So you want to apply to Penn State? Just kidding, we know you came here for advice on how to apply to the private, Ivy League research institution in Philadelphia, PA (and not the similarly named state school). The University of Pennsylvania, often just called Penn or UPenn, is a great choice for work-hard-play-hard types, budding business students, interdisciplinary liberal arts majors, and those looking for an elite East Coast institution. Cards on the table, we have a little soft spot for Penn since our founder is an alum.
Like all the schools of the Ivy League, Penn is very competitive to get into. Last year, their acceptance rate was just 5.8%. That’s very low, but it can even be lower for dual degree programs or applicants to the engineering school or the Wharton School of Business. If you are hoping to get into Penn (or any of the Ivy Leagues tbh), we would highly recommend working with a professional.
We push our students to be the kind of applicants that Penn is looking for. From strategic planning to building an eye-catching resume to actually pressing that submit button, we can help with any stage of the college application process. And that, of course, includes writing stellar essays. To get into Penn, you will need impressive grades, a challenging transcript, a dynamic resume, top test scores (Penn is no longer test-optional, so start studying for that SAT/ACT), and stand-out essays. Trust us, reach out today!
Again, while we really recommend working with a dedicated college counselor when applying to elite schools, we still wanted to share some of our tips for approaching the UPenn supplemental essays. The UPenn supplement has three essays.
Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150-200 words)
We make every student we work with actually give the letter to someone before submitting. Technically, you can just write a thank you note and paste it in here, but we usually have students write about giving that letter to someone and what it meant to them. We have had students write to their best friend, their older sister, their mom, their doorman, their teacher, etc. What makes this essay interesting is twofold: what you are thanking them for and your reflection.
For example, one of our students wrote to her best friend who helped her acclimate to high school. She not only included part of the letter, but also how the BBF was only applying to West Coast schools and how odd it would be to start the next chapter without the mutual support they gave to each other.
This letter needs to feel really human and be pretty humble. A good version requires introspection. However, at the same time, this essay is really short. It can be hard keeping a story like this under 200 words, so make sure you give yourself time to edit and cut it down.
How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective, and how your experiences and perspective will help shape Penn. (150-200 words)
This essay needs to be specific to Penn. How do you do this? Well, you need to start by doing some research. You need to connect something from your life to life at Penn. For example, we had a student who was very involved in his high school choir. He wrote about how important the community was to him. He connected that experience to how getting involved with Glee Club and the Platt Performing Arts Center would allow him to pursue his extracurricular passion for music and build community at Penn.
The biggest piece of advice here is that the opportunity you speak to at Penn should connect directly to something you already do. Do you write for your student newspaper? Write about joining 34th Magazine. Are you the president of your school’s QSA? It is time to talk about the Penn Carriage House Programming. You get the point. This is an opportunity to talk about yourself and demonstrate what kind of student you would be at Penn.
The final essay question depends on which of Penn’s undergraduate schools you are applying to. However, they are far more similar than they are different. For each question, you will need to connect opportunities at Penn (think classes, professors, etc) to your academic interests and experiences.
The flexible structure of The College of Arts and Sciences’ curriculum is designed to inspire exploration, foster connections, and help you create a path of study through general education courses and a major. What are you curious about and how would you take advantage of opportunities in the arts and sciences? (150-200 words)
The College of Arts and Sciences is for our liberal arts students. You should start this essay by introducing your intended major with a short anecdote about why you love the subject. You then should mention a couple of specific opportunities that connect to things you have already explored in that subject.
For example, we had a student who wanted to study criminology at Penn. She wrote about how she first became interested in criminology through participating in the forensics category as part of her Science Olympiad team. She then wrote about how she wanted to take CRIM 2090 Wrongful Convictions. She connected the class to the summer she volunteered for a legal defense NGO. She also wrote about wanting to assist Prof. Adrian Raine and his research into Neurocriminology, as she took a summer course on Neuroscience and found its connection to violence fascinating. You want to show the overlap between your academic interests and what the College offers.
Penn Engineering prepares its students to become leaders in technology by combining a strong foundation in the natural sciences and mathematics with depth of study in focused disciplinary majors. Please share how you plan to pursue your engineering interests at Penn, particularly within the intended major you selected. (150-200 words)
This can be approached in the exact same way as the School of Arts and Sciences. For example, we had a student who wrote about how his robotics team sparked his interest in mechanical engineering. He wrote that he was excited to take the Mechanical Engineering Design Projects class because he was building a solar-powered irrigation system for his community garden and that he gravitated toward hands-on design projects. He also connected his robotics experience to the Autonomous Manipulation (AMP) Lab.
Wharton prepares its students to make an impact by applying business methods and economic theory to real-world problems, including economic, political, and social issues. Please reflect on a current issue of importance to you and share how you hope a Wharton education would help you to explore it. (150-200 words)
For this essay, you need to choose a social issue that you care about. Ideally, it needs to be something that you have already interacted with. You then need to use specific details about Wharton and connect them to the issue. This is actually pretty tricky, and choosing the right issue can make it a lot easier.
For example, we had a student who was passionate about volunteering in a shoreline restoration project. He wrote about being interested in sustainable business practices. As a finance major, he wanted to get involved with the Impact Investing Research Lab to research the gaps in impact investing. He also liked that Wharton has a liberal arts requirement and how he would use it to take environmental science and policy courses.
Penn Nursing intends to meet the health needs of society in a global and multicultural world by preparing its students to impact healthcare by advancing science. Why have you decided to apply to Nursing? Where do you see yourself professionally in the future and how will you contribute to our mission of promoting equity in healthcare? (150-200 words)
This is probably the most unique question of the school-specific essays. The most important part of this question is getting across why you are passionate about nursing. Tell the story about why you decided to apply to nursing. You then need to connect that passion to your goals. Take time to really think about your plan. This is the top nursing program in the country; it is looking for applicants with specific nursing goals. You then need to speak to at least one specific opportunity at Penn that will help with that goal. Finally, this needs to connect to equity.
For example, we had a student who wanted to be a NICU nurse. She volunteered at a hospital and learned firsthand how important NICU nurses can be to families. While the hospital she volunteered with was in a big city, she completed a research project into rural hospitals and outcomes for preemies. She used that experience to speak to her interest in taking classes such as Public Health Nursing Care in Communities and Current Issues in Health and Social Policy.
Honestly, this is really hard to pull off in 200 words. If you are thinking about applying to the Nursing school, we would highly recommend reaching out.
There are also specific essays for Dual-Degree and Specialized Programs. These programs are extremely specific and competitive. They can have acceptance rates of 3% or lower. If you are even thinking about a specialized program at UPenn, you should really speak with a counselor before applying.
These essays are really important to nail. Pretty much every serious Penn applicant has impressive grades and test scores, yet only 5% get in. These essays are a chance to differentiate yourself and make the case on why they should accept you. It’s a lot of pressure. We get it, and we can help!
Reach out today to get help today.