<p>I’m a Sophmore at High School and Penn is my dream school. Does anybody have tips on getting in? Thanks, any advice would be greatly appreciated :D</p>
<p>Just one: Be yourself.</p>
<p>At your age/grade, keep everything up, and improve in it too. Ex. Keep getting straight A’s. Maximize how many AP classes you are in. Become captain of your activities, and even state/national level leadership/awards if possible. Find summer internships in what you are interested in. Take on a part-time job if you want. Devote yourself and obtain hours and hours of community service.</p>
<p>Bottom line: Keep up what you are doing, but improve in it too! If you’re the chapter President of an organization at your school, see if you can be the State VP, etc. Good luck!</p>
<p>PS. Don’t forget about test scores! Study hard, give it a good try, and good luck!</p>
<p>I agree with laodicean, just be yourself and excel in what you do. Explore your passions and learn what motivates you. I do not agree that you need to be captain of all your activities and have “internships”. If it comes naturally, do it, but don’t do things solely to put them on your resume. Everything I did on paper seems pretty generic (I did win a national science Olympiad medal), but I was very passionate about it all and that was what people saw. I am a sophomore at Penn.</p>
<p>Well, what I meant by my post, is to pursue your interests. Exact words, “Find summer internships in what you are interested in.”. For instance, if you love biology or biochemistry and are on the Science Olympiad just as a general member right now, try to become the captain of your team. But also, try looking for summer research internships in that field (bio/biochem). It only helps, as it shows your passion in this field.</p>
<p>I agree that it is great to further pursue interests, but you don’t need to be the captain to do this as well as contribute to the team. Leadership is not always about having a position of power, I think that’s something people need to be more open to. You can lead through passion and involvement even if you are not the person in charge. I was never comfortable with being the head of anything, but I got the impression that people still thought I made a large contribution whether in class or in Science Olympiad. Even though I was not the captain, I pulled my weight and was noticed for it. I think I got into Penn because my essays confirmed this. I think they are truly looking for is genuine people. Professors are often complaining about people being too caught up in the rat race here, they like people who know who they are and who have new ideas. That’s how you can stand out.</p>
<p>Internships are great and all, but don’t feel like you absolutely need to do one. Most people I knew who did them at my high school used connections to get them. I do agree with hardworking, that if this is what you want, it could be a great experience.</p>