Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 800/730/18
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1530
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): 790 French 740 Math 2 710 Chem
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Number of other ED applicants in your school:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Dean's list
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Run Video Production Company as COO
Guitarist
President DECA & Band club, Guitarist
Started Ecommerce store
Job/Work Experience: Tech startup internship in operations
Volunteer/Community Service: tutoring
Summer Experience:
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 french teach 1000 word rec
Teacher Recommendation #2: 5/10 cal teacher who did not know me well
Counselor Rec: 7/10 met a few times
Additional Info/Rec: 10/10 written by boss who i was super close with
Interview: 30 minute skype interview guy asked 2 questions (who are you? what do you do for fun?)
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 8 described research and interdisciplinary
Any dual-degree program essays: 8/10 talked about crypto
CommonApp Essay: 9/10 showed my love for tech and entrepreneurship
Other:
Date Submitted App: oct 31
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: canada
School Type: canadian CEGEP
Ethnicity: Bengali
Gender:M
Income Bracket Range: 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):
Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses: sat 2 scores and reference letter
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
What would you have done differently?: build more rapport with counselor and teachers. spend more time on essay
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 (R: 36, M: 31, E: 32, S: 31)
ACT superscore (breakdown): 34 (R:36, M:32, E:35, S:32)
SAT II (subject, score): did not take-ik oof
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: school does not have gpa but I when I applied for some scholarships I had to calculate it and it was a 3.92/4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): School has no AP, IB or Honors course (Crazy right!!)
Senior Year Course Load:
Literature Seminar: Exile and Immigration
Calculus II
20th Century Morality
Forensics
Spanish Literature
Studio Art
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 3 including me (other two were both legacies) but my school is small only 60 kids in my grade
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
NSLI-Y Scholarship: state department merit-based scholarship to study abroad in China for 6 weeks
Leadership Experiment Institute Scholarship: merit-based scholarship to study abroad in India for 4 weeks
Yale Young Global Scholars: Politics and Economics (idk if this counts lol....)
American Heart Association Lifesaver Award
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Founder of School's Jewish Affinity Group (11, 12)
Editor of School Newspaper (9,10,11,12)
Invited Participant of School's student hiring committee (11+12)
Job/Work Experience:
Intern for New York Supreme Court Justice (11+12)
Social Media Director and Administrative Assistant at an Immigration Lawfirm (11+12)
Summer Intern at a Criminal Justice Lawfirm
Birthday Party Supervisor at an Arts and Crafts Studio (since 6th grade-11)
Volunteer/Community Service:
American Heart Association (AHA) Red Cap Child Ambassador (since 5th grade-present): speak at various AHA events and tell survivor story. Team leader for Wallstreet Run and Heart Walk.
CPR: Taught CPR to the entire student body and got it implemented into the curriculum taught 220+ ppl to date. Also started teaching free classes at local community centers.
United Synagogue Youth (USY): on Regional Executive Board for my region where we planned events for 300+ people. I also oversaw an 11 person Regional General Board!
Summer Experience:
Experiment Leadership Insititute (12): see above
Middlebury Interactive Languages (11 and 10): did one summer in Spain and one in Vermont. 24/7 Spanish immersion program.
I also worked at Immigration firm (11+12), Supreme Court (12), and Criminal Justice Firm (11)
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 (from my English teacher. I wrote many meaningful pieces in his class and we had a strong relationship)
Teacher Recommendation #2: 7/10 (from my math teacher. I honestly have no idea how good this is. I am an English-History person and my school made me get a letter of rec from one Humanities and one STEM teacher so yea. He liked me and I did well in his class but irdk....)
Counselor Rec: 9/10 (they really liked me!! But you never know)
Additional Info/Rec: 10/10!!! I had the head of the immigration firm I work at write me my letter and I saw it was really good! I also had the NY Supreme Court Justice I intern for send in a letter of rec but it was not through common app it was through the mail (according to court regulations it had to be done this way lol) I have no idea if it got to admissions or not tho....
Interview: 8/10. It was kind of uncomfortable she brought her daughter with her but she was very nice and gave me positive feedback afterward......
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 8.5/10 I think it was good it was very specific but did not state why I wanted to do my major just the major I wanted
Any dual-degree program essays:
CommonApp Essay: 10/10 I have a heart condition and wrote about how it gave me the drive to make a difference and help other not just in the US but globally. It touched upon all the strengths in my application (CPR work, and my law based internships) but in a way, I thought was humble and sincere. Probably the best piece of writing I have ever done it truly explained why I want to make a difference in this world.
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/31
Applied for Financial Aid?
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NJ
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White/Jewish
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: over 500,000
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): none rip
Reflection
Strengths: extracurriculars (work experience) and volunteer experience. Oh and my essays. They really showed why I want to be at Penn and make a difference in this world. Leadership and story (heart condition survivor who taught over 200 ppl CPR in her school and wants to continue to create change.....)
Weaknesses: Test scores, No subject tests (really thought I was gonna get rejected bc of this but this just proves that you don't need subject tests to get into Penn!!!!!!),
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: first school I have heard back from
What would you have done differently?: Take subject tests not spend and overall not spend as much time stressing over my test scores.
Other Factors: I am so so so so happy right now!! I cannot believe it! Absolutely in shock!!
Also, I would love to offer anyone advice. I spent HOURS pouring over college confidential so if anyone needs help totally feel free to message me Ik I would have appreciated it if someone had done this for me when I was applying!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1560 -- 790/770
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): one sitting
ACT (breakdown): 34 single sitting composite
ACT superscore (breakdown): 35 -- 34e/36m/34r/36s two attempts
SAT II (subject, score): 800s on math 2 and physics
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 4.00UW ~4.5W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):N/a
AP/IB (place score in parentheses):All 5s on Ap BC, Physics 1 C mech and E&M APUSH APGOV and a 6 on ib hl math
Senior Year Course Load:AP econ Ap chem IB further math, ib english hl, ib german hl
Number of other ED applicants in your school: none i think
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):none oof
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Aps, Nat merit com, AIME qualifier
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): NHS VP volunteer organization and started a tutoring initiative thing after school cuz I like to tutor, 1st tenor sax in Band up until senior year bc work, pres of math club, member at my local jewish temple.
Job/Work Experience: Grocery stock clerk like 18 hrs a week sometimes less
Volunteer/Community Service: see above
Summer Experience: video games, helped some friends when they organized a tedx
Teacher Recommendation #1: Math teacher, we get along swimmingly
Teacher Recommendation #2: German teacher, awesome guy, let me tell him some stuff to write
Counselor Rec: she's nice i talk to her some idk how unique tho
Additional Info/Rec: n/a
Interview: Really good, we had a lot in common the guy was really awesome and nice and said he would 'sing my praises', but honestly I dont know how much they look at the interveiw unless you cuss them out or dont show up, but still probably my favorite part of the app.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: I obviously thought it was pretty dope or I wouldn't have submitted it lol
Any dual-degree program essays: none
CommonApp Essay: ^^
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/31/18
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes please
U.S. State/Territory or Country: O-H--I-O
School Type: Public and good, but not one of those whack schools. ACT avg is like 24 for reference
Ethnicity: White jew
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: middle class suburbia
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): One of my uncles went to penn like 40 years ago and is a firefighter now so idk if that matters or not.
Reflection
Strengths: grades, scores, recs..... essays?
Weaknesses: ECs are kinda generic and I didn't start anything super special
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Idk yet hopefully i get in somewhere lol
What would you have done differently?: Probably nothing this is better than I expected. Biggest help probably would've been if I came back from my Acl injury to play sports to make me more attractive to schools but that wouldn't have been good for my health in all likelihood so I'd say I'm pleased with ending up where I did. There's always the Wharton meme of "I could've started a business" but idk how true that really is, they want uniqueness more than that I think. This gives me confidence with my chances at other schools for RD. Penn as a whole I don't believe defers more than they accept ED so i assume wharton does the same so Defer means like ~top30% not too shabby.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1590: 800 M / 790CR (one sitting)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): Math Level II 800.
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.7 unweighted/4.2 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): AP Bio (4); AP WH (3); AP Lit (3) - Did not submit any scores.
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ. AP Stat; AP Calc BC; Hon Eng (AP Eng conflicts with AP STATS); AP Physics
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): none
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP scholar, honor roll
Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
HS Wind Ensemble (highest level band) 9- 12 French Horn
Guitar and Piano
Varsity Tennis (9-12)
Chess club (10-12)
Job/Work Experience:
Local restaurants - food prep and busser (10 - current (20 hours per week)
Volunteer/Community Service: Ski instructor (11- 12)
Summer Experience: restaurant work
Teacher Recommendation #1: 8/10 AP Spanish teacher
Teacher Recommendation #2: 9/10 Head of Math Department
Counselor Rec: 8/10 Tried to explain vast disparity between my standardized test scores and my GPA based on my decision to take the most challenging courses offered at my HS.
Additional Info/Rec: None
Interview: 8/10 Seemed to connect with interviewer and believe I effectively conveyed my interest in Penn.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 8/10 - tried to emphasize my interest in Penn and Wharton specifically based on my interest in data analytics and aptitude in math.
Any dual-degree program essays: N/A
CommonApp Essay: 9/10 - Felt (as does probably everyone else who has written one) it was unique and well written. Based on a real experience I had abroad and the ability to connect with people from other cultures etc.
Other: None
Date Submitted App:11/1 at 11:43 PM
Applied for Financial Aid? No
U.S. State/Territory or Country: MA
School Type: Public HS
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: Too much to qualify for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): Legacy
Reflection
Strengths: Standardized Test Scores/challenging curriculum
Weaknesses: low GPA/dearth of volunteer and business activities
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Still waiting
What would you have done differently?: Probably would not have made a difference, but would have focused more in HS on doing what it took to get As in all my classes even if it did not seem to be related to learning the subject matter.
Other Factors:
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 English, 32 Math, 32 Reading, 32 Science)
SAT II (subject, score): N/A
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 4.14 W, 3.84 UW (upward trend)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): AP Human Geo (4), AP Calc AB (3), AP World (4), AP Psych (5), AP US (5), AP Bio (4), AP stats (3), AP Lang (4)
Senior Year Course Load: I take all my classes through PSEO at umn: intro to personality, physics, intro to american government, medical terminology, intro to sociology, child psych, multicultural literature in the us, intro pharmacy class
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 3 maybe?
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): haha no
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Nothing special, AP scholar with distinction, academic letter all years of high school
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): competitive dance (18ish hours a week), teacher assistant at dance, volunteer at a hospital for 3 years, NHS, Key Club, link crew (freshman orientation club), co-chair of a tutoring committee at local elementary school (11,12)
Job/Work Experience: Summer job as a lifeguard, babysitting, paid tutoring
Volunteer/Community Service: Hospital volunteer (350+ hours), various volunteering through nhs and key club (200+ hours)
Summer Experience: Lifeguarding
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10: AP human geo teacher freshman year and AP world sophomore year. I was really close with her and did really well in her classes. I still go talk to her after school often and she got to see me mature from a freshman to a senior.
