<p>Okay so I got this super bad score on the SAT… Any chance at U Penn?</p>
<p>Nope. No chance. For reference, read my other posts, and for most of them, take out MIT and put UPenn in its place. (Unless you count a 0.0000…000001% chance as a chance).</p>
<p>And 1940 isn’t necessarily a super bad score. It’s a bad score if you’re Indian, and trying to get into these places. It’s still a pass.</p>
<p>1940 is a really low score for an international student. The requirements are usually very demanding for internationals… But what about your other credentials? GPA, E.C’s, awards, community service etc etc ??</p>
<p>UPenn is relatively easier to get into, than, say, MIT or HYP, so you should still apply and see what happens…</p>
<p>@dasad- I thought UPenn was wayyyyyy easier to get as compared to MIT?
@tovoxy I have decent awards, ECs and comm service and my GPA is 3.7… Still no hope?</p>
<p>It depends on your breakdown of score for CR,math,writing, but SAT is not everything.
I saw one girl accepted to Duke with 1800 SAT and 3.3 GPA.</p>
<p>1940 is low for Penn, whether or not the student is international.</p>
<p>From UPenn website:
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<p>Perfect test scores, transcripts, and great awards are of course important, but you also shouldn’t forget about your college essay and recommendations, because they definitely play a significant role on your app.</p>
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<p>But then again, a 1940 is very low. I’d advice you to take the test again, if that’s possible.
Also, did you consider taking the ACT? Some people do significantly better on the ACT than the SAT test.</p>
<p>@tovoxy 1940 is a low score for WHICH applicants? Zimbabweans, Polynesians, Peruvians? No. Americans? Arguably (although, as you can see from the statistics posted by colleges, a sizable portion of them DO get into top schools with those scores). Indians, Chinese, etc.? Yes, it’s a very low score for this last group I mentioned–especially if he or she is dreaming of the Ivies. But it isn’t the case for everyone… that’s what I meant.</p>
<p>UPenn accepts 12.4% of all applicants. This figure will as much as halve or quarter for international applicants (and perhaps sink even lower for Indians). What sort of extra-curriculars do you have? What sort of essays will you write? What sort of recs will your teachers be able to provide? It depends on these things. None of these places are easy to get into, whether it be MIT or UPenn. Even what you wish to major in could make or break an application.</p>
<p>Penn seems like a high reach.
But then its not impossible if you back it up with amazing essays, grades and ECA.</p>
<p>This guy from a nearby school got into MIT last year with a 1950, but then he had out-of-the-world ECAs, high class rank and had done a lot of research and projects outside school.</p>
<p>Why this obsession about UPenn/MIT? In the real world, as long as you go to a decent college and score above avg GPA with a profession degree, most people will do well and have done well since man started to study in college.</p>
<p>India has a 10% acceptance rate - And that number only increases for those who don’t need financial aid. A 1940 won’t be a deal-breaker, as long you have something else to offer - and that something has to be quite significant.</p>
<p>If you’re applying for financial aid, it’s basically a no-go.</p>