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Cornell ED Class of 2023 Results
Lightdark05
10 replies1 threads New Member
I know the decisions will be announced soon so I am happy if we can help others by sharing our stats. Maybe we can also find future classmates.
Replace the "[a" below with "[" .
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size][/b]
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred [/color][/size][/b]
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size][/b]
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major and College:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
General Comments :
[Copied from last year thread]
48 repliesReplace the "[a" below with "[" .
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size][/b]
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred [/color][/size][/b]
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size][/b]
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major and College:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
General Comments :
[Copied from last year thread]
Post edited by skieurope on
This discussion has been closed.
Replies to: Cornell ED Class of 2023 Results
Please use this thread for results only, since non-result posts will be deleted. General discussion posts should be placed in the following thread:
https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/2090669-cornell-ed-class-of-2023-discussion-thread.html#latest
Decision: ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!!! WOOO GO BIG RED
FILLED OUT BEFORE DECISION TO PREVENT BIAS
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35 English and reading, 32 math, 34 science)
SAT II: 780 Bio E, 740 French Reading
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Including first quarter senior year, around a 93.8%? My school doesn’t actually do GPAs, but I have a strong upwards trend!
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP French (4), AP Biology (4) – didn’t really study and we were only allowed to take a maximum of two APs junior year—AP Computer Science, AP Calculus AB, self-took AP English Language test end of junior year and got a 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: French 5 (above AP level), Physics, Creative Writing, AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): French National Contest (silver), silver Scholastic keys, published a bunch in national teen magazine & won an award. Nothing humongous though
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Speech captain (11, 12) and greatly expanded team, running a coding club (11, 12), yearbook literature editor, a really awesome selective writing mentorship program in my city, magazine editor, in chorus for six years (appeared only on my transcript; I didn’t put it as an extracurricular), some miscellaneous stuff I didn’t put.
Job/Work Experience: Kumon instructor for a bit
Volunteer/Community service: Tutoring, a trip abroad (didn’t end up putting on app)
Summer Activities: Girls Who Code (rising junior), intern at immunology lab & intern at well-known writing organization in my city (rising senior)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app was maybe an 8/10. Solid but I can’t really rate it after a while-- definitely personal to me and it showed growth. Cornell maybe a 9/10; made it personal and specific to school
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Waived right to see
Teacher Rec #1: English: 8/10 at least. She loved me.
Teacher Rec #2: Math: 8/10. Had him for two years and a program outside of school. I feel like he got to know me as a person; I grew a lot in his classes, though I wasn’t necessarily the most academically successful one.
Counselor Rec: We’ve become buddies and talk about stuff! 9/10
Additional Rec:
Interview: Pretty chill. Talked with alumnus for an hour, bonded over a few things in a Starbucks. She also gave me some good advice
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Nah
Intended Major and College: CAS
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Very, very competitive public.
Ethnicity: South Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: High, which I’m grateful for
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Mom faculty at a Cornell institution
Reflection: START EARLY. FIND SOMETHING YOU LOVE. I didn’t give a frick before the end of sophomore year and that was by far my biggest downfall. Make sure you have a spike in an area or two; don’t just pad your app. It’ll get you nowhere.
Strengths: I love writing things
Weaknesses: Probably early high school grades and lack of major awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
General Comments:
It’s a stressful process. I remember pouring over these threads for hours on end. But it’s exciting—you’ll be where you’re meant to be. Good luck 😊 don’t stress too much.
SO EXCITED. Was freaking out about the whole decision thing for the past month… but I’M DONE. FINALLY DONE. And to those of you who weren’t as lucky (and I firmly believe a large portion is luck), Cornell might just not be the place where you will be your happiest! Whatever happens, happens for a reason
CAS Chemistry major biomedical minor
34 ACT (35 maths, science)
SAT II chem 770 maths II 720
Regional orchestra and regional team sport representation
Submitted music portfolio
It was my S’ dream school and we are partying even tho it is the middle of the night here!
International student but also legacy ties
Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn't take
SAT II: Math 2: 650, chem: 660
ACT (breakdown): 32 (32E, 35M, 31R, 30S)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.954
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/65
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chemistry (3), AP Statistics (5), AP Calc BC (current), AP Human Geography (current)
Senior Year Course Load: 2 AP's, 2 dual enrollment college courses, bunch of other fun stuff
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Chief of Staff of the Air Force Flight Academy student + top graduate
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): AFJROTC (Achieved Cadet Col, Vice Wing commander senior year), National Honor Society (Vice President), Varsity Baseball (Captain), Student2Student (Founding Member), Band, WUCT participant.
