2020-2021 University of Pennsylvania

[deleted1065184]

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Odd question, but what would you guys consider the lowest MCAT to still have a fair shot at UPenn? My GPA is stellar but MCAT isn't...optimal lol. Perelman would be a dream come true though.

Buddy, you're asking this question to a bunch of pre-meds (who know virtually nothing about the admissions process at any given school) on a website that is notorious for telling anybody without extremely high stats that they should go to Caribbean schools.

Keep that in mind when you get responses. If Penn is your dream school, APPLY. You'd be surprised how many students with lower MCAT scores get in because the rest of their application is super interesting and desirable.

 

[YoloSwagCats]

For the "Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application?" question, do international vacation trips count as "global activities"? I got to explore different countries, languages, and cultures, but it wasn't a medical service trip or anything of the sort...

Curious to see what other people think about this. Thanks in advance 😀

 

[ice cheems]

For the "Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application?" question, do international vacation trips count as "global activities"? I got to explore different countries, languages, and cultures, but it wasn't a medical service trip or anything of the sort...

Curious to see what other people think about this. Thanks in advance 😀

I feel like it counts as long as you write about it in a serious way! (i.e. not just "I got to eat lots of good food and go to the beach" but insights about a culture or country different than your own)

 

[Abcdefghijklmno1]

I feel like it counts as long as you write about it in a serious way! (i.e. not just "I got to eat lots of good food and go to the beach" but insights about a culture or country different than your own)

Man, I should have included my trip to the Bahamas lol

 

[NaijaBoy98]

This probably kind of a silly question but better to be safe than sorry right? For the question that asks if you've taken any courses online excluding COVID-19 then asks you to list science courses you've taken online, I say yes because I've taken 2, but they were both in math... Do I still list them? Just feels odd to say yes then not list anything.

 

[4573890]

This probably kind of a silly question but better to be safe than sorry right? For the question that asks if you've taken any courses online excluding COVID-19 then asks you to list science courses you've taken online, I say yes because I've taken 2, but they were both in math... Do I still list them? Just feels odd to say yes then not list anything.

i checked the box then didn't list anything bc it was a history class.. with math i guess you might be tempted to list it since math and science are often lumped together? (bpcm and all that) but i still wouldn't list it. they'll be able to see which classes were online on your primary

 

[NaijaBoy98]

i checked the box then didn't list anything bc it was a history class.. with math i guess you might be tempted to list it since math and science are often lumped together? (bpcm and all that) but i still wouldn't list it. they'll be able to see which classes were online on your primary

Thanks! That's exactly what I was thinking. I emailed to ask but it's been a week with no reply, so I think I'm just gonna go ahead and submit without listing them.

 

[docdocdill22]

For the question "Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional or national organization?" does this only apply to awards post high school? And would a national conference count? I don't know if that is a "national organization" necessarily

 

[NaijaBoy98]

For the question "Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional or national organization?" does this only apply to awards post high school? And would a national conference count? I don't know if that is a "national organization" necessarily

I asked my pre-med advisor this same question, and she said I should go ahead and list a national conference. As far as listing high school awards, my impression was to only list awards won in college and beyond. Hope that helps!

 

[docdocdill22]

I asked my pre-med advisor this same question, and she said I should go ahead and list a national conference. As far as listing high school awards, my impression was to only list awards won in college and beyond. Hope that helps!

thank you!

 

[deleted1038508]

Do IIs start coming out next week? Or will it be delayed due to COVID?

Who knows

 

[blinkblink2]

About the "Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional, or national organization?", can someone clarify what is meant by "state, regional or national organization?"

This is hair splitting, I realize, but if I attended a state university and was a 5-time dean's list recipient, does this not constitute acknowledgment from a state organization?

How about acceptance into a selective internship program, sort of similar to the DC one that a lot of pre-law people do, but in state capitol and in the area of healthcare policy specifically?

While I've done more than my fair share EC-wise, somehow I didn't get the memo on the trophy collecting.

 

[blinkblink2]

Any thoughts on how to frame the "Why Penn?" question also greatly appreciated.

 

[Abcdefghijklmno1]

About the "Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional, or national organization?", can someone clarify what is meant by "state, regional or national organization?"

