matters are only getting worse as each year passes. Four months after getting in, I am still in shock that I made it(I too am an Indian). As for your chances come back for a review when your SAT 2s and your IB exam scores are all in. I hate chance threads anyways because I feel that the feedback you get is totally unreliable but I am going to be a hypocrite here and say that your chances are very average at the moment. But dont feel discouraged. This profile is no worse than loads of people who get in and with stellar essays and better SAT scores you have a chance.</p>