UPenn Essay Guide

Cutting through the winter chill of northern Indiana, the iconic golden dome atop the main building at the University of Notre Dame marks one of America’s most picturesque college campuses at the private, Catholic research university founded in 1842.

 Sitting in the heart of the lively city of Philadelphia is a beautiful, lush campus of the University of Pennsylvania covering over 299 acres. The university was founded in 1740 by one of the founding fathers of United States – Benjamin Franklin – with a steadfast motive of training global leaders in commerce, medicine, government and public service through a liberal arts curriculum focusing on practical knowledge. UPenn has been constantly ranked among the top 10 universities in the nation and is an Ivy League school. The university has a special historic significance for being one among the nine colonial colleges and the first university in United States to have both undergraduate and graduate studies. Penn has four undergraduate schools - College of Arts and Sciences, Penn Engineering, the Wharton Business School, and the School of Nursing – and additional twelve graduate schools. UPenn is well known for its Wharton Business school which is constantly ranked as the best business school in the world and has close connections with Wall Street and many prominent financial institutions. It is the alma mater of personalities like Elon Musk, Warren Buffet, Sundar Pichai and has produced more than 65 billionaires having an extremely influential alumni connection.

The university has an average acceptance rate of 7% which makes it extremely selective and differs according to the undergraduate school one applies. UPenn is committed to provide word class education to students irrespective of their family’s financial situation and therefore meets 100% demonstrated financial need for admitted students. Penn is need blind for students of USA, Canada, and Mexico; however, the admission criteria is need based for international students which means that your demonstrated financial need might affect your chances of getting into the university. UPenn enrolls about 2500 undergraduate students every year out of which 12% are international students. The admission consideration policy is test optional which allows you to apply at Penn even without submitting your Standardized test scores (either SAT or ACT). The university, although, highly recommends students to submit their SAT and ACT score to have an edge in the voluminous applicant pool. The 25-75 percentile SAT range for the class of 2025 is 1480-1550 and ACT range is 33-35. The data-sets of UPenn admissions reflect that they prioritize academic rigor in high school, standardized test scores, Common App/ supplemental essays, and letters of recommendation while considering the students for admissions which means they are looking for individuals who have been actively involved in their high schools in both the spectrum of education – core academics and extracurricular activities. 

UPenn offers two options for first year applicants: Binding Early Decision and Regular Decision. You should significantly consider which option you should go for because it requires a lot of timely execution and future planning when thinking about Early Decision round. Following is a comprehensive note about both options which will guide you to make a calculated decision.

Binding Early Decision (ED): As the name suggests, if you apply under the early decision round, you are bound to attend the University of Pennsylvania if accepted. You can only apply to one institution under the binding Early Decision policy but can apply to other universities who have early action option for their first-year applicants. ED is a great option for students who have UPenn as their first choice college and find it as a perfect fit school. ED round at UPenn gives a very significant advantage to applicants over the general RD round and the acceptance rate is higher than RD. If you are planning to apply to one of the Dual Degree coordinated programs which are extremely selective then you should apply in the ED round. The deadline for ED application is November 1st and the decision is released around mid-December which is a huge advantage. Attending Penn is a tradition for many families, so an applicant’s affiliation with Penn, either by being a child or grandchild of alumni, is given the most consideration through Early Decision.If you are accepted under the ED round, there are three things which can happen: 

1) You are admitted into the University of Pennsylvania. As part of Penn’s Early Decision program, you are committed to accepting the offer of admission. You must withdraw any active applications you have to other colleges/universities. The only instance in which you could request to be released from the Early Decision binding agreement is if your financial need can’t be met.

2) You are deferred for consideration during Regular Decision. Your application will be considered among the Regular Decision candidates, and you will no longer be bound by the Early Decision binding agreement. You will receive final notification of decision in late March/early April.

3) You are denied under the Early Decision program. You can’t re-apply to Penn until the next academic cycle and your application will not be given consideration during Regular Decision round.

Regular Decision (RD): The application deadline for RD is January 5th, which gives you more time to work on your profile, essays, and academic/SAT scores as compared to the ED round. You should apply in the RD round if you are not prepared to submit your application by the ED deadline or want to apply ED to any other academic institution.