This is hair splitting, I realize, but if I attended a state university and was a 5-time dean's list recipient, does this not constitute acknowledgment from a state organization?

How about acceptance into a selective internship program, sort of similar to the DC one that a lot of pre-law people do, but in state capitol and in the area of healthcare policy specifically?

While I've done more than my fair share EC-wise, somehow I didn't get the memo on the trophy collecting.

I think they are mainly looking for prestigious national awards like the Goldwater/Truman/Rhodes/Fulbright/etc.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I think they are mainly looking for prestigious national awards like the Goldwater/Truman/Rhodes/Fulbright/etc.

yes, but you can mention any other scholarships (like full ride/full tuition) or summer research or study abroad scholarships.

 

[SpreadKindness20]

About the "Have you been nominated for or received an award from any state, regional, or national organization?", can someone clarify what is meant by "state, regional or national organization?"

This is hair splitting, I realize, but if I attended a state university and was a 5-time dean's list recipient, does this not constitute acknowledgment from a state organization?

How about acceptance into a selective internship program, sort of similar to the DC one that a lot of pre-law people do, but in state capitol and in the area of healthcare policy specifically?

While I've done more than my fair share EC-wise, somehow I didn't get the memo on the trophy collecting.

See below:

PBK is awarded at the school level as an evaluation of you against your peers at your school, so it would not be considered state/regional/national recognition.

Unfortunately, for this particular question, I think not. You certainly could have included those as Honors/Awards in the activities section of your AMCAS. But here, a state-level award would be an award that people across your state were eligible for, out of which you were selected. Likewise, a national-level award would be an award that people across the country were eligible for, out of which you were selected.

A lot of people do not have awards from state, regional, or national organizations, and at the end of the day, it is what it is. If you try to contort something that isn't into something that is, the message you risk sending is that you didn't understand the question.

 

[Watermelon7]

Anyone else apply EDP and already interview?? Waiting to hear back, so nervous......🤢

 

[bpinyourarea]

For the economic hardship question: "Have you or your family experienced economic hardships?" There's no qualifier of "not addressed elsewhere"

I talked about economic hardship in my disadvantaged essay in my AMCAS + there are other SES-related info on the AMCAS, so I would basically repeat all of this information if I were to answer this secondary question. Should I leave it blank?

I was reading last year's thread, and someone said this question should be reserved for very extreme situations, like bankruptcy.

 

[Neuroscifan]

For question 2, what should we write if we would not choose Pass/Fail? It seems like it's an optional essay, and I would always choose standard grading over pass/fail. Reading the prompt, it doesn't seem like writing about why I WOULDN'T choose Pass/Fail is an acceptable answer. Does that mean I leave it blank?

 

[spottedcory]

For question 2, what should we write if we would not choose Pass/Fail? It seems like it's an optional essay, and I would always choose standard grading over pass/fail. Reading the prompt, it doesn't seem like writing about why I WOULDN'T choose Pass/Fail is an acceptable answer. Does that mean I leave it blank?

I didn't choose P/F when I had the option, so I left that blank. It didn't seem like I should have filled it out

 

[Neuroscifan]

I didn't choose P/F when I had the option, so I left that blank. It didn't seem like I should have filled it out

That's what I thought. All these optional essays on the secondaries make me nervous when they don't apply to me. It feels like I'm only filling out half an application. Thanks!

 

[Neuroscifan]

Okay, the first time I read the prompt it felt like a hypothetical question. Re-reading it, it sounds like they are asking for an explanation to the decision to go with Pass/Fail for a class that you opted in.

 

[Havelock Vetinari]

As I interpret it:

If you didn’t take courses graded Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit, don’t answer the question. If you did take them, and you couldn’t have elected standard grading because of institutional policy, don’t answer the question. If you did take them, and you could have elected standard grading, answer the question.

 

[GoneDriving]

II received few mins back!

 

[NaijaBoy98]

II received few mins back!

+1 LM: 81.3, Complete 8/21

 

[wuru13]

+2 II this afternoon! LM 80 completed 8/11

 

[mvsrocks]

Congrats guys! Are IIs given in the order in which apps were submitted? Like do people who submit earlier get there IIs first.

No. Apps are triaged based on things like stats and ethnicity. Generally, more competitive apps get IIs first.

