UPenn is looking for a lot when it comes to admissions. They want to see students who can do it all inside and out of class. So yes, while grades and scores are paramount, Penn really cares about your extracurriculars. With a sub-6% acceptance rate, they can afford to be picky. In fact, they have to be picky.
Penn is looking for students who excel in (some of… if not all) 4 extracurricular categories. These include Commitment to Learning, Cultural Engagement, Community Impact, and Personal Development. They love these categories so much that they even publish the percentage of the incoming class that check off these boxes. For example, over 90% of admitted students participated in Community Impact and Personal Development. Showing involvement in these categories is going to help get you into Penn, but what do these categories mean? And how do you do them? Let’s break it down.
A Real Life Example
Often we find that using an example is the easiest way to break these confusing categories down. We have worked with many students who have gotten into Penn, but we wanted to use just one former student as a case study. He was an aspiring engineer but didn’t want to be pigeonholed by his love of science. Because of this, he checked off many of Penn’s extracurricular boxes.
Commitment to Learning
Penn wants students who pursue their academic interests outside of school. If you want to go to Penn, you need to do research and/or take classes outside of school. This isn’t the only way to show a commitment to learning, but it is the most straightforward and the easiest way to really test if you are interested in the subject you think you want to pursue. Our case study student took a class through Penn’s Engineering Summer Academy for two summers. This summer intensive program let him do research and take college-level engineering courses. This was not only a great way to learn more about Penn, but to also get first-hand experience in his academic niche.
Personal Development
Personal Development is the largest category of activity and also the least defined. This student was a competitive swimmer and pushed himself both on his Varsity Swim team and club teams. He was extremely committed to swimming and his passion for it manifested in a variety of ways. He also gained job experience as a lifeguard. On his team, he set goals for himself and then met those goals. At work, he was promoted and took on more responsibility showing growth in a role. His passion and commitment to swimming showed personal development in this field.
To really hit the mark for personal development, you should be pursuing your passions and showing growth, leadership, and good skill-building. This could be in any pursuit, but your passion and commitment to that pursuit are going to be what impresses admissions reps.
Community Impact
Penn wants to see students that are involved in their community. Community Impact doesn’t necessarily mean volunteering, but for many students, it will. Our student volunteered at a swim education non-profit. He started in 8th grade as a volunteer and moved up in the organization to be the program manager. He showed not only personal growth and commitment but also community impact. He cared about local kids learning how to swim in his community and worked to make it more accessible.
This student was also a tutor at his school. He worked with his peers to help them in STEM classes. This was another way that he showed care and connection to his community.
Penn wants to see a connection and a commitment to “your community.” Your community can be your school, neighborhood, or even people connected through a certain goal or passion, however, getting involved locally and putting the work in is what will best check this box.
Cultural Engagement
This student was the lightest in the category of Cultural Engagement. Not every student will hit all four of these categories out of the park, but if you are hoping to be a strong candidate this is what you should strive for. He was a trumpet player for his school’s jazz band and took lessons outside of school as well. One could probably argue that this connects to cultural engagement, but it is not the clearest example of this.
Other students we have worked with who have been committed to cultural engagement have pursued activities like teaching Hebrew classes at a Jewish Sunday school, doing classical Indian dance, and interning at an Asian Art Museum. It should be noted as well that out of the four categories only 66% of admitted students last year showed Cultural Engagement. While this is the lowest of the 4 categories, still over half of admitted students showed involvement. If it’s something that you can show in your own activities, it’s a good idea.
While these 4 categories are important, showing strong extracurriculars really boils down to passion and commitment. If you are passionate and committed to your extracurriculars, there is a good chance you are already checking off one or two of these categories and truly great candidates are doing 3 or four.
Need help making sure your extracurriculars shine? Reach out here!