When it comes to US college applications, admission officers are trying to find your hidden qualities and ways through which you will contribute to their community. Since these intrinsic characteristics and proclivities can’t be expressed through your transcripts or SAT scores, these need to be reflected in your common app essay and supplemental college essays. When you are applying to schools like UPenn where almost all the applicants have excellent academic records and standardized test scores, your essays really serve as a distinguishing factor which will set you apart from all the other applicants. The essays are also a good opportunity to depict your experience and elucidate on your high school achievements which you think are significant for the admission officers to know more about. Supplemental Essays Beside the Common App essay, UPenn requires two supplemental essays which are mandatory for any student to apply. Supplemental essays are given very significant consideration during the admission process since they are specially written for Penn and displays your dedication towards the university. These essays require the most guidance and research as they need to be very specific, and you have to reflect two things through your essays: How the university is a perfect fit for your development and how you are a perfect fit in the university’s academic and social community. 

How to Attempt:

The best way to approach this essay is by finding connection between your academic/ intellectual interest and the academic offerings UPenn has for its students. The essays need to be specifically written according to the undergraduate school you will be applying to (one out of Business, Nursing, Engineering, or Arts and Sciences) so you should have an in-depth knowledge about the curriculum of that undergrad school and the classes which you would be taking. You should mention how you have developed your academic interest throughout your high school and advanced in that field. You can also mention professors or research opportunities available at Penn related to your subject. In this way, you will be highlighting your growth in the given academic field along with mentioning how Penn would help you to gain practical exposure and skillset in that field. Following is an essay which is well crafted and will give you an idea about what things to include in your essays.

Sample Essay 1:

My passion for tennis as a sport helped me discover my bent toward the field of programming and its infinite capabilities. It is natural for a young Tennis player to download a tennis game and try one’s hands on it. And I was instantly amazed at what all features the game had and how interactive and responsive it was. Since then, exploring technology has been a part of my daily routine and it does nothing but enhance my level of appreciation and inspiration towards the field of computer science and how it has transformed the world. I started from the language ‘SCRATCH’, which enabled me to drag and drop the commands which accordingly moved the sprite on screen. This was how I self-learned my first lesson in conditions and loops in programming. Further on I started exploring the languages like C, Java, Python which were actually used by developers to create applications. Although learning the basics of these languages by hands-on experience and self-exploration has helped me a lot, while at Penn, I would like to bolster my fundamentals through the introductory classes like CIS 1101 and CIS 120. I still remember how I made a software when I was 13 for the safety of my house by integrating CCTV cameras and innumerable such examples where I went an extra mile to come up with a working product of utility. This urge of solving problems through programming led me to explore the field of Artificial Intelligence. Learning advanced modules like Tensorflow and Pytorch from online sources, I was able to train my own AI models and was reaching close to build dynamic software. Analyzing the significance of target testing during the pandemic, I came up with an AI application for the state government health portal. The application surveyed a wide group of suspected individuals and provided the processed data to all the hospitals for enhancing their treatment strategy. While at Penn, I would like to be a part of PRIML and work under the guidance of Professors like Hamsa Sridhar and Shivani Agrawal to develop AI applications in the field of Financial Market Analytics and Medical. Choosing my concentration as Artificial Intelligence in BSE, I would be able to pursue advanced courses such as CIS 415/522 which are focused on applications of Machine Learning and Deep Learning. Having done a Capstone Project under Professor Frumkin of Centre of Social Impact at UPenn, I have learnt how computer science can be used to create social ventures which combine business and social work. Engaging in activities like Penn Engagement Prize and CURF, I would like to initiate my own social start-up and regions like west Philadelphia will provide me a platform to test them.

Following is an additional example of a well-crafted essay which depicts how you can show your academic/intellectual development:

Sample Essay 2:

It all started when my mind was forming, and the intrigues of computers had touched down the empty room of my school. It was our first computer lab period, and we were introduced to the basics of operating the computers. That day half of my time went in imagining how this intricate machine was made and what is beyond this thick glass screen which makes it all happen. Beyond the understanding of a fifth grader, my curiosity was suppressed by my teacher’s vague answer that ‘it just happens’. But I was a stubborn kid questioning at each point what lies beneath this beauty and what caused it to happen.Looking for answers on the internet, I was left with some photos of semiconductors and a man with a beard. Although I never found those answers back then, it was as though I left a part of myself in that computer lab. I started spending more and more time with the computer, even during the restricted hours, which twice led me into the position of temporary suspension. Sooner did I know that my restless mind was again not sufficed by just using this magical box, this time it was the software which left me spellbound. I didn’t want to limit myself as a user but wanted to extend my knowledge to that of a creator. While others were busy indenting paragraphs on word, I was dragging and dropping scratch commands to move my sprite on screen. Programming at this basic level where meagre instructions took the form of moving pixels on the screen left me with an entirely new way to think. Moving further ahead, I explored some new programming languages, which were used by actual developers to create the software, such as C, java, and python. The more it advanced, the more the power of manifestation and creating things. Little did I know that my interest in programming was increasing day by day. I started learning advanced modules which lead me to perform efficient tasks such as creating a GUI, interpreting data, and developing websites. All this was self-learned by me from various books and the internet. Always trying to take an extra step, I started exploring the field of artificial intelligence and suddenly all my predilections were fulfilled at one place.