Job/Work Experience: Ski instructor for two years, gym receptionist for a summer, dominoes CSR for a semester
Volunteer/Community service: National Honor Society and AFJROTC - 120ish hours
Summer Activities: Chief of staff of the Air Force Flight Academy, SAME Engineering Camp, work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (8/10). Very humorous semi-personal story that reveals my personality. COE supplement (9/10), Wrote about a very specific experience I had with Cornell Engineering students and how they showed me what was possible there.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: (8/10) - great letter, but I have not read
Teacher Rec #2: (8/10) - great letter, but I have not read
Counselor Rec: (6/10), specific well-written letter, but did not bring anything new to the table
Additional Rec: Nada
Interview: Nada
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep!
Intended Major and College: College of Engineering, Engineering Physics
State (if domestic applicant): Utah
School Type: Public Charter school (military emphasis)
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: You fellas don't need to know
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Perhaps AFROTC stuff and Utah
Reflection
Strengths: Being from Itah, my ACT math score, my essays, and some AFROTC affiliation.
Weaknesses: My SAT II scores, lack of AP's (not many offered), composite ACT was a touch low
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: my state schools, but this is my first real acceptance.
General Comments : I'm freaking out a little. To all those who didn't make it, I'm so sorry. And you probably don't want to hear it from me, but just know there's options out there for you. Have faith!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1540 (R: 770; M: 770)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math II - 740; US History - 710
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 11/457
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World History (4); AP Chemistry (3); AP English (5); AP Calculus AB (5); AP US History (5); AP Psychology (4); AP Physics (3); AP Comp Sci (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Environmental Science, AP European History, AP Calculus BC, AP Human Geography, AP English 12, AP Economics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Meh, not really, some business awards here and there, but nothing major
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Club soccer, FBLA, Key Club, Piano
Job/Work Experience: Hopkins Neuroscience internship, Hospital internship
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at Chinese school
Summer Activities: My work experiences are all during the summer
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10 - personal; probably the reason I got in to be honest
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
English - 8: Great writer and writes a lot of student recs
Calculus AB - 7: A lot of people are scared of her, but I think she's a great teacher and was great in her class
Counselor - 6: Not a lot of interaction, but I guess she didn't mess up
Teacher Rec #1: English teacher (8): Great writer and writes a lot of student their recommendations
Teacher Rec #2: Calculus teacher (7): A lot of people are scared of her, but I think she's a great teacher and was great in her class
Counselor Rec: 6 Not a lot of interaction, but I guess she didn't mess up
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: Human Ecology - Nutritional Sciences
State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Not sure, high enough
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
Reflection
Strengths: My essays were definitely my strength - showed my ambition to pursue health and to fight against diseases that could potentially harm me, and did harm several members of my family
Weaknesses: Grades and ECs - nothing really stands out
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essay
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nothing, and no need to be accepted
General Comments: I did this very quickly. I'm too excited to go into detail lol
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (Math 800, R&W 720, Essay 17) (One sitting)
ACT (breakdown): Didn't take
SAT II: 780 Math II, 710 & 760 Chem (I took it again in November so I had to report both)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school doesn't report GPA, we do percentage so my average was 88% ish
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): My school doesn't report rank but my GPA wasn't that great so I'm guessing it was pretty low
AP (place score in parenthesis): Stats, Calc AB, Chem all 4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lang, AP Calc BC, AP Psych, AP Bio, AP Micro and Macro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Australian Math Competition Distinction winner for two years, The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (Violin) – Grade 5 level
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): I received a patent for an invention I made, First violinist in school orchestra for 6 years, member of Intercultural Council, Academic Council for 2 years, Varsity Field Hockey team, Link Leader
Job/Work Experience: Intern at a non-profit organization that financially supports cancer patients, Journalist at a local student-run journal group
Volunteer/Community service: I have like 70 hours ish
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10 for Common App essay; I actually put in a lot of effort and a lot of people helped me edit it and 9/10 for Supplement too; I worked on both of them for over a month
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 My junior and senior yr Bio teacher; she seems to like me a lot
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10 My junior year English teacher she liked me a lot too but we weren't that close; I just needed another rec and it was really last minute
Counselor Rec: 8/10 I don't think my counselor likes me since I was really indecisive of my college list and bothered her a lot but I think she wrote pretty good rec letters for all of her students for the sake of getting into uni ngl
Additional Rec:
Interview: It was really casual, and the lady seemed really nice we didn't talk that much about Cornell at the end of the day
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: Chemistry and Chemical Biology in CAS
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Canada, but I'm a US citizen
School Type: Top 5 private school in Canada
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: --
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
Strengths: Standardized test scores, pretty good essays
Weaknesses: GRADES GRADES GRADES I didn't try that hard in school lol
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I don't think I stood out that much from the other applicants and my school grades weren't good at all
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
General Comments: Honestly I thought I had a pretty good chance since I had good standardized test scores and put a lot of work into my essays but I don't think my rec letters weren't that outstanding and my grades were below average. Little bummed out that I got straight up rejected but hopefully it's a good lesson and hope this helps future prospective students! And to everyone who got accepted, have fun at Cornell
YESSSSSSS
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1540 first try
SAT II: Bio E- 760, MATH 2: 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91/4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/23
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP's don't exist in Nunavut, Canada.