 

[Latteandaprayer]

II received 9/17! MSTP, 3.68 sGPA, 520 MCAT. Complete 8/2. I'm honestly shocked lol

 

[mvsrocks]

I'm honestly shocked lol

I'm not. You've been killin it with the IIs! Best of luck!

 

[Latteandaprayer]

I'm not. You've been killin it with the IIs! Best of luck!

Aw, thanks 🙂 Congrats on your IIs! I'm just shocked because my app for the school was kinda thrown together and my stats are meh. It makes me think maybe I said something that wasn't true that I missed, which is impressing schools or something, and then I'll be exposed as a sham during my interviews.

 

[Havelock Vetinari]

Aw, thanks 🙂 Congrats on your IIs! I'm just shocked because my app for the school was kinda thrown together and my stats are meh. It makes me think maybe I said something that wasn't true that I missed, which is impressing schools or something, and then I'll be exposed as a sham during my interviews.

You've earned your interview! Don't second-guess yourself 🙂

 

[ferocas]

Just got a diversity e-mail congratulating me on my interview at Perelman. I have not received an interview at Perelman (I even checked the portal). Did this happen for anyone else lol?

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Just got a diversity e-mail congratulating me on my interview at Perelman. I have not received an interview at Perelman (I even checked the portal). Did this happen for anyone else lol?

Are you sure it's Perelman?

 

[ferocas]

Are you sure it's Perelman?

Yep pretty sure haha. The e-mail even appears in my secondary portal under "communication status." Seems to be meant for URMs that have gotten II's already. Do you think it's worth shooting them a question?

 

[Idahomie]

Yep pretty sure haha. The e-mail even appears in my secondary portal under "communication status." Seems to be meant for URMs that have gotten II's already. Do you think it's worth shooting them a question?

Fake it til you make it. Just send an email to admissions asking why you haven't received the details for your interview day yet. Put the ball in their court.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Yep pretty sure haha. The e-mail even appears in my secondary portal under "communication status." Seems to be meant for URMs that have gotten II's already. Do you think it's worth shooting them a question?

Columbia sends one like that and making sure there was no confusion. Yeah, email them or forward that email to admissions.

 

[ferocas]

Just got a diversity e-mail congratulating me on my interview at Perelman. I have not received an interview at Perelman (I even checked the portal). Did this happen for anyone else lol?

Update: I sent an email to admissions and just now got the II! Complete early August.

 

[TheHappySisyphus]

II received 30 min ago!! Complete early August, LM ~82

 

[phrasse]

Wooo! II, 45min ago (who sends an II after 8pm?)
(Complete 8/1, 3.94, 524, OOS but ties to school)

 

[deleted1038508]

When are your interviews???

 

[ferocas]

When are your interviews???

Earlyish October through Oct. 22

 

[pista_kulfi]

For the folks with II, in the portal what did you select for the option of meeting someone from LGBTQ & URM community ?
I hope its ok to select yes even if you don't belong to either (thats what I did).

 

[beetsred]

Interview details say that dress code is business casual. What are y'all going to wear?

 

[GoneDriving]

Interview details say that dress code is business casual. What are y'all going to wear?

Always better to slightly overdress than slightly underdress

 

[SpreadKindness20]

For men, business casual = button-down shirt

Business formal = blazer/coat, button-down shirt, and tie = interview attire.

 

[Kobragurl334]

Sorry just someone waiting for an interview. But are they online or in person? I would have to travel far so I am curious

 

[Orims]

Sorry just someone waiting for an interview. But are they online or in person? I would have to travel far so I am curious

Pretty sure all interviews are being held online this year.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

When do you guys think the majority of IIs will be sent out? AKA, when do I give up on hope.

check last year's thread.

 

[OfMiceAndWomen]

When do you guys think the majority of IIs will be sent out? AKA, when do I give up on hope.

check last year's thread.

They're about a month behind schedule from last year (first II last year was Aug 20... this year was Sept 16). And in previous years, they have sent out IIs through Dec and Jan. So hang tight, it's gonna be a long cycle.

 

[deleted959514]

When do you guys think the majority of IIs will be sent out? AKA, when do I give up on hope.

My friend got an invite November for a January interview last cycle and got in! Don't give up! (52x 4.0 stats)