Teacher Recommendation #2: 9/10: Freshman bio teacher and junior year AP bio teacher. She is also an advisor for a club I have been in all of high school. We talk sometimes out of class and I think she really likes me. Having her for two years also probably helped her see me mature from my freshman year.
Counselor Rec: 9/10: probably a better than average rec for a counselor at a larger school. We have a pretty close relationship for a counselor/student and I have gone in and talked to her about problems I'm having before. She has seen me overcome a lot so I think that was helpful for this rec.
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: 8/10: It was a pretty good interview, she seemed impressed with me but it didn't last too long and wasn't anything special. We had quite bit in common and I was well-prepared but i'm not sure if it really made much of an impact on my decision.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9/10: I made it very penn specific, talked about my visit, and made sure to show how excited I was about Penn and what it offers. I also tried to make sure I expressed how I thought I would fit into the school well. I'm not usually a huge fan of my writing but I thought it was pretty good.
Any dual-degree program essays: N/A
CommonApp Essay: 7/10: Thinking about this essay makes me cringe. I talked about how I overcame obstacles from my childhood to present. I think I tried to fit too much of my life into one essay and it was kinda cheesy, but I think it showed how I have grown as a person pretty well.
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/27/18
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Minnesota
School Type: Public 2000+ students
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: ~180k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None
Reflection
Strengths: teacher recs, taking some of the hardest classes and course loads possible, maybe taking classes at a college my senior year?, my EC's aren't amazing but I am pretty involved, volunteering at a hospital surely helped for nursing
Weaknesses: GPA isn't perfect, test scores aren't perfect, not much prep in chem, no SAT subject tests
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Penn was my first decision
What would you have done differently?: nothing I guess?
Final thoughts: I am honestly so shocked that I got in. I really feel like I am just an average suburban white girl and there are sooo many more qualified applicants that didn't get in. This is a dream come true and I never imagined that I could actually get in here. I've been creeping on every stats page for the last three years trying to find someone that wasn't amazing and got in, so if that's you creeping here you go. Congrats to everyone accepted!!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1st sitting: 1440 (740M, 700E) 2nd sitting: 1470 (730M, 740E)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1480 (740 on both)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (36E, 31M, 33S, 34R) -- only one sitting
SAT II (subject, score): 740 Chemistry
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: My school is weird; we don't calculate UW (but I'd guess ~3.94), weighted is 4.16
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): US History (5), English Lang (5), Chemistry (5), U.S. Gov (5), Microeconomics (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, Latin IV independent study, Honors Physics, Wind Ensemble (band), AP Lit, AP Macroeconomics, AP European History
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): n/a
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Honor roll, AP Scholar with Distinction,
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Marching Band 9-12 (section leader)
Band 9-12 (two district awards, first chair in 10th)
DECA 9-12 (medals at district & state levels 9-11, state finalist in 11th)
National Honor Society 11-12
Latin Club 9-12 (class leader)
School Newspaper 10 (features & news editor for online edition, we received a state award for the website)
Job/Work Experience: I babysit for two families & have for two years, in 10th grade I had a job for six months as a camp counselor, lifeguard, and swim teacher for special needs kids
Volunteer/Community Service:
Church service -- Children's Liturgy of the Word leader, Vacation Bible School counselor, lector (9-12)
Services for Older Citizens (9, 10)
American Civil Liberties Union community organizer -- started an initiative against solitary confinement, led youth canvassing groups prior to midterm elections (11, 12)
Summer Experience:
American Civil Liberties Union Summer Advocacy Institute -- summer 2018
Teacher Recommendation #1: 7, I had a good relationship with the first teacher but I'm unsure of her writing skills
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8, a great writer but really swamped with letters to write so I don't know how much attention mine was paid
Counselor Rec: 10, my counselor is a big fan of mine and knows me really well
Additional Info/Rec: article for local newspaper
Interview: I don't think my interview was the issue -- we got along really well and talked for about 90 minutes, often veering off of application-related topics
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9, why I felt PPE would help me in college and with my career goals
Any dual-degree program essays: n/a
CommonApp Essay: why/how my dad influenced my goal to become an attorney, 8, feels a tad generic
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/19/18
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Michigan
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: ~27k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): deceased parent, low-income
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, interview
Weaknesses: lack of leadership roles in my ECs, perhaps my rec letters, SAT/SAT II scores
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Have only heard back from Michigan State University, accepted into their honors college and a specialized political science program with a yearly stipend, staff assistantship, and scholarship
What would you have done differently?: re-taken my subject tests
Decision: Accepted - CAS
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1400 (YES IT’S POSSIBLE) (710 Reading)(690 Math)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: UW:3.99 W:4.26
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 11/41
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Psychology Independent Study, AP Lit, Statistics (and a whole bunch of other electives)
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 0
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Recognition from The International Commision of Benedictine Education - I was selected by the International Commission of Benedictine Education to meet and speak with Pope Francis in Rome. I also got a photo taken with me shaking his hand!
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): First Honor Roll every semester for all 4 years
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
-Founder/ President of The African Culture Club in my school
-Part of my schools leadership team (like student council in a way)
-Part of Students In Action, a service club at my school
-Volleyball captain for all four years of HS
-Founder of Voices Of Passion, a singing group that welcomes young women of all grades and ages to showcase their vocal abilities.
-President of The Debate Club
Job/Work Experience: NONE
Volunteer/Community Service:
-Founder and President of Root of Hope for Nigeria, a non-profit organization that aims to empower the youth of Nigeria through educational opportunity. (I’ve organized many events for my NPO in my community, both here in America and in Nigeria)
-Alter Server at my church
-Volunteer at my local hospital
Summer Experience:
-Went on a mission trip for my organization, started a scholarship fund of 100,00 Naira per year
Teacher Recommendation #1: from my calc teacher. She taught me for 3 out of 4 years. I didn’t see it
Teacher Recommendation #2: from my AP psychology teacher. He taught me for 3 years. I’m doing an independent study with him this year (requested the class because my school originally wasn’t offering it) so I’m guessing it was good. I didn’t see it
Counselor Rec: I’m guessing it was good, she’s known me since sophomore year. I didn’t see it
Additional Info/Rec: from my AP USHIS teacher who left my school. I didn’t see it
Interview: interviewer said he was “impressed by me”. Had a good conversation. Lasted about 30 minutes. Wasn’t extraordinary or anything like that. It was regular but I could tell he thought highly of me based off of my answers. I hear people saying they spent an hour just talking with their interviewer but that wasn't the case for me. It was straight forward and lowkey.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 10/10 (talked about specific courses I wanted to take and clubs I wanted to join. Also mentioned how my brother goes there and connected that with how i learned so much about the school and how I gained interest)
CommonApp Essay: 10/10 (very very personal and emotional. Talked specifically about my growth from my hardships and exactly what i learned & how I applied that lesson to my life)
:
Date Submitted App: October 18, 2018
U.S. State/Territory or Country: New Jersey
School Type: Very Small Private
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: F
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): URM, my hardships (I won’t go into detail), my experience meeting and speaking with Pope Francis (this is not an experience just any student can say they have done), Founding a NPO
Reflection
Strengths: My essays & recommendations, as well as my achievements revolving around my NPO
Weaknesses: I don’t see my SAT score as a weakness, even though others might, because 1. Yeah it may have been “low’ in the eyes of others but hey, I still got in so. & 2. I worked so hard to get that 1400 and it all paid off in the end. Just remember, they look at you holistically. Yes, they want good grades but you need to be a well rounded student.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: didn’t apply anywhere else
What would you have done differently?: Nothing at all. I truly believe that everything I have done has led up to this acceptance so I would not change a thing at all
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 770M/660R/14
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1430
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): Math 2-780, Biology E-630
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 91
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): didn't submit
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, Experimental Neurology (honors), Anatomy & Physiology, Terrorism in the Modern World (History), New York Stories (English)
Number of other ED applicants in your school: at least 4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): none
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Honor roll freshman and sophomore year (no awards submitted though)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
- Varsity soccer, starter from 9-12th grades
- JV Basketball, 9-12th, Captain 11th and 12th
- Tour Guide, 9-12th, Head Tour Guide 12th
- Disciplinary Committee
- Black Student Alliance member
Job/Work Experience:
- Certified EMT
Volunteer/Community Service:
- Big Sister in Big Brothers Big Sisters Program
- Traveled to NA reservation and helped plan summer camp
- Ambassador for initiative to educate young black girls
Summer Experience:
- Cultural Immersion Program in Spain (1 month) sophomore year
- Online course with Brown sophomore year
- EMT training junior year
Teacher Recommendation #1: 8/10 -- favorite teacher, English teacher and recent graduate school grad, great relationship
Teacher Recommendation #2: 6/10 -- Biology teacher, less personal relationship, but worked really hard in class
Counselor Rec: 7/10 -- great relationship, fully supportive of my college choices
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: 5/10 -- couldn't clearly read how the interview went, but I'm guessing pretty okay based off my acceptance! We really connected during the opportunity for me to ask her questions, so it's really helpful to pre-plan possible questions for the interviewer, as well as improvise based on the course of the conversation.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 6-7/10 -- I didn't really feel good about this essay, it was a strange one to write, and I tried my best not to kiss up to the admission's office at Penn. I showed how I fit Penn, and how Penn fit me.
Any dual-degree program essays: N/A
CommonApp Essay: 8-9/10 -- everyone I showed the final product loved it, and said it was very good. Not quite sure though, I'm bad at judging the quality of my own writing. I felt pretty good as it was entirely genuine, and felt completely individual to me. I wrote about a favorite past teacher of mine and his inspiration for my particular course of interest.
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/17
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, was deemed not eligible though
U.S. State/Territory or Country: PA
School Type: boarding
Ethnicity: Black (Caribbean)
Gender: F
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): URM
Reflection
Strengths: not quite sure, my essay perhaps, my school, unique extracurriculars maybe?
Weaknesses: Test scores, lack of award recognition,
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Temple University, was waiting to here back from other EAs but not anymore.
What would you have done differently?: I wouldn't change anything, really. If I had spent more time preparing for the SAT, it would have interfered with other aspects of my life and strengths of my application, so I feel like all parts of my application were just right! I'm so stunned right now, it's all unreal to me.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1540 (790 M/ 750 R&W)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown): not taken
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): 780 (Math II) (only submitted one)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: we dont have GPA in school
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): unavailable but probably top 5-10%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 2 (I think both others got rejected)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): i dont think we rly have those.