IB (place score in parenthesis): ???
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
(1) Won regional/provincial SEEL AND SNOW RABBIT hunting competitions.
(2) Local youth leader
(2) Founder of our schools student leadership council.
(3) In charge of managing our local herd of about 30 reindeer and sled dogs.
Job/Work Experience: Work as a hunter, fisherman part-time.
Volunteer/Community service: See above.
Summer Activities: Summer doesn't exist up here
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9?
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9?
I have no clue.
Teacher Rec #1:I have no clue.
Teacher Rec #2:I have no clue.
Counselor Rec: Very good. I built a strong rapport with my counselor and since I was the only person going to university out of my entire graduating class, I think I got a very exceptional recommendation letter.
Additional Rec: Didn't use.
Interview: N/A
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: YES
Intended Major and College: Animal science, CALS
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Nunavut, Canada
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Native American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: less than 38 000 USD a year (50k CAD)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
First gen college student
Low income
I am Inuit native american, we're those people living in the Arctic that eat raw fish, polar bears, seals, etc.
Reflection
Strengths: My background, my essays, my decently high SAT score that I got self studying (not many resources up here)
Weaknesses: My EC's and showing my "fit". There barely is any grass from where I live, how am I supposed to demosntrate my farming capabilities to CALS?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My background/life story
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I didn't apply anywhere else.
General Comments : Good luck!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 31
SAT II: None
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Computer Science Principles (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Calc AB, AP French, AP Euro, English, Studio Art, Ceramics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Finalist in National High School Arch. Competition
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
ACE Mentorship program (my team won 1st in the regional competition)
Varsity track team (captain and MVP 2 years in a row)
President and founder of Design Club at my school
Visual arts editor for school newspaper and lit mag
Lighting designer for school theater company
Black Student Union member
Job/Work Experience: Employee at Panera Bread (junior year), ntern at local architecture firm
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at local art museum and library
Summer Activities: Summer study abroad in South Africa
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 10/10 very personal
Supplement: 8/10,
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Waived FERPA
Teacher Rec #2: Waived FERPA
Counselor Rec: 9/10 my school is really small so he knows us really personally
Additional Rec: 10/10 from my architecture mentor
Interview: 10/10 the guy was really nice and said he liked my portfolio
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: Architecture (AAP)
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: F
Income Bracket: Upper-mid class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
IM SO HAPPY AND EXCITED AHHHH CORNELL 2023!!
To any future applicants reading this, don't freak out!!! I spent hours on collegeconfidential (which is unhealthy!!) and dug myself into an emotional hole, but things work out.
OBJECTIVE
ACT: 35C (36E, 33M, 36R, 35S)
SAT II: 760 Math 2, 740 Bio E, 690 World
Unweighted GPA: 3.76 (weighted 4.22)
AP: World (5), Bio (4), US (5), Psychology (5), Lang (5), Spanish Lang (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov/Macro, AP Lit, AP Calc AB, We the People/Competition Civics (weighted), Ceramics
Major Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, various Key Club awards (regional, state, and international levels), Mock Trial award, President's Service Award (Gold, 250+ hours), California State Legislature Award (i forgot to add it on my app oops)
SUBJECTIVE
Extracurriculars:
- Key Club (leadership at club, regional, and tri-state level: one of three main figureheads for 40,000+ members, tracked 950,000+ service hours, fundraised $230k+ for charities, planned events with 9k+ attendees, train 600+ club secretaries and 80+ executive officers)
- We the People (my high school's team is very well respected, almost always makes it to top 5 teams nationwide)
- Mock Trial (expert witness)
- Kids Against Hunger
- Liberty in North Korea
- Model UN
Job/Work Experience: small Asian food chain, approx 10hrs/wk throughout junior & senior year
Volunteer/Community service: local museum, soup kitchen at low-income senior center, animal shelter, Key Club (total service hours junior year ~400, currently ~100 senior year)
Summer Activities: 2 college courses that aligned with my intended major (A- at UC Berkeley, B at community college which doesn't make sense lmaoooo)
Essays:
- Common App: 9/10 -- talked about how the death of my mother propelled me to become an active servant leader and step up as a leader in Key Club. Might have been a little simple, but I really spoke from the heart, and several friends cried reading it.
