Five members of Regular Decision Class of 2028 discuss backgrounds, interests, and ‘why Penn’

Penn released admissions results for its Regular Decision applicants on March 28 after receiving a record number of applicants.

More than 65,000 students applied to Penn this year, comprising the largest first-year applicant pool in Penn’s history. It marks an increase of more than 10% from last year, as the Class of 2027 received more than 59,000 applicants.

Though Penn did not announce the regular decision acceptance rate or demographic data, the admitted students hail from 109 countries and all 50 states, according to a Penn Admissions press release. The Class of 2028 also includes one of the largest cohorts of students from Philadelphia.

The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with five students from the Regular Decision Class of 2028 to learn about their backgrounds, interests, and what led them to commit to Penn. 

Sidhya Ganesh, who lives in Bellevue, Wash., is an incoming Wharton first year planning to concentrate in business analytics or marketing. She said that she is excited to be surrounded by her Wharton cohort in an environment of people with similar passions to her.

“Being able to be around other people that have had very diverse journeys that have somehow brought them to the same place would be an amazing experience that I’m very excited for,” Ganesh said. 

Ganesh also said that she is eager to explore student groups like Penn Masti, having spent the last four years running her own company teaching Bollywood dance. 

Meilun and Meihuan Yu — incoming College and Wharton first years, respectively — are twin sisters from Markham, Ontario, Canada. 

Meilun plans to study political science or international affairs and has been interested in Penn due to its political science related opportunities, such as its PPE program. At home, she has been involved in multiple policy positions and was elected student trustee of her school board. 

Meilun Yu said that she has grown appreciative of the real impact that political science as a field creates. 

Meihuan Yu said that Penn has been her dream school since she attended a visual arts high school and gained an interest in exploring the business aspects of fashion design. She added that she founded a nonprofit organization — Canadian Young Investors Society — that aims to promote financial literacy to teens across Canada. 

Meihuan Yu added that she is eager to combine her passions by joining Penn’s fashion magazine The WALK and other retail clubs. 

The twins also hope to further their interests by joining a cappella groups or by starting a jazz band.

“I was always looking for a school that has a good balance between social and academic life,” Meilun Yu said. “Yes, academics are important, but I want to go out there and meet new people. I want to develop relationships, and I think Penn is excellent for that.” 

Aidan Shaughnessy, who is from McLean, Va., will also be joining the College. He told the DP that he has an interest in policy, citing Penn’s opportunities for student involvement — particularly the Undergraduate Assembly, Penn Leads the Vote, and Williams Cafe. 

In high school, Shaughnessy was involved in youth politics organizations. He served as vice chair of the student wing of the Virginia Democratic Party, legislative director for Virginia’s state chapter of Voters of Tomorrow, and created his own organization — called Project Youth Vote — to increase youth voter engagement. 

Shaughnessy said that Penn’s political science offerings, in addition to being in a populous city, were aspects that appealed to him.

“The opportunity to be a young person, involved in city politics, and being part of the politics on campus as well was what really attracted me to Penn,” Shaughnessy said. “Having the chance to be close to D.C., to Philadelphia, to Boston, to these major cities that are involved in a lot of big policy making would be perfect.” 

Luisa López Monzón is an incoming College first year from Guatemala City. While she is planning to study microcellular biology, she told the DP that she also enjoys art and hopes to join a student organization related to one of the arts. 

López Monzón, a first generation student, said that she first heard about Penn after winning the gold medal for the National Biology Olympiad — thereby earning a trip to the United States and visits to several American universities. 

She told the DP that she is honored and proud to represent the Guatemalan people, and hopes to prove that people can make a difference regardless of where they were born and what opportunities they had.

“Sometimes there’s informational data where immigrants only do bad things, and that’s not true. We want to change the world, [and] we want to help,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you weren’t preparing for an Ivy. If you have your passion, you can try and try again, and you’re going to succeed.”