Chances on getting into UPenn/Pitt main [PA resident, 3.9 UW GPA, 1390 SAT, low income, for microbiology]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics

  • US domestic student (US citizen)
  • State/Location of residency: pennsylvania
  • Type of high school: public, graduation class of about 400
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity: white and nonbinary/genderqueer
  • Other special factors: first gen, disabled (type two narcolepsy, autistic, etc etc), low income (only parent is a single mom with approx 30k/year salary), homeless for about a month in junior year due to DV situation throughout HS

Intended Major(s)

  • major in microbiology
  • enrollment in infectious disease program
  • minor in german language

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: not applicable (school does not calculate)
  • Weighted HS GPA: 3.9 out of 4.0
  • Class Rank: 51 of 379 (top 10% throughout middle school and freshman year, dropped due to disability + other personal factors)
  • ACT/SAT Scores: submitted sat score of 1390 (tried to pull but unable), no act score

Coursework

  • 2 ap classes and 3 ap exams: AP language and composition (scored 2 :'(, and did not have my accommadations yet, but achieved straight As in the class), AP biology (not taken yet, but consistent 90s through most of the year), and taking AP german test (not taken yet)
  • 3 dual enrollment classes: german 3, german 4, honors pre-calculus taken through seton hill university; A average in both german courses and B average in pre-calc
  • calculus 1 level of math
  • 4 years of german (one of the highest ranking in my class, and kept over 100% consistently throughout grades 9-11)
  • college prep courses: calculus 1, organic chemistry, biology 2 (epidemiology)
  • no “unusual” academic courses, but i took four years of both band and choir along with a few arts classes
  • all honors student from elementary age to sophomore year, and took honors math and english junior year. college prep classes in math, english, and german along with ap and college prep sciences senior year
  • generally an A student with a B or two, though I have gotten 1 C this year and a C in honors geometry sophomore year
  • incredibly studious with an overachieving mindset, and told to study as much as humanly possible to get into a good college
  • in seven honors societies (NHS, NAHS for art, TRI-M for music, math honors society, GNHS for foreign language, NEHS for english, and SNHS for science)
  • global scholar since freshman year

Awards

  • helen hepler social studies award recipient of class of 2024 female class in middle school (high GPA across all three years, incredibly prestigious in my community)
  • top 10% GPA in grades 6-9

Extracurriculars

  • two years of retail experience (cashier for two years in june 2024, and retail associate at hot topic for about 1.5 years); working full-time during the summer and part-time during the school year
  • raised over $1,500 myself in work for a local nonprofit for muscular dystrophy in 2023 to help provide for my mom and i during homelessness and to help others
  • several years of experience working with children through many volunteer opportunities
  • 100+ service hours through my honor societies to give back to my community
  • in marching band (flute 9+10, piccolo 11+12) and concert band (flute 3-12 and piccolo 12); no leadership
  • in concert choir (soprano 1 9, alto 2 10-12) throughout high school; alto section leader grades 11 and 12
  • participant in school wind ensemble as piccolo senior year
  • participant in faywest honors band as first seat flute senior year
  • participant in county choir junior year as alto 2
  • performed at pearl harbor (10th), san antonio fiesta parade (11th), and disney parade (12th) through marching band
  • performed at carnegie hall (11th) and washington DC (12th) through choir
  • auditioned for district band on flute senior year (didn’t get in, rip. still came even though my school was under lockdown due to an attempted school shooting)
  • participated in my school’s reading competition team (WIRC) freshman and sophomore year. took a gap year junior year, and couldn’t participate senior year due to the band trip to disney being during comp date
  • GSA president sophomore and junior year. the sponsor was transferred to another school due to construction plans on the HS, disbanding the GSA club :frowning:
  • i might be forgetting some things, but the point is that i balance a lot in and outside of school! i feel this proves that i am able to handle college coursework AND other aspects of college life

Essays/LORs/Other

  • i feel my essays are pretty strong
  • my personal essay discusses how my mom inspires me to stay determined and never give up (cancer survivor WHILE PREGNANT with me, broke her back in her 20s, protected me and helped me go to carnegie hall despite homelessness due to DV, fought for my advocacy during my narcolepsy diagnosis and towards ableism throughout my academic career, etc). i know it’s corny and a common topic, but she has really gone through a lot and truly taught me what endurance is
  • my other essays included discussion of the connection between my neurodivergency and my career of choice and how becoming disabled at 16 due to long covid has shaped me as a person. i also left a note regarding my lower than average stats due to my neurological disability (my narcolepsy greatly affects my learning, as my information processing is a lot slower than my peers and i deal with severe fatigue daily, making it hard to focus on tests etc. i didn’t use it as an excuse, more as an explanation; i was undiagnosed throughout most of my high school career)
  • only able to receive one LOR from my organic chemistry teacher who i have done several volunteer opportunities with AND known since i was a kid (vouched to take his class as a 3rd grader, haha. i stuck to my word!)
  • unable to receive other LORs due to many of my teachers being booked up :frowning:

