5 Tips for Writing a Great UPenn Essay

5 Tips for Writing a Great UPenn Essay SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The University of Pennsylvania requires all first year applicants to submit a personal essay as well as a Penn-specific essay. If you’re hoping to be one of the 8% of students admitted to Penn every year, your UPenn essay is an important part of your application. You’ll need to make sure your essays are strong to increase your chances of admission. In this article, we’ll go over the UPenn essay logistics - covering exactly what you need to write for each college you’re applying to at UPenn. Then, we’ll break down each prompt, offering suggestions for what to write about. Finally, we’ll give tips on how to write an amazing UPenn essay that’ll help you get into your dream school. What Are the UPenn Essay Prompts? If you’re applying to UPenn, you must submit your application to one of UPenn’s four undergraduate schools. Depending on which undergraduate program you’re applying to, you’ll need to answer the UPenn specific statement as well an additional essay for that school. The UPenn specific essay is a traditional â€Å"Why UPenn† essay that asks you to elaborate on why you want to attend UPenn as well as what you hope to study at the undergraduate school you’re applying to. Here’s that prompt: How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying. (400-650 words) *Students applying to Digital Media Design and Computer Cognitive Science should address both the specialized program and single-degree choice in their response. For students applying to the other coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer this question in regard to your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay. Depending on the undergraduate program you’re applying to, you may have to write an additional essay as part of your application. Here are those additional essay prompts and the program for which they apply: The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business: Discuss a current international issue, which demonstrates how international affairs and business intersect and explain how the Huntsman curriculum might assist to resolve the issue. (500 words maximum) The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Science and Management: LSM seeks students who are enthusiastic about combining science with management. What excites you about this combination? What kind of benefits could training in both disciplines bring? Be as specific and original as possible in addressing these questions. (400-650 words) The Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology: Please complete both prompts. Question 1: Identify a disruptive technology, one that many consider could drive truly massive economic and societal transformations in the coming years. Argue why the technology may not be as successful as observers think and suggest ways to address the concerns. (400-650 words) Question 2: Describe a problem that you solved that showed leadership and creativity. (250 words maximum) The Rejendra and Neera Singh Program in Networked and Social Systems Engineering: Describe your interests in modern networked information systems and technologies, such as the internet, and their impact on society, whether in terms of economics, communication, or the creation of beneficial content for society. Feel free to draw on examples from your own experiences as a user, developer, or student of technology. (400-650 words) Nursing and Healthcare Management: Discuss your interest in nursing and health care management. How might Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business help you meet your goals? (400-650 words) Seven-Year Bio-Dental Program: Please list pre-dental or pre-medical experience. This experience can include but is not limited to observation in a private practice, dental clinic, or hospital setting; dental assisting; dental laboratory work; dental or medical research, etc. Please include time allotted to each activity, dates of attendance, location, and description of your experience. If you do not have any pre-dental or pre-medical experience, please indicate what you have done that led you to your decision to enter dentistry. List any activities which demonstrate your ability to work with your hands. What activities have you performed that demonstrate your ability to work cooperatively with people? Please explain your reasons for selecting a career in dentistry. Please include what interests you the most in dentistry as well as what interests you the least. Do you have relatives who are dentists or are in dental school? If so, indicate the name of each relative, his/her relationship to you, the school attended, and the dates attended. The Roy and Diana Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research: Describe your interests in energy science and technology drawing on your previous academic, research, and extracurricular experiences that allow you to appreciate the scientific or engineering challenges related to energy and sustainability. If you have previous experience with research, describe your research project (outlining the goals, hypotheses, approach, results, and conclusions). Describe how your experiences have shaped your research and interests, and identify how the VIPER program will help you achieve your goals. Also, please indicate which VIPER majors in both science and engineering are most interesting to you at this time. (400-650 words) UPenn Essay Prompts, Analyzed In this section, we’ll analyze each of the UPenn supplement essay prompts and offer suggestions for what you should talk about (and avoid) for each. Penn-Specific Essay How will you explore your intellectual and academic interests at the University of Pennsylvania? Please answer this question given the specific undergraduate school to which you are applying. (400-650 words) *Students applying to Digital Media Design and Computer Cognitive Science should address both the specialized program and single-degree choice in their response. For students applying to the other coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer this question in regard to your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay. The first prompt, which all students must answer regardless of what program they’re applying to, is a traditional Why UPenn essay. It asks you to explain why you want to attend UPenn. While these types of prompts are common, the Why UPenn essay prompt focuses specifically on academics - it’s not concerned with your interest in UPenn’s extracurriculars or campus life. Your answer, then, needs to be specifically focused on your academic pursuits and how UPenn will help you achieve your goals. You’ll need to talk about how the undergraduate school you’re applying to affects your academic interests, so do your research on the school. You don’t