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): History special prize, O Level History, English, Math awards, an award for exemplary services from a community service org
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
-President of a volunteer board'
-Vice President of Academic Enrichment Society
-Student Coach of Rowing team
-Interned at a prospective MNA's election office
-Taking part in a Future of Pak conference (youngest volunteer)
-Attending courses on Politics in different places (Brown/Oxford)
-Rowing at National, varsity level
-Introduced an initiative at an orphanage for academics
-Prefect on Student Council
-Exec Committee, TedX
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
-Organisation + Teaching at Summer camp for domestic staff students
-120+ hours at special needs school
-Initiation of first special needs Cafe in country
-Teaching weekly at initiated program at orphanage
Summer Experience:
-Brown Summer - US in world pol
-Ox summer - Leadership and IR
-Internship at election office
- Supervision of internships and organisation of events at special needs schools
Teacher Recommendation #1: 8-9/10 She's known me for 3-4 years and shes seen me develop into a passionate individual abt hist. But her way of looking at people is interesting / high standards but would have been a very real picture of me
Teacher Recommendation #2: 7-8/10 econ teacher but idk how well she is at writing but she did particularly like me and was my head house tutor and wanted to make me a house captain also
Counselor Rec: Not sure, she was nice but idk how well she knew me. 8/10
Additional Info/Rec: -
Interview: It was w an alumni who studied the same major I'd applied for, she was relatively new to the process so while i was comfortable talking to her, it seemed like she put up a wall
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: I used my uk ps for this, found it quite boring but was probs better bc i read it too much 7-8
Any dual-degree program essays:
CommonApp Essay: Was about food.. I started hating it bc i'd read it too much but it was unique so maybe??
Other:
Date Submitted App:27th Oct
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: International -Pak
School Type:
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: $100k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): idk what would count as a hook for me
Reflection
Strengths: Possibly essay and focus towards my major?
Weaknesses: AID! definitely bc need aware, Possibly bc i didnt submit a SAT 2?
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:rn, ive been made an offer by UCL, Warwick, St Andrews and yet to hear back from Cambridge (had an interview), LSE, UCLA, UCB
What would you have done differently?: Maybe somehow got more money but i dont entirely regret it bc cambridge is my top choice but penn is an extremely good fit for me.
Other Factors: In my country, you can count the number of people who applied. However, interestingly noone has been accepted this year (this is the trend for the past 2 years. Before that 4-5 just got in from my school). This year, 2 people from the country got deferred (funny bc im related to the other deferral) and the other 2 applicants in my school were rejected! and in the rest of the country also so i think the deferral was either bc they want to assess all the people from my country together or because of aid as they werent sure about us being worth it due to aid esp b/c such less international students receive aid.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1560: (800 Math, 760 English), 23 Essay
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): same as above
ACT (breakdown): 35C: (36 English, 36 Math, 35 reading, 32 science, 12 writing)
ACT superscore (breakdown): 36C: (36 English, 36 Math, 35 reading, 36 science, 12 writing)
SAT II (subject, score): Math II 800, Bio M 750
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 99.31 u/w; school doesn't weight
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3, but school doesn't rank
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): Macroeconomics (5), Microeconomics (5), Spanish Language and Culture (4), Calc AB (4). All were self-studied sophomore and junior year since the school didn't offer them.
Senior Year Course Load: School only offered 3 aps, this was the first year ever that they offered them. Advanced Language and Composition, Advanced U.S. Government and Politics, Advanced Calculus 1, Self-studying AP Calc BC, AP Physics 1.
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Member of Mensa International, NSDA Worlds Schools Debate Double Octa Finalist
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): LILT 1st Place Spanish Poetry Recitation, National Merit Commended, A bunch of debate awards at local and national tournaments, Bloomberg Terminal Certified
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
1) Work at my dad’s family business (9-12)
2) Debate (10-12), Captain
3) Economics Club (11-12), President
4) Yearbook (9-12), Managing Editor of Activities and Underclass Sections
5) Manager of my own Private Investment Portfolio (9-12)
6) Tutoring, Peer Tutoring Club, and at Homework Hub (9-12)
7) Self-teaching Spanish and Russian
8) Internship at PE Firm, summer before senior year
9) Sodality, weekly discussion group (9-12)
10) Columbia Summer Immersion Entrepreneurship Program, summer before senior year
Job/Work Experience: See Above
Volunteer/Community Service: see tutoring
Summer Experience: Working, Tutoring, Internship
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10, my math teacher freshman and junior year, in his sodality group (we meet weekly) and I know him extremely well.
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8.5/10 Spanish teacher junior year, should be a pretty solid rec
Counselor Rec: 8.5/10, I would say slightly above average for this one
Additional Info/Rec: n/a
Interview: 35 mins, I thought it went ok
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9/10, very specific, talked about my passion for the environment and how it molds with business at Wharton
Any dual-degree program essays: n/a
CommonApp Essay: 9/10, wrote about how my job spurred my entrepreneurial spirit and desire to make a communal impact
Other:
Date Submitted App: Mid Oct
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NY
School Type: Private Catholic
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: 200ish
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): Technically first gen, my parents only have 2-year degrees at community college
Reflection
Strengths: Academics, told a compelling story through my essays that linked my accomplishments and my passions
Weaknesses: ECs aren’t amazing, and I’m not the best writer
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Binghamton
What would you have done differently?: Spent more time on ECs and essays
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1350 (didn't submit)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): same as above
ACT (breakdown): 32 (35E 35R 27M 30S)
ACT superscore (breakdown): same as above
SAT II (subject, score): 700 bio M (took others but this was my only one submitted)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 105.64 weighted, 95 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/225
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): Biology (4) Stats (4) Lang (5) USH (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psychology, AP Calculus AB, AP English Literature, AP Physics 1, AP Computer Science principles, French 4 online, Environmental science and political science online at a local CC
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): not really
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Lots of DECA awards (3rd in state for my cluster, 1st for my test, 1st in South Jersey for regionals, several qualifiers, national competitor), Key Club distinguished VP, Scholar Athlete cheerleading award, student of the month, etc (most notable definitely being DECA)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
- DECA President, several awards on the state level and a national competitor, leader of my school's study sessions
- Key Club VP & editor, raised over $9k as an officer of the club
- STEM Club founder and president, mentioned the funding issues I faced founding this club, leader of Brain Bee study sessions
- Editor for a neuroscience journal
- School musical (4 years)
- Choir with national performances
- NHS, world language honor society
- Working at a wildlife hospital for sick and injured animals (am now on their fundraising committee but Penn did not see that when I applied)
- 3 year varsity cheerleader
- Tour guide and docent at local historical museum
(I have many additional ECs that I actually got after I applied for Penn. I now am doing research at a local college for BME, as well as am making an ethoscope to study fly behavior with a neuroscientist, and am doing quality assurance work with a local pharmaceutical company. Additionally, I am volunteering at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and will be working with various types of animals and biodiversity. Penn also did not see that I got selected for the fundraising committee for my animal hospital. All of these things are being mentioned in my LOCI).
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: All of my community service was done through Key Club and NHS (yes, my school's NHS chapter actually does things)
Summer Experience: I did a camp for the United Nations for a couple of days this summer.
Teacher Recommendation #1: 8/10 My APUSH teacher. She let me read it, I think she spoke very highly of me and showed my academic curiosity and how I extended it outside of the classroom by volunteering at the historical museum.
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8/10?? My AP Bio teacher. She loved me and thought I was extremely creative as I would make claymation biology videos for her class. She saw my love for biology as I took it outside of the classroom as well. However, we were not extremely close when she wrote the letter.
Counselor Rec: 7/10. My guidance counselor spoke very highly of me but did not really put any concrete examples of how I showed any of the traits she mentioned in the letter.
Additional Info/Rec: None.
Interview: 8/10. I was a bit nervous, but my interviewer seemed to like me a lot. She found my niche in bio/poly sci very unique and said we needed more people with my enthusiasm in politics.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 7/10. I felt it was unique and specific and really showed my niche, but I am not the best creative writer. I think showing my interest in bio and polysci set me apart.
Any dual-degree program essays: Nope
CommonApp Essay: 7/10, about me being a "hoarder" in the metaphorical sense. Made me come off as someone with a flamboyant personality whose mind is always racing a million miles a minute in the best way possible.
Other:
Date Submitted App: 11/1 at like 11pm lmao
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: New Jersey (South near Philadelphia)
School Type: Noncompetitive public high school, relatively bad
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: about $150k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): My dad works in Penn's hospital system. I think this is definitely the reason I got deferred instead of rejected.
Reflection
Strengths: Honestly don't think I have many strengths. My interview was good. I think my niche of biology and political science sets me apart from other applicants.
Weaknesses: TEST SCORES. ECs didn't get good until my senior year, which is what Penn didn't see (but in the context of my high school they are amazing). Why Penn could have been more creative but still was pretty specific.
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted Pitt but haven't heard back from anyone else yet
What would you have done differently?: So much. Would have started studying for ACT earlier. Would have tried to figure out what I wanted to major in my freshman year so I could have gotten more focused ECs (I sort of just did what I wanted). Test scores most important though. I wish I started studying earlier and could have submitted a better ACT.
Other Factors: My dad working at Penn no doubt played a part in me being deferred instead of rejected. Definitely a hook.
Reflection: I am very grateful for a deferral. I have the chance to send in my most recent SAT subject test scores in bio M and literature, and to send my December ACT which may have hit the 33 mark. I have a chance to send a LOCI about the research and volunteering I'm doing. The acceptance rate for deferred applicants is around 16% in the RD round, and that number doesn't scare me too much at all considering it's about the ED acceptance rate. I am very fine with my deferral and am glad that Penn is giving me another chance to show who I am.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1530 (790 M/730 R/20) <- didn't submit
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): ^that was my highest
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36E/36M/33R/36S) (first try!)
ACT superscore (breakdown): ^one sitting!
SAT II (subject, score): Math II - 800/Chem - 790
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 93.2 UW/97.6 W (had a rough freshmen year yikes but got better as the years went by)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%? (hyper competitive high school)
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): (All 5's) AP Gov, AP Chem, AP Physics 1, AP Lang, BC Calc
Senior Year Course Load: Georgia Tech Distance Math Linear Algebra, AP Physics C, AP Bio, British Literature, Mastery Orchestra, Economics, Physical Education
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 7
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
- National Merit Scholar Semi-finalist
- 2018 Governor's Honors Program Finalist
- Laurette Winner 2018 Georgia Philharmonic Concerto Competition
- Semi-finalist Ronald Sachs International Music Competition
- 2nd Place Augusta Symphony
- Honorable Mention at 2018 Georgia Music Teachers Association (GMTA)
- Competition - Junior Strings Category
- 2nd Place at 2017 GMTA Competition- Senior Strings Category
- Honorable Mention at 2015 GMTA Competition - Senior Strings Category
- 2nd Place at the 2018 Augusta Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition
- 3rd Place at the 2017 Samuel Fordis Georgia Philharmonic Concerto Competition
- A bunch of placements in USA Rock Climbing Competitions
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
- AP Scholar with Distinction
- generic honor roll stuff at school
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Violin
- Played for 12 years
- many competitions/awards
- studied with a college professor
- played at a hospital for cancer patients every summer
Rock Climbing
- 10th grade-12th grade
- member of climbing team
- many competitions/regionals
Job/Work Experience: (n/a)
Chamber Music Society
- 9th-12th
- Secretary (12th)
- held concerts for senior homes
Volunteer/Community Service:
- Beta stuff
- NHS stuff
- Played violin in the lobby of a cancer center for patients for the past three summers
Summer Experience:
- GHP 2018 - Violin major
- ^other than that, not much summer experience; had to spend most of my time caring for siblings
Teacher Recommendation #1: 8/10 - Lang teacher; had her in freshmen year and junior year and she's a super smart person and amazing at writing; got pretty close with her but not that close but I think she wrote a good essay
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8/10 - BC Calc teacher; I honestly have no idea how this rec letter was. This teacher almost never wrote rec letters but I was lucky to have him write one. He liked me a lot because he's really quirky and interesting person and I think that he wrote good things about me.
