Chances for Wharton 2014?

flyingllama
Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:33:35 +0000

I really like Wharton, and will apply using the Questbridge process (basically, it’s the same thing as RD, so I won’t be applying ED). I want to hear your opinions on my chances. I have certain extenuating circumstances which might explain a relatively low GPA. However, I was curious as to how much you think the admissions committee will value my circumstances/story over my GPA. In other words, will it be enough?

BACKGROUND

-Male caucasian junior

9th/10th/12th grades: competitive Public HS in SoCal.
11th grade: decent public HS in Utah.

-I have Corsican + Persian + American ethnicity.
-Family income ~ $14,000 / year. No assets over $1,000.

ACADEMIC

GPA: 3.6 unweighted, 4.1 weighted.

SAT Subject Tests:
800 French
750 Math I (95th percentile)
730 US History

Will take Math II and hoping/expecting 800 in the fall.

SAT: 2200 projected

AP courses: 9 including senior year

AWARDS

-Questbridge CollegePrep Recipient
-Cross Country MVP, Most Improved awards.
-Honor roll many/most semesters
-High School Academic Letter I
-Nominated by teachers for “Keys to Success”

Teacher Rec’s will most likely be excellent.

EXTRA CURRICULAR

-Cross Country (3 years) varsity.
-Track (4 years) 1600m, 800m, long jump
-French club (2 years) (president)
-FBLA club (1 year) went to state
-Debate Team (1 year)
Service Club (1 year) (raised awareness for drunk driving, funds for leukemia, raffles, assemblies, invited guest speakers. acted as the “Respect Campaign Organizer”)
-Jr. Scholar’s Academy (3 months) (was selected among 50 students in the district for a course on the founding fathers)
-Interned at Zion’s Bank. shadowed one of the big dogs. (1 month)

WORK

-Educated an autistic boy for a family (1 year)
-I single-handedly made a website (e-commerce!) for someone else’s product.
-I worked for a small real-estate company in Los Angeles and did graphic design work.

MISC

-My father took his life while he was a senior at Stanford. My mom discovered her pregnancy with me only a few days later. Her father had abandoned her, and without US citizenship she raised me from almost nothing. She then divorced step dad when I was 2, which is why I have a little sister.

-I had a rough sophomore year because my family went through a financial crisis and we were basically undeclared homeless for months. We stayed at a family friend’s home. Sometimes I did my homework in our car full of newspapers, where I would then sleep. this brings my GPA way down, otherwise I have always been a straight A student…

-I educated a 9 year old autistic child, Spencer during all of 10th grade on my own time twice a week. I taught him how to speak correctly, write, think and express himself. Over the year, his family saw improvement, and I am very proud of this. In my essay I want to compare his obsessions with an elaborate train-set he built, to my obsessions of constantly thinking of how I could better teach him during my daily life, and help him “build” himself. I will emphasize my essays on problem solving and it’s constant presence in my life. I am also considering neuroscience.

-Also, my father cared for an autistic black kid, Archie, at his high school. He would bring him home and clothe him / feed him for years. Surprisingly enough, he later apparently showed up to my parent’s wedding, finding his way on a bicycle. I didn’t know about all this until after my experience with the autistic boy I educated. He ran the 800m, like me, something I only learned afterwards as well.