want to talk about a class that you won’t have access to because it’s in another undergraduate school. All of your answers should be reflective of the courses you’ll be able to take if admitted to the undergraduate school of your choice. You should have a good sense of the classes offered by your program. It’s a good idea to name specific classes or professors you’d like to study with. Similarly, if there are any specific opportunities available to students in your field, such as internships or study abroad programs, this essay is the place to talk about it. The Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business Discuss a current international issue, which demonstrates how international affairs and business intersect and explain how the Huntsman curriculum might assist to resolve the issue. (500 words maximum) For the Huntsman essay, you’ll need to pick a specific international issue and discuss how it relates to your planned course of study. The key to this essay is to pick an issue that you know well. You want to sound knowledgeable and informed about the topic. Don’t try to pick a topic that you think is important to the admissions committee - stay true to yourself and what you’re interested in so that your passion comes across as authentic. You’ll also need to relate the essay back to your potential studies at Huntsman. Come armed with specific examples from the Huntsman curriculum, whether that’s classes, professors, or other opportunities. You should be able to explain how your examples relate to the issue you focus on. The Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Science and Management LSM seeks students who are enthusiastic about combining science with management. What excites you about this combination? What kind of benefits could training in both disciplines bring? Be as specific and original as possible in addressing these questions. (400-650 words) The LSM essay is a traditional college prompt, seeking to understand why you’re applying to this particular program. The trick to answering this essay well is to make your response as personal as you can - anything inauthentic to you as a student will read as off to the admissions committee. You’ll also need to be specific in your answer, so if you have a particular career path in mind, be sure to highlight it. While the prompt calls for originality, don’t stretch yourself trying to come up with an out-of-the-box answer to impress your essay readers. Your answer needs to be realistic and authentic. The Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology Please complete both prompts. Question 1: Identify a disruptive technology, one that many consider could drive truly massive economic and societal transformations in the coming years. Argue why the technology may not be as successful as observers think and suggest ways to address the concerns. (400-650 words) Question 2: Describe a problem that you solved that showed leadership and creativity. (250 words maximum) You’ll need to complete two additional essays if you’re applying to the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology. For the first question, write about something that is both genuinely transformative and has real potential problems that can affect people on a massive scale, like virtual reality, which may offer people the ability to experience new things, but also has lots of ability to be manipulated. The problems you pick should have real consequences but also real solutions. The admissions committee wants to see that you think critically, so you need to demonstrate that you can see beyond the potential benefits of a technology to understand how it may be abused or misused. The second question is also concerned with your problem-solving ability. This classic prompt wants to know about a time when you faced adversity and either overcame it or learned from it. Don’t be afraid to show yourself tackling a real challenge here - your ability to persevere is more important than showing that you never make mistakes. The Rejendra and Neera Singh Program in Networked and Social Systems Engineering Describe your interests in modern networked information systems and technologies, such as the internet, and their impact on society, whether in terms of economics, communication, or the creation of beneficial content for society. Feel free to draw on examples from your own experiences as a user, developer, or student of technology. (400-650 words) The easiest way to answer this prompt is with a story. Tell the admissions committee how you became interested in this line of study. You should be as specific as possible in your answer. After all, the prompt calls for examples from your own experience. You should be able to clearly articulate where your interest stemmed from. Don’t feel like you have to talk about everything that interests you within this field - focusing on one or two clear examples that you have a lot of interest in will go further than trying to talk about everything related to networked information systems and technologies. Nursing and Healthcare Management Discuss your interest in nursing and health care management. How might Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business help you meet your goals? (400-650 words) You have plenty of space in this prompt (up to 650 words), so you should make sure to address both parts of the question - why you’re interested in Penn’s nursing and healthcare management program and how the program will help you achieve your future goals. Key to answering the second part of the prompt is to have some future goals thought out - have a specific idea of what you want to do with your degree. Then, tie that back to things you can study at UPenn. It would be helpful for this prompt to familiarize yourself with aspects of UPenn’s program - courses, professors, learning and employment opportunities. The more you can show why UPenn is the right school for you to achieve your goals, the better your essay will be. Bio-Dental Program Please list pre-dental or pre-medical experience. This experience can include but is not limited to observation in a private practice, dental clinic, or hospital setting; dental assisting; dental laboratory work; dental or medical research, etc. Please include time allotted to each activity, dates of attendance, location, and description of your experience. If you do not have any pre-dental or pre-medical experience, please indicate what you have done that led you to your decision to enter dentistry. List any activities which demonstrate your ability to work with your hands. What activities have you performed that demonstrate your ability to work cooperatively with people? Please explain your reasons for selecting a career in dentistry. Please include what interests you the most in dentistry as well as what interests you the least. Do you have relatives who are