- Supplement: 10/10 -- HILARIOUS, talked about what I plan to study and how I plan to take advantage of resources at Cornell, overall a very intellectual and witty essay.
RECOMMENDATIONS
(provided very detailed activity descriptions to them all, even though they know me pretty well)
Teacher Rec #1: 8/10 APUSH teacher -- Mock Trial advisor. I wasn’t a star student (APUSH is hard lmaoo), but I did reach out to her when I was dealing with some family problems. Knows I'm in WTP, works closely w/ them, surely thinks highly of me.
Teacher Rec #2: 7/10 WHAP teacher -- had a few good convos with him, but I wouldn't say we're BFFs. Same as APUSH teacher about WTP.
Counselor Rec: 10/10 -- I'm very very close w/ my counselor; I've spent quality time with her throughout all of high school and she recognizes my academic & extracurricular achievement despite problems at home.
Additional Rec: 9/10 Museum Director of Operations -- I had only worked with her for a year but she and I have grown close and I'm positive she thinks highly of me.
Additional Rec: 10/10 Key Club Advisor — knows me very well, has worked closely with me for years and listed several Key Club accomplishments, if anything further highlights my remarkable achievements in Key Club
OTHER:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: Classics CAS
State: CA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~$100k
Hook: none
REFLECTION
Strengths: extracurriculars, essays, test scores!
Weaknesses: low GPA but understandable because of family turmoil
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 710 reading, 800 math
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Korean with Listening, 730 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.76(W), 3.4(UW)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Statistics (5), AP Psychology (4), AP World History (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Poli Sci, AP Macro Econ, AP Environmental Science, AP Spanish, AP Calc AB, Eng IV, Advanced Choir
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Congressional Awards
President Volunteer Service Awards
International Peace Writing Contest - Finalist Award
National History Day Award
National Scientist Award from a Nobel Prize Winner
Advanced Research Award
+ about 10 more awards
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Human Resources Internship at a company (3 summers)
Biology Internship at USC, 300+ members NGO (VP)
Leadership at school (Founder/President)
County-wide organization (President of Region 6)
All State Honor Choir / School Advanced Choir / A capella group
+ about 20 more activities
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Tutoring at local MS (founder), orphanage at Mexico, senior care center, homeless shelter, blanket making
Summer Activities: Bio Internship, HR Internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common APP PS: 9/10 Very strong, talked about HR internship (related to major) experience of past 3 summers
Why Cornell Essay: 7/10 Used my past experiences/extracurriculars and tied them to Cornell's opportunities/activities
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 Stats Teacher
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10 Eng III Teacher
Counselor Rec: 8/10
Additional Rec: 9/10 (turned in 3 and 2 of them were 10/10)
Interview: 9/10
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: ILR
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Competitive Public
Ethnicity: Asian, Korean
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $110,000 a year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Generation College Student
Reflection
Strengths: Extracurricular Activities and Essays (focused on the major and the school)
Weaknesses: GPA (extremely low)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: low GPA, weak academic aspect
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Penn State (EA)
General Comments :
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1490 (780 M/ 720 E)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 M2/ 700 Bio M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.2 uw/ 4.75 w
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Lots of CS ECs, Captain of Volleyball, captain of fencing lots of awards in both sports, ran community service organization with over 300 participants
Job/Work Experience:
Internship at software engineering firm
Taught Volleyball and tennis for my town
Volunteer/Community service:
Not a lot, ran blood drives
Summer Activities:
Backpacked a lot plus internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (8/10) Supplemental (5/10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Never read them so I'm not going to rate
Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Went well.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: Info Sci in CAS
State (if domestic applicant): Connecticut
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Magnet
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): A lot of legacy, filled out four of five slots for immediate family members who were alumni plus I have sibling legacy
Reflection: Only did this because it really helped me when I was going through the process. Don't stress it too much, whatever happens, happens and it does for a reason.
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was a decent candidate but tbh I know it was because I'm a legacy.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Heard back from a few safeties but thats it
General Comments :
Literally cried for a half an hour. I can't believe how lucky I am.