Counselor Rec: 7/10 - Got to know my counselor really well during senior year; I didn't have a 1st or 2nd period (online classes) so i would be in his office almost every day and talked to him. He told me that I was the first essay that he wrote and I think he wrote a little than better generic essay
Additional Info/Rec: - Orchestra director from GHP - he is an amazing person and I basically lived with him for a month because of this summer program and I got to know him really well. He also attended Wharton for undergrad
Interview: 8.5/10 - Overall went really well I think. Had a really chill interviewer and conversation was really natural. Got stuck on one question he asked but i think it was okay. He didn't ask me at all "Why Penn?" but whatever lol
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 10/10 - I researched the crap outta Penn and talked about where my passion for medicine came from. Talked about some classes that I was looking forward to, research opportunities that I wanted to take, and a professor that I wanted to do research with. Definitely could not have used this essay for any other college it was really specific and showed my passion for Penn.
Any dual-degree program essays: n/a
CommonApp Essay: 8/10 - talked about violin and how I've learned to give everything I do my absolute best and stay determined because if you do, good results will come in the end, even if the results aren't the ones you are initially expecting
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/30
Applied for Financial Aid? - yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: GA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: ~50k per year
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): sike
Reflection
Strengths: really good dedication to what I did (violin)
Weaknesses: not that many EC's that were related to my major (Biochem)
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: really good test scores for science things on top of big dedication to violin showed AO's that I had the potential to do really well
What would you have done differently?: nothing much really. maybe more science EC's
Other Factors:
- submitted a resume and also a music portfolio; there were 3 songs I put in the music portfolio that showed my best performances
Decision: ACCEPTED, WHARTON
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown): 35, only took once
SAT II (subject, score): math II 790, only took one subject test
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP/IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Modern Euro, AP Lit, Religion, AP BC Calc, AP Modern Euro
Number of other ED applicants in your school:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Job/Work Experience: DS worked every summer since 8th grade summer. He always had two jobs, one for making money and the other an internship
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Experience: working
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10
Teacher Recommendation #2: 10/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10
Additional Info/Rec: DS lives with his teachers at boarding school, so they know him well
Interview: Alumni interview via Skype
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 10
Any dual-degree program essays:
CommonApp Essay: 10
Other:
Date Submitted App: 9/28
Applied for Financial Aid? No
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NYC
School Type: private, boarding
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):
Reflection
Strengths: Work experience, leadership positions in clubs and athletics
Weaknesses: freshman year grades brought down cum GPA
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: UT-Austin
What would you have done differently?:
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 700/760/12
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1460
ACT (breakdown): NA
ACT superscore (breakdown): NA
SAT II (subject, score): 650 Biology-M, 690 Literature (Yes, really. Yikes I know!)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 101.2/100 (Weighted, out of 100 at my school)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/90
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): At my school, AP's are only offered senior year, so no scores yet!
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP English, AP Calculus (AB), AP US History, Honors Physics, Spanish 4
Number of other ED applicants in your school: None
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Scholar of the Year (Regional).. if that counts.. maybe none
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): NHS, High Honor Roll, etc.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (6 years, human behavior studies, perfect scores at regional and state level)
FBLA (9th-12th, Regional Officer, Chapter President)
Student Council (Student body vice president, class president in past years)
Mock Trial (Lawyer & Witness, since 10th Grade)
Varsity Cheerleading (9th-12th, Captain, All American)
Job/Work Experience:
Some job shadowing with a lawyer
Local restaurant busser
Cheerleading Camp store worker (summer)
Volunteer/Community Service:
Local organization to help my community (youth board)
Volunteering with my home municipality (Township of residence)
Helped organize a powderpuff game for breast cancer at my hs
Summer Experience:
None
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10. Super thorough, she was so supportive of me and told me she put everything into the letter!!
Teacher Recommendation #2: 7/10. Prob not super well written or thorough or unique, but oriented around a club that relates specifically to my major so I used it.
Counselor Rec: 10/10. Very long letter, super in depth and many praises. So grateful for this one
Additional Info/Rec: 9/10. A guy who runs the org I volunteer for. He definitely made it pretty quirky, which is cool and different. He's a retired HS principal
Interview: 9/10. I had a really great conversation! We stayed and talked for about an hour, and then the shop we were in closed! He had a lot of advice and insight and I thin i definitely portrayed my interest and passion super well. Def came off a little nervous, but maybe there's nothing wrong with that!
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9/10 i think. Used my father and his favorite plant as inspiration for an essay that talked about how and why I came to the conclusion about what I wanna do.. and why I need to be at Penn.
Any dual-degree program essays: NA
CommonApp Essay: 10/10. About a self-started project I'm currently conducting that sheds light on the elderly in my community by interviewing them and writing bios on their lives. I also included a bio in the additional documents section.
Other:
Date Submitted App: Oct. 31 prob
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Pennsylvania, USA
School Type: Small Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: Not sure exactly.. middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None, no legacy, no hooks
Reflection
PLEAASSEEE know this: you don't have to be the very best, you have to be the very best FIT. I stressed so much about scores and how the odds were so numerically against me. Instead of being discouraged, I made sure that i outdid myself in all of the other aspects of my app. In general, if you know you belong at Penn, and you can make them see that... that's the #1 most important thing. I would have never expected in a million years to be accepted, and I feel so honored and humbled to have been. It COULD happen, and you don't have to be perfect at all. They really are looking for people who belong at Penn, not just wonderful scores and extras. Anyone please PM me if you ever have any questions!!!! I would love to chat
Strengths: Essays and Recs
Weaknesses: SCORES for sure/Lack of AP classes/scores
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: no where prior to
What would you have done differently?: Looking back, especially being accepted, nothing. I gave my application absolutely everything I could and really proved to Penn that I belong there.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1570 (800 Math/770 Eng/17 Essay)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): see above
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36 Eng/36 Math/35 Reading/36 Science/10 Essay)
ACT superscore (breakdown): see above
SAT II (subject, score): Math 2 800, Bio-M 770
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.89/4.0 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~15-20%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): Music Theory (5), Chinese (5), Chem (4), Calc AB (5), Euro (4), Microecon (5), Macroecon (5), USH (5), Calc BC (5), Spanish (5), Phys C Mech (TBD), Phys C E&M (TBD), Stats (TBD), Lit (5), CS A (TBD)
Senior Year Course Load: AP CS A, AP Lit, Adv Journalism, AP Stats, AP Phys C Mech & E&M, Hon Adv Game Theory (S1), Behavioral Econ (S2), Hon Differential Equations (S2)
Number of other ED applicants in your school: ~20
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): IDK what quals as major so all my awards are going in the common section
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Nat Scholar, NM semifinalist, PVSAs, NatScho Art & Writing Keys, Intl & Regional MUN awards, State & Regional DECA awards, regional piano awards, regional Tae Kwon Do awards, NSPA Honor Roll, minor school awards
Subjective: combining ECs, work, and comm serv into one lol
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description), Job/Work Experience, Volunteer/Community Service:
-Non-profit org, 10-12, Pres/Co-founder, support education in rural areas: raised >$12,500 for school supplies, launched remote online teaching platform at 3 schools, ran annual holiday gift drive, expanded club membership to 55, organized various events/fundraisers
-Model UN, 10-12, Dir. of Mktg, expanded membership from 6 to >80 students, launched program at local middle school, organized 1st intramural MUN competition, won various awards
-DECA, 9-12, Senior Mentor, proof-read papers & coach mock presentations, won various awards
-Microfinance org, 10-12, Team Leader, interviewed potential borrowers & organized data into balance sheets/cash flow statements, issued 40 microloans with 100% on-time payment
-Journalism, 10-12, STEM Editor (11)/A&E Columnist (12), managed content of STEM section in newspaper and online site, edited articles, interview sources (i.e. 2017 Nobel Laureates of Chem and Physics), write articles
-Women in STEM, 9-12, Volunteering & Events Coordinator, organized science fairs at local elementary & middle schools, organized experiment booths at science symposium (>700 attendees)
-Tae Kwon Do, since I was in 4th grade, junior instructor, black belt 1
-Piano, since I was in 1st grade, Certificate of Merit with Branch Honors passed, won various awards
-KidiTech, 11, TA, assisted instructors during elementary picture programming lessons
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 - Hon Calc C/Multi-var Calc teacher, said I was his top student during parent-teacher conferences & sent a bunch of those "you are great" emails during the school year, I provided a detailed list of accomplishments/anecdotes/highlight traits, he wrote my summer recs
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8/10 - AP Microecon/Macroecon teacher, I wasn't not an outstanding student but one of his top students, known as one of the best teachers in our school, he's great writer overall, he wrote my summer recs, didn't provide him with accomplishments/anecdotes/highlight traits tho
Counselor Rec: 7/10 - doesn't know me very well, probably have spoken to her for a total of only 4 hours, but she knows all my ECs/accomplishments & I gave her a peer recommendation written by a friend so she can understand my unique traits/personality better
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: 7/10 - M&T class of 2015 white guy, picked an overcrowded Starbucks, didn't get to talk about more personal unique points, felt like I was kind of repeating my personal statement out loud, but overall the flow of conversation was smooth, I asked good questions, and we had one really good bonding moment when he related very well to me on a personal family struggle
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9/10 - very well researched in terms of programs/courses/clubs, polished over and over again, approved by a bunch of people, but didn't focus on the Penn spirit aspect
Any dual-degree program essays: none
CommonApp Essay: 10/10 - worked on it starting June, extremely polished, touched upon unique background (moved 11 times, attended 9 schools, bipolar dad) that led to personal growth & leadership, approved by many people
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/30
Applied for Financial Aid? No
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Silicon Valley in CA
School Type: Private (avg SAT 1480/1600...)
