-SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS-

[Click link to expand/collapse answer.]

1. Do selective colleges look differently upon students who don't have more than one or two AP classes?

ANSWER: Admissions Officers realize that course offerings will vary from one high school to the next. Some high schools limit the number of students who may take an AP, IB, or advanced course. Other high schools limit the number of AP, IB, or advanced courses a student may take. Others do not offer AP, IB, or advanced courses at all. Colleges are interested in students from all walks of life and from different educational settings, so students have no advantage or disadvantage based on the high school they attend. Admissions Officers get to know the curriculum at each high school, and they consider each applicant in the context of the high school they attend.

So, what is our basic advice about academic choices in high school? Students should try to take Math, Science, English, History, and Foreign Language for each year of high school, and plan to reach the most difficult courses offered in each of these areas. Don't allow the potential college major to influence course selection during high school. A student might have a favorite subject where they'd like to take an additional class. Hopefully, they are able to take that favorite course without sacrificing a highly rigorous curriculum that covers a broad range of academic subjects.

2. Are visits to college campuses mandatory, so that admissions officers "see" students are interested?

ANSWER: Some people think colleges are keeping track of how often a prospective student visits campus or how often the student calls or emails the admissions office. This is not the case at Penn.

The campus visit can be a valuable part of a student's college search. We highly recommend prospective families visit the Penn campus, attend an information session and take a campus tour conducted by the Admissions Office. This way, applicants can hear the way admissions staff talk about Penn and any advice they might offer about the application. The campus visit also provides an opportunity to meet current students, maybe attend a class, or maybe speak to a faculty member. The visit is when students might visualize themselves at Penn, and they might begin to sense their fit with the University.

However, we understand that some prospective families are unable to visit campus. Not to worry, Penn's Admissions Officers travel the globe each year, so they may be offering an information session in your region, or even in your child's high school. This is a fine way to learn about Penn. Have your child check with their college guidance office or visit the Admissions website to find out if Penn is coming to your town.

We hope you or your child will be very satisfied with their initial exploration of Penn, but they shouldn't stop there! When something about a college grabs a student's attention, they should research it further on the website and in printed literature. By researching something that truly interests them about this school, they will be better equipped to personalize their application and communicate their fit.

Bottom line: If students want to show their interest, they should let Penn "see" it in the quality of their application.

3. How many college applications do I need to complete to make sure I'll have a few college options?

ANSWER: Students need to realize that they have choices. There are about 2,600 4-year colleges in the U.S. and the average acceptance rate among these is about 70%. From so many colleges, a student could probably find a large number of places where they would grow intellectually and acquire new skills, where they would be enriched and challenged outside of the classroom, and where they would find new lifelong friends. We fear some students are applying to too many colleges, and that this reduces the quality of each application. In the college search process, high school juniors and seniors need to narrow down their college list into a manageable number of applications, and make sure their list includes schools of varying selectivity. The idea of a "manageable number" could be different for each student, and could depend on the requirements for each application.

As a general guideline, we think ten college applications sounds like a little too much. There are high schools where students are limited to seven college applications. Those students are forced to decide which colleges are the best fit for their interests. With "only" seven applications, those students should be better able to articulate their interest and fit for each of those schools. More importantly, we would bet that those students perform just fine in college and in life after college.

4. I was very sick first semester of junior year, and my grades suffered. Once I recovered, my grades improved. How can I let Penn know about my special circumstances?

ANSWER: Ask your guidance counselor to address any special circumstances in his or her letter. Some students also choose to write about particular challenges in their personal statements, but it is always a good idea to have your counselor explain the situation.

5. Who should write my teacher recommendations?

ANSWER: It is most helpful to the admissions committee if your recommendation letters are from teachers in a course that relates to your intended major or lies in an area of continuing interest for you. Penn does not specify that the recommendations come from teachers of particular subjects. It is a good idea, however, to have the two letters come from teachers of different subjects. Choose teachers who know you well and who can give us a sense of both your academic and personal strengths.

It is important that your recommenders be teachers who can write about your recent academic work in rigorous academic subjects. We strongly encourage students to ask 11th and 12th grade teachers to write for them. Given Penn's extremely competitive applicant pool, it is probably a mistake to ask a favorite ninth-grade teacher to write, or to seek out a coach or chorus director as a recommender unless he or she has also taught you recently in an academic course.

6. Is it OK if I submit supplemental materials?

ANSWER: Admission officers are reading roughly 30-50 files a day, and are somewhat allergic to being asked to consider additional or extraneous "stuff" — unless it is unusual, of exceptional quality, or necessary to explain something in your file or record. If you are an accomplished musician, actor or dancer and you want to send a CD or DVD, make sure it is brief and of the best quality you can produce. If you are an artist, strong writer or filmmaker and want to send a portfolio or clip, select judiciously and make sure that you present the material as cleanly and clearly as possible. Materials like these are generally sent on from admission to the specific departments for review. However, you may also choose to forward your materials to the appropriate professor or department yourself, thereby establishing a direct connection. At worst they will disregard what you've sent, but at best they will contact the admission office and indicate their support for your candidacy.

If you feel there really is a need to send an extra recommendation, one that will add substantially to your application, be sure it is labeled "supplementary" to avoid confusion.

7. What extracurricular activities will help me to stand out as an applicant?

ANSWER: Students often wonder whether they need certain activities on their resume to get into college, and it is not infrequently that we hear students say "I need to have some community service in my list of activities" or "I need to do something special with my summer.” We answer these statements by noting that the admissions officers do not look for specific activities, or line-items on an applicant’s resume – there is no single activity that will get you into Penn, or any other selective higher education institution.

Recently published was an interesting article on summer activities for high school students, which quotes Penn’s Dean of Admissions, Eric Furda, about the impact of student activities on the admissions process. Dean Furda made it very clear that a student should follow their passion, and have a good time, rather than doing something that might “look good” – like research, or temping as a paralegal. So we follow this line of reasoning and suggest that students take on activities that they enjoy – the passion a student has for an activity will stand out far above any bullet point on a resume.

Another question students often ask is whether they should have breadth or depth in their activities. There is no one right answer - value is often found in diversifying your activities, just as there is in finding a common thread. The bottom line is that a student should challenge themselves with their activities, and use their time constructively. We suggest high school students try a few activities, and discover their interests, passions and find a personal fit for the activities. Most high schools these days have many extra-curricular offerings for students to take advantage of – students should explore what's available, and potentially discover a whole new facet of themselves and their interests. High school is a perfect time to explore the options, and students might find that they open up new ways to establish a fit with colleges.

While there is no one true answer, extracurricular activities are a great way to connect the dots between a student’s interest and the schools to which they are applying. These activities can range from athletics, to research, to student government, theatre, or even a squirrel watching club and beyond. Don’t limit yourself by what you think colleges want to see in an application. Do it for yourself and enjoy it!