<p>I remember reading someone’s post around here that mentioning ‘Wharton’ too many times in your Why Penn essay’s a sure formula for rejection…</p>
<p>I’ve got quite a…ah…‘unconventional’ Why Penn essay, and while it mentions Penn a lot, it also tends to repeat ‘Wharton’ quite often. First occurence of both is something like - “The Wharton School at Penn”</p>
<p>Advice?</p>
<p>The ratio the admissions people go for is 2 Penn to 1 Wharton. For every time you mention Wharton, you have to mention Penn twice. Any more than that and you are automatically sorted into the rejected pile. Less mentions of Wharton is fine though. Also, if you mention Nursing or Seas, the ratio is only 1:1, so that could work in your favor.</p>
<p>Remember that they use electronic readers to scan for these things, so the actual content of the essay doesn’t matter at this point.</p>
<p>you’re kidding, right? :D</p>
<p>Basically, they don’t want your whole essay to be about Wharton. As a Wharton student half of your classes are outside the Wharton school. Penn is big on the one school mentality, so if your essay implies that you only care about Wharton, Penn will like you less. There are people here who are only here because of Wharton, but they were able to spin their essays enough to make it seem like they appreciate the rest of this fine institution.</p>
<p>@snipanlol - my ratio is 1 ‘wharton’ to 1.8 'Penn’s :)</p>
<p>Also remember that many Wharton students pursue second degrees or minors from the other schools. Plus there will be a mixture of students from all four schools in all your campus organizations, in your hall, and in many of your classes. And when you graduate, the name “Wharton” appears nowhere on your diploma - only the University of Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>If you’re one of those people who only came here for Wharton, then not only will Penn hate you, but so will 90% of the student body. In that case I would just be honest in your essay, because if you come here and you were one of the people who intentionally spun their essays, you’ll have to maintain that lie to keep from seeming like a snob.</p>
<p>However, if you really do like all of Penn then by all means spin away.</p>
<p>Sidenote - my Penn:Wharton ratio was 3.75:1</p>
<p>Snipanol is correct. They also look for at least two “Ben Franklin” mentions and one reference to “cheesesteaks” (never, ever call them “Philly Cheesesteaks”). Soft pretzel mentions are optional, but couldn’t hurt.</p>
<p>Remember that if you include one or two references to the School of Allied Medical Professions–which no longer exists since Penn abolished it in the late 1970s–you’re allowed at least 7-8 more Wharton mentions. Don’t ask why–it’s complicated and has something to do with Brownian motion.</p>
<p>haha that got me catching my sides for a while, 45%er!</p>
<p>referring to the undergraduate opportunities offered at wharton west is worth an automatic +2 extra wharton mentions =)</p>
<p>yup you can stop now…</p>