<p>quick question for everyone who applied (whether accepted or denied), has anyone gotten a letter in the mail yet?</p>
<p>@ashk77 you won’t get a letter unless you get in. No one who gets denied or deferred gets a letter to the best of my knowledge</p>
<p>@joepelham18 My D was accepted last year, and immediately received a packet in the mail. I don’t think you should be concerned, but if you do not receive it by next week I would reach out to the admissions office and ask about it.</p>
@serendi lol here u go again. Name’s are not everything… One would think u are stuck with attending a third rate school and not a prestigious Ivy League institution. Lol what makes you think Columbia has a better name than pen in the first place? Yes I understand than the prestige of hyp might be a bit superior to the random person down the street but not to any grad school or employer. lol so I guess I have two points first off u don’t rly deserve to be at pen based on ur comments and second don’t worry penn and Columbia are pretty equivalent in both name and quality ( even look at the parchment rankings, most cross admits choose penn over columbia) and as for Princeton although it does have a better name amongst the general public, I do think u get a more well rounded experience at penn and no grad school or employer will ever reject u over an else just because u went to penn and he went to Princeton. Sorry for being blunt but get over yourself and appreciate how lucky you are to have been admitted to a school like penn. If penn want ur first choice u shouldn’t have applied Ed. There are thousands of kids who would kill for ur spot.
Just got a likely letter from Penn. Super psyched and excited! 
OMG!
I got a likely letter from penn
(International student)
Was your portal updated as well?
I applied to Fisher M&T but didn’t get a likely letter. Is it still possible to be accepted to a dual degree without a likely letter?
@johannbach Yes
Has anyone decided on housing? I’ve been looking into it, but I can’t determine my top two choices. Any suggestions?
@joepelham18
If you haven’t already seen this, look at the brochure here: http://www.collegehouses.upenn.edu/sites/www.collegehouses.upenn.edu/files/College_House_Brochure_2015-2016.pdf
For recommendations, it really depends. Many incoming freshman put the quad houses (Riepe, Fisher, and Ware) as their top 3 choices, but the quad is not for everyone.
If you’re looking to live in the quad, just put the 3 houses as your top 3 choices with your room type preference and hope you get into one of them. I wouldn’t put too much thought into ordering them. They’re all pretty similar in terms of rooms and the experience of living in the quad is basically the same for all 3.
If you are looking for a non-quad single, then Stouffer is a good option. It’s a quieter atmosphere than the quad, but it also has the advantage of being the closest dorm to the quad (it’s right next to it), so if you ever want to hang out with friends in the quad, it’s convenient. On the other hand, dorms like Kings Court, Gregory, and Hill are much further away from the quad. Stouffer itself is also mostly freshman, so you will also have the chance to make many friends around your hall.
If you want a non-quad double, then applying to Freshman Experience in Harrison can be a good option. You would get to live in an apartment-style suite with a kitchen, private bath, and common room. If you’re looking for a non-quad double that isn’t in a high rise, then you can choose from Hill, Kings Court, and Stouffer. Out of the three, Stouffer has the most convenient location for a freshman, but there are only a few doubles in Stouffer.
If you want a non-quad triple, I’d recommend Mayer Hall. Mayer is probably the nicest dorm on campus, and the rooms are the largest on campus (definitely bigger than the high rises). Even with three people living in one room, you’d all have plenty of space, plus your own common room, bathroom and kitchen. Also, Mayer is organized such that all the freshman live on the 5th and 6th floors, so you won’t be isolated from other freshman in any way.
There are also some other room types that I haven’t mentioned (see page 57 for a full outline of all room possibilities).
Hope this helps. Also consider residential programs in different houses (I mentioned Freshman Experience, but there are many others).
Great post - thanks for the clear descriptions. Son will be a Freshman in the fall and this is one of the things I’ve been wondering about.
Were there likely letters sent out in two different periods? Seems like there was just one batch…
ED: Wharton vs Columbia
Hi there!
I’m an international student applying in the 2015/2016 cycle. If you’re curious about my stats, I would say that my overall portfolio would put me in decent stead to try for the ivy leagues but they will definitely still be “reaches” for me, especially considering the fact that I am an international student.
I intend to study major in Economics at university and hopefully go into finance/banking if possible. I recognize that in accordance with that Wharton should be the dream school. However, I really love New York City and going to Columbia would help me to taste a wider variety of subjects.
My questions are:
- Which schools have lower admission rates for ED (i.e. which is harder to get into)? Although the ED rates for UPenn and Columbia are available online, they do not specify the admission rate of Wharton specifically. Could anyone comment on this please (I’m not from the US so I don’t have sufficient knowledge/exposure to infer).
However: I’m assuming Wharton should be HYSPM-level hard to get into, making it harder to ED into than Columbia?
- Does Wharton really give you a lot more opportunities banking/finance wise than Columbia?
Thanks so much!
Hey fellow Penn hopefuls, I am a decently qualified applicant, but I have low SAT scores(1970). Grades are great for my school, and mt ECs are good as well some leadership positions and diverse clubs. However, what I am really wondering is how much does my legacy help? My mom went to Penn and I am also Hispanic I was wondering if that could boost my app enough to get in?
Maybe, but I would work on trying one more time to raise that score! Why make it so borderline and take a risk?
I don’t know what “grades are great” means, I hope you have checked Naviance, if your school has it. 3.9 is the average unweighted gpa at Penn. It is the highest in the Ivy League. The average SAT score is 2200, so you are definitely on the low side. The good new is that they don’t put a huge weight on the SAT, but I would want to raise that SAT score a bit, if you can.
Penn also required subject tests. Have you taken two subject tests? Your essay will also be important.
Being a URM helps a little, but there are a lot of amazing URM applicants to Penn. Legacy will boost your app a bit too. You certainly have a chance, but raising your scores and improving your inputs will improve those odds.
Hey guys, I currently have a 2080 on my SAT I. 750 CR, 700 math and 630 writing. I usually get 740+ in my writing sections but I panicked during my SAT and know that I can do better if I gave the SAT again. Since Penn doesn’t have score choice, Im just wondering, is giving my SAT 3 times going to reflect poorly on my application and would I be better off applying to a school that has score choice like Dartmouth even though they arent my first choice school?
Apply to the school that you most want to attend. My D had similar SAT’s but higher ACT’s. She agonized over whether sending her SATs would ruin her chances. She was tempted not to send them, but realized that it would be wrong to disregard Penn’s requirements to send all tests. She was accepted Early Decision, despite the lower SATs.
If i do not ask for financial aid neither fafsa or any other does it put me at an advantage ( im a u.s citizen)
I dont think it does. Penn is need blind for US citizens. @Sharecentury