Chance me Cornell CALS [and other colleges] [TX resident, 4.0 GPA, top 10% rank, 34 ACT; animal science]

Chance Me / Match Me
1

My first choice dream school has always been Cornell CALS as an Animal Science major, and now I am trying to figure out if I should apply ED or not. I ultimately want to go to Vet school and work in the exotic animal/conservation field. Most all of the schools I am applying to have an Animal Science major (I would apply as some type of biology/science major at the others)

I do have full tuition merit scholarships at some of the schools I am applying to (due to my College Board NHRS award-see below), so also wondering if I should shut the door on any of those scholarships by doing ED. My parents say they are behind whatever choice I make and are prepared to pay full tuition costs (undergrad and grad)

Your thoughts are appreciated!

(I know that CALS is test blind, but I will submit my scores to all other colleges)

  • US citizen
  • State of residence: TX
  • Type of high school: competitive public, ranked in the top 500 schools nationally
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity: Female, Hispanic
  • Other special factors: Recruited Track Athlete, but unsure if wanting to continue in college

*Intended Major(s): Animal Science (pre-vet track)

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
  • Weighted HS GPA : 5.2/6.0
  • Class Rank: top 10% (550+ students)
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 34 ACT

*12 AP courses (HumGeo-5, World-5, USHist, Bio, EnvSci, EngLang, Chem, Physics, EngLit, Calc BC, US Gov, Econ) Waiting for 4 scores from this year, rest will be taken next year. Anticipate some type of AP award

Classes also include a GT Independent Study and Mentorship class (application and interview process, selective) where I worked with a Dallas Zoo Veterinarian/Wildlife Nonprofit CEO on a year long study project. I also took a sequence of classes in animal welfare, animal management, equine science, and veterinary medicine that culminates in a practicum my senior year with a vet surgical center.

Awards
*College Board National Hispanic Recognition Scholar
*National Honor Society
*National Science Honor Society
*National Spanish Honor Society
*Nike Indoor Nationals Top 10
*Nike Outdoor Nationals Top 20
*National Junior Olympics Top 25
*Track Individual District Champion
*School Track MVP ‘23 and ‘24

Extracurriculars
*Selected as a Dallas Zoo Student Intern “Zoo Crew” (application and interview process) 1 of only 2 students out of 20 selected to program to be immediately elevated to 2nd level of program, given more responsibilities and opportunities to work with general public
*4 yr Varsity Letterman Track- Captain 11th and 12th
*FFA- officer 11th and 12th
*Girls in Stem- officer 11th and 12th
*ECO Club (Environmental school club)
*Will graduate with over 200 hours of community service
*NSLC vet program at Virginia Tech (I know this is a pay to play opportunity, but it goes with my interest in vet medicine and was very educational)
*Participated in several stock shows presenting my blue ribbon award winning rabbit

*Summer jobs
*Dallas Zoo Intern
*Interning at an animal physical rehabilitation center (working mostly with dogs post surgery)

Essays/LORs/Other
*Will have my Math and Science teachers write my LORs, should be strong
*Will also have an LOR from my independent study mentor

Cost Constraints / Budget
No cost constraints. Will not qualify for financial aid, but my parents can/will pay for full cost (they are aware of tuition costs of schools I am applying to)

Schools

  • Safety *
    -Iowa St, Colorado St, U of Arizona, Texas A&M (auto admit, but must apply to major), U of Tennessee
  • Likely *
  • Virginia Tech
  • Match*
  • Univ of Florida, Univ of Georgia
  • Reach*
    -Cornell, Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Penn, Yale, Dartmouth
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I would say, certainly, you are a strong applicant. Your stats are incredibly strong, and you have the ECs to back up your intended major. I will preface this by saying that Cornell and any Ivy/T20 are insanely competitive, and oftentimes comprise of thousands of similar applicants applying for limited spots.

Cornell does publish some data on their website: Undergraduate admissions - Institutional Research & Planning (cornell.edu). Here, the following information is listed:

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Of the 6290 applicants to CALS, the 892 accepted resulted in an admission rate of about 14%. Past that, there isn’t much data I can find (considering CALS is test-blind).

Looking to your Extracurriculars it is clear that you have a big focus on your intended major, Animal Science, and each will definitely boost your application. Your other ECs, like being a top ranked track runner, will help boost your application further. Regardless of whether you decide to continue track in College or not, your prior experience may have an impact on your application.

With chancing people to top institutions (in my opinion), its hard to give an exact “chance” of admission. Admission to these schools can be considered much like a lottery, as thousands of applicants vie for the same spot. In your case, I think you are a strong applicant for Cornell CALS, but admission into Cornell will be an uphill battle.