[Copied from last year thread]
SAT I: 1590 (790 English, 800 Math)
ACT: 36
SAT II: 800 (Math II), 800 (Physics), 790 (Bio), 800 (Chem)
GPA: 3.96 / 4.7
AP Scores: All 5's (AP CS, AP CS Principles, AP Spanish, AP Physics Mech & E&M, APUSH, AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics 1, APES, AP Chinese, AP Statistics)
Senior Courseload: AP Micro, AP Macro, Multivariable Calculus, Graphic Design, AP Literature, TA for AP CS, Autoshop
Awards / Honors:
NMSF
AIME Qualifier (5x)
USAJMO (2x)
USAMO (1x)
USACO Platinum
USAPhO Semifinalist
USABO Semifinalist
Principal's Honor Roll (GPA higher than 3.9)
School Ambassador of the Year
Siemen's semifinalist
National AP Scholar
Science, Math, History, and English Department Award
Two papers that will be published with Stanford professor
Several FBLA national awards
Several DECA awards
Won at several nationwide hackathons (PennApps, MHacks)
EC's:
Varsity Football
President of CS Club
President of YCS
President of Engineering Club
Volunteer at the local petting zoo
Assistant coach for MATHCOUNTS team
CEO of a startup that has generated $100,000
Freelance software development
Travelling around with math team
FIRST Robotics
FBLA and DECA
Summer Programs:
COSMOS
Ross Math Program
TASP
Recs:
(10/10) CS Teacher: Super close with him, practically like a dad
(9/10) English Teacher: She said I was her favorite student in the last 20 years
Demographics:
Gender: M
Race: Pacific Islander (Tahitian in case anyone was wondering)
State: CA
School: CAS
Major: Computer Science
Other schools I applied to so far: UIUC, Purdue
Honestly, I don't even know anymore. I guess I'll just wait to see how other colleges turn out ...
Objective:
SAT I: 760 Reading, 720 Math , 1480 Composite
ACT : N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9 out of 322
AP : USHis: 4 World: 5,
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Bio, AP Gov, AP Comp
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Captain Girls XC, Interact Club Historian
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard
Volunteer/Community service: Hospital volunteer and youth track mentor
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9: Essay told of personal crisis that strengthened me to take on more rather than set me back and drove home my devotion and passion for nutrition and health.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10/10: Math teacher knew me well and had pride in how to write a great recommendation
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10, teacher for 2 AP courses and my XC coach, also knew me very well and was able to backup what I said in my primary essay
Counselor Rec: 9/10: knew me well and met with me frequently throughout high school
Additional Rec:
Interview: 9/10
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?:Yes
Intended Major and College: Nutrition Sciences
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
Strengths: I thought my essays were creative and powerful and really expressed my passion for the major while also highlighting my visits to Cornell and specifically why I was choosing Hum Ec
Weaknesses: My SAT math score could have been higher.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays and recommendations as my SAT and grades were like everyone else's
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: This was my first acceptance
General Comments :
[asize=4]Decision: Accepted [/size]
Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 36/36/36/36, 8/12 Essay
SAT II: 800 on Physics, Math II, Chem, Bio E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School does it weird, but my GPA was fine
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (def at least top 5%)
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 on US History, World History, Chem, Physics 1, Psych, Lang
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Calc BC, Physics C, AP French, AP US Gov, AP Micro, AP Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF and nothing else big RIP
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Average Asian STEM stuff lol: Scioly, Mathletes (VP), Robotics, Physics club (VP), etc. Received some awards for them though.
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Taught young kids about problem solving at a math camp/class every weekend
Summer Activities: Research internships at bio and physics labs, used for local competitions and Renegeron (didn't get results back yet)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 8/10, Not related to my ECs at all lol, they were too stereotypical. Instead I wrote about how my interest in origami evolved as I matured.
Cornell supplement: 8/10, REALLY detailed
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Physics teacher 7/10, did really well in her class
Teacher Rec #2: US history teacher 8/10, really liked me
Counselor Rec: 9/10, really liked me
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 7/10, My interviewer had a lot to say about Cornell!
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: Physics
State (if domestic applicant): Don't want to specify
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: pretty competitive public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Too much for need based aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing
Reflection
Strengths: Test scores, GPA, ECs were very directed in what I am interested in.
Weaknesses: ECs too stereotypical, no big awards, I made the resume that I sent too long (3 pgs lol)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See comments
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: First decision!
General Comments : It just goes to show you that you still can get into a top school even if you seem stereotypical...it depends on how you portray yourself through your essays!
Decision: Accepted!!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1570 (R:770 M: 800) one-sitting [essay score was trash]
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Math - 800 Bio M - 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): CS A (5) APUSH (5) Lit (4) Chem (4) Bio (4) Calc AB (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs its a doozy
(not really) Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
- 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalist
- Science fair awards in the state and inter-state competition (recognized in the state talent search for science fair)
- lots of special awards from my 10th grade project during inter-state comp.
- first place in my state for a writing competition on finance
- got a poem in an anthology lol
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
- founder of CS club at my school (3 yrs and VP)
- National Honors Society
- Student Council
- Multicultural Initiative (Officer)
- Science Fair
- Marching band (4yrs)
Job/Work Experience:
- Co-founder and current president of a non-profitable charity and organization (local though)
- work as a paid teacher on weekends for CS and teacher at a CS summer camp
Volunteer/Community service:
- Volunteered at hospitals over summer (over 200 hrs) (did music, actual volunteer work, intern at hospitals almost annually)
Summer
- lab research bio-related at a university in the big city nearby during summer
- Lots of volunteer work!!
