How She Got Into UPenn! (Stats, Extracurriculars, & Essays Revealed)

Main ideas / lessons conveyed

• Author’s admissions story: Anya describes committing to the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) and shares the academic stats, extracurricular focus, and essay themes that supported her application.
• What made her stand out (application narrative): The key was presenting a holistic, coherent “picture” of herself—showing how projects, hobbies, and motivations connect logically across her life.
• Power of a meaningful passion project: Her app-building work (with measurable outcomes and public impact) serves as central evidence of her motivation, leadership, and values.
• Using essays strategically (but personally):
  • Essays should explain inner motivation—why she started and sustained her work.
  • She recommends including vulnerabilities and specific personal details so admissions readers recognize her uniqueness.
  • She illustrates using an unexpected personal anchor (Harry Potter fandom) to show how personal development (e.g., learning English, building community, creative writing) connects to later goals.
• Early experimentation and fit: She advises trying many activities early (e.g., STEM/olympiads) to discover what truly fits, rather than assuming.
• Practical timeline advice for students:
  • Build achievements and extracurricular milestones earlier so senior year isn’t overloaded.
  • Start engaging with colleges earlier (webinars/demonstrated interest).
  • Plan standardized testing (SAT) and avoid an entirely “test-free” summer crunch.
• Resilience and support systems: She emphasizes mentorship, finding “your people,” and not letting criticism derail values-driven projects—especially in conservative contexts.

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Detailed methodology / instructions

Essay and storytelling approach

• Create a “holistic picture” of yourself for admissions:
  • Ensure every part of your journey (projects, hobbies, smaller activities) connects and reflects consistent personality and values.
• Reflect on “inner motivation”:
  • Explain why you became motivated to start your projects and what sustained it over time.
  • Make clear it’s not just about prestige (e.g., not only “Ivy League”); it should show personal purpose.
• Write personal and vulnerable essays:
  • Include vulnerabilities and family/personal events.
  • Aim for specificity so that no one else could realistically write the same essay.
• Use unique personal details as bridges:
  • Example: Harry Potter fanfiction as a link from childhood interest to later development (learning English, community, storytelling, values).

Extracurricular planning and experimentation

• Try everything early (especially in 8th/9th grade):
  • Experiment widely to discover what “feels like yours.”
  • If a path (e.g., certain STEM activities) doesn’t fit, don’t force it—pivot based on real enjoyment and strengths.
• Take on opportunities when they appear:
  • Don’t assume you’ll be discouraged by stereotypes—she regretted not trying robotics earlier.
  • Be open to doors opened through school and community activities.
• Build a schedule and sequence achievements:
  • Complete major honors/extracurricular achievements before final/senior year begins.
  • Use final year to focus more heavily on applications.

Standardized testing and college engagement

• For students in 10th/11th grade: consider taking the SAT
  • Plan so you have time for a test-free summer before senior year.
• Engage with colleges earlier
  • Attend webinars from schools you’re genuinely interested in.
  • This may help you build a “digital relationship,” and universities can track demonstrated interest.
• Use available datasets
  • Check “general dataset / college dataset” info shared by universities, including statistics.
  • Look for whether interest tracking is discussed.

Seeking help, mentors, and building support

• Ask for help rather than doing everything alone
  • Collaborate with peers doing similar work.
  • Seek guidance from professors or research opportunities.
  • Treat these experiences as building both your resume and real-world skills.
• Find mentors (and don’t skip them)
  • She claims lack of proper mentoring earlier may have contributed to an initial project/app failing.
• Find “your people”
  • In high-pressure or critical environments, community support matters.
  • Choose friends/classmates who are similarly driven or share key goals/values—even if interests differ.
• Don’t let negative feedback change your direction
  • She describes receiving hateful/harassing feedback while building a feminist project in a conservative setting.

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Key content about her passion project: Qyz Bolsyn app

• Project identity: A student-created app for girls called “Qyz Bolsyn” (spelled as “Qyz Bolsyn” / “Kөsbolsyn” in subtitles).
• Target users: Girls ages 13–21 in Kazakhstan, especially those lacking access to reliable education (notably sex education), including girls who may not speak English and rely on limited Russian-language resources.
• App purpose / problem addressed:
  • Prevent harmful misinformation online by providing safe, professional content.
  • Address a real public health concern:
    • She cites UN data: one in five Kazakhstani girls aged 13–15 has been pregnant at least once.
  • Guide safer decisions and improve access to trustworthy information.
• App structure (3-part design):
  • Information zone: Articles and podcasts from professionals.
  • Community: A Reddit-like safe space specifically for girls.
  • AI assistant: A friendly, girl-like assistant that:
    • Sends supportive “confirmations”
    • Shares relevant articles
    • Lets users write when they feel unsure/sad/need advice (positioned as more human/relatable than ChatGPT).
• Outcomes / impact claimed:
  • Published on the App Store
  • Built a community of 5,000 girls
  • Raised $6,000 through competitions and hackathons
  • Received local and international media coverage (example: UN Women in Kazakhstan, and Orda Kazakhstan with 100k+ viewers/subscribers)
  • Beneficiary feedback: users said it helped them feel like themselves again and learn important information they didn’t previously have

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Academic/test profile and school background (as stated)

• Location/origin: Originally from Almaty, Kazakhstan
• School system: British international school; A-level program
• Subjects: Math, Economics, Psychology, Russian
• Grades:
  • All A’s in AS level
  • Predicted A*’s for final exams
  • Notes the cap that you can’t earn above an A on year 12 exams
• Standardized tests:
  • SAT: 1340
  • IELTS: 8.5 (passed as an international student requirement)

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Speaker(s) / sources featured

Speaker(s)

• Anya (freshman entering Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania)

Organizations / named sources mentioned

• University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
• Bocconi University
• University of British Columbia
• Technovation (Technovation competition)
• UN Women (mentioned as a media outlet)
• Orda Kazakhstan (mentioned as media coverage)
• UN (cited for pregnancy statistic)
• Alo Education (promoted for free one-on-one mentoring sessions)
• LinkedIn and Instagram (where viewers can contact her)
• Reddit (referenced as an analogy for the community feature)
• ChatGPT (referenced as a comparison for the AI assistant style)