you know, we're people on the other side of this.
So just like the students are putting so much thought and work, you know, we're on
the other side very much appreciating all of
the achievements that they've had to this point.
And what we're trying, our job is is to
try to understand how that would translate at A.
where does Penn, where Penn wants to go and B.
where they want to go.
An so the decision is based on many different factors.
And students will always ask the question of what
piece matters more, how much weight do you give this.
I like to describe it sometimes with the analogy
of you know, a scale that's calibrated at zero.
And with each piece of the application
that we're reviewing, the scale starts to tip.
And a well done application is always going
to be tipping in favor of the student.
And so, little silly things like spelling errors, or
whatever it might be, they're not going to make a
student's decision, obviously, but they do have small waves
of, of that scale and how it might balance.
Bigger things like your academics, your essays and what it is that you want to
contribute and how well you're articulating what it
is that you want to do at Penn.
They have more, obviously, weight on that scale.
But for every student it's different.
For some students like an extreme academic talent.
Other students it might be an extreme athletic talent.
For most people, it's some sort of combination
of many, different talents that lead to Ultimately
shifting that idea of a scale into yes, we can see this person in the class.
>> Mm-hm.
>> At Penn it gets a little bit more complicated though because
we have the four undergraduate schools and several coordinated dual degree programs.
So each of the four undergraduate schools is looking for the same basic thing.
But then there maybe something specific like an engineering with love for you,
obviously to have strength in physics for
a something quantitative, whether it is business
and the Wharton School or engineering, math and is important and in nursing, the
commitment to the sciences and a commitment
to the field of nursing is important.
In the college we like students who are open to the idea
of discovery, the idea that there are so many different paths, you know
to, any end result and being open to really finding their passions
and exploring and also diving deeper into things that might be unknown to them.
According to the College Board.
>> Mm-hm.
>> When you look at, at the College Board website.
>> Mm-hm.
>> On Penn's profile, Penn has a 13% over all acceptance rate.
>> Mm-hm.
>> Which puts it the, you know, highest category.
>> Mm-hm.
>> For selectivity.
>> Mm-hm.
>> Can you put a 13% acceptance rate?
>> Mm-hm.
>> Into perspective?
The students watching this?
>> You know, over time, and especially
in recent years with the growth of applications,
I've seen, the numbers looks scarier and scarier, I know, to a student every year.
But the reality is that the same things
that lead to success in this process haven't changed.
And so despite increased numbers it doesn't
mean that we're looking really for anything different.
It doesn't mean that different students are being successful.
What our hope is that With these increased
numbers comes an increase in, you know, the
diversity of the students who are applying, and
who are considering applying to the United States.
I can say from experience that in the last
several years that has been a tremendous change internationally.
That students are applying from more and more places.
Students are applying from different cities.
Students are applying, not from international schools only but also
from local state school or national school systems and that's
a really exciting change because it allows Pen and other
institutions To have a campus that's really reflective of the world.
So some of the growth and some of the increased hype and
statistics, it comes from students who
are sending off several different applications.
And many students applying to many more places than they used to.
But without the thoughtfulness that's required
to really be successful in the process.
And so definitely with every application that you send it need to be intentional.
You need to have a reason why you're applying there specifically.
And it can't be, you know, a prestige based thing.
I, I joke with students that you can't simply take US
News and World Report and apply to the top 25 institutions.
because they're all so different and there's
no way that you would be successful.