How can College Essay Guy's resources help with UPenn supplemental essays?
I've been going through College Essay Guy’s site a lot lately and noticed that he has some great guides for general personal statements and even some Ivy League supplements. Now that I'm starting to work on my UPenn supplements, I want to get an idea of how his advice is specifically relevant for Penn's prompts.
Has anyone here used College Essay Guy for their UPenn essays? Does his approach work well for the culture and expectations at Penn, or are there specific tips you’d suggest tweaking? I really want my responses to show that I understand what Penn is looking for (I'm interested in the Vagelos Program, if that matters), but sometimes his formulas feel kind of "one size fits all."
Would appreciate any insights or examples from people who found College Essay Guy helpful (or not) when applying to Penn.
Has anyone here used College Essay Guy for their UPenn essays? Does his approach work well for the culture and expectations at Penn, or are there specific tips you’d suggest tweaking? I really want my responses to show that I understand what Penn is looking for (I'm interested in the Vagelos Program, if that matters), but sometimes his formulas feel kind of "one size fits all."
Would appreciate any insights or examples from people who found College Essay Guy helpful (or not) when applying to Penn.
5 months ago
•
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Camille Luong
• 5 months ago
Advisor
College Essay Guy’s resources are solid for getting started, especially with brainstorming and structuring your essays, but you’re right: Penn’s supplemental essays—especially for specialized programs like the Vagelos Program—demand more than a formulaic approach.
His general frameworks, like the "Why Us" essay breakdown or the "Anecdote-Values-Insight" formula, help organize your thoughts and make sure you focus on impact and self-reflection. For Penn specifically, though, it’s crucial to go beyond the basics and dig into how your interests genuinely align with what Penn (and the Vagelos Program) uniquely offers.
For example: College Essay Guy recommends getting specific about programs, professors, or opportunities, which is great advice for Penn’s "Why Penn" prompt. But at a school like Penn—where interdisciplinary study and practical impact are big cultural focuses—it helps to dive deeper than the surface-level details you might find in a brochure. Instead of just mentioning the Vagelos Program and listing a few STEM classes, you might focus on how Vagelos’ integration of research and business fits your specific vision. Maybe you want to develop novel medical technologies and bring them to market; you could describe a moment when you came up with an idea in your science class and then outline how Vagelos’ curriculum and mentorship could help bring that idea to life. College Essay Guy nudges you to include those anecdotes, but for Penn, the reflection and research should feel tailor-made.
One example: A successful Vagelos applicant once described a high school project where they designed a low-cost diagnostic tool, then linked that experience to Penn’s resources like the Penn Health-Tech center, specific faculty research, and the program’s focus on science-business integration. This approach took College Essay Guy’s structure but made it highly Penn-specific.
If you find the formulas a bit generic, use them as an outline, then layer in the Penn details: campus culture, student initiative, faculty projects, and especially your unique reasons for choosing Vagelos over any other science/business program out there. You want admissions readers to walk away convinced you understand not just *what* Penn offers, but *why* it’s the environment where you’ll thrive.
Summing up: Use College Essay Guy’s structure to keep your essay focused and clear, but infuse your responses with deep, specific Penn research and authentic personal connections to Penn’s values and the Vagelos program. That’s the best way to make your essays stand out.
His general frameworks, like the "Why Us" essay breakdown or the "Anecdote-Values-Insight" formula, help organize your thoughts and make sure you focus on impact and self-reflection. For Penn specifically, though, it’s crucial to go beyond the basics and dig into how your interests genuinely align with what Penn (and the Vagelos Program) uniquely offers.
For example: College Essay Guy recommends getting specific about programs, professors, or opportunities, which is great advice for Penn’s "Why Penn" prompt. But at a school like Penn—where interdisciplinary study and practical impact are big cultural focuses—it helps to dive deeper than the surface-level details you might find in a brochure. Instead of just mentioning the Vagelos Program and listing a few STEM classes, you might focus on how Vagelos’ integration of research and business fits your specific vision. Maybe you want to develop novel medical technologies and bring them to market; you could describe a moment when you came up with an idea in your science class and then outline how Vagelos’ curriculum and mentorship could help bring that idea to life. College Essay Guy nudges you to include those anecdotes, but for Penn, the reflection and research should feel tailor-made.
One example: A successful Vagelos applicant once described a high school project where they designed a low-cost diagnostic tool, then linked that experience to Penn’s resources like the Penn Health-Tech center, specific faculty research, and the program’s focus on science-business integration. This approach took College Essay Guy’s structure but made it highly Penn-specific.
If you find the formulas a bit generic, use them as an outline, then layer in the Penn details: campus culture, student initiative, faculty projects, and especially your unique reasons for choosing Vagelos over any other science/business program out there. You want admissions readers to walk away convinced you understand not just *what* Penn offers, but *why* it’s the environment where you’ll thrive.
Summing up: Use College Essay Guy’s structure to keep your essay focused and clear, but infuse your responses with deep, specific Penn research and authentic personal connections to Penn’s values and the Vagelos program. That’s the best way to make your essays stand out.
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Camille Luong
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