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Cis-het female
Income Bracket Range: 7 figure income, but not Up There enough to be a donor lol
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): none
Reflection
Strengths: overall stats
Weaknesses: SAT essay score, counselor rec, interview
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: none so far
What would you have done differently?: schedule more meetings with counselor, pick a better interview location & talk more about unique personal factors, study harder for AP Chem/AP Euro/SAT 2 Bio-M
Replies to: Penn Class of 2023 ED Results ONLY
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 800/730/18
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1530
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): 790 French 740 Math 2 710 Chem
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Number of other ED applicants in your school:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Dean's list
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Run Video Production Company as COO
Guitarist
President DECA & Band club, Guitarist
Started Ecommerce store
Job/Work Experience: Tech startup internship in operations
Volunteer/Community Service: tutoring
Summer Experience:
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 french teach 1000 word rec
Teacher Recommendation #2: 5/10 cal teacher who did not know me well
Counselor Rec: 7/10 met a few times
Additional Info/Rec: 10/10 written by boss who i was super close with
Interview: 30 minute skype interview guy asked 2 questions (who are you? what do you do for fun?)
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 8 described research and interdisciplinary
Any dual-degree program essays: 8/10 talked about crypto
CommonApp Essay: 9/10 showed my love for tech and entrepreneurship
Other:
Date Submitted App: oct 31
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: canada
School Type: canadian CEGEP
Ethnicity: Bengali
Gender:M
Income Bracket Range: 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):
Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses: sat 2 scores and reference letter
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
What would you have done differently?: build more rapport with counselor and teachers. spend more time on essay
Other Factors:
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 (R: 36, M: 31, E: 32, S: 31)
ACT superscore (breakdown): 34 (R:36, M:32, E:35, S:32)
SAT II (subject, score): did not take-ik oof
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: school does not have gpa but I when I applied for some scholarships I had to calculate it and it was a 3.92/4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): School has no AP, IB or Honors course (Crazy right!!)
Senior Year Course Load:
Literature Seminar: Exile and Immigration
Calculus II
20th Century Morality
Forensics
Spanish Literature
Studio Art
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 3 including me (other two were both legacies) but my school is small only 60 kids in my grade
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
NSLI-Y Scholarship: state department merit-based scholarship to study abroad in China for 6 weeks
Leadership Experiment Institute Scholarship: merit-based scholarship to study abroad in India for 4 weeks
Yale Young Global Scholars: Politics and Economics (idk if this counts lol....)
American Heart Association Lifesaver Award
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Founder of School's Jewish Affinity Group (11, 12)
Editor of School Newspaper (9,10,11,12)
Invited Participant of School's student hiring committee (11+12)
Job/Work Experience:
Intern for New York Supreme Court Justice (11+12)
Social Media Director and Administrative Assistant at an Immigration Lawfirm (11+12)
Summer Intern at a Criminal Justice Lawfirm
Birthday Party Supervisor at an Arts and Crafts Studio (since 6th grade-11)
Volunteer/Community Service:
American Heart Association (AHA) Red Cap Child Ambassador (since 5th grade-present): speak at various AHA events and tell survivor story. Team leader for Wallstreet Run and Heart Walk.
CPR: Taught CPR to the entire student body and got it implemented into the curriculum taught 220+ ppl to date. Also started teaching free classes at local community centers.
United Synagogue Youth (USY): on Regional Executive Board for my region where we planned events for 300+ people. I also oversaw an 11 person Regional General Board!
Summer Experience:
Experiment Leadership Insititute (12): see above
Middlebury Interactive Languages (11 and 10): did one summer in Spain and one in Vermont. 24/7 Spanish immersion program.
I also worked at Immigration firm (11+12), Supreme Court (12), and Criminal Justice Firm (11)
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 (from my English teacher. I wrote many meaningful pieces in his class and we had a strong relationship)
Teacher Recommendation #2: 7/10 (from my math teacher. I honestly have no idea how good this is. I am an English-History person and my school made me get a letter of rec from one Humanities and one STEM teacher so yea. He liked me and I did well in his class but irdk....)
Counselor Rec: 9/10 (they really liked me!! But you never know)
Additional Info/Rec: 10/10!!! I had the head of the immigration firm I work at write me my letter and I saw it was really good! I also had the NY Supreme Court Justice I intern for send in a letter of rec but it was not through common app it was through the mail (according to court regulations it had to be done this way lol) I have no idea if it got to admissions or not tho....
Interview: 8/10. It was kind of uncomfortable she brought her daughter with her but she was very nice and gave me positive feedback afterward......
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 8.5/10 I think it was good it was very specific but did not state why I wanted to do my major just the major I wanted
Any dual-degree program essays:
CommonApp Essay: 10/10 I have a heart condition and wrote about how it gave me the drive to make a difference and help other not just in the US but globally. It touched upon all the strengths in my application (CPR work, and my law based internships) but in a way, I thought was humble and sincere. Probably the best piece of writing I have ever done it truly explained why I want to make a difference in this world.
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/31
Applied for Financial Aid?
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NJ
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White/Jewish
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: over 500,000
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): none rip
Reflection
Strengths: extracurriculars (work experience) and volunteer experience. Oh and my essays. They really showed why I want to be at Penn and make a difference in this world. Leadership and story (heart condition survivor who taught over 200 ppl CPR in her school and wants to continue to create change.....)
Weaknesses: Test scores, No subject tests (really thought I was gonna get rejected bc of this but this just proves that you don't need subject tests to get into Penn!!!!!!),
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: first school I have heard back from
What would you have done differently?: Take subject tests not spend and overall not spend as much time stressing over my test scores.
Other Factors: I am so so so so happy right now!! I cannot believe it! Absolutely in shock!!
Also, I would love to offer anyone advice. I spent HOURS pouring over college confidential so if anyone needs help totally feel free to message me
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1560 -- 790/770
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): one sitting
ACT (breakdown): 34 single sitting composite
ACT superscore (breakdown): 35 -- 34e/36m/34r/36s two attempts
SAT II (subject, score): 800s on math 2 and physics
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 4.00UW ~4.5W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):N/a
AP/IB (place score in parentheses):All 5s on Ap BC, Physics 1 C mech and E&M APUSH APGOV and a 6 on ib hl math
Senior Year Course Load:AP econ Ap chem IB further math, ib english hl, ib german hl
Number of other ED applicants in your school: none i think
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):none oof
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Aps, Nat merit com, AIME qualifier
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): NHS VP volunteer organization and started a tutoring initiative thing after school cuz I like to tutor, 1st tenor sax in Band up until senior year bc work, pres of math club, member at my local jewish temple.
Job/Work Experience: Grocery stock clerk like 18 hrs a week sometimes less
Volunteer/Community Service: see above
Summer Experience: video games, helped some friends when they organized a tedx
Teacher Recommendation #1: Math teacher, we get along swimmingly
Teacher Recommendation #2: German teacher, awesome guy, let me tell him some stuff to write
Counselor Rec: she's nice i talk to her some idk how unique tho
Additional Info/Rec: n/a
Interview: Really good, we had a lot in common the guy was really awesome and nice and said he would 'sing my praises', but honestly I dont know how much they look at the interveiw unless you cuss them out or dont show up, but still probably my favorite part of the app.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: I obviously thought it was pretty dope or I wouldn't have submitted it lol
Any dual-degree program essays: none
CommonApp Essay: ^^
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/31/18
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes please
U.S. State/Territory or Country: O-H--I-O
School Type: Public and good, but not one of those whack schools. ACT avg is like 24 for reference
Ethnicity: White jew
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: middle class suburbia
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): One of my uncles went to penn like 40 years ago and is a firefighter now so idk if that matters or not.
Reflection
Strengths: grades, scores, recs..... essays?
Weaknesses: ECs are kinda generic and I didn't start anything super special
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Idk yet hopefully i get in somewhere lol
What would you have done differently?: Probably nothing this is better than I expected. Biggest help probably would've been if I came back from my Acl injury to play sports to make me more attractive to schools but that wouldn't have been good for my health in all likelihood so I'd say I'm pleased with ending up where I did. There's always the Wharton meme of "I could've started a business" but idk how true that really is, they want uniqueness more than that I think. This gives me confidence with my chances at other schools for RD. Penn as a whole I don't believe defers more than they accept ED so i assume wharton does the same so Defer means like ~top30% not too shabby.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1590: 800 M / 790CR (one sitting)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): Math Level II 800.
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.7 unweighted/4.2 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): AP Bio (4); AP WH (3); AP Lit (3) - Did not submit any scores.
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ. AP Stat; AP Calc BC; Hon Eng (AP Eng conflicts with AP STATS); AP Physics
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): none
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP scholar, honor roll
Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
HS Wind Ensemble (highest level band) 9- 12 French Horn
Guitar and Piano
Varsity Tennis (9-12)
Chess club (10-12)
Job/Work Experience:
Local restaurants - food prep and busser (10 - current (20 hours per week)
Volunteer/Community Service: Ski instructor (11- 12)
Summer Experience: restaurant work
Teacher Recommendation #1: 8/10 AP Spanish teacher
Teacher Recommendation #2: 9/10 Head of Math Department
Counselor Rec: 8/10 Tried to explain vast disparity between my standardized test scores and my GPA based on my decision to take the most challenging courses offered at my HS.
Additional Info/Rec: None
Interview: 8/10 Seemed to connect with interviewer and believe I effectively conveyed my interest in Penn.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 8/10 - tried to emphasize my interest in Penn and Wharton specifically based on my interest in data analytics and aptitude in math.
Any dual-degree program essays: N/A
CommonApp Essay: 9/10 - Felt (as does probably everyone else who has written one) it was unique and well written. Based on a real experience I had abroad and the ability to connect with people from other cultures etc.
Other: None
Date Submitted App:11/1 at 11:43 PM
Applied for Financial Aid? No
U.S. State/Territory or Country: MA
School Type: Public HS
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: Too much to qualify for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): Legacy
Reflection
Strengths: Standardized Test Scores/challenging curriculum
Weaknesses: low GPA/dearth of volunteer and business activities
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Still waiting
What would you have done differently?: Probably would not have made a difference, but would have focused more in HS on doing what it took to get As in all my classes even if it did not seem to be related to learning the subject matter.
Other Factors:
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 English, 32 Math, 32 Reading, 32 Science)
SAT II (subject, score): N/A
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 4.14 W, 3.84 UW (upward trend)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): AP Human Geo (4), AP Calc AB (3), AP World (4), AP Psych (5), AP US (5), AP Bio (4), AP stats (3), AP Lang (4)
Senior Year Course Load: I take all my classes through PSEO at umn: intro to personality, physics, intro to american government, medical terminology, intro to sociology, child psych, multicultural literature in the us, intro pharmacy class
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 3 maybe?
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): haha no
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Nothing special, AP scholar with distinction, academic letter all years of high school
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): competitive dance (18ish hours a week), teacher assistant at dance, volunteer at a hospital for 3 years, NHS, Key Club, link crew (freshman orientation club), co-chair of a tutoring committee at local elementary school (11,12)
Job/Work Experience: Summer job as a lifeguard, babysitting, paid tutoring
Volunteer/Community Service: Hospital volunteer (350+ hours), various volunteering through nhs and key club (200+ hours)
Summer Experience: Lifeguarding
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10: AP human geo teacher freshman year and AP world sophomore year. I was really close with her and did really well in her classes. I still go talk to her after school often and she got to see me mature from a freshman to a senior.