- went to a selective summer program before senior year @ an ivy
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
--Personal Essay (9??) My personal essay was really personal. I think it was pretty good and I had a lot of people edit. Completely different flow by the end of the editing which was like 2 months.
--Supplemental (7/8) I stated why the school fit me very well for my varying interests and such. I am an active person and I guess it showed through this.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: CS teacher - 7/10 (i'd say pretty good had him for 3 years and club; not that standout though)
Teacher Rec #2: Math teacher - 7/10 (i dunno have them again this year and she liked me but probs average)
--for both teachers, I wasn't like an eXCEptional student of best friends, but they both knew me decently as a human and I was good in their class
Counselor Rec: 8/10 (Pretty good; had my older sibling and knows my parents well from those meetings; in a public school, definitely found me to be standout a bit)
Additional Rec:
Interview: Alumni interview went well and went overall well for ~50 minutes. older alumni so wasn't that in touch with how it is now but thoght I was a good fit!! Went off topic a lot. idk how big of an impact alumni interviws have
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: CS in CALS
State (if domestic applicant): OH
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: public (fairly big with a competitive batch ot students)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: not getting anything most likely
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths: I don't think my supplemental was that good because I didn't spend as much time on it as others. However, I did show my passions and clearly stated why I think this school fits me which was a push. Activities were definitely pursued for a long time and showed passion
Weaknesses: Really thought being asian would hurt me. In my school my rank is like just in top ten which is cutting it close for my type of large public school. I personally thought my achievements weren't as good as others in my school for being asian but I think my passion shined through.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I really thought I was going to be deferred. There are other people at my school who were doing ED and definitely quite eligible. I think I was overall a good student with the test scores, grades, and activities. I didn't have a major hook but I definitely showed my personal side in my essay and had passion in my supplementals (still would give them 8 and 9 if it's a good day).
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: 2 state schools but nowhere now bc of Cornell!!
General Comments: I always hear about having a hook or spike or something and heard that being well rounded is not good. In my case, I think that being well rounded is absolutely fine if you have a genuine interest in all those areas and the admissions can see that in your application! Maybe this is what made me stand out compared to others in my school. Good luck to everyone in the future
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Not taken
ACT (breakdown):34(E-35, M-34, R-34, S-33)
SAT II: Math Level 2-800, Chem-800, Physics-800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): We don't get a GPA at school ( Predicted Percentage - 98.7)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10
AP (place score in parenthesis): Not taken any
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: In a CBSE(National Government Board) school - course load almost equal to 4 AP courses(Phy, Chem, Math, CS)
Major Awards: Finished within top 50 ranks in General AI Challenge, Solving the AI Race Round; Competed in News-Wiz Quiz till pre-televised rounds; Finished 4th in the western round of JAIBC India Competition; Participated in NASA's Cassini Scientist for a Day Competition
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
I have published a Research Paper on Acta Astonautica Journal of Elsevier on GAGAN and future airports
2 projects on Data Science to be used in my school from the next academic year(LORs mention the same)
Zonal Level Table Tennis Player
Certified Scuba Diver
Working on creating an 8-bit computer using breadboards
Designed a Journal to enhance productivity for high-school students - working on releasing and selling copies on Amazon
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Helped initiate Storytelling sessions for underprivileged students to teach elementary English with AASHA Foundation
Summer Activities: Completed various online courses on Data Science and Mathematics - Part of an online Data Science invite-only community
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
CA Essay (10) - Spoke about how I dealt with finding friends and adapting to a new life due to a move from a rural area to a large city - which caused me to go into depression after 3 years of the move. Wrote how I dealt with the switch; drew a parallel between that and my experience with scuba diving.
CoE Supplementary Essay (9) - Wrote about profs, motto and my future goals with a CoE education
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 8; had a good rapport with my Math Sir - worked on a project with him. Not experienced in writing LORs though
Teacher Rec #2: 7; CS Teacher - decent academic relation - again worked on a project with her. Again, not experienced in writing LORs
Counselor Rec: 9; Built a strong connection with her
Additional Rec: 8; written by my academic mentor
Interview: N/A
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope
Intended Major and College: CS, College of Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): None
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type: extremely competitive private school
Ethnicity: Asian(Indian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:200000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
Strengths: strong essays and grades
Weaknesses: subpar ECs, unrecognized school - weak school profile
Why you think you were rejected: CS is the toughest major to get into, I guess. Should have done more competitive coding as most of my ECs were theory based only 2 being projects.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Not received any intimation from UMich, UWash
General Comments :
Incredibly disappointed, was really hoping to at least get deferred. But, then that's life - you do not always get what you want. Congratulations to whoever got into Cornell - it truly is an amazing school - hope you have an amazing and enriching 4 years.