How to Attempt:

To answer this essay, one needs to visualize himself on a regular day as a Penn student: which clubs/communities you would join and what type of social group you would be a part of. Penn emphasizes learning beyond the classroom which is achieved through experiential based learning. Not only will the clubs and communities shape you as an individual, but they will also expand your network and provide you a social sphere of like-minded individuals. You also need to highlight how you will contribute to these communities and what new qualities will your presence bring to the university. Following is a beautiful example of how one can correlate his true identity to the clubs at Penn and show a perfect match.

Sample Essay 3:

Interactions with Penn professors and alumni revealed it as a land of happenings, where inextricable aspects of my life could be continued alongside exploring the new ones. Being a part of Penn’s tennis team, I will continue to pursue my passion and also complement the team’s strength. With music clubs like Penn Masala, I would like to add new dimensions of Indian folk and popular Bollywood music. It would be refreshing to fusion with the existing band on my guitar strings. Enrolling in clubs like AI@Penn and Wharton Finance will give exposure to the intersection of Technology and Management in my social life.The Penn Social Entrepreneurship Movement will help me to collaborate with like-minded people and come up with innovations to create social impact by starting new ventures. Opportunities like the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project will enable me to continue the drive for service especially in the education sector. Coming from the land of diversity – India, I would proliferate the Indian values, cultures, and its rich heritage in the form of food, festivals and our beloved language Hindi. This combination of diversity and freedom to experiment will enrich the community at UPenn and will resonate me as an individual.

One of the most intriguing factors to consider while applying to UPenn is the availability of some specially designed coordinated dual degree programs. These programs enable you to obtain two degrees in the same four-year period. These programs are extremely selective, and their acceptance rate is much lower than the general acceptance rate ranging around 1-3 percent. Only a very small number of students are admitted in these programs, and they have a very tight knit alumni connection. If you have varied interests and are planning to do a dual degree at college, you should definitely look out for the dual degree programs at UPenn.Following is the list of all the coordinated dual degree programs at UPenn and a brief note about them 

1) Computer and Cognitive ScienceUndergraduate schools involved:

• School of Arts & Sciences 
• School of Engineering & Applied Science

Degrees offered:

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE/BAS)
• Bachelor of Arts (BA)

This program combines studies in computer science and engineering with linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, or psychology, and students receive a BSE or BAS degree from Penn Engineering and Bachelor of Arts from the College of Arts and Sciences.

2) Huntsman Program in International Studies and BusinessUndergraduate schools involved 

• School of Arts & Sciences 
• The Wharton School

Degrees offered:

• BA in International Studies 
• BS in Economics

This innovative four-year joint degree program between the School of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School combines a business education, liberal arts, and advanced language training in one of eleven languages of focus. It prepares students for global leadership in career paths around the world in diverse areas such as consulting, finance, medicine, politics, diplomacy, the nonprofit sector, and entrepreneurship

3) Jerome Fisher Program in Management & TechnologyUndergraduate schools involved:

• School of Engineering & Applied Science 
• The Wharton School

Degrees offered:

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE/BAS)
• BS in Economics

The Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology (M&T) is sponsored jointly by the School of Engineering and the Wharton School.

4) Nursing and Health Care Management Program (NHCM)Undergraduate schools involved:

• School of Nursing
• The Wharton School

Degrees offered:

• Bachelor of Science in Economics (BS)
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

Nurses with excellent clinical and administrative skills are in higher demand than ever. Our Nursing and Health Care Management Program (NHCM) gives you the chance to combine two of Penn’s greatest assets: Penn Nursing and The Wharton School.

5) Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management (LSM) Undergraduate schools involved:

• School of Arts & Sciences 
• The Wharton School

Degrees offered:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) 
• Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE/BAS)

On the surface, bioscience and business may seem like unrelated fields. But if the full benefits of science are to be realized, discoveries made at the laboratory bench must be taken to market and made accessible to society at large—a process that demands great skill both scientifically and managerially.

6) Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER)Undergraduate schools involved:

• School of Arts & Sciences 
• School of Engineering & Applied Science

Degrees offered:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) 
• Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE)

The Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) enrolls talented, prepared, and motivated students interested in energy science and engineering. VIPER students receive instruction and state-of-the-art research experiences, enabling them to pursue advanced degrees in these fields and establish high-calibre research careers as innovators in the discovery and development of sustainable ways to harness, convert, and use energy. The tuition fees for the dual degree programs are similar to a single degree program which means you get two degrees at the cost of one. Also, the course load for dual degree programs is certainly higher than a single degree program so you have to ensure that you are prepared to pursue it. People in the dual degree programs generally have AP/ IB credits which allows them to alleviate their classes and complete both of the degrees timely. While applying to these dual degree programs, you will need to view your portal for any additional essay/ portfolio requirements.

How to attempt:

The M&T program is one of the most selective programs in the entire Ivy League conference and admits only 50 students across the globe. The program offers two degrees in Business and Engineering along with special M&T classes which focus on the intersection of Management and Technology. As an applicant, you should have a strong reason why you are applying to M&T and want to pursue a dual coordinated degree rather than a usual single degree. M&T are looking for generalists who can pursue a wide range of classes and master various skills during their time at Penn. You should also mention special M&T seminars posted on M&T website and highlight the benefits you would gain by those seminars. The most integral part is displaying how the M&T closed knit community and helpful alumni will benefit you and in what ways you will return to this community. Don’t forget to correlate your past experience as an entrepreneur or a project head where you implemented both STEM and Business knowledge. 

Sample Essay 4:

I firmly believe the engineering stream can find solutions to many problems in terms of products, processes, hardware, software and so on. But it is the “Business” acumen which makes these solutions fit the best in terms of acceptability, affordability, and sustainability for the enterprise in terms of taking it across the geography and customer segment.To have a better perspective from both, business and engineering side makes the outcome more feasible and practical. Business side throws the real life problems and requirements for which engineering has to find an amicable solution. The interface between the two has to be a smooth and seamless junction which works coherently as a single unit. I look forward to the M&T program as this wonderful interface will hone my skills in both: business and engineering. Coming from a developing nation like India, I am aware of the basic needs which even today, the vast population finds it difficult to meet. The same is true for many third world countries and developing nations. To name some of these basic needs like, potable water, primary health and sanitation, affordable housing, education, sustainable means of earning livelihood etc. Not that the solutions to these problems have not been found. Lot of work has been done by national and international level agencies. But is that enough? If it was then this much disparity wouldn’t exist in our society globally. It may sound exaggerated but this is where I want to use the learnings from the M&T program to bridge the wide disparity. I want to find solutions from my engineering learnings for the basic needs, which are affordable and practical. And from the learning of business administration, I want to take these solutions across geography to the needy population. It may sound such a noble charity. That is what I want to learn business from Wharton – how to build a sustainable enterprise which produces such solutions and products, develops franchisee and logistics, partners with government and private entities to reach out to the masses. At the same time keeps the business interest of all stakeholders intact and the enterprise to thrive. It is relatively easy to spend a lot on Research and Development and come up with amazing products, say electronic gadgets, automobiles and things of comfort and luxury which even though expensive finds enough buyers in upper and elite class to quench their desire. Nothing wrong, I am not averse to it. But the beauty and challenge lies in creating an ecosystem which supports R&D, develops infrastructure, and produces engineering solutions/services which are affordable and within reach of the needy masses to quench their thirst for basic needs. The intersection of engineering and business produces the hope of living a decent life where no child is deprived of basic needs. That is what I want to learn from the M&T program.Having gone through the construct of the program and personal interaction with the esteemed officials of this program my conviction has found strength that my passion for STEM and entrepreneurship will be put to ultimate test in the M&T program. To build the ecosystem and the enterprise I spoke about, I strongly believe Penn community and the closely knit M&T alumni are the biggest asset which I would explore and prove myself to be a worthy member of this esteemed club.

Most of the students who would apply to UPenn will undergo an Interview round, taken by the Penn alumni, which is very crucial as the feedback of the interviewer can make or break your admission to Penn. The people who will be interviewing you would be top level executives or highly distinguished leaders in their professional fields who have pursued similar course of studies at UPenn as you are applying. The interview wouldn’t be like a formal job interview, rather a candid conversation where you can express your true self to these people and ask them questions about their time at Penn and how they have advanced in life. Try to highlight your experience during the interview and always keep an open mind to what the interviewer is telling you. You can take as much time as you want to express the things which you might feel are significant for the admission officers to know. Ask smart and relevant questions regarding their experience at Penn and their professional sphere. Mostly, if you are admitted, you might be in close contact with the person who interviewed you and look out for internship opportunities under him/her. 

Written by PathIvy Content Team