My Chances? Reach:UPenn

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2190 (700 M, 730 CR, 760 W, 9 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): Did not take
SAT II: Math IIC (800), Chemistry (710)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8184
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):16/305
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB (5), Chemistry (4), U.S. History (4), European History (4), English Lang (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 2, AP Calculus BC, AP U.S. Government, AP English LIterature, CCIU Allied Health (clinical experience program with classroom education, similar to Bio 2 AP)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Scholarship Commendation

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Honors Society, National Business Honors Society, DECA Business Competition (Technology Coordinator & Social Media Correspondent, placed 2nd in the district and 5th in the State), DECA SMEAL competition at Penn State (Finalist), Model UN, PA BAR Mock Trial, Freshmen Soccer Team, GCVSA A Team Varsity Level Soccer Club 2011-2015, Hempfield Soccer Tournament Champions 2014, Philadelphia Mastiffs (Nepali-Philadelphian Soccer Team) 2014-2015
Job/Work Experience: Worked at Parent’s Dental Practice ~15-20hrs/Week as Dental Receptionist & Managed Finances & Assisted Dentists/Hygenists
Volunteer/Community service: Community Volunteers in Medicine (serves underprivileged people in the community, 50+ hrs), Nepali Earthquake Emergency Relief (Fundraiser for Nepali Earthquake, raised ~$5000+ including many supplies.), Watched over hearing and vision impaired underprivileged children at CHEERS Hospital Nepal (20+ hours), Brian’s Run 2015 (raised money for disabled persons in the community)
Summer Activities: Shadowed General Surgeon at B&B Hospital Nepal - Was able to do this because my grandfather was the #1 Ophthalmologist in Nepal and helped found the hospital - (Experienced many surgeries including Radial Arm, Cleft Lip and Palate, Gallbladder Removal, etc.), Shadowed and Assisted ENT to outreach program where we went to rural areas of Nepal to give checkups to 40+ children

Applying for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Pre-Med
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, Ranked 863 in Nation (Newsweek)
Ethnicity: Asian (Nepali)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $125,000-$150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy - Mom (First Nepali at Penn Dental), Dad (Wharton School of Business), Nepal (19th Poorest Country in the World) as URM?

Notes: I’ve tried to contribute a lot to my Nepali community as we are a fairly small and rapidly growing demographic

Chances to?:

  1. University of Pennsylvania (ED)
  2. Harvard (RD)
  3. Georgetown (RD)
  4. Johns Hopkins (RD)
  5. UNC (RD)
  6. Penn State BS/MD (RD)
  7. Drexel BS/MD (RD)
  8. UPitt BS/MD (RD)
2

I’d say you have pretty good chances at Penn ED. I couldn’t really tell from your EC’s if you’ve personally had success at the state or regional level but you have a lot of good, hands on medical experience for someone your age. Your AP scores are a little on the low side but they were some of the more difficult AP tests. I don’t know how competitive the BS/MD programs are but I assume they are very competitive. Have you given thought to how you are going to pay for college? WIth a family income of $125K to $150K you won’t qualify for a lot of financial aid but your family also might struggle to pay $60K/year. My recommendation is that you spend time making sure your essays and application speak to your interest in medicine. Nepal is a poor country but I don’t think most colleges consider Southeast Asians as a URM. Seems like traveling to Nepal to only spend 20+ hours volunteering is a little odd, the plane flight alone would be 20 hours no?

3

Hello!

Yes that is true the flight was around 10 hours. I felt i fit in the most I could given that I had to visit all my relatives in Nepal. In addition to the 20+hours with the children I spent 2 working days with the ENT and 3 Working days with the General Surgeon.

I’m pretty sure my dad told me the family income was after taxes… Probably closer to $200k before taxes? Anyway, I have been looking at financial safetys because I know medical school is very expensive :\

Thank you for your advice!

4

UPenn is a reach for everyone. Kids get rejected each year with stellar extracurriculars, perfect sat scores, and a 4.0 Your chances are better than the average applicant, but it is still not much higher than the average acceptance rate.

5

Good to know! I heard that college admission is sometimes a roll of the dice. I appreciate your input.