OP are you at a Philadelphia public high school? My D17 graduated from one. If so then I’d go SCEA to Harvard. Penn is basically a match for you being in the high school scholars program and not getting a bad grade. She went to a smaller HS but all students in the Young Scholars Program have always been accepted to Penn (ED and RD) unless they made a C or had other difficulties in the YSP. Are you planning to take a course this Fall? If you take Math 104 just make sure you get a B or better. It’s basically AP Calc BC taught over a semester so it moves pretty fast.
If you are at a private (guessing GFS or the Prep based on those acceptance numbers) still like your chances but not the same slam dunk as a public high school student. I’d talk to your GC as s/he can give you the best info.
Send me a PM if you want to discuss further with more detail.
This is a common agonizing decision due to the current ED/SCEA system.
I’m thinking Harvard, and here’s why. You seem to be pretty neutral about Penn–this isn’t a decision between your top choice of schools and a close second choice. Your college options won’t be limited to Harvard, Penn, and a community college (if that were the case, then Penn all the way). Your record is terrific, and your status as an URM will open many doors. If you don’t get into Penn, you will undoubtedly get into a Penn-like school, whether Brown, Washington U, Cornell, Vandy, JHU, etc. If you think you’d be just as happy at one of those options as you would be at Penn, then I think you have nothing to lose by applying to Harvard first. I have to think you’d get into one of those schools, unless you make a mess of your essays.
My daughter is going to face a similar issue next year–Harvard, Amherst, or Brown, which is probably around #5 on her list but where she is legacy and therefore may have the best chance among the three. So I understand the weight of this decision for you. Good luck!
“Consider that many of the 6,958 who applied SCEA had similar stats & ECs to you …
Divide the 935 accepted in half - 51% female. Subtract athletes, legacies, etc. admitted
early – and you’ll see how few seats there are.”
My guess is that there are very few African American males applying SCEA to Harvard who have stats similar to OP. Not saying he is a lock to get in, but he is on a different track than most Harvard applicants. If Harvard is OP’s first choice, no reason not to apply there SCEA.
I agree that OP would very likely get admitted to HYPS and more. If he goes to any of these places as a STEM major, he should be very assertive in seeking out whatever help he needs. Others and myself have already commented on the B’s in precalc and Calc AB. I am not familiar with how supportive these prestigious unis are in supporting URM’s in STEM . @HarvardDream88 Please check out the undergrad life sciences department web page at Harvard, if you have not yet done so. OP has done many summer programs, but I think they were primarily geared towards URM’s. At HYPS, etc., the science dept. undergrads have proportionately fewer URMs relative to the proportion in the overall university. Some students are bothered by that. Others are not. When I was a female PhD student in math at Big Shot U, I was certainly aware of being in a small minority. It bothered me now and then, but not enough to stand in the way of my goals, and I knew all that going into the program. So it’s just something for OP to be aware of.
If your chances of acceptance to Harvard were truly infinitesimal, I’d advise you not to apply at all. However, your chances may be fair (15-20% or greater?), and you want to go there. It’s for these reasons that you should apply to Harvard before Penn.
I see a C in AP Physics and B’s in Honors Pre calc and AP Calculus. It also looks like you did all your community service freshman year at the mosque and library. None since. Are the summer programs academic camps? I am not sure whether that offers an edge in ivy admission. I would suggest getting some feedback in the Harvard forum whether the aforementioned would be an impediment. Best of luck.
I think OP is saying he is taking AP Physics C his senior year, not that he got a C grade in the class. Also OP, if Penn typically accepts 25% of your HS graduating class, and you are in the top 10% and have URM status, I would think you have a solid shot of getting into Penn RD if Harvard SCEA doesn’t work out.
It’s not all about stats. Or how “vol hours” add up. (Not just easy hours in your same comfort zone.) Camps are no special tip.
And I’m still curious why OP says Harvard beats Penn in community and academics. It sounds more about preference than really understanding what each is. Tell H something like that, that simply, and it wont impress.
It sounds a bit like OP is basing his sense of H chances on the fact Penn accepts so many kids from certain local publics. That’s not enough. There’s some work to do, before applying.
@lookingforward, Of course, I wouldn’t even think of giving that response to H, but in a purely academic sense, H’s Biology department not only beats Penn, but it’s the highest ranked out of all universities in the world. Again, I know I should never even think of the word “rank” in my application, but when attempting to make decisions on where to apply, it does play a part. As for the community, I know UPenn- I know their high suicide rate and competitive nature, I know alumn, I know their campus- it’s not my first choice, simply put. I’m not basing my chances on Penn acceptance on my school’s relationship, but because of acceptable test scores, GPA, extracurriculars and my URM status. All the school’s relationship does is give confidence to students that there’s a likely chance of acceptance, but the students always follow through with the work that gets them accepted.
Update on volunteering: I’m a member of the Youth Volunteer Corps and have been volunteering there on my free Saturdays throughout high school but I didn’t think it was noteworthy, (well over 100 hours over three years). It focuses on environmental work and directly helps veterans and the homeless. I did not stop volunteering after my freshman summer.
Update on camps: The academies offered by UPenn are selective- no they’re not internships, but they are set in premier laboratories and research has been conducted. Unlike pre-college programs which focus on giving a sense of college life, the UPenn academies are course and research oriented. I had the thought that internships were not beneficial because no actual professional work can be done in a span of three weeks which would be transparent to AOs.
Overall update: It seems that the general consensus is that my high test scores and URM status give me a standing chance at applying to Harvard. Although I do appreciate the concerns about STEM, I’m focused on attending a university at or above the level of UPenn, (I would still be happy attending my safety schools but I aspire to attend schools with financial and academic resources like UPenn). Is there any advice on any work I can start doing from my junior summer towards the early application deadline (besides essays and the aforementioned online/young scholars calculus courses) that would help my chances at both Penn and H? As @lookingforward says, “there’s some work to do” but the reason I came here was for that advice- I’ll look into asking the Harvard forum as well.
I generally stop at a comment like, some work to do, to see the response.
You have more than you originally showed, that’s good. You also present your thoughts well. But not listing the addl comm service, eg, still nags me that you may not have a sense of what Harvard looks for. You need that. Not just to help you present in your app (or fine tine,) but to evaluate advice from strangers on a forum.
Thanks for clarifying. And for detailing your community service commitment. It is very noteworthy and you should be very proud of elevating veterans and the environment with the Youth Corps and having done over 100 hours.