koolaznpygmy

I'm wondering if I should apply to upenn. I really like the school not just for it's academics (planning to be a history major) but also for its environment. I've never visited because I didn't have the time or money but from pictures I've seen and descriptions of friends the city of Philadelphia seems very appealing. Yet my hopes and dreams of attending this school were crushed when I first came to CC and noticed the stats of the people getting into Upenn. I just want to know if applying would be a waste of money for me, as I don't want to unncessacarily waste my parents hard earned money.

So in a way I guess this a chances thread.

9-12 GPA 3.4 uw, w i don't know
10-12 gpa, 3.5uw, 3.9 w (UC GPA)
SAT 1: highest composite: 2060 720 CR 700 WR 640 Math
highest in one sitting: 2010 700 cr, 670 wr, 640 math
ACT:
35 reading
33 english
33 math
27 science <--dont' know what happened..
32 composite

sat 2s:
World History: 750
Biology M: 700
Lit: 640, took again in Dec expecting 700+

APs:
took the most rigorous courseload at my school
US History: 5
European History: 4
Biology: 5
World History: 3 (took just the test w/o the class)
English Language: 3
English Literature: in progress
Calculus AB: in progress
Chemistry: in progress
Psychology: in progress
US government: in progress

Classes

9th grade
MUN/World Hist Honors A, B+
French 1 H B+, A
Geometry H B+, B+
Biology H B+, B+
English 1 H B, B

10th grade
AP European History A, A
English 2 H A, A
Chemistry H B+, B+
French 2 H B+, A
Algebra 2 A, A

11th grade
AP English Lang A, A
AP Biology A, A
AP US History A, A
French 3 h C+, C+
Trig/math anal B+, C+
fine arts class A, B

12th grade

AP Chemistry
AP US Government
AP Calculus AB
AP Psychology
AP Literature
French 4

ECS:
Volunteering at animal shelter
Internship at local accounting firm (tech support crew)
Started, along with a few friends, our schools first ever ocean science bowl team
Cross country 3 years
Track 3 years

Essays:
Why Penn: I talk about my passion for history, then relate to why I want to go to Penn, because I want to meet a Penn prof and then say how the city of Philly interests me and then go on to say that I'm interested in Penn because its the home of history, such as the constitution and the dec. of indepdence.

Risk: talked about eating at a restaurant that looked really ghetto but had the best food, and how taking a risk ended up with that restaurant becoming my favorite place and how that experience taught me the true meaning of "don't judge a book by its cover" or something like that.

Recs:
Counselor- She knows who I am, because I always try to get her to switch around my classes so that I get teachers I want, but she may write that I complain too much.
Teachers-
AP English Teacher: liked me, had a lot of fun in his class, went to Columbia
AP Biology teacher: Knew me for 3 years and likes me.

Thats about all...if you read through all that, thanks!

Oh forgot to mention I'm a korean male living in california and I come from a low income family, and I'm the first generation to go to college (my older sister was the first and shes currently at UCR as a junior). Please tell me chances so I can decide whether I should apply or not!

koolaznpygmy

bump...i desperately need some advice..

PhatAlbert

Sure, your stats don't put you out of the running, especially since you're taking a rigorous curriculum.

If you do well on all the qualitative stuff (essay, recs, interview) you'll have a decent chance. The Risk essay sounds a little sketchy to me, that's the biggest risk you've taken? going to eat at a run down restaurant? but if you do it well it could work.

If you pm it to me, i'll give it a read.

adf8

Honestly, your GPA is quite low, especially for RD. Penn seems to value GPAs a lot. If you had a hook to make up for it, it would be ok, but you don't. But that's not something you can change now, so go for it. It can't hurt to apply and, although I would say it's a reach, you definitely have a chance.

I would consider a better risk topic too, unless you're an awesome writer and can make that really interesting. It just doesn't seem like it'll give much insight into your personality and "Don't judge a book by its cover" is a very cliche theme. If you PM it to me I'll read it too. I did the risk essay for ED and I guess it was fine because I got in.

Sorry, I don't mean all of that to sound harsh! Just constructive criticism. Also, Penn places a lot of emphasis on character, which I realize you can't really show in a CC post, so just try to show that in your app.

koolaznpygmy

Thanks guys. adf8 Im revising my essays right now and Ill pm them later thanks for offering.