<p>what are the types of ppl that get into penn rd; are they usually ones who get into HYPS as well, or slightly weaker in EC’s or in test scores, or stronger in some areas than other applicants at other schools? What does Penn put more emphasis on than other schools?</p>
<p>Of all the elite schools Penn seems to put the most emphasis on “well rounded”. That basically means relatively few ECs but they MUST be “in depth” (i.e. all 4 years of HS, leadership, etc.) Almost everyone I know here (and I’m a Classics major) participated in at least 2 sports (lots of soccer, basketball and track guys, not so many football and one woman who played hockey!) or band/orchestra or the like for the full 4 years. A lot were very active politically or with charities. In all cases Penn is more interested in what you accomplished than in how many hours you put in.</p>
<p>Everyone of course comes in with excellent grades and test scores. But watch out for a laundry list of AP classes. You want to take the ones that come with Penn credit and not waste your time on “filler”. Look over the official “class resumes” for the last few years to get an idea of the test score range - as long as you’re a bit above average you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Last - Penn seems to place a lot of emphasis on the essays. They want to know why you think Penn is the place for you and what you feel is your place in society and at Penn.</p>
<p>Read the admissions and “about Penn” web pages carefully - they are full of hints about what Penn is looking for. You should also browse the undergrad research web pages (Franklin and University Scholars) to get an idea of what the top end of the spectrum does when they get here.</p>
<p>That’s the best part about reading any college’s bulletin. You can use t heir advice to your advantage. Also you can manipulate the material to an extent. Say Penn says our program X offers A and B. Your essay could easily say I’m this kinf of person who needs A and B to do…</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear from you that essays count a lot! =)</p>
<p>I did not really play any sports in high school nor a band instrument, nor was I into charity, so I don’t know if it’s what they are after, but the essays were ok.</p>
<p>williamC, lengendofmax, haven’t seen (read) you guys in a while!</p>