Waiting for the coveted thick envelope

Sandra Yang has been working toward a Penn acceptance since her freshman year in high school.

The Philadelphia-area high school senior spent more than two months on her Penn early decision application, going through what seemed like thousands of drafts, and plowing through reams of paper in the process.

She had to sit through hours of interviews, standardized tests, and forewent many Friday nights socializing with friends, not to mention hours of precious sleep.

Yet, in the end, she describes the early application process as "enjoyable."

For potential members of the Class of 2006, applications were formally due on Nov. 1, though the deadline was extended indefinitely to allow any delays in the mail that may have resulted from the recent anthrax scares.

The seniors are now waiting for the infamous thick decision envelope, which is due to arrive in mid-December, a prospect that is increasingly more daunting as Penn's admission rates drop and average SAT scores rocket. Last year, Penn received more than 2,800 early applicantsÿand only 36 percent were accepted.

The students who are applying early decision hope to gain an advantage over other applicants by showing their commitment to Penn.

Although the amount of effort involved in the application process would make some people cringe, many of the seniors who applied early to Penn view the process as surprisingly painless.

"The early process wasn't that stressful," senior Justin Mulvey said. "The real stress comes now when I'm filling out all the other applications."

Westtown, Pa., senior David Berman put his feelings in stronger terms.

"I enjoyed the Penn application a lot," he said. "I loved writing page 217 [of my autobiography]. The waiting now is the worst part."

Early decision applicants will find out whether or not Penn has selected them by mid-December, and in return for the advanced notice, applicants are required to attend if accepted.

But the reasons why these students want Penn vary widely.

For Pooja Sethi, a West Chester, Pa., senior, the deciding influence was her involvement in a Penn enrichment summer program last summer.

"While I liked the school a lot from the beginning, the clincher was when I had extended contact with [Penn] during the summer," Sethi said.

It was the feeling of being in the big city that appealed to Mercer Island, Wa., senior Fred Martin, because the urban environment "gives opportunities for internships and other experiences." The flexibility between Wharton and Engineering was also attractive.

Compared to the regular decision process, the early decision students are almost glad that they applied early.

"It feels good to have the Penn one done and out of the way," said Sethi, who is applying to eight other schools.

During the application process, the students were encouraged by the usual sources -- parents, teachers and friends -- to see to it that the application was as strong as possible.

However, an unexpected source of motivation exhibited itself as well.

"My peers provided motivational competition, since I knew that other people were just as serious as I was," Yang said.

Even Dean of Admissions Lee Stetson noticed the competition last year, when his daughter, Lindsey, applied to college.

"There's a lot of discussion in the school hallways back and forth about where you're applying, who's applying where, are they going to be admissible, are they not," Stetson said.

Because of their applications, most students said they felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment when they handed the completed envelope to the post office clerk.

"There definitely was relief and excitement when I sent it out," Yang said. "If my best wasn't good enough for Penn, there's nothing I could do."

For the next month or so until the admissions office makes the decisions, sweaty palms and nervousness seems to be the predominant reactions.

"It's more nerve-wracking as the day gets closer and closer," Martin said.

The hope of getting a thick envelope versus a thin one is also taking its emotional tolls.

"Waiting for early decision is like going through manic depression with all its ups and downs," Berman said.

Because the ball is in Penn's court, there is little that the applicants can do now other than cross their fingers.

"But in the meantime, I'll be praying," Yang added.

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