Hi everybody, I have been using this site for years, and have decided to join the community.
I will be applying ED to UPenn this fall and had some questions. Any help is greatly appreciated.
1. I am taking the ACT on October 27th(Took is June, 2011 31 Comp and June, 2012 32 Comp superstore = 34) I have been taking practice tests and have been getting 34-35 composites. Will I have to send my score to the school blind? Will I have an opportunity to see the score before sending?
2. How much does a weak GPA effect your chances? I have about a 3.5/4.0 and 4.3/5.0. About top 12% in school weighted. I will have taken 11 AP tests by HS graduation (Our school offers around 15) so I have definitely taken a rigorous course load.
APs: Micro 5, BC Calc 5, US History 4, Comp Sci 4, Macro 3(weak)
Subject tests: Math II-780 Math I-750 Chemistry-750 Biology E-720
and as mentioned aiming for 34-35 ACT.
3. I am extremely interested in Business so I plan on applying to Wharton, but my best friend is applying ED to Wharton as well. He is a stronger candidate (higher GPA, a bit more ECs, about equal test scores.) Will it hurt both of us by applying from same school? With the information I have provided is it still worth to try for Wharton?
I have 100+ community service hours, have started a successful business, I trade on the stock market with 100+% returns, a lot of ECs, possible recruiting in swimming, started a couple clubs in school, amazing recommendations and very good essays.
My grade consists of about 220 students so top 10% is fairly difficult to achieve considering we have many students applying to ivys, last year about 20 enrolled into ivys.
220 is actually a fairly small class size. Many high schools have 400+ for their seniors class, so for only 220, I think that Penn would want to see at least top 5%. Up to you to interpret. If you don't mind sharing, what is this "successful business" that you have??? It could make a big difference to the Wharton adcoms. Your test scores and outside activities shouldn't be an area of concern. Penn doesn't compare students by high school, so don't worry about your friend applying
Although I go to a school with a graduating class of about 500, most high schools seem to be much smaller, so I don't know where wassup54321 got their stats. What matters more than your class size I think is your school profile. If the school is in an affluent area and has high standardized test scores, it may indicate high competition and achievement amongst the students and you won't be significantly harmed by being just out of the top 10%.
I got into Wharton with lower scores than yours and not nearly as many AP as you, so don't worry about that. My advice would be to focus on your essays now, they're really what will make you stand out. Everyone applying to Wharton has strong test scores and a lot of ECs. The only area of the application where you can truly distinguish yourself is the essays. Good luck hope you get in!
I agree with rainydays05. I think your school as a whole plays quite a factor in admissions. If you go to a very difficult school, it is more acceptable to be out of the top 10%, as opposed to attending an easy school. Colleges acknowledge that class rankings and your GPA will be different depending on the school, so that's where SATs, APs, etc come into play. Those standardized tests really indicate how much you know in comparison to people across the US. For example, if you were the valedictorian of your school and took all AP classes possible, but scored poorly on those AP tests, colleges might think your school was not rigorous enough.
If you have a superscore = 34, why are you re-taking? You're already at the 75 percentile of Upenns Standardized testing requirement. Getting a 35 will not really increase your chances, as opposed to writing a mindblowing essay.
^ Penn superscores SAT. They require all scores for viewing, but they supposedly (according to their website) take into account the highest across sections. I don't know if this applies to ACT.
