Q&A with Wafa: How Command Education Helps Students Earn Admission to UPenn

Wafa: Whenever I approach a Penn application with a student, I emphasize the pre-professional nature of UPenn academics compared to other Ivy League and top schools. While Harvard is looking for true nerds who have participated in high-level intellectual pursuits, UPenn seeks to admit students who are confident in their pursuit of their chosen field, ready to hit the ground running once on campus, and seeking to develop high-level professional expertise. Whether you intend to study at Wharton or pursue a degree through the College of Arts and Sciences, you should demonstrate your preparedness to contribute your innovative perspective to making advances in your field. Penn’s supplemental essay questions tend to be straightforward, focused on what students want to study and why they want to do it at Penn (though they added a “letter of gratitude” prompt a couple of years ago that veers from this traditional focus and requires a bit more creativity and personal reflection). Through these essays, transcripts, the Activities List, and letters of recommendation, students should demonstrate a strong sense of initiative, leadership, and community engagement.

Students should also note that the UPenn admissions committee is looking not only for academic excellence, but also for demonstrable ways that you have made an impact in your own community. They want to see compelling evidence of students engaging with their surroundings—whether through leadership roles, community service, or the adoption of responsibilities that show drive and initiative.

Wafa: Given the global reputation of the Wharton School of Business and the Perelman School of Medicine, many students mistakenly believe that Penn is only for students interested in pursuing traditional career paths like business, law, or medicine, rather than those interested in the humanities. While Penn does have a strong pre-professional emphasis, the institution also offers excellent programs in the humanities with world-renowned faculty (such as MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Emily Wilson and Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Buzz Bizzinger), stunning facilities (including the Penn Museum, which is home to the largest Sphinx in North America, and the Fisher Fine Arts Library), and numerous other resources (such as the Wolf Humanities Center and multiple international partnerships). I have encouraged many students with interests in literature, performing arts, and architecture to pursue admission to Penn’s competitive arts and humanities programs.

Alternatively, I have also seen some students interested in pursuing more standard pre-professional programs like pre-law and pre-med paralyzed by the thought that they need to follow a traditional career path or have a definitive 5-year plan sketched out in order to be competitive applicants. While students should be confident in their chosen discipline and in the unique perspective they bring to it, they don’t have to have everything figured out, nor do they have to enter a traditional profession after the completion of their studies. As long as applicants have the core elements—such as initiative, intellectual curiosity, and a clear sense of purpose—there’s room for more creative or unconventional career interests.

Wafa: A good UPenn application will tick the following boxes: strong academics, stellar test scores, impressive extracurriculars, and a clear sense of direction. However, what makes an application great is its clear articulation of why Penn will help a student achieve their personal, academic, and professional goals, and how their experiences and values align with Penn specifically.

Penn’ supplemental essays are designed to evaluate whether you’ve done your homework on the institution. For example, when crafting the “Why Penn?” essay, you should not only list Penn’s resources—you should articulate what you have accomplished in your high school career and how it connects to what you want to do at Penn. What will Penn equip you to accomplish that you are currently incapable of doing? How can you take your work a step further at Penn?

Wafa: One student I worked with was pursuing a pre-law and politics track and was very involved with debate, mock trial, cultural groups at school, and did a lot of community service. He also had a good number of leadership positions, including debate captain and varsity tennis captain. While all of these involvements were impressive and bolstered his application, there was very little of his voice and personality in his materials. That year, Penn introduced their “thank you note” supplemental question, which indicated that the university was deliberately inviting students to share a more personal and vulnerable side of themselves. I worked with this student to brainstorm his essay, find his authentic voice, and balance professionalism with the personal touch that the admissions committee was looking for.

Another student I worked with was admitted to Penn Huntsman. When we started working together, he had participated in research in his field and could write thoughtfully about his intellectual engagement, but he hadn’t pursued any professionally-focused opportunities. He wanted to study politics and international relations, and I emphasized that he needed demonstrable experience that showed a more hands-on engagement with his future profession. Given that he was located in Austria, I worked with him to get an internship at the European Parliament there. As a result of his internship, he developed critical professional communication skills, did outreach in his region, made high-level connections in his field, and demonstrated his commitment to his career path. Penn loves to see that students have made a meaningful contribution to their field even before arriving on campus.

Wafa: Extracurricular activities are incredibly important at Penn, especially those that demonstrate career-focused engagement, leadership, or hands-on intellectual involvements, such as research or conference participation. If you don’t see an opportunity for this kind of tangible work in your own community, taking the initiative to found a club, organize a conference, or source an internship will convey your self-motivation to Penn admissions officers.

Students who get into Penn are the kind of go-getters who don’t just participate—they lead, whether that’s as captains of debate teams, founders and presidents of clubs, or key organizers in community service initiatives. Penn looks for students who not only excel in their chosen activities but also make significant impact within their communities. Finally, students who want to get into Penn should look for opportunities for recognition—awards and honors will go a long way in conveying the public-facing nature of your work and a third-party endorsement of your contributions will catch the eye of admissions officers.

Wafa: First, it’s important to understand that you don’t have to be perfect to get into a school like Penn. Of course, for any top school, there are certain bars that you will be expected to hit academically, but admissions committees are not looking for flawless students—they’re looking for passionate, curious applicants who are eager to learn and make a difference. It’s okay if you didn’t ace every class or if you missed out on a particular summer program—these things don’t have a 1:1 correlation to your odds of admission. What matters most is that you show a genuine passion for learning, a willingness to engage with your community, and a clear sense of how you want to use your knowledge to better your communities. If you’re confident in the unique attributes that you can bring to Penn’s campus and the specific department in which you want to study, you’re already on your way to a strong application.