Teacher Recommendation #2: 9/10: Freshman bio teacher and junior year AP bio teacher. She is also an advisor for a club I have been in all of high school. We talk sometimes out of class and I think she really likes me. Having her for two years also probably helped her see me mature from my freshman year.
Counselor Rec: 9/10: probably a better than average rec for a counselor at a larger school. We have a pretty close relationship for a counselor/student and I have gone in and talked to her about problems I'm having before. She has seen me overcome a lot so I think that was helpful for this rec.
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: 8/10: It was a pretty good interview, she seemed impressed with me but it didn't last too long and wasn't anything special. We had quite bit in common and I was well-prepared but i'm not sure if it really made much of an impact on my decision.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9/10: I made it very penn specific, talked about my visit, and made sure to show how excited I was about Penn and what it offers. I also tried to make sure I expressed how I thought I would fit into the school well. I'm not usually a huge fan of my writing but I thought it was pretty good.
Any dual-degree program essays: N/A
CommonApp Essay: 7/10: Thinking about this essay makes me cringe. I talked about how I overcame obstacles from my childhood to present. I think I tried to fit too much of my life into one essay and it was kinda cheesy, but I think it showed how I have grown as a person pretty well.
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/27/18
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Minnesota
School Type: Public 2000+ students
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: ~180k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None
Reflection
Strengths: teacher recs, taking some of the hardest classes and course loads possible, maybe taking classes at a college my senior year?, my EC's aren't amazing but I am pretty involved, volunteering at a hospital surely helped for nursing
Weaknesses: GPA isn't perfect, test scores aren't perfect, not much prep in chem, no SAT subject tests
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Penn was my first decision
What would you have done differently?: nothing I guess?
Final thoughts: I am honestly so shocked that I got in. I really feel like I am just an average suburban white girl and there are sooo many more qualified applicants that didn't get in. This is a dream come true and I never imagined that I could actually get in here. I've been creeping on every stats page for the last three years trying to find someone that wasn't amazing and got in, so if that's you creeping here you go. Congrats to everyone accepted!!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1st sitting: 1440 (740M, 700E) 2nd sitting: 1470 (730M, 740E)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1480 (740 on both)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (36E, 31M, 33S, 34R) -- only one sitting
SAT II (subject, score): 740 Chemistry
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: My school is weird; we don't calculate UW (but I'd guess ~3.94), weighted is 4.16
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): US History (5), English Lang (5), Chemistry (5), U.S. Gov (5), Microeconomics (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, Latin IV independent study, Honors Physics, Wind Ensemble (band), AP Lit, AP Macroeconomics, AP European History
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): n/a
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Honor roll, AP Scholar with Distinction,
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Marching Band 9-12 (section leader)
Band 9-12 (two district awards, first chair in 10th)
DECA 9-12 (medals at district & state levels 9-11, state finalist in 11th)
National Honor Society 11-12
Latin Club 9-12 (class leader)
School Newspaper 10 (features & news editor for online edition, we received a state award for the website)
Job/Work Experience: I babysit for two families & have for two years, in 10th grade I had a job for six months as a camp counselor, lifeguard, and swim teacher for special needs kids
Volunteer/Community Service:
Church service -- Children's Liturgy of the Word leader, Vacation Bible School counselor, lector (9-12)
Services for Older Citizens (9, 10)
American Civil Liberties Union community organizer -- started an initiative against solitary confinement, led youth canvassing groups prior to midterm elections (11, 12)
Summer Experience:
American Civil Liberties Union Summer Advocacy Institute -- summer 2018
Teacher Recommendation #1: 7, I had a good relationship with the first teacher but I'm unsure of her writing skills
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8, a great writer but really swamped with letters to write so I don't know how much attention mine was paid
Counselor Rec: 10, my counselor is a big fan of mine and knows me really well
Additional Info/Rec: article for local newspaper
Interview: I don't think my interview was the issue -- we got along really well and talked for about 90 minutes, often veering off of application-related topics
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9, why I felt PPE would help me in college and with my career goals
Any dual-degree program essays: n/a
CommonApp Essay: why/how my dad influenced my goal to become an attorney, 8, feels a tad generic
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/19/18
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Michigan
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: ~27k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): deceased parent, low-income
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, interview
Weaknesses: lack of leadership roles in my ECs, perhaps my rec letters, SAT/SAT II scores
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Have only heard back from Michigan State University, accepted into their honors college and a specialized political science program with a yearly stipend, staff assistantship, and scholarship
What would you have done differently?: re-taken my subject tests
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1400 (YES IT’S POSSIBLE) (710 Reading)(690 Math)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: UW:3.99 W:4.26
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 11/41
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Psychology Independent Study, AP Lit, Statistics (and a whole bunch of other electives)
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 0
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Recognition from The International Commision of Benedictine Education - I was selected by the International Commission of Benedictine Education to meet and speak with Pope Francis in Rome. I also got a photo taken with me shaking his hand!
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): First Honor Roll every semester for all 4 years
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
-Founder/ President of The African Culture Club in my school
-Part of my schools leadership team (like student council in a way)
-Part of Students In Action, a service club at my school
-Volleyball captain for all four years of HS
-Founder of Voices Of Passion, a singing group that welcomes young women of all grades and ages to showcase their vocal abilities.
-President of The Debate Club
Job/Work Experience: NONE
Volunteer/Community Service:
-Founder and President of Root of Hope for Nigeria, a non-profit organization that aims to empower the youth of Nigeria through educational opportunity. (I’ve organized many events for my NPO in my community, both here in America and in Nigeria)
-Alter Server at my church
-Volunteer at my local hospital
Summer Experience:
-Went on a mission trip for my organization, started a scholarship fund of 100,00 Naira per year
Teacher Recommendation #1: from my calc teacher. She taught me for 3 out of 4 years. I didn’t see it
Teacher Recommendation #2: from my AP psychology teacher. He taught me for 3 years. I’m doing an independent study with him this year (requested the class because my school originally wasn’t offering it) so I’m guessing it was good. I didn’t see it
Counselor Rec: I’m guessing it was good, she’s known me since sophomore year. I didn’t see it
Additional Info/Rec: from my AP USHIS teacher who left my school. I didn’t see it
Interview: interviewer said he was “impressed by me”. Had a good conversation. Lasted about 30 minutes. Wasn’t extraordinary or anything like that. It was regular but I could tell he thought highly of me based off of my answers. I hear people saying they spent an hour just talking with their interviewer but that wasn't the case for me. It was straight forward and lowkey.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 10/10 (talked about specific courses I wanted to take and clubs I wanted to join. Also mentioned how my brother goes there and connected that with how i learned so much about the school and how I gained interest)
CommonApp Essay: 10/10 (very very personal and emotional. Talked specifically about my growth from my hardships and exactly what i learned & how I applied that lesson to my life)
:
Date Submitted App: October 18, 2018
U.S. State/Territory or Country: New Jersey
School Type: Very Small Private
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: F
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): URM, my hardships (I won’t go into detail), my experience meeting and speaking with Pope Francis (this is not an experience just any student can say they have done), Founding a NPO
Reflection
Strengths: My essays & recommendations, as well as my achievements revolving around my NPO
Weaknesses: I don’t see my SAT score as a weakness, even though others might, because 1. Yeah it may have been “low’ in the eyes of others but hey, I still got in so. & 2. I worked so hard to get that 1400 and it all paid off in the end. Just remember, they look at you holistically. Yes, they want good grades but you need to be a well rounded student.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: didn’t apply anywhere else
What would you have done differently?: Nothing at all. I truly believe that everything I have done has led up to this acceptance so I would not change a thing at all
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 770M/660R/14
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1430
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): Math 2-780, Biology E-630
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 91
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): didn't submit
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, Experimental Neurology (honors), Anatomy & Physiology, Terrorism in the Modern World (History), New York Stories (English)
Number of other ED applicants in your school: at least 4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): none
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Honor roll freshman and sophomore year (no awards submitted though)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
- Varsity soccer, starter from 9-12th grades
- JV Basketball, 9-12th, Captain 11th and 12th
- Tour Guide, 9-12th, Head Tour Guide 12th
- Disciplinary Committee
- Black Student Alliance member
Job/Work Experience:
- Certified EMT
Volunteer/Community Service:
- Big Sister in Big Brothers Big Sisters Program
- Traveled to NA reservation and helped plan summer camp
- Ambassador for initiative to educate young black girls
Summer Experience:
- Cultural Immersion Program in Spain (1 month) sophomore year
- Online course with Brown sophomore year
- EMT training junior year
Teacher Recommendation #1: 8/10 -- favorite teacher, English teacher and recent graduate school grad, great relationship
Teacher Recommendation #2: 6/10 -- Biology teacher, less personal relationship, but worked really hard in class
Counselor Rec: 7/10 -- great relationship, fully supportive of my college choices
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: 5/10 -- couldn't clearly read how the interview went, but I'm guessing pretty okay based off my acceptance! We really connected during the opportunity for me to ask her questions, so it's really helpful to pre-plan possible questions for the interviewer, as well as improvise based on the course of the conversation.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 6-7/10 -- I didn't really feel good about this essay, it was a strange one to write, and I tried my best not to kiss up to the admission's office at Penn. I showed how I fit Penn, and how Penn fit me.
Any dual-degree program essays: N/A
CommonApp Essay: 8-9/10 -- everyone I showed the final product loved it, and said it was very good. Not quite sure though, I'm bad at judging the quality of my own writing. I felt pretty good as it was entirely genuine, and felt completely individual to me. I wrote about a favorite past teacher of mine and his inspiration for my particular course of interest.
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/17
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, was deemed not eligible though
U.S. State/Territory or Country: PA
School Type: boarding
Ethnicity: Black (Caribbean)
Gender: F
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): URM
Reflection
Strengths: not quite sure, my essay perhaps, my school, unique extracurriculars maybe?
Weaknesses: Test scores, lack of award recognition,
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Temple University, was waiting to here back from other EAs but not anymore.
What would you have done differently?: I wouldn't change anything, really. If I had spent more time preparing for the SAT, it would have interfered with other aspects of my life and strengths of my application, so I feel like all parts of my application were just right! I'm so stunned right now, it's all unreal to me.
Other Factors:
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1540 (790 M/ 750 R&W)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown): not taken
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): 780 (Math II) (only submitted one)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: we dont have GPA in school
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): unavailable but probably top 5-10%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 2 (I think both others got rejected)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): i dont think we rly have those.
