What can I do to get into Upenn?

Question

I messed up my first two years of high school badly, with a 2.65 and 2.71 GPA. I am going to work my butt of this year and aim for all A's. I been taking practice SAT's, and my scores on those have gone up to around a 1700, though I am also going to continue studying for them and bring them up as much as possible. I did XC the last 2 yrs, and I am doing it this yr as well. I have 250 volunteer hours completed, 50 a library, 100 at the YMCA where I worked with little kids as a basketball coach or a summer camp leader, and I have 100 done at a non-profit store called 10,000 villages. I went to Upenn because my uncle lives near it and when I saw it and walked around for a while, it was like I had an epiphany. I know I belong there and I want to go there, though what can I do to get in? Just do my best and hope for the best? I am willing to do anything to get into it, so please if anyone can help me out let me know what I need to do.

Answer 1

lets get real my friend.

You should stop dreaming about U Penn.

Grades, scores and essays are the most important part of your college application. And although community service and extra-curriculars count, they cannot replace what is essentially a poor GPA and a very low SAT score.

Instead I would pick a major and try applying to a school that is good at it and easier to get into.

Answer 2

If you aced the remaining years of high school with straight A's, getting into Upenn would still be extremely tough. It's not impossible but you are going to need something significant, something very special that separates you from the rest of the applicants as many people who apply have both excellent grades and high test scores.  

Answer 3

Of course U Penn has their own admissions procedures and you can probably find out their specific criteria and how they weight different factors such as SATs, GPAs, extra-curricular, etc.  However, that said, you usually have an opportunity to explain your story about turning your life around.  A student who has turned his own life around is far more mature than one whose parents held his/her nose to the grindstone all through high school.  That makes you a good bet.  If you do a good job explaining your epiphany on the U Penn campus--how could they resist you?  Keep doing your best and you'll end up at the school where you belong.  

Answer 4

To get into Penn, you will need an unweighted GPA above 3.8 and SAT scores above 2100.  

I applaud your efforts to get a higher score and to get higher grades.  Doing that will get you into a decent school.  But realistically, the Ivy League is a near impossibility for you -- as are any of the other schools in the top 20.

Extracurriculars are great -- but they are easy to pad and hard to verify.  Therefore they don't help you nearly as much as people think.  Spend a lot of time on your admissions essays.  They are what will help you differentiate yourself from other students.  If you are able to bring up your grades as a junior, that will give you a good topic to discuss.

Answer 5

Sorry, even if you get the 2000, even if you get 2300, you have no chance at Penn. It's asn ivy league school, buddy! Kids who get in there never had a 2 starting their GPA for a single quarter!!