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UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 10:41 am
by Dany
The topics are the same as last year (basically 1. Diversity Statement; 2. Art/Literature; 3. Five-year Plan) and at least one of the three is required. There's also an "Optional Essay" which is pretty much asking for a GPA/LSAT addendum (if one is necessary.)

Hopefully in this thread we can critique each other's essays and perfect them, in order to avoid the UPenn Yellow Sea on LSN.

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:43 am
by Hannibal
I'm either going to try art/literature or the first one for education background.

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 11:47 am
by Dany
Hannibal wrote:I'm either going to try art/literature or the first one for education background.
My PS is about being from the south/attending terrible public schools and what it's taught me, but that's really all I have as far as "diversity" - so I'm not sure if I should try a new PS and use that for diversity or just write one supplemental and be done with it.

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:39 pm
by hellojd
Are they asking for a why Upenn essay as well / are you guys doing it?

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:41 pm
by Knock
eskimo wrote:Well, the Penn app is up, and many of us will begin working on our supplemental essays soon.

The topics are the same as last year (basically 1. Diversity Statement; 2. Art/Literature; 3. Five-year Plan) and at least one of the three is required. There's also an "Optional Essay" which is pretty much asking for a GPA/LSAT addendum (if one is necessary.)

Hopefully in this thread we can critique each other's essays and perfect them, in order to avoid the UPenn Yellow Sea on LSN.

FWIW, I plan on doing Art/Literature, and maaaybe trying out a Diversity Statement.

Who's with me?
With your numbers you don't need to write one :).

Edit: Wait one of the 3 supplemental essays is required?

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:43 pm
by DaveBear07
Yeah one is required. I'm leaning towards Diversity.

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:43 pm
by Knock
DaveBear07 wrote:Yeah one is required. I'm leaning towards Diversity.
Good thing i've already written a diversity statement rough draft. Are there any other schools with required supplemental essays?

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:44 pm
by 094320
..

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:44 pm
by Dany
hellojd wrote:Are they asking for a why Upenn essay as well / are you guys doing it?
The 5-year-plan is pretty much a Why UPenn, it specifically asks how Penn Law will factor in to your 5-year-plan (upon graduation.)

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 2:46 pm
by Dany
acrossthelake wrote:
Knockglock wrote:
eskimo wrote:Well, the Penn app is up, and many of us will begin working on our supplemental essays soon.

The topics are the same as last year (basically 1. Diversity Statement; 2. Art/Literature; 3. Five-year Plan) and at least one of the three is required. There's also an "Optional Essay" which is pretty much asking for a GPA/LSAT addendum (if one is necessary.)

Hopefully in this thread we can critique each other's essays and perfect them, in order to avoid the UPenn Yellow Sea on LSN.

FWIW, I plan on doing Art/Literature, and maaaybe trying out a Diversity Statement.

Who's with me?
With your numbers you don't need to write one :).

Edit: Wait one of the 3 supplemental essays is required?
Yes. Which is problematic because my PS is already DS-y*, no art/lit has inspired me towards law, mostly because I don't tend to interact much with art or lit, and the idea that any 20yr old has a solid 5-yr plan is sort of laughable**. :(
*Exactly my problem.
**Also my problem.

I have a really odd piece of literature (a short story) that kind of inspired me - not necessarily to pursue law - but to make something of myself, I guess you could say. I think I'll go with that and tie it in to law/Penn, and see where it goes.

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 4:19 pm
by 094320
..

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 4:27 pm
by czelede
Goodness! Were supplemental essays required last year as well?

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 4:30 pm
by rundoxierun
The pointlessness of these essays and the fact that one is required is making me seriously evaluate realistically what the chance of my ending up at UPenn is.

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 4:37 pm
by kk19131
Does anyone remember the Penn undergrad essay that asks you to write page 214 or something of your autobiography?

:lol:

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 4:51 pm
by 094320
..

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 4:57 pm
by kk19131
I plan to do all the essays.

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:04 pm
by Dany
This is their YP: Phase One.

Too lazy to write the essays because you don't really want to go to Penn? Boom: weeded out.

Check back later for Phase Two: Good Numbers... But, Unfortunately, Slightly Too Good.

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:08 pm
by OrdinarilySkilled
kk19131 wrote:Does anyone remember the Penn undergrad essay that asks you to write page 214 or something of your autobiography?

:lol:
Yea I thought it was the dumbest thing. Everyone that has anything to do with that school thinks they're clever as shit. That said I will def b writing all of the above optional essays..

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 8:08 pm
by xqhp82
how bad would it look if i only submit one of the 3 optional essays (i'm leaning towards a DS)? My PS is already kind of artsy/music related so I can't think of any other piece of art/literature to write about and i don't want to make things up. i was planning to do a Why Penn essay but there's no such option, I don't have a 5-year plan in mind but I really like the cross-disciplinary approach of Penn so..where can I emphasise that..?

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 8:22 pm
by OrdinarilySkilled
xqhp82 wrote:how bad would it look if i only submit one of the 3 optional essays (i'm leaning towards a DS)? My PS is already kind of artsy/music related so I can't think of any other piece of art/literature to write about and i don't want to make things up. i was planning to do a Why Penn essay but there's no such option, I don't have a 5-year plan in mind but I really like the cross-disciplinary approach of Penn so..where can I emphasise that..?
I was kidding above about writing all 3. I am pretty sure just writing 1 is standard. And the 5-year plan one is basically the why Penn essay, just talking about how its a good fit for what you want to do after school. You can write how the cross-disciplinary fits in with what you want to get out of school and thus the 5 years after school.

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2010 8:25 pm
by Bildungsroman
Will be writing the 5 year plan and the music/literature one.

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 10:48 am
by cyxdev17
Wait -- does the 5 year plan start after graduation from law school or is it 5 years starting today?

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 10:52 am
by Dany
cyxdev17 wrote:Wait -- does the 5 year plan start after graduation from law school or is it 5 years starting today?
After law school graduation, at least, that's how I read it.

"How will your legal education and professional development at Penn Law support your five year plan upon graduation?"

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 11:02 am
by cyxdev17
Okay, that's what I thought.

As someone in this thread mentioned, it seems a little silly for a rising senior in college to write a believable/genuine essay about a 5-year plan (so up to 9 years down the road??) It seems more legit for people who have worked in an industry for a few years to really know what they want in terms of career. Any ideas on whether it'll help to write one anyway, even if most of it's mostly conjecture?

Re: UPenn Supplemental Essays 2010

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 11:03 am
by cyxdev17
kk19131 wrote:Does anyone remember the Penn undergrad essay that asks you to write page 214 or something of your autobiography?

:lol:

I'm pretty sure it was page 217 :P It was either that or overcoming adversity, I think. There might've been a third option as well.