宾夕法尼亚大学(University of Pennsylvania)，位于宾夕法尼亚州的费城，是美国一所著名的私立研究型大学，八所常青藤盟校之一。学校创建于1740年，是美国第四古老的高等教育机构，以及美国第一所现代意义上的大学。独立宣言的9位签字者和美国宪法的11位签字者与该校有关。本杰明·富兰克林是学校的创建人。
宾夕法尼亚大学在艺术、人文、社会科学、建筑与工程教育上处于领先地位，其中最为知名的学科是商学、法学与医学。
下面来看看宾夕法尼亚大学本科申请要求及申请短文题目。
申请材料清单Application Cheklist：
· Prior to the expected date of entrance at Penn, an international applicant should have completed a program of secondary education that would enable the student to enter a university in his or her own country
· The SATs and ACTs The University of Pennsylvania requires that all freshman applicants take the SAT Reasoning Test and two SAT Subject Tests, or the ACT with writing. These examinations are given throughout the world several times a year. Credentials earned within your educational system cannot be substituted for these examinations
· TOEFL
· High School Transcripts Most successful Penn applicants rank in the top five percent of their secondary school classes, but, because high school programs and grading systems vary widely, we look beyond the class rank. We pay close attention to the types and levels of courses taken and the grades achieved, particularly as they relate to your educational interests and the availability of courses at your high school. For example, the Wharton School requires that applicants have taken Calculus. Penn Engineering requires that applicants have taken Calculus and Physics.
· Recommendations Recommendations from guidance counselors, headmasters, and teachers, considered in concert with your classroom performance, give us a more subjective evaluation of your work. They provide a perspective that may not be evident from mere grades and scores. These commentaries are quite important, so it is best to find persons who are well acquainted with your work and potential. It is also helpful to us, and beneficial to you, to obtain a recommendation from a teacher in the area in which you think you might like to continue your studies.
· Personal Essay
Personal Essay
Please write an essay (250 words minimum) on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below. Please indicate your topic by checking the appropriate box. This personal essay helps us become acquainted with you as a person and student, apart from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will also demonstrate your ability to organize your thoughts and express yourself.
1) Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
2) Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
3) Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
4) Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
5) A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
6) Topic of your choice.
