Chances of getting into the University of Pennsylvania

Question

I'm a black female, and this year, I'll be a Junior in High School. Currently, my GPA is a 4.219 (unweighted is a 4.0) and I rank number 1 in my school(which is one of the biggest in my state)I'm also in the Gifted Program with all of my core classes being gifted(except AP World History). Last May, I took an AP test and scored a 5. Senior year I plan to take AP Biology, AP Spanish, AP Lit, AP Gov't, and AP Econ. So, by that time, I will have taken 7 AP classes. I'm involved in many extracurricular activities such as Beta Club, Student Council, Math Team, Spanish Honors Society, Reading Bowl, Japanese culture club, and Reading Bowl(this year, and maybe even chess team). In the summer, I do volunteer work for my church, as well. I dont have my PSAT scores in front of me, but they were pretty high, and i got swarms of mail and emails from colleges. Despite what it might look like, I also have time to socialize and hang out with friends and engage myself with hobbies. I'm an all around person who gets along with everyone, mostly because I really dont like to act like I'm better than everyone because of my grades and what not. I'm more of a class clown type, and nicknamed the "undercover genius" since I'd prefer to blend in with ppl rather than act like a conceited b**ch. But, when the time comes for me to be a leader, I do it well. So, what do my chances look like?

2008-08-11T01:16:26Z

btw, I'm a first generation American.

Jean C · Accepted Answer

Your stats are good and you're in good shape for applying to top schools.  However, it's not really clear in your description why Penn would be the best fit for you versus another Ivy.  One piece of advice that was particularly helpful for me came from a then current student.  She told me  to figure out where I'd fit into the school and what I saw myself contributing to as well as what Penn had to offer for my future goals and to portray that in my application.  Since top schools have vastly different teaching styles (compare Brown's very flexible curriculum with the stringent core requirements at Penn and Columbia) but all draw from the same very talented pool of applicants, it's helpful to fill in the blanks for an admissions officer.  It could be the deciding factor between yourself and another qualified applicant.  I think there's this rationale in admissions that those who paint clear pictures of what they could contribute to X school specifically or why X school is a great match for their talents are better picks.  They're more likely to accept a spot and since they're better informed about the fit, are more likely to be happy and thus successful once they get to campus. In fact, nearly everyone I knew at Penn had a really clear fit stated in their application from wanting to join the West Philly tutoring project to  their passion for a major unique to Penn (eg, Digital Media Design or the Huntsman program) to having a vision of taking the men's ultimate frisbee team to nationals.  

Good luck!  Sounds like you've done a terrific job so far!

? · Answer

It is about 18% in general. It is higher for legacies, recruited athletes, and underrepresented minorities and lower for students not in these groups.

jp · Answer

i think u can, just try

Chances of getting into the University of Pennsylvania

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