dentists or are in dental school? If so, indicate the name of each relative, his/her relationship to you, the school attended, and the dates attended. The prompt for the Bio-Dental program is extensive. Attack it in pieces, being as specific as possible when answering each question. Don’t feel that you need to make up any specific experience. If you haven’t interned at a dentist’s office, don’t invent that experience. You should stick to reality. If you haven’t observed at a dentist’s office, you can set up a time to visit a local dentist so that you’re writing about your real experience, not something you’ve invented. When listing your activities, be sure to indicate how each is relevant to dental skill. Maybe you do a lot of needlepoint, which shows that you’re able to carry out complex patterns. Again, you don’t want to make anything up. Not only will your essay read as inauthentic, you won’t have the experience you need to enter into the program. Take your time and work through this prompt in pieces if you have to. Be thorough, honest, and accurate. The Roy and Diana Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research Describe your interests in energy science and technology drawing on your previous academic, research, and extracurricular experiences that allow you to appreciate the scientific or engineering challenges related to energy and sustainability. If you have previous experience with research, describe your research project (outlining the goals, hypotheses, approach, results, and conclusions). Describe how your experiences have shaped your research and interests, and identify how the VIPER program will help you achieve your goals. Also, please indicate which VIPER majors in both science and engineering are most interesting to you at this time. (400-650 words) There are two parts to this prompt: why you are interested in this specific program and area of study and how UPenn will help you achieve your career goals. You have plenty of space in this prompt, so make sure you answer each aspect thoroughly. Don’t invent previous experience if you don’t have it - be honest and authentic in your answer. You should have a clear idea about which VIPER majors you’re interested in. Be prepared to name specific UPenn majors and provide reasoning, in the form of classes you’d like to take or professors you’d like to study with. 5 Tips for Acing the UPenn Supplement Hoping to write amazing UPenn supplement essays? Follow these key tips to do so! #1: Use Your Own Voice The point of a college essay is for the admissions committee to have the chance to get to know you beyond what’s featured in other parts of your application. Your admissions essays are your chance to become more than just a collection of statistics - to really come alive for your application readers. Make sure that the person you’re presenting in your college essays is yourself. Don’t just write what you think the committee wants to hear or try to act like someone you’re not - it will be really easy for the committee to tell you’re lying. If you lie or exaggerate, your essay will come across as insincere, which will at best diminish its effectiveness and at worst make the admissions committee think twice on accepting you. Stick to telling real stories about the person you really are, not who you think UPenn wants you to be. #2: Be UPenn-Specific All of your UPenn essays should be UPenn-specific. Don’t be generic in your answers - the admissions committee should get the idea that you know about UPenn and that your answer is specific to that school, not about college in general. Don’t waste your time telling the admissions committee that UPenn has a world-class faculty - first of all, the admissions committee knows that and second, many universities do. Talk about why UPenn is the right school for you and be prepared to give real, concrete examples. #3: Do Your Research You can make your essay UPenn-specific by doing your research. Look into the course catalogue, visit your prospective major’s website. Schedule a meeting with a professor or current student if you can. The more specific information you have, the better. #4: Avoid Cliches and Overused Phrases When writing your UPenn essays, don’t use cliches or overused quotes or phrases. The college admissions committee has probably seen numerous essays that state, â€Å"Be the change you want to see in the world.† You can write something more original than that! Each of the UPenn essays asks you something specific about your experience or background. Your essay should be 100% you - you don’t want the admissions committee to think, â€Å"Anyone could have written this essay.† #5: Check Your Work Your UPenn essays should be the strongest example of your work possible. Before you turn in your UPenn application, edit and proofread your essays. Run your essays through a spelling and grammar check before you submit and ask someone else to read your essays. You can seek a second opinion on your work from a parent, teacher, or friend. Ask them whether your work represents you as a student and person. Have them check and make sure you haven’t missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it possibly can be. #6: Have a Spike What’s a spike, you ask? In short, a spike is something that makes you stand out. Something that no (or very few) other applicants have. When you’re applying to college, it’s tempting to seem well-rounded and interested in all the things. Don’t do that. Your application won’t stand out if you’re mediocre in band, on the track team, and on student council. It will stand out if you travel to Japan to perform with a world-class performance ensemble or qualify for the Olympic trials in shot put. When your focus is on one thing, you’ll be better at it than if you have to split your time and attention. It will also be more impressive on your resume. Final Thoughts Your UPenn essay is an important part of your application. Depending on the specific school you're applying to, you may have to write three or more essays. No matter which school at UPenn you're applying to, keep in mind: DO: Be authentic. Highlight your best qualities. Use specific examples of UPenn courses and professors you want to study. DON'T: Be generic. Make anything up about yourself. Split your focus by talking about too many different ideas. What’s Next? If you're applying to UPenn, you're likely applying to other colleges on the East Coast, too.Check out our expert guides to theWilliams essay (coming soon), theTufts essays, and theHarvard essay. Need help writing your Common App essay?Our tips will show youhow to write a Common App essayguaranteed to make you stand out from other applicants! Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Hayley Milliman About the Author Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. 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