Cost Constraints / Budget

  • unsure due to my mom’s low income; i will likely have to raise most of the costs myself. i qualify for over $12,000 of financial aid through my FAFSA estimate, including the maximum pell grant
  • i receive free school lunches and got fee waivers through the college board for sats and price reductions for ap tests
  • i plan on applying to several scholarships to help raise money for college, and i am working on finding a seasonal job that pays more than my current so i can work full-time to save for college and potentially a service dog if funds permit

Schools
[ AFFORDABILITY IS TBD WHEN I GET MY FINANCIAL AID PACKAGES :slight_smile: ]
[ APPLIED ALL REGULAR DECISION ]

  • Safety
  • got accepted into all of my safetys!
  • Likely
  • University of Pittsburgh - Main Campus (primary concern is how late my application went into review; i dont know if there will be room for admission, and acception for freshman is around 50%!) - TOP CHOICE
  • Accepted Into
  • Seton Hill University w/h $26,000 grant (i also have nearly $8,000 saved through Jump for Heart fundraising) - SECOND CHOICE
  • Slippery Rock University
  • Duquesne University w/h $24,000 grant and accepted into honors program
  • California University of Pennsylvania and accepted into honors program
  • Indiana University of Pennsylvania and accepted into honors program
  • Virginia Tech - DREAM SCHOOL (likely won’t be able to attend due to finances and the process of finding medical professionals out of state)
  • Reach
  • University of Pennsylvania (i know i likely won’t get in, but thought it was worth a shot)
  • Denied
  • Carnegie Mellon University (rip)

be honest, especially about upenn. i know i very likely won’t get in, but i feel like there is a slim chance that i could luck out (and i also want to feel better in general lol, i am pretty insecure). wishing all of my fellow upenn applicants good luck!

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Have any delivered affordable net prices, or have their net price calculators indicated affordability for you?

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seton hill and duquesne are very affordable, especially seton hill. all of the others i am waiting for financial aid packages before deciding where i attend. finances are huge for me, and i don’t want to jump the gun and accept somewhere out of my affordability

i did not apply QB due to not knowing it was a thing :sob: i regret it everyday tbh

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Congratulations :confetti_ball: on your achievements, acceptances, Honors, and scholarships! :clap::tada:

If you calculate
(tuition, fees, room, board) - (grants, scholarships),
How much does Duquesne cost? Seton Hill?

Out of the 2, Duquesne is the strongest academically -especially aince you got into honors.

Pitt: your odds are good (GPA+rigor+ SAT score are in your favor), the only issue is that you applied late and to a popular major so hopefully it’s not full already. :crossed_fingers: Based on what you said, it’d be a good fit for you indeed.

Have you applied for PHEAA grants?

UPenn: I am sorry to say I think your odds are quite low. Of course, they’re low for everyone to start with.
Your test scores are strong in context, the fact you work is another plus, and your music achievements plus your ability to handle a lot are other positives.
On the negative side: Your essays… well, it’s cool you wrote about your mom but they want to know about you so unless you pulled off something tricky it may not be that useful to you; the information about narcolepsy should have been reported by your guidance counselor, unless they don’t really “do” LoRs; your only AP score being a 2; having only 1 LoR is also a problem.
For these reasons, I think Penn is a long shot.
If you do get in, it’d be the best financial and academic option by far because you’d automatically get a full ride.:crossed_fingers:

Since you qualify for max Pell (and with income under 30k) your SAI is 0, meaning you need A LOT of FA.

If need be, if Pitt doesn’t come through, there will be a list of colleges that miscalculated yield and some are likely to have FA.

Do keep us updated :slightly_smiling_face: Lots of people here will be rooting for you!

