Admissions | Penn Today

Elite colleges are trying to navigate a world where the SATs are optional

Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule says that Penn applications are up about 30%, especially from first-generation students, international students, and students of color.

Supreme Court weighs affirmative action case, but most college admissions won't be affected

Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule discusses the role and relevance of race in Penn’s “holistic” review process.

What Wharton’s majority female MBA program means for other top-tier B-Schools

The Wharton School is lauded for its majority-female 2023 MBA class, with quotes from Blair Mannix and MBA candidate Andrea Bogarin.

Woman who spent elementary years in Wayne now leads admissions team at University of Pennsylvania

Since becoming vice provost and admissions dean at the University of Pennsylvania a little over a year ago, Whitney Soule, who spent her elementary years in Wayne, has already started making changes in the application process which is one of the most competitive in the country.

Want to get into Penn? Show a little gratitude—on an essay prompt

Penn’s new application essay prompt is highlighted for its focus on gratitude, with quotes from Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule and Angela Duckworth of the School of Arts & Sciences.

Meet Whitney Soule, leader of the team who decides whether you get into Penn

In a Q&A, Whitney Soule discusses her role as dean of admissions, answers questions about the admissions process, and tackles the biggest challenges facing Admissions at Penn today.

Here’s what happened when 3 colleges, including the University of Pennsylvania, went test optional

Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule reports a 34% boost in applications for Penn’s first year of test-optional admissions, 2020-21, with sustained increases in numbers and application diversity into 2022.

College admission: This is not a race

Admissions Dean Whitney Soule explains the reasoning behind a new short-answer prompt for Penn applicants that emphasizes gratitude for others.

College admission: Data, transparency, and match

Penn was cited for joining other elite institutions in not releasing its current admit rate, and Penn was further cited for pointing how many of its accepted students had research experience.

Q&A

Talking admissions with Whitney Soule

As vice provost and dean of admissions, Soule is challenged daily with thinking strategically about undergraduate enrollment at Penn—from recruitment to application processes and all that goes into admitting a class, to how financial aid and retention fits into the mix.

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