<p>I'm a current Penn junior in SEAS and Wharton. I'm quite involved with activities at Penn, and knowledgeable about most Penn life -- I think. Any questions between now and midnight will be answered (most likely after midnight).</p>
<p>If you're going to post stats and ask if you have a chance, I will answer with a simple Yes or No.</p>
<p>Two questions, for now: First, do you know if most of the students were at the very top of their class? I'm talking val, sal, or close behind. I know 96% (or something) of Penn students were in the top 10% of their class, but were they at the very top? I understand that you would only be able to answer anecdotally, any that's fine. </p>
<p>Second, do people treat legacies/hooked applicants any differently? I imagine there might be a bit of hard feelings between unhooked and hooked applicants at any school, but I know that Penn gives a bigger advantage to legacies than most schools, so the feelings might be increased.</p>
<p>Thanks for your time :)</p>
<p>Can you describe campus life? Does it foster a sense of community?
Thanks!</p>
<p>What are some places/activities at Penn that you enjoyed that aren't as well known? Or is Penn too open for any hidden gems?</p>
<p>How many people you know study Mandarin Chinese as their target language at Wharton? Do you think studying abroad this year (I'm currently in Nanjing intensively studying Chinese) give me a leg up in admissions?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Two questions, for now: First, do you know if most of the students were at the very top of their class? I'm talking val, sal, or close behind. I know 96% (or something) of Penn students were in the top 10% of their class, but were they at the very top? I understand that you would only be able to answer anecdotally, any that's fine. </p>
<p>Second, do people treat legacies/hooked applicants any differently? I imagine there might be a bit of hard feelings between unhooked and hooked applicants at any school, but I know that Penn gives a bigger advantage to legacies than most schools, so the feelings might be increased. </p>
<p>Thanks for your time
[/quote]
</p>
<p>For the first, I'd say a large percentage of students are valedictorians or salutatorians. I remember at one of the NSO events, they had all the valedictorians stood up from the incoming class and a ton of people stood up. Obviously, the most important factor that you'll put down on your application will be GPA and class rank. Top % of your school's class depends on what kind of high school you're going to. If you're going to a feeder school then there's more leeway with being in the top 10%, otherwise you need to be very close to the top.</p>
<p>Second question, between two identical applications a legacy will have more weight. Something like 30-40% of students are legacies here, but just being a legacy won't save your application's shortcomings. If, however, your family donates a decent fortune that's another story.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Can you describe campus life? Does it foster a sense of community?
Thanks!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Campus life, that's a tough one and a bit broad. Can you ask a more defined question? </p>
<p>On community, it depends what you get involved with. For example, there are academic communities: whartonites, engineers, nurses (college has more major-based ones). Then there's other communities based on activities like cultural, dance, political, religious etc. They're all very connected because all the communities are headed by umbrella groups which will unite similar groups. </p>
<p>Or, do you mean community like Penn-spirit? That doesn't really exist. It comes after graduation.</p>
<p>
[quote]
What are some places/activities at Penn that you enjoyed that aren't as well known? Or is Penn too open for any hidden gems?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Penn-related? Or Philly? I can list some things off the top of my head, but if you have something in mind like fun, food, on-campus then I can be more specific:</p>
<p>--Desi Chaat House
--Baltimore Dollar Strolls (once a month on a certain day)
--Han Dynasty tasting menu on first Monday of the month
--Fairmount Park
--Botanical gardens
--Vics Sushi
--Arts House Dance Company
--Borrow direct (the interlibrary loan. you can get free textbooks)
--Free printing (Weiss Tech House, LGBT center)</p>
<p>
[quote]
How many people you know study Mandarin Chinese as their target language at Wharton? Do you think studying abroad this year (I'm currently in Nanjing intensively studying Chinese) give me a leg up in admissions?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Unless there's something active you do with the language in your extracurriculars, the language you take won't give you a leg up in admissions. Studying abroad is definitely interesting and unique; you could definitely use it for your essays, but otherwise the mere fact would show you can adapt to a new environment and possibly allude to your financial needs.</p>
<p>
The percentage is actually much lower than that. The last time Penn published that statistic (for the Class of 2014), only 13.5% of the class were legacies:</p>
<p>[url=<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/2011061003333/http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/profile/%5DPenn">http://web.archive.org/web/2011061003333/http://www.admissions.upenn.edu/profile/]Penn</a> Admissions: Incoming Class Profile<a href="scroll%20down%20to%20the%20bottom">/url</a></p>
<p>It's usually under 15%.</p>
<p>How tough is balancing your social life with the academic rigor of a dual degree? Do you feel like you have enough free time? I'm an incoming freshman who's also considering applying for a dual degree program between SEAS and Wharton.</p>
<p>Hi, thanks so much for taking the time to answer questions (:</p>
<p>I'm just wondering if you know approximately how many people there are in the various dual degree programs? (I'm especially interested in Huntsman)</p>
<p>Also, would my 2370 SAT and 35 ACT help balance my 92-93% average?</p>
<p>I was admitted to a top 23 school last year, but because of my dad's financial problem I had to attend a community college. I want to transfer to Penn as a Junior next year. Do you know Penn has ever admitted CC transfers? </p>
<p>High school GPA: 3.86
CC GPA: 4.0 by now
SAT1: 2160
EC: many leadership positions, PTK member </p>
<p>Am I competitive? </p>
<p>Thank you.</p>