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i am not sure about duquesne costs yet, but i know seton hill is VERY affordable for me.

i am really hoping to get into pitt, and i am pretty worried about that too! i wasn’t aware sat scores had to be sent directly through the college board, so i ended up sending them in around late feb-early mar. i just went into the review stage a few days ago, so we just have to hope!

not yet, but i definitely plan on it

with my essays, i used my mom as a way to reflect on my endurance and determination. i can send it in the reply below; i absolutely love it. i also used my narcolepsy diagnosis and homelessness to explain how i can adapt to different environments and still excel. my guidance counselor did do a LoR (i think she had to?) so that may count as two? i did not report my AP score at all, i knew that would put me in the doghouse :smiling_face_with_tear: i am so hoping i get in too, but i know it’s not very likely

i think my SAI was about -1,600 actually. it was humbling lol

thank you for the good wishes!! i’m feeling very hopeful :sparkling_heart:

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1st order of business : PHEEA grants :slight_smile:

You need to erase your essays from this website because they could identify you and/or be plagiarized :face_with_head_bandage:

They’re good though.
Sounds like your essay may not be as risky as what first appeared and if you didn’t send the 2 :+1::+1: your odds increase (but they’re still, like, 1 in 20…)
:crossed_fingers::crossed_fingers:

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Sorry you had to remove- but these are GOOD essays.

To kill the time till decision time, take care of PHEAA. :muscle:

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i wasn’t aware of that, thank you for telling me! i just edited them all to remove the essays :)) i primarily sent to give an idea of what i submitted and what i generally hoped to get across in my application!

to most recent reply: all good, ty for telling me!! and thank you so much, i absolutely adore them :face_holding_back_tears: i love writing, and i wanted to use my style to my advantage!

i definitely am going to do it, but i have work today (as a matter of fact, it spans across decision time rip). i can try to start it though! i will probably do it tomorrow and sunday since i won’t be busy :PP this week has been wild!

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I can’t chance you at Pitt given that you applied so late, but you should read the following article to understand why with an acceptance Pitt may not even be an option. Here is a relevant quote:

When compared to the nation’s other leading public research universities, Pitt is one of the priciest for in-state families. That means the Pell Grant, which covers up to $7,395 a year, doesn’t bridge the gap for low-income students. Even with financial aid, Pitt charged families earning less than $30,000 a year, on average, just over $15,500 in the 2020-21 academic year.

At Pitt, the country's poorest students are a relative rarity.

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oh that is horrifying :sob: pitt is my top choice by far, and i hope me working can help bridge the gap between what my mom can pay and the offer they give (if they do). i visited the main campus in person and fell in love with it, and there are many more benefits that would outweigh the cons for me. they also mentioned free public transit, and that is VERY important to me, as my disability leaves me unable to drive independently (though i recently got cleared, i am still on my permit at age 18). if i got accepted, i will probably accept unless better offers come to light and i will make it work. i’m hoping full-time at a higher paying job over the summer will help; my current job only pays $11.50 an hour :smiling_face_with_tear:

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I think some restaurants in Pittsburgh pay $17-23/hr… :grimacing: I don’t know about Trader Joes, Starbucks, etc.
:crossed_fingers:
Pitt&Penn State are state-related universities, mostly privately financed but they get some funding from the state and give a discount to PA residents. They’re effectively the state’s flagships but don’t offer the financial aid commensurate with that. They’re a big reason PA ranks so low for public college costs. To try and reverse this problem-from NYS to GA and CA to KY, measures of this kind have been taken because states’ economy depends on professionally qualified residents, especially nursing, teaching, engineering, IT&innovation…- the governor has made an announcement that applies to you, you’d get an extra $2,000 in state grants (you can look it up to have details. )

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i heard that, and hoping it’s true!! i really need a good job when i’m in college lol. i love working at my current job, but it’s about 20 minutes away from home now compared to two streets down :')

i will definitely look into that! i am probably going to school in-state mainly because of my medical needs and finances, so i totally will check that out! i really want to go to virginia tech, but i will likely need to find a new pharmacy and doctors and that’s a chore :sob: plus i am a major homebody, so being alone 8 hours from home will probably take a toll on my depression + anxiety

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[ UPDATE ]

i got denied from upenn :') i’m not too upset about it, but now i am just waiting from a response from pitt. i have a gut feeling i could have gotten in if i didn’t submit my sat score/went test optional, but i went over my head and submitted them. at least i tried!

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Frankly, Duquesne Honors is very good. Wait till you hear from Pitt - and even then, you could ask for reconsideration for a new, less requested major just to have another chance at a Pitt admission :slight_smile: - and if you end up between Seton Hill and Duquesne we can help you try&leverage the SH offer for “professional judgement” (ie., more FA but don’t call it that :joy:).
Btw had you submitted your SAT score at Seton Hill and Duquesne?