Sorry to go so philosophical in the end.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1490; Math 800; Reading+Grammar 690
ACT (breakdown): didn't take
SAT II: none
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): don't know. probably REALLY low. Weighted 3.9 (Also to note that I got a C in junior religion class and F in a no-credit course)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not 100% sure but probably right in the middle (50%)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio 3 (did not report); 2D Art 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): school does not offer
Senior Year Course Load: CalcAB, French, APES. Our school has a weird policy that only allows seniors (except the top 10%) to take no more than 3 AP/honor courses.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3 pieces (gold&silver&bronze) in an international photography competition; first place (in a 3-people group) in an international wildlife species searching&identification contest at a pretty professional level with some graduate/PhD scholars
TOEFL: 113 (R29 L29 S27 W28)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): captain of school crosscountry team; varsity xc & track (4 yrs)
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered at a botanical garden for 2+ yrs; did some volunteer in a national nature reserve in China during summer
Summer Activities: mentioned above. Off-site summer program offered by an ivy
Essays (rating 1-10, details): don't know.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): don't know
Teacher Rec #1: from my soph&junior yr math teacher & 4 yrs xc coach. I guess it's pretty good
Teacher Rec #2: from my junior yr AP Bio teacher. really not sure about the quality.
Counselor Rec: She seems to like me but I'm not sure.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major and College: CALS plant science
State (if domestic applicant): attending high school in California. F1 visa (Not US citizen)
Country: born and attended school 1st thru 9th grade in China
School Type: private, religious, all-girl
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: female
Income Bracket: not sure. middle class.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing
Reflection
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I know 90% of my objective stats are basically TRASH. The extracurriculars might have saved me from straight rejection.
General Comments : I know that I'm a extremely weak applicant compared to others in my pool so I already feel like winning lottery for being deferred. Ready to take that L in the regular round. All the best to those who have received whatever results AND people applying the regular round!!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1460 (790M, 670 R&W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Physics-800, Chemistry-800, Maths 2- 790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Physics 1-5, AP Physics C mechanics-5, AP Chemistry- 4, AP Calc AB-4 ( All self studied)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 2, AP Physics C E&M, AP calc BC, AP Statistics, AP EVS
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honors
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Council, School Cricket team, 2-3 Science Projects, MUNs, etc
Job/Work Experience: Part time intern at a Robotics startup.
Volunteer/Community service: Part of Bharat Scouts and Guides. Won Governor's Award for commitment to community service.
Summer Activities: Worked with a friend to build a quadcopter which could effectively monitor waste and presented it to the City's municipal Corporation along with a project report which summarized how drones could be effectively used to monitor landfill waste
Also worked with another friend to build a model of a thermocouple which could be used for generating electricity in an environment friendly manner. The model won us the third prize at a state level science fair.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):COMMONAPP- Wrote about my waste management initiatives and how my concern for the environment stemmed out of things which I witnessed on a daily basis (8/10)
Cornell Engineering: Wrote about how a cornell education would equip me with the best facilities to find solutions to present environmental issues.(9/10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10
Counselor Rec: 9/10
Additional Rec: From my employer at Phoenix Robotix 7/10
Interview: Did not get one
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes. I guess it was a mistake since Cornell is need-aware for international Students
Intended Major and College: Mechanical Engineering in CoE
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 50k-100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Sibling Legacy. Don't know if that counts though.
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, Recommendations, Subject SAT, AP Scores
Weaknesses: Low R&W score. I guess my ECs were not good enough to help me stand out in a competitive applicant pool.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: IDK. Maybe I was just under-qualified for Cornell Engineering. I also should not have applied for financial aid to a need sensitive college.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
General Comments :
Congratulations Class of 2023. You will love your Cornell experience and you will fall in love with Ithaca. I guess it's time for me to get over Cornell now and focus on my Regular Application
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1530 (800 Math, 730 R+W)
SAT II: Math II (750), Spanish w/ Listening (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Spanish Lang. (5), AP Computer Science A (5), AP European History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, APUSH, Middle Eastern Studies, AP Spanish Lit., Physics, AP English Lang., Design & Data Structures (H)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Studied abroad in Spain during my junior year, Model UN for >= 6 years, JSA (Assembly member though that doesn't mean much) JV Tennis (MVP 10th grade), (Unpublished) research essay during J.Y.
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: YMCA España (regret not doing more service with them, only around 12ish hours), Operation Gratitude (only 30 or so hours though).
