<p>I just finished up my Cornell RD app, and was curious if I should be getting my hopes up for acceptance into CAS as a possible Physics major. I’m interested in veterinary medicine, as well as languages, but I figured that Physics (something that I really enjoy, too) would set me apart from the bio crowd. Would it be worth applying to CALS as a Bio major, too?</p>
<p>Me:
Gender/Ethnicity – Male/White</p>
<p>School – Competitive, private Episcopal school in Potomac, MD.</p>
<p>9th/10th/11th GPA – 3.9 Unweighted, 4.1 Weighted.
((My Freshman year wasn’t my best (A mix of As and A-s, with one B+), but that was due in part to the death of my father halfway through the year.))</p>
<p>Ranking – No rankings at our school, but I’m in the top 5%, or number 1-3/70.</p>
<p>Junior year schedule/grades – AP English Lit. (A), AP US History (A), Physics (A), Precalculus (A), and Spanish III (A)</p>
<p>**Senior year schedule/first trimester grades **-- AP Biology (A+), AP Spanish Language (A), AP Calculus AB (A+), AP English Language (A), and Physics II (A)</p>
<p>APs taken – AP US History (5) and AP English Lit (5).
((Our school only offers 2 APs before Senior year (US and Lit, obviously) and in Senior year we only have access to 4 (the ones that I’m taking).))</p>
<p>ACT – 33 Composite. 34 Math, 34 English (10 Essay), 34 Reading, 29 Science. *One sitting<a href=“(I%20don’t%20even%20know%20what%20to%20say%20about%20that%20science%20score…)”>/I</a></p>
<p>SAT – 2200: 760 CR, 680M, 760 W (10 Essay). *One sitting<a href=“(strange,%20since%20math%20has%20always%20been%20my%20best%20subject,%20but%20oh%20well.)”>/I</a></p>
<p>SAT IIs – 720 Mathematics Level 2, 690 Spanish, 770 U.S. History.
((The Spanish test is a little bit embarrassing, as I’m near-fluent. I realized after the test that I had not turned to the last page, thinking that I already finished…))</p>
<p>ECs:
– Martial arts all through middle school and high school, began Tai Chi in high school.
– “Little Dragon” martial arts instructor to kids 7 and under, Tai Chi forms and weapons instructor to adults (both since junior year.)
– Executive tutor (paid) with P2P Tutors, around 4 hours per week
– Tutor at the National Center for Children and Families, mostly helping children from abused and broken homes who dropped out of high school to get their GEDs, 1-2 times per week
–Tutor at the National Center for Children and Families’ Greentree Shelter (tutoring math, reading, science, etc to high schoolers living at the shelter) 1-2 times per week.
– Volunteering every Sunday with an ASPCA vet, for a total of well over 100 hours
– Not sure how good this will look, but I ran track in Freshman year, participated in my school’s musical Sophomore and Senior year, and played the violin in our Symphonic Rock Orchestra Junior year
–Peer Leader (I work with incoming freshmen and help them adjust to high school life – a leadership role at our school)</p>
<p>Awards, etc:
–Inducted into the Cum Laude Society in my Junior year (top 5% of my class)
–Black belt in martial arts and Tai Chi
–Finalist as well as 3rd place in the US Capitol Classics Chinese Open (Martial arts)
–Tutor of the Month at my tutoring company
–I went on a community service/language immersion/homestay trip to Honduras for one month this summer. I came back with an additional 40+ hours of community service, teaching in a rural kindergarten (an INCREDIBLE experience), and near-fluent in Spanish.
–Wrote a 61-page thesis on the history of the desegregation movement (specifically the desegregation of the University of Georgia) with an analysis of my one-on-one interview with Vernon Jordan for my APUSH class, don’t know if that counts for anything?
–Maryland Distinguished Scholar nominee for Junior year
–High Honor Roll member every trimester since the 2nd of Freshman year.
–One of my short responses was about me starting a round-robin, all parent volleyball tournament at my school where the $10 registration fee went to provide daily snack (the only meal for many children) for the school that I volunteered at in Honduras.</p>
<p>Recs and Essay: Great teacher recs from my APUSH, Spanish, and Precal teachers. All three volunteered to write for me without me asking, which I took as a good sign, and my Spanish teacher went on the trip to Honduras with me, so she’ll be speaking to my out-of-school life.</p>
<p>My essay is pretty deep and creative (my college counselor seemed to like it), and I am a strong writer.</p>
<p>Also, my father and half-sister were Cornell alumni, if that changes anything. Weird question, but would his death change anything, since he’s (obviously) not an active member of any alumni boards??</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>