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i was tossing around neuroscience as well, but that is definitely full at this point since ik it’s a popular major. i want to become an infectious disease specialist with a focus on neurological impacts. i am type two narcoleptic and covid-19 triggered it, and it’s very commonly missed (1 in 2,000 have it, and there may be more). i have wanted to be an infectious disease specialist since i was around three years old, but i really want to help others in my position as well. i REALLY want to research the neurological or lesser known effects of covid-19 and other infectious diseases, so that’s why i want to do what i do. i’m really passionate about it, if you can’t tell :))

lol at the professional judgment one haha. i haven’t really considered duquesne much honestly, and almost everyone around me gets in so it’s not too selective. i haven’t toured yet but may consider! i mainly racked up on safety schools so i have several options when it comes time to decide. it just gets so frustrating because almost everyone in my senior class has declared where they are attending while i’m still waiting :smiling_face_with_tear:

part of me really wants to go to virginia tech but i know it’ll likely be very expensive and i am really going to miss home. i am hoping to get my DL before i go to college, but it’s not likely and i definitely won’t have my own car, so i would have to fly (which isn’t a problem, i have a lot of experience flying, it’s just expensive). VT has a really good infectious disease program, and pitt does as well, thus why those two are pretty high up.

seton hill has its own medical school on campus, so i would be enrolled there. i love it on campus, and i already have connections with the choir professor since he was the guest conductor for my carnegie hall concert. i could also live at home, so that would save even more money while going to duquesne i would be living in the dorms (i don’t want to expose too much about my identity, but i live about 10-15 minutes away from seton hill and about 45ish minutes away from duquesne). i would be using public transit to get from SH to home, and i am enrolled in the local transit authority’s ADA program

i would be living in the dorms in pitt, but the professional opportunities are top tier. the farthest hospital is an eight minute walk, while i would need to use public transit to get to a hospital near SH. their infectious disease program is 11th globally and is really good as well, even better than VT’s from what i hear. all public transit in pittsburgh would be free, and that is HUGE for me with my disability. though i would be paying more, it would totally pay off in the long run. jobs also pay more down in pgh generally, while my current job about five minutes (not even) from SH’s campus does pay that much. HOWEVER, branching would not be an option. the closest campus, pitt greensburg (i could live at home), felt like a prison to me, and i really did not like it there. i have no idea why i disliked it so much! it just didn’t feel right and it was suffocating to even walk through on the tour

sorry for my rambling there lol, i thought it would be good for me to explain the benefits from my pov of both SH vs pitt since that is my main divide. and yes, i did submit my sat scores for SH and duquesne. the only school i applied test optional for was carnegie mellon :)) i wish i applied to upenn test optional, but i couldn’t pull my score rip

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ok so i just finished having a little cry lol, and i want to explain more on VT

as much as it’s out of reach, it’s in my top 2 accepted schools. it’s not even the finances holding me back; it’s my disability. i have accepted how my disability will be a part of me for the rest of my life, but i am still so mad at myself because it’s held me back so much, and i am worried about my health. i almost feel like my disability has failed me when it comes to VT, and it’s the only thing truly holding me back. i’ve wanted to go to VT since i was in middle school, and my friends i’ve known since middle school know how much i wanted to go there. it’s a literal battle between my brain and my heart. i’m so passionate about my future and this college but i am so scared for what could happen especially due to my health

thanks for coming to my ted talk, i had a talk with my mom and her boyfriend and i cried so much :skull: my mom advised against it several times before, but it’s the best college I’ve been accepted too by far for my professional and academic future. it’s tearing me apart and i need a hug :smiling_face_with_tear: this is so hard and i don’t even know where to start

a kid that used to go to my school that graduated two years ago was in a similar situation, and he’s honestly really inspired me. in august of 2022(?), he had a major brain hemorrhage and it left him with a type of epilepsy due to the TBI. he’s an amazing guy, and he goes to duke now (he’s actually on their presidential board, idk the exact name). he used a gap year for his medical recovery and to go abroad to spain to help others in similar recovery programs. he’s a true inspiration, and honestly he’s proved to me it’s possible; if he had it 10 times worse than me and pulled it off, i can too :mending_heart:

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VTech isn’t affordable because it’s an OOS public flagship so they basically admit OOS students who will pay a lot of money.
And VTech will still be there when it’s time to go to grad school - which is when it will matters most who you do research with. If you get into a PHD there they’ll PAY YOU to attend.
So, it’s not your disability. It’s the way the university system is set up, budget cuts since 2008 leading to universities relying on full pay OOS to replace lost revenuez and how, if the minimum wage had followed the same trend as tuition costs itd be something like $250 an hour.