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CA essay (7, didn't feel as natural as I wanted it to be though I got positive comments on it); Cornell supplement (9, really went all out, I cared a lot about the school lol)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 5-7 (Could really go either way, I liked my math teacher and I did really well in his class but we didn't know each other all that well and I only had him for one year).
Teacher Rec #2: 4-8 (God have mercy on my soul. Econ. teacher, love her, she got to know me more as a person because I worked with her on a research essay, but I wasn't exactly the best student in her class lol [+ her first language isn't English])
Counselor Rec: 9
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 9
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: Spanish, Arts & Sciences
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Prefer not to say.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.
Reflection
Strengths: Study abroad complements my major really well, solid test scores (Spanish was perhaps a little low but I took it with listening + curve is **** by bilinguals), males are underrepresented in language study.
Weaknesses: No strong extracurriculars other than my study abroad experience, maybe too weak of a CA personal essay.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was deferred because my grade in Spanish Lit. (B+) for the quarter was too low for them to be comfortable accepting me at this time (so maybe they want to wait until the semester to see if it improves?).
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet.
General Comments : Obviously I'm saddened because I have to churn out my **** reg. apps now, but I think this is a good lesson for me in some ways that I'm not going to divulge here (though I will say one). Although I'm passionate about languages, I'm not entirely certain that I want to major in one. I find that my interest in subjects fluctuates a lot of the time based on the postive feedback I get from them - I thought Spanish was perhaps something that could escape that pattern, but it may not be. Regardless of my circumstance though, I'm honestly incredibly happy for the rest of the people in this thread that got in and hope that they're (or you're, if you're one of them that's reading this) able to attend.
I hope this helps someone!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (770 Verbal, 780 Math) (Single sitting)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Chemistry, 780 Math II
Unweighted GPA: 97.79/100 UW (Don't know my GPA out of 4)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Note: my school really limits the number of APs that we can take
AP Latin (4), AP Chemistry (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:AP Comp. Sci. A, AP Physics C, AP Calc. BC, AP Lit. and Comp., AP Psych.,Honors Latin
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:
These are just the ones I listed on my application
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Co-founder and co-president of a club that helps people learn programming and engineering.
-Co-president of our school's chapter of the Technology Student Association and won some national and state-level awards.
-Captain of our school's Science Olympiad Chapter.
-Worked on a research project with a finance professor from the University of Oklahoma
-Currently working on a printer that uses Python,Google APIs,and Arduino to print online orders from a Google Forms page for my parents' restaurant
-National Latin Exam 2 golds, 1 silver
-Intel and Hackster Planet Pulse Challenge, 3rd place category
-HackerRank World CodeSprint 11- 1580/6212
-NHS
-3rd place at a programming competition at a local university.
Job/Work Experience: I work at my parents' Chinese Restaurant
Volunteer/Community service: Habitat for Humanity, Nativity Miguel (a middle school that serves the underprivileged), Soup Kitchen
Summer Activities: Took 2 college-level classes at Carnegie Mellon University and got As in both (Principles of Computing and Reasoning with Data)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7/10 for my common app (I felt it was a bit impersonal and full of fluff, so please avoid what I did), 9/10 for my supplement (I really put a lot of effort into writing this and everyone I showed it to liked it.)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
I waived my right to read my recommendations, but my teachers seemed to like me.
Teacher Rec #1: From my AP Chemistry teacher
Teacher Rec #2: From my Pre-Calculus teacher
Counselor Rec: I feel that it was personalized since we had a long meeting discussing the recommendation
Additional Rec: A good recommendation from the professor that I worked with in the research project.
Interview: Went really well I think. We talked for about an hour, but it got awkward at times since it was my first interview.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No (big oof)
Intended Major and College: College of Engineering, Computer Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Pennsylvania
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private/religious
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$50k (I wanted to apply for financial aid, but my parents convinced me not to. You probably should though)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation, neither parents graduated from college.
Reflection
Strengths: My testing and extracurriculars. For my extracurriculars, I simply pursued the things that I loved to do and really developed a deep "spike" in engineering.
Weaknesses: My essays, definitely. I'm a bad writer.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted probably because my extracurriculars matched the major that I want to pursue and because of standardized testing. I can't think of anything else since I feel that my APs and essays are relatively weak.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Penn State, University Park
General Comments: I'm not sure if this will work for you, but really try to pursue the things that you love to do and are passionate about. I think that was the one thing that helped make me stand out with my otherwise pretty average profile. But really, I'm at a loss as to why I'm accepted and some others who are more qualified aren't. I'm not too special and even my strength isn't as strong as some others. Maybe I've just seen too many good applicants on CC, lol.