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I'm applying to Cornell next year, but because of all their different schools and my ECs/Recs/Essays fitting all the different studies of each respective program I feel that I should use the alternative choice plan. However, I also have heard that if you are rejected from your first choice adcoms will ignore your application for the second choice college. Simply put, I want to know whether its worth utilizing the alternative choice offered by Cornell.
-simpleperson
I do know a candidate from last year who applied to CAS for math and was accepted to Engr, so yes, it happens...but I would think the two applications would have to both show a strong fit
When I spoke with a CALS adcom member about their policy on viewing apps from people who put them as their alternative choice she indicated that with so many applications...if an app is forwarded to them from another college they will only look at it if they see the candidate is a good fit for CALS.
A friend of mine applied to Engineering as his primary choice but was accepted to his alternate choice (Arts and Sciences).
And pertaining to what dewdrop said, "Only exceptional candidates with a serious intellectual passion satisfied by the alternate choice college or school will be considered for admission by the alternate choice college. The decision to consider an application is at the discretion of the admission committee in the alternate choice college."
It's all about FIT. Colleges each look for different things, so I'd recommend that if you plan on using the alternate choice you have a really good reason for doing so -- like, for instance, you want to do business in AEM but also apply for Economics in CAS as alternate, or biology in CALS/HE or something... but not like, ENGR/Hotel, because that just doesn't make sense, you know? :P
From what I've gathered, they realized that there were a few exceptional students who showed a large amount of interest, and couldn't exactly peg their interests in one college, but were being rejected because the adcoms in their primary college didn't deem them a good fit. So instead of being rejected outright, if they are a good enough student who Cornell would like as an undergraduate, they gave them a second chance.
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