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): History special prize, O Level History, English, Math awards, an award for exemplary services from a community service org
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
-President of a volunteer board'
-Vice President of Academic Enrichment Society
-Student Coach of Rowing team
-Interned at a prospective MNA's election office
-Taking part in a Future of Pak conference (youngest volunteer)
-Attending courses on Politics in different places (Brown/Oxford)
-Rowing at National, varsity level
-Introduced an initiative at an orphanage for academics
-Prefect on Student Council
-Exec Committee, TedX
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
-Organisation + Teaching at Summer camp for domestic staff students
-120+ hours at special needs school
-Initiation of first special needs Cafe in country
-Teaching weekly at initiated program at orphanage
Summer Experience:
-Brown Summer - US in world pol
-Ox summer - Leadership and IR
-Internship at election office
- Supervision of internships and organisation of events at special needs schools
Teacher Recommendation #1: 8-9/10 She's known me for 3-4 years and shes seen me develop into a passionate individual abt hist. But her way of looking at people is interesting / high standards but would have been a very real picture of me
Teacher Recommendation #2: 7-8/10 econ teacher but idk how well she is at writing but she did particularly like me and was my head house tutor and wanted to make me a house captain also
Counselor Rec: Not sure, she was nice but idk how well she knew me. 8/10
Additional Info/Rec: -
Interview: It was w an alumni who studied the same major I'd applied for, she was relatively new to the process so while i was comfortable talking to her, it seemed like she put up a wall
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: I used my uk ps for this, found it quite boring but was probs better bc i read it too much 7-8
Any dual-degree program essays:
CommonApp Essay: Was about food.. I started hating it bc i'd read it too much but it was unique so maybe??
Other:
Date Submitted App:27th Oct
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: International -Pak
School Type:
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: $100k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): idk what would count as a hook for me
Reflection
Strengths: Possibly essay and focus towards my major?
Weaknesses: AID! definitely bc need aware, Possibly bc i didnt submit a SAT 2?
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:rn, ive been made an offer by UCL, Warwick, St Andrews and yet to hear back from Cambridge (had an interview), LSE, UCLA, UCB
What would you have done differently?: Maybe somehow got more money but i dont entirely regret it bc cambridge is my top choice but penn is an extremely good fit for me.
Other Factors: In my country, you can count the number of people who applied. However, interestingly noone has been accepted this year (this is the trend for the past 2 years. Before that 4-5 just got in from my school). This year, 2 people from the country got deferred (funny bc im related to the other deferral) and the other 2 applicants in my school were rejected! and in the rest of the country also so i think the deferral was either bc they want to assess all the people from my country together or because of aid as they werent sure about us being worth it due to aid esp b/c such less international students receive aid.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1560: (800 Math, 760 English), 23 Essay
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): same as above
ACT (breakdown): 35C: (36 English, 36 Math, 35 reading, 32 science, 12 writing)
ACT superscore (breakdown): 36C: (36 English, 36 Math, 35 reading, 36 science, 12 writing)
SAT II (subject, score): Math II 800, Bio M 750
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 99.31 u/w; school doesn't weight
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3, but school doesn't rank
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): Macroeconomics (5), Microeconomics (5), Spanish Language and Culture (4), Calc AB (4). All were self-studied sophomore and junior year since the school didn't offer them.
Senior Year Course Load: School only offered 3 aps, this was the first year ever that they offered them. Advanced Language and Composition, Advanced U.S. Government and Politics, Advanced Calculus 1, Self-studying AP Calc BC, AP Physics 1.
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Member of Mensa International, NSDA Worlds Schools Debate Double Octa Finalist
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): LILT 1st Place Spanish Poetry Recitation, National Merit Commended, A bunch of debate awards at local and national tournaments, Bloomberg Terminal Certified
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
1) Work at my dad’s family business (9-12)
2) Debate (10-12), Captain
3) Economics Club (11-12), President
4) Yearbook (9-12), Managing Editor of Activities and Underclass Sections
5) Manager of my own Private Investment Portfolio (9-12)
6) Tutoring, Peer Tutoring Club, and at Homework Hub (9-12)
7) Self-teaching Spanish and Russian
8) Internship at PE Firm, summer before senior year
9) Sodality, weekly discussion group (9-12)
10) Columbia Summer Immersion Entrepreneurship Program, summer before senior year
Job/Work Experience: See Above
Volunteer/Community Service: see tutoring
Summer Experience: Working, Tutoring, Internship
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10, my math teacher freshman and junior year, in his sodality group (we meet weekly) and I know him extremely well.
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8.5/10 Spanish teacher junior year, should be a pretty solid rec
Counselor Rec: 8.5/10, I would say slightly above average for this one
Additional Info/Rec: n/a
Interview: 35 mins, I thought it went ok
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9/10, very specific, talked about my passion for the environment and how it molds with business at Wharton
Any dual-degree program essays: n/a
CommonApp Essay: 9/10, wrote about how my job spurred my entrepreneurial spirit and desire to make a communal impact
Other:
Date Submitted App: Mid Oct
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NY
School Type: Private Catholic
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: 200ish
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): Technically first gen, my parents only have 2-year degrees at community college
Reflection
Strengths: Academics, told a compelling story through my essays that linked my accomplishments and my passions
Weaknesses: ECs aren’t amazing, and I’m not the best writer
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Binghamton
What would you have done differently?: Spent more time on ECs and essays
Other Factors: n/a
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1350 (didn't submit)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): same as above
ACT (breakdown): 32 (35E 35R 27M 30S)
ACT superscore (breakdown): same as above
SAT II (subject, score): 700 bio M (took others but this was my only one submitted)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 105.64 weighted, 95 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/225
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): Biology (4) Stats (4) Lang (5) USH (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psychology, AP Calculus AB, AP English Literature, AP Physics 1, AP Computer Science principles, French 4 online, Environmental science and political science online at a local CC
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): not really
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Lots of DECA awards (3rd in state for my cluster, 1st for my test, 1st in South Jersey for regionals, several qualifiers, national competitor), Key Club distinguished VP, Scholar Athlete cheerleading award, student of the month, etc (most notable definitely being DECA)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
- DECA President, several awards on the state level and a national competitor, leader of my school's study sessions
- Key Club VP & editor, raised over $9k as an officer of the club
- STEM Club founder and president, mentioned the funding issues I faced founding this club, leader of Brain Bee study sessions
- Editor for a neuroscience journal
- School musical (4 years)
- Choir with national performances
- NHS, world language honor society
- Working at a wildlife hospital for sick and injured animals (am now on their fundraising committee but Penn did not see that when I applied)
- 3 year varsity cheerleader
- Tour guide and docent at local historical museum
(I have many additional ECs that I actually got after I applied for Penn. I now am doing research at a local college for BME, as well as am making an ethoscope to study fly behavior with a neuroscientist, and am doing quality assurance work with a local pharmaceutical company. Additionally, I am volunteering at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and will be working with various types of animals and biodiversity. Penn also did not see that I got selected for the fundraising committee for my animal hospital. All of these things are being mentioned in my LOCI).
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: All of my community service was done through Key Club and NHS (yes, my school's NHS chapter actually does things)
Summer Experience: I did a camp for the United Nations for a couple of days this summer.
Teacher Recommendation #1: 8/10 My APUSH teacher. She let me read it, I think she spoke very highly of me and showed my academic curiosity and how I extended it outside of the classroom by volunteering at the historical museum.
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8/10?? My AP Bio teacher. She loved me and thought I was extremely creative as I would make claymation biology videos for her class. She saw my love for biology as I took it outside of the classroom as well. However, we were not extremely close when she wrote the letter.
Counselor Rec: 7/10. My guidance counselor spoke very highly of me but did not really put any concrete examples of how I showed any of the traits she mentioned in the letter.
Additional Info/Rec: None.
Interview: 8/10. I was a bit nervous, but my interviewer seemed to like me a lot. She found my niche in bio/poly sci very unique and said we needed more people with my enthusiasm in politics.
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 7/10. I felt it was unique and specific and really showed my niche, but I am not the best creative writer. I think showing my interest in bio and polysci set me apart.
Any dual-degree program essays: Nope
CommonApp Essay: 7/10, about me being a "hoarder" in the metaphorical sense. Made me come off as someone with a flamboyant personality whose mind is always racing a million miles a minute in the best way possible.
Other:
Date Submitted App: 11/1 at like 11pm lmao
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: New Jersey (South near Philadelphia)
School Type: Noncompetitive public high school, relatively bad
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: about $150k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): My dad works in Penn's hospital system. I think this is definitely the reason I got deferred instead of rejected.
Reflection
Strengths: Honestly don't think I have many strengths. My interview was good. I think my niche of biology and political science sets me apart from other applicants.
Weaknesses: TEST SCORES. ECs didn't get good until my senior year, which is what Penn didn't see (but in the context of my high school they are amazing). Why Penn could have been more creative but still was pretty specific.
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted Pitt but haven't heard back from anyone else yet
What would you have done differently?: So much. Would have started studying for ACT earlier. Would have tried to figure out what I wanted to major in my freshman year so I could have gotten more focused ECs (I sort of just did what I wanted). Test scores most important though. I wish I started studying earlier and could have submitted a better ACT.
Other Factors: My dad working at Penn no doubt played a part in me being deferred instead of rejected. Definitely a hook.
Reflection: I am very grateful for a deferral. I have the chance to send in my most recent SAT subject test scores in bio M and literature, and to send my December ACT which may have hit the 33 mark. I have a chance to send a LOCI about the research and volunteering I'm doing. The acceptance rate for deferred applicants is around 16% in the RD round, and that number doesn't scare me too much at all considering it's about the ED acceptance rate. I am very fine with my deferral and am glad that Penn is giving me another chance to show who I am.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1530 (790 M/730 R/20) <- didn't submit
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): ^that was my highest
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36E/36M/33R/36S) (first try!)
ACT superscore (breakdown): ^one sitting!
SAT II (subject, score): Math II - 800/Chem - 790
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 93.2 UW/97.6 W (had a rough freshmen year yikes but got better as the years went by)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%? (hyper competitive high school)
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): (All 5's) AP Gov, AP Chem, AP Physics 1, AP Lang, BC Calc
Senior Year Course Load: Georgia Tech Distance Math Linear Algebra, AP Physics C, AP Bio, British Literature, Mastery Orchestra, Economics, Physical Education
Number of other ED applicants in your school: 7
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
- National Merit Scholar Semi-finalist
- 2018 Governor's Honors Program Finalist
- Laurette Winner 2018 Georgia Philharmonic Concerto Competition
- Semi-finalist Ronald Sachs International Music Competition
- 2nd Place Augusta Symphony
- Honorable Mention at 2018 Georgia Music Teachers Association (GMTA)
- Competition - Junior Strings Category
- 2nd Place at 2017 GMTA Competition- Senior Strings Category
- Honorable Mention at 2015 GMTA Competition - Senior Strings Category
- 2nd Place at the 2018 Augusta Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition
- 3rd Place at the 2017 Samuel Fordis Georgia Philharmonic Concerto Competition
- A bunch of placements in USA Rock Climbing Competitions
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
- AP Scholar with Distinction
- generic honor roll stuff at school
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Violin
- Played for 12 years
- many competitions/awards
- studied with a college professor
- played at a hospital for cancer patients every summer
Rock Climbing
- 10th grade-12th grade
- member of climbing team
- many competitions/regionals
Job/Work Experience: (n/a)
Chamber Music Society
- 9th-12th
- Secretary (12th)
- held concerts for senior homes
Volunteer/Community Service:
- Beta stuff
- NHS stuff
- Played violin in the lobby of a cancer center for patients for the past three summers
Summer Experience:
- GHP 2018 - Violin major
- ^other than that, not much summer experience; had to spend most of my time caring for siblings
Teacher Recommendation #1: 8/10 - Lang teacher; had her in freshmen year and junior year and she's a super smart person and amazing at writing; got pretty close with her but not that close but I think she wrote a good essay
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8/10 - BC Calc teacher; I honestly have no idea how this rec letter was. This teacher almost never wrote rec letters but I was lucky to have him write one. He liked me a lot because he's really quirky and interesting person and I think that he wrote good things about me.
