Wharton ED1 + 5 acceptances, turning down Stern and Ross

Demographics: - Black female - Illinois - top private prep school - upper-middle income - first-gen college (mom has associate's) Academics: - GPA: 3.98 UW / 4.7 W - SAT: 1560 - 15 APs (all 4s and 5s except one 3 freshman year) - Taking AP Calc BC, AP Econ, AP Comp Gov senior year ECs: - Varsity track captain, state finalist 4x4 relay - DECA international competitor, qualified twice (made top 50 nationals both years) - Investment club co-founder and president - Paid internship at commercial real estate firm (finance analysis) - 100+ volunteer hours at local food bank Awards: - All-State track (sophomore, junior, senior) - DECA nationals top 10 (business strategy) - AP Scholar with Distinction Acceptances: - Wharton ED1 - Stern - Ross - McIntire - Marshall Going to: Wharton, finance concentration, targeting Goldman HCM or McKinsey BA Reflection: the investment club and the internship report in my essays were what made the difference i think. essays and ECs that actually prove you care about the field matter way more than padding. also being captain of something real helped. Wharton's the move for recruiting but i'm not sleeping on the work ethic piece either.