Improving Chances at UPenn

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Hey everyone, I’m a sophomore in high school and University of Pennsylvania is my dream school. Right now, I don’t think I will ever be able to get in. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Race: White
Gender: Female
State: NH
GPA: Weighted 4.1/ unweighted probably 3.8
Class Rank: Top 15%
APs: AP Biology and AP Human Geography
Future APs: APUSH, AP Lit, AP English Language, AP Calculus, maybe AP US Gov.
SAT: haven’t taken
ACT: 24 in the 8th grade
Major Awards: High Honor roll in JHU CTY Talent Search
Common Awards: High honor roll every term, state finalist in Letters about Literature competition
Hooks: I don’t know if I have any, I’m hoping CTY is one, and because of my location I will be able to take 4 classes at Dartmouth College before I graduate (3 before I apply to college)

ECs:
•Softball 4 years
•Swimming 3 years (varsity for all)
•Math Team 4 years
•Newspaper 3 years (probably editor for the next two)
•Only student selected for the District’s Principal Selection Committee
•Girl Scouts 7 years (Certified Program Aide)
•Member of the College Board’s Youth Advisory Council on Access to Education
• Science Olympiad 3 years
•Volunteering (70 hours since I started high school)

Summer Activities
•JHU Center for Talented Youth Intensive Studies 2 years (too expensive to go back next summer)
• Next summer I’m hoping to attend the Future Leaders Institute at UNH and get an internship at a local law firm
•Volunteering

I want to double major in cognitive science and political science, and go to a good enough school that I will be able to get into law school. Like I said before, UPenn is my dream college. I also plan to apply to JHU, MIT, UMichigan, Vassar, and Lehigh. In my essays I think I want to stress the influence CTY had in my life. It really shaped me as a person, because I come from a very small area and over the summer I met people from all over the world and really expanded my views on national and global issues. Another essay topic I’ll probably use is the impact that my mom’s MS diagnosis has had on me, because as her disease progresses, I have to take a lot of the responsibility in my family.

Thank you in advance, I hope you can help!

2

Oh and I skipped the 7th grade, and I’ll post my PSAT scores in a few days when I finally get them.

3

If you complement these ECs with some killer SATs, your chances are quite good. Just make sure to focus on one or two of your ECs for the next two years of college. One national award will be more impressive than, say, 5 state awards. Good Luck!! :smiley:

4

Thank you! Are there any national awards you suggest trying to get, other than National Merit Scholar or AP Scholar?

5

Choose your colleges because you think that you will shine- personally and academically- at them, not b/c they are “good enough” ones to get you into law school. Law school (if, in 5 years, that is still your goal) will depend on LSAT, GPA and summer activities- the ‘prestige’ of your undergrad will not be a big factor.