Counselor Rec: 7/10 - Got to know my counselor really well during senior year; I didn't have a 1st or 2nd period (online classes) so i would be in his office almost every day and talked to him. He told me that I was the first essay that he wrote and I think he wrote a little than better generic essay
Additional Info/Rec: - Orchestra director from GHP - he is an amazing person and I basically lived with him for a month because of this summer program and I got to know him really well. He also attended Wharton for undergrad
Interview: 8.5/10 - Overall went really well I think. Had a really chill interviewer and conversation was really natural. Got stuck on one question he asked but i think it was okay. He didn't ask me at all "Why Penn?" but whatever lol
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 10/10 - I researched the crap outta Penn and talked about where my passion for medicine came from. Talked about some classes that I was looking forward to, research opportunities that I wanted to take, and a professor that I wanted to do research with. Definitely could not have used this essay for any other college it was really specific and showed my passion for Penn.
Any dual-degree program essays: n/a
CommonApp Essay: 8/10 - talked about violin and how I've learned to give everything I do my absolute best and stay determined because if you do, good results will come in the end, even if the results aren't the ones you are initially expecting
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/30
Applied for Financial Aid? - yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: GA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: ~50k per year
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): sike
Reflection
Strengths: really good dedication to what I did (violin)
Weaknesses: not that many EC's that were related to my major (Biochem)
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: really good test scores for science things on top of big dedication to violin showed AO's that I had the potential to do really well
What would you have done differently?: nothing much really. maybe more science EC's
Other Factors:
- submitted a resume and also a music portfolio; there were 3 songs I put in the music portfolio that showed my best performances
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown): 35, only took once
SAT II (subject, score): math II 790, only took one subject test
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP/IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Modern Euro, AP Lit, Religion, AP BC Calc, AP Modern Euro
Number of other ED applicants in your school:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Job/Work Experience: DS worked every summer since 8th grade summer. He always had two jobs, one for making money and the other an internship
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Experience: working
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10
Teacher Recommendation #2: 10/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10
Additional Info/Rec: DS lives with his teachers at boarding school, so they know him well
Interview: Alumni interview via Skype
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 10
Any dual-degree program essays:
CommonApp Essay: 10
Other:
Date Submitted App: 9/28
Applied for Financial Aid? No
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NYC
School Type: private, boarding
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):
Reflection
Strengths: Work experience, leadership positions in clubs and athletics
Weaknesses: freshman year grades brought down cum GPA
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: UT-Austin
What would you have done differently?:
Other Factors:
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 700/760/12
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1460
ACT (breakdown): NA
ACT superscore (breakdown): NA
SAT II (subject, score): 650 Biology-M, 690 Literature (Yes, really. Yikes I know!)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 101.2/100 (Weighted, out of 100 at my school)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/90
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): At my school, AP's are only offered senior year, so no scores yet!
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP English, AP Calculus (AB), AP US History, Honors Physics, Spanish 4
Number of other ED applicants in your school: None
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Scholar of the Year (Regional).. if that counts.. maybe none
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): NHS, High Honor Roll, etc.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (6 years, human behavior studies, perfect scores at regional and state level)
FBLA (9th-12th, Regional Officer, Chapter President)
Student Council (Student body vice president, class president in past years)
Mock Trial (Lawyer & Witness, since 10th Grade)
Varsity Cheerleading (9th-12th, Captain, All American)
Job/Work Experience:
Some job shadowing with a lawyer
Local restaurant busser
Cheerleading Camp store worker (summer)
Volunteer/Community Service:
Local organization to help my community (youth board)
Volunteering with my home municipality (Township of residence)
Helped organize a powderpuff game for breast cancer at my hs
Summer Experience:
None
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10. Super thorough, she was so supportive of me and told me she put everything into the letter!!
Teacher Recommendation #2: 7/10. Prob not super well written or thorough or unique, but oriented around a club that relates specifically to my major so I used it.
Counselor Rec: 10/10. Very long letter, super in depth and many praises. So grateful for this one
Additional Info/Rec: 9/10. A guy who runs the org I volunteer for. He definitely made it pretty quirky, which is cool and different. He's a retired HS principal
Interview: 9/10. I had a really great conversation! We stayed and talked for about an hour, and then the shop we were in closed! He had a lot of advice and insight and I thin i definitely portrayed my interest and passion super well. Def came off a little nervous, but maybe there's nothing wrong with that!
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9/10 i think. Used my father and his favorite plant as inspiration for an essay that talked about how and why I came to the conclusion about what I wanna do.. and why I need to be at Penn.
Any dual-degree program essays: NA
CommonApp Essay: 10/10. About a self-started project I'm currently conducting that sheds light on the elderly in my community by interviewing them and writing bios on their lives. I also included a bio in the additional documents section.
Other:
Date Submitted App: Oct. 31 prob
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Pennsylvania, USA
School Type: Small Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: Not sure exactly.. middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None, no legacy, no hooks
Reflection
PLEAASSEEE know this: you don't have to be the very best, you have to be the very best FIT. I stressed so much about scores and how the odds were so numerically against me. Instead of being discouraged, I made sure that i outdid myself in all of the other aspects of my app. In general, if you know you belong at Penn, and you can make them see that... that's the #1 most important thing. I would have never expected in a million years to be accepted, and I feel so honored and humbled to have been. It COULD happen, and you don't have to be perfect at all. They really are looking for people who belong at Penn, not just wonderful scores and extras. Anyone please PM me if you ever have any questions!!!! I would love to chat
Strengths: Essays and Recs
Weaknesses: SCORES for sure/Lack of AP classes/scores
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: no where prior to
What would you have done differently?: Looking back, especially being accepted, nothing. I gave my application absolutely everything I could and really proved to Penn that I belong there.
Other Factors: nothing I can think of
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1570 (800 Math/770 Eng/17 Essay)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): see above
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36 Eng/36 Math/35 Reading/36 Science/10 Essay)
ACT superscore (breakdown): see above
SAT II (subject, score): Math 2 800, Bio-M 770
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.89/4.0 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~15-20%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): Music Theory (5), Chinese (5), Chem (4), Calc AB (5), Euro (4), Microecon (5), Macroecon (5), USH (5), Calc BC (5), Spanish (5), Phys C Mech (TBD), Phys C E&M (TBD), Stats (TBD), Lit (5), CS A (TBD)
Senior Year Course Load: AP CS A, AP Lit, Adv Journalism, AP Stats, AP Phys C Mech & E&M, Hon Adv Game Theory (S1), Behavioral Econ (S2), Hon Differential Equations (S2)
Number of other ED applicants in your school: ~20
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): IDK what quals as major so all my awards are going in the common section
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Nat Scholar, NM semifinalist, PVSAs, NatScho Art & Writing Keys, Intl & Regional MUN awards, State & Regional DECA awards, regional piano awards, regional Tae Kwon Do awards, NSPA Honor Roll, minor school awards
Subjective: combining ECs, work, and comm serv into one lol
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description), Job/Work Experience, Volunteer/Community Service:
-Non-profit org, 10-12, Pres/Co-founder, support education in rural areas: raised >$12,500 for school supplies, launched remote online teaching platform at 3 schools, ran annual holiday gift drive, expanded club membership to 55, organized various events/fundraisers
-Model UN, 10-12, Dir. of Mktg, expanded membership from 6 to >80 students, launched program at local middle school, organized 1st intramural MUN competition, won various awards
-DECA, 9-12, Senior Mentor, proof-read papers & coach mock presentations, won various awards
-Microfinance org, 10-12, Team Leader, interviewed potential borrowers & organized data into balance sheets/cash flow statements, issued 40 microloans with 100% on-time payment
-Journalism, 10-12, STEM Editor (11)/A&E Columnist (12), managed content of STEM section in newspaper and online site, edited articles, interview sources (i.e. 2017 Nobel Laureates of Chem and Physics), write articles
-Women in STEM, 9-12, Volunteering & Events Coordinator, organized science fairs at local elementary & middle schools, organized experiment booths at science symposium (>700 attendees)
-Tae Kwon Do, since I was in 4th grade, junior instructor, black belt 1
-Piano, since I was in 1st grade, Certificate of Merit with Branch Honors passed, won various awards
-KidiTech, 11, TA, assisted instructors during elementary picture programming lessons
Summer Experience:
-YYGS: Intl Affairs & Security
-Costa Rica Summer Biochem research trip
-ECs (the non-profit, microfinance org, Tae Kwon Do, piano, KidiTech)
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 - Hon Calc C/Multi-var Calc teacher, said I was his top student during parent-teacher conferences & sent a bunch of those "you are great" emails during the school year, I provided a detailed list of accomplishments/anecdotes/highlight traits, he wrote my summer recs
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8/10 - AP Microecon/Macroecon teacher, I wasn't not an outstanding student but one of his top students, known as one of the best teachers in our school, he's great writer overall, he wrote my summer recs, didn't provide him with accomplishments/anecdotes/highlight traits tho
Counselor Rec: 7/10 - doesn't know me very well, probably have spoken to her for a total of only 4 hours, but she knows all my ECs/accomplishments & I gave her a peer recommendation written by a friend so she can understand my unique traits/personality better
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: 7/10 - M&T class of 2015 white guy, picked an overcrowded Starbucks, didn't get to talk about more personal unique points, felt like I was kind of repeating my personal statement out loud, but overall the flow of conversation was smooth, I asked good questions, and we had one really good bonding moment when he related very well to me on a personal family struggle
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9/10 - very well researched in terms of programs/courses/clubs, polished over and over again, approved by a bunch of people, but didn't focus on the Penn spirit aspect
Any dual-degree program essays: none
CommonApp Essay: 10/10 - worked on it starting June, extremely polished, touched upon unique background (moved 11 times, attended 9 schools, bipolar dad) that led to personal growth & leadership, approved by many people
Other:
Date Submitted App: 10/30
Applied for Financial Aid? No
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Silicon Valley in CA
School Type: Private (avg SAT 1480/1600...)
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Cis-het female
Income Bracket Range: 7 figure income, but not Up There enough to be a donor lol
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): none
Reflection
Strengths: overall stats
Weaknesses: SAT essay score, counselor rec, interview
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: none so far
What would you have done differently?: schedule more meetings with counselor, pick a better interview location & talk more about unique personal factors, study harder for AP Chem/AP Euro/SAT 2 Bio-M
Other Factors: none