dreaming of penn.. but chances are slim :(

please1 · 01-19-2008, 02:58 PM

hey guys. i know that half of the country dreams of going to penn, lol but it is my no 1 choice. i am under-qualified unfortunatly. it sucks. can u guys tell me what my chances are, if i have any?

my gpa is what really brings me down
3.28 unweighted
3.74 weighted
didn't take ap's until senior year. but i took accelerated college prep classes bc my school has different levels. so i took the highest level which is just under honors.
my sat's are 2010/2400 and 1330/1600..
sat twos are math 1: 750 and physics 600

i recently had my alumni interview, and i thought it went well she told me she would write me a glowing rec. who knows..

i am an immigrant and came to the US when i was 7. still not a citizen. i am also the first in my fam to go to college in the US.
i speak russian hebrew english and learning french in school.

published poet, piano awards are the two most emphasized hobbies on my application.

i have work experience about 15 hours a week. and good community service.

my personal statement was very cute and honest. i wrote about who i am and i wrote from the heart. i hope penn finds it endearing.
my why penn essay was strong i think.

i applied to college of arts and sciences with a major in slavic studies since i speak russian.

alright, so what do you guys think? do i have a chance, or am i dreaming? be honest i am ready for it.

moizuhk · 01-20-2008, 02:25 AM

very slim.

adf8 · 01-20-2008, 03:40 PM

Your GPA is a killer. I wish you luck..because you'll need it.

echekavargas · 01-21-2008, 10:39 AM

very slim, but have hope!

please1 · 01-21-2008, 01:50 PM

haha thanks. im trying to be optimistic but then i hear about kids with 4.0's being rejected.

06penn06 · 03-07-2008, 12:58 AM

I went to penn and I graduated in 06 and I just stumbled upon this post and want to let the poster know this. No one on this site can predict whether or not you'll get into penn, harvard, UC boulder, or any other school. It's a crap shoot. And to be honest, even if some of these posters could predict it, they wouldn't let you know anyways. Posts like these serve no purpose but to boost or crush egos. If you can look yourself in the mirror and say that you did the best that you could in school, you made good friends, had fun, and have an inkling about what you think you may want to pursue as a career, then you're way ahead of not only your peers, but of most people in life. I went to school with people who were brilliant and people who may have been medically retarded. I was friends with stunningly gorgeous women and utterly hideous chicks. Penn has everything you could want and everything you hate. It's not the Elysian fields and it doesn't set you up for life. Websites like this didn't exist when I was applying to college and I'm glad, because it serves no other function than to heighten neuroses. You could have a 1600, 4.0 gpa, captain of the basketball team, etc and people are still going to say you don't have a chance because a friend of a friend of an acquaintance of a companion had the same scores and didn't get in. So you know what, be happy with what you achieved, submit your application and let the admission's committee decide. Don't let the opinions of cyberbill3452 influence what you think your chances are. College is a great 4 years, but it's just that, 4 years. And the real kicker is, should you actually go to Penn, most people outside of Philadelphia will think you go to Penn State and ask you about the lions anyways. So relax, enjoy your last semester of high school, and be stoked about college, regardless of where you go.

ihopeipass08 · 03-09-2008, 10:53 PM

very well stated 06penn06

banananananana · 03-15-2008, 03:36 PM

my friend got in with stats like that this fall. there is always hope. if they belive that you can sucessfully do the work and you would significantly add to the community then they will let you in happily.

even 4.0's and 1600 dont get in sometimes. keep hope alive. but keep reason too. they turn away alot of smart people and let alot of the people with not so flashy acedemic resumes (like me) in

verve · 03-16-2008, 04:13 PM

I love your post 06penn06!

jec7483 · 03-16-2008, 04:27 PM

yeah, I don't see you getting into UPenn. You might have a shot at Penn State University Park, but your gpa is a little low for there. The unweighted 3.28 hurts you because average main campus gpa is 3.6-3.7 and gpa is 2/3 of Penn State's decision. Nevertheless, I still wish you the best of luck with your application to UPenn.

griffon · 03-16-2008, 04:41 PM

06Penn06 thats an awesome post...good luck man and i hope you get in, but if you dont it really does not matter that much...you can get a solid education in most schools, and you'll have a blast wherever you go

univerCity · 03-29-2008, 10:44 PM

06penn06, i'm with you all the way.

I think the fact that 4.0, 1600's get rejected shows that numbers are not all they look at and that anyone basically has a chance. So, like 06penn06 said, no one here can tell you how much of a chance you have. If you get in, great. If you don't get in, but you did your best to try to, then you shouldn't worry, because you're just not destined to go there.

Personally, I feel that going to community college and being happy is better than going to an ivy and living hell.

anyways, good luck

Muddslinger · 03-30-2008, 01:33 AM

Actually, we could chance you for the public schools in Colorado. They have the Colorado Comission on Higher Education Eligibility Index (CCHE Index) which assigns you a point total for admission. Each school is assigned a point value. By law, every school in Colorado cannot accept any more than 10% of it's class from the pool of applicants that are below their index score. Not every college is listed - that's because the community colleges are required to admit all applicants as long as they submit the right paperwork.

Metro State is 79 (least selective school) while School of Mines is 110 (most selective). On the left side of the chart is you class rank/GPA and on top is your ACT score and SAT (1600 scale) equivalent. Go as far down and right as you qualify for (if your class rank is farther down than your GPA for example, choose class rank) and find find their intersection. That's your index. According to your chart, your index is 120. Since your index is 10 points higher than necessary and your scores fit in the mid 50%, I'd chance you pretty high - 60-70%

For Penn, I hope your essays were teh pwnxx0rz because those will be your only ticket in (unless the person/people reading your app love poetry :P)