So, in the meantime, you need to set yourself up to get into a PHD down the road - meaning high grades and evidence of research.
Which is why I’m not advising Seton Hill.
(Can you explain how, as an undergraduate, you’d be set up at the med school? Real question as this may change parameters a bit.)
Universities have faculty contracts depending on how big research is for them. At high intensity research/low teaching focus universities, the faculty would be on a 2:2 contract, meaning most of their time would be spent on research. At medium intensity research/undergraduate focus, it’s 3:3. Low research priority (no time/funds for research) is 4:4. Seton Hill is 4:4, like PASSHE schools (though they can be 3:4), and Duquesne is 3:3, with some fields 2:3.
It’s going to be a HUGE uphill battle to get into a PhD from Seton Hill. It’ll be easier from Duquesne Honors.
Obviously from Penn or Pitt Honors it’d be easier to get involved in research but then it’d be all on you doing a great job.

I’ll throw a curveball (along with lots of hugs): apply to Penn State. It’s very similar to VTech (okay, most dorm food isn’t as good…) AND THEY HAVE AN EPIDEMIOLOGY MAJOR that may not be full yet.
(Not to mention they have a Neuroscience research institute that Honors students can work at starting Jr year.)
There are free buses all over campus for 1st year; if you get into Schreyer you’re guaranteed oncampus housing in the Honors Complex and if not most apartment complexes include a bus pass in their rent.
https://agsci.psu.edu/academics/undergraduate/majors/immunology-and-infectious-disease
Yeah, odds are high that you’d be branched too and in that case you still have your other choices or if you get into Pitt you’re set (then you’ll have to petition to enroll in Honors sections, we can help you with that.) But in case Pitt falls through… it’s worth a try.
You should have a fee waiver from your GC. DO include your SAT score. I can help with the statement so that your app is sent today.

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i really appreciate all of your advice (along with everyone else)! you made a lot of good points, and honestly sometimes i’m surprised i got in haha, they’re pretty hard to get into. i am waiting to hear back from pitt still, but there are a lot of good choices out there. if i have time, i can look into touring duquesne and HOPEFULLY i can tour VT before deciding. VT is about a 5 hour drive from home, so it’ll be a huge mission to be able to tour before decision day with school and my mom working full-time

after spring break, i think i may call VT admissions and discuss financial aid offers. i haven’t gotten a financial aid package yet, but i think opening that door for communication will help

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You’re going to have to do something that is impossibly hard :sleepy: :pleading_face:: let go of VTech, it can’t be your undergrad dream school anymore. It CAN be your graduate school but not your undergraduate college.
Don’t even plan to visit, which will be a huge burden on your family and make you sad.
VTech is an OOS public university and they didn’t offer you a full ride or full tuition merit scholarship at admission, so they’ll expect you to pay more than 50k. Pell will provide $7,395, federal loans $5,500. You may get a few local scholarships for 1-2k for your 1st year, add your remarkable Jumpstart amount (if you can use the funds there) 8k, savings from your job may add up to 3-4k… and that’s nowhere near what you’d need.:sleepy:
In addition, keep in mind that what you want to do makes more sense at the graduate level anyway and attending VTech as an undergraduate would make that harder to do (for cross pollination of ideas and methodologies that are vital to research, it is recommended undergraduates pursue research at another university for their PHD.) In your case, it seems it’d make more sense to attend college at Pitt :crossed_fingers: and grad school at Vtech than the reverse --you’d sacrifice the immediate for more long term benefits.

If you’re serious about doing research there however you need a plan to get there.

This weekend, order of business is

  • applying to PSU using the exact info I gave you above + contact me in DM to craft the personal statement
  • PHEAA

I am now going to look through CommonApp to see which universities with strong undergraduate research and 100% financial aid are still accepting applications and I’ll list what I find.
@AustenNut may have good ideas too.

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How late did you apply to Pitt? Has it been more than a month ago? I would call or email to confirm that they have everything they need. Although admissions are rolling and there is no set deadline, the reality is that they likely mold a class to be complete in the same timeframe as other, non-rolling college.