I know, I know....I'm not in the top 10% of my class. I've been told I won't get in anywhere...which I think is completely false. I am in the top 15%, hispanic, 3.6 gpa unweighted. I have amazing EC's and recommendations from influential people I've worked for. Projected SAT score is 2100. I'll keep studying to get it higher. My dream is Wharton, and I'll probably apply early decision. Will my class rank and gpa screw up my admission chances? Thanks guys!
I think you have a chance. In my opinion, Wharton values ECs, leadership, community service, etc more heavily than say, the college or engineering. I think your academics do have to be fairly strong, but they don't need to be stellar. Top 15% should be okay as long as you make sure you get that 2100+ SAT score, write some amazing essays, and get some awesome recommendations. The fact that you are applying ED and an underrepresented minority will also work in your favor. Good luck
You obviously have a chance, but 96% of Penn's freshman class was in the top 10% of their high school class. You might be able to sneak in as part of that other 4%, but you might not.
To get into Penn, you DO have to have stellar academics (especially for Wharton). And you definitely need a higher SAT score because a 2100 is in their lower range. But to be blunt, the fact that you're Hispanic will definitely help you in admissions.
Just to give you a bit of a reference, we had a family friend who got into Wharton ED a few yrs ago. She was in the top 10% so her GPA was most likely higher but her SAT was also around 2100. I'm not going to burden you with the specifics of her academic record but I can honesty say that her academics were strong but not stellar. She had a few ECs like this academic team, dance, multi cultural club, etc but nothing too significant...and she was Asian, which put her at a disadvantage.
I believe you do have to have strong academics to get into Wharton but it's not like you need to be an academic superstar. I mean, in all actuality, the only high school subjects you'll prob have to utilize in business school are math and english. I honestly don't think getting say a B in chemistry would hurt you very much. I do think that to get into Wharton, you have to have very strong ECs, leadership, business skills, communication skills, etc because that's essentially what business is about.
Thanks guys. I'll work on getting that sat score higher..since I am already at a disadvantage because of my rank. The reason I asked was because I was talking to a uchicago rep and he said they dont really look at class rank, it just happens to be that most of the kids in the top ten were really qualified in other areas. I was kinda hopeing Penn would be the same way...lol
Yes...I think that would be great! I mean, you can't use it as one of the common app recs but it could definitely be an awesome supplemental rec letter.
Hi guys i am entering my senior year wanting to apply ED to UPenn..I am top 5% in my class, 5.0 unweighted GPA and 4.0 weighted..hispanic, 2150 on my SAT's, tons of EC's and leadership ,captain of varsity tennis and soccer ect...my subject tests werent amazing..got Math1-700, Math2-670 (am retaking) ..Ap Euro-5 AP Psych-5,AP Chem TBA Ap calc TBA AP Eng TBA
do i have a good chance of getting in ??? so unsure..anyone??
@hilster4
Are you also applying to Wharton? I don't think you necessarily need to take ACTs (unless you have extra time and want to study for it) but I do think you should take more SAT subject tests. If I were you, I would try to at least take 1 more in a different subject area such as science, world languages, history, etc just to show that you are more well-rounded. Other than that, just make sure you have amazing essays and recommendations and you should have pretty good shot!
In my daughter's school (international) three students applied to UPenn. The one with the lowest marks/class rank and SAT score (less than 1600!) got in. The two who were rejected, one ranked first in his class for the last 10 years, is a pianist and a winner of a national music award with an SAT score of 2100. The second ranked 3 or 4 of her class, had an SAT score of 2000, plays in on of the school's sport team and has spent 6 week last summer at UPenn's own pre-college program for high school students. The only explanation is that the applicant who got in was admitted for her minority/diverse background.