ETA: Considering this:

but my parents can/will pay for full cost

I see no real issue with EDing, as Cornell is your dream school. However, keep in mind applying ED will not allow you to apply to schools that have Restrictive Early Action (i.e. Yale) during their early application period - only during RD.

In addition, I would heavily encourage building your list further, especially with your “Matches.” I see your list is quite heavy on the Reaches, but having only 2 “Matches”, 3 if we include the “Likely.” Having a more balanced list between all the categories will help you once results begin to roll in, as these schools will be your “Matches.”

I’m not the most qualified for Animal Sciences, but I’ll search around on prior forums and page as needed.

3

You’re great - and you’ll have lots of opportunities - honestly, every school but maybe your reaches.

One hiccup or not is Cornell is test blind for CALS.

Cornell is over $90K a year.

ED gives you the best chance - but if saving $70K a year or saving upwards of $300K doesn’t matter to your folks - sure, go ahead.

That you want to go to vet school makes me hope they’re sure wealthy - because it likely won’t matter that you go to Cornell or any other school on your list.

If you don’t go to grad school, Animal Science has a mean and median salary of just over/under $50K.

So from an investment POV, it’s not a good bet.

But it’s up to each family to spend what they want - and how they want.

If your family says go to Cornell vs. free tuition, then yes, you should ED if it’s truly your favorite.

Have you been - or checked out others?

CSU gets rave reviews on this website. Another that does, not on your list, is Kansas State.

Good luck.

PS - if you didn’t get into Cornell, would you choose your other reaches over your safeties and likelies (for free). If not, I’d cull them from the list - save you time and hassle.

6

Thank you so much for all the info! I know it’s pretty difficult trying to determine chances at T20 schools when everyone is so outstanding. I think I’m just hoping no one tells me I’m crazy and it would be a waste of time to apply to Cornell :grin:

I’ve culled the list down to these schools based on visits, conversations, and programs available. Cornell is definitely top choice, followed by any of my reaches. From there I would be happy going to any one of the schools remaining (I do have them ranked in my head), and would probably choose based on merit scholarships that I qualify for. But I am definitely open to learning about other schools that might be a good fit that I may have overlooked.

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I appreciate the response! I will definitely be continuing to grad school, with my goal being vet school. I am very fortunate in that I don’t have to consider ROI as a factor in my career choice, I can thank my parents for that! :grin:

I would choose any of my reaches over my other choices, and after that it would probably be based on merit scholarships because I would be happy going to any of the other schools on my list.

I will check out Kansas State as well!

8

For acceptance in the Cornell CALS animal science major, your application essays really matter. They place a lot of weight on them to make sure you are serious about being an animal science major and not just trying to backdoor your way into Cornell. Many people assume it’s easier to get accepted to Cornell via CALS.

My daughter applied and was admitted for fall 23. She ultimately went somewhere else because it wasn’t the right fit. My above advice is what we were told. Your FFA and rabbit showing experience is a huge plus. It shows that you are connected to agriculture and that it’s important to you. Really dive deep into what the CALS school is about and how you fit it into that.

If you really have an unlimited budget, look at Penn State. I was really impressed with their PreVet/animal science program and advising. You want to go somewhere where you can really stand out and get excellent advising.

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So you have private merit scholarship options to Princeton, Penn, Yale, Dartmouth, and likely Hopkins or any of those? Or am I missing something there?

Or are you saying you’d probably go to the reaches over the full tuition merit.

The reason I asked is they have no merit through the schools - just need (JHU does offer some merit).

That’s why I was asking and I don’t know which schools you have the merit - you say - I do have full tuition merit scholarships at some of the schools I am applying to - but these schools won’t be on the list (your reaches).

Because if that is the case - then you’ve answered your own question - should you ED?

If your parents are willing to spend $400K or upwards of - then yes. But if you are doing an ROI either on vet school or if that doesn’t pan out and you’re just getting a job after undergrad - that’s a personal call - but on an ROI basis, as vet school is another maybe $400K and having a Bachelor alone in Animal Science at Cornell shows you’d make about $50K based on current students - then no - you should keep your options open in case because - from a financial POV, it doesn’t really make sense to spend so much on a degree that won’t likely be lucrative.

That’s purely a financial argument - but again, your family can spend as they see fit. It’s their money.

So I was asking - would you go to JHU or Princeton over - UTK or Iowa State or whichever it is? If so, apply - but if not, then save your time.

I honestly don’t know which give free tuition for National Hispanic Recognition - if that’s the scholarship triggering your merit comment

But I don’t believe it’s your reaches - unless I’m missing something - as they don’t provide merit (JHU does a little).

Good luck.

PS - Alabama used to give a full ride - not just tuition. They still may but I don’t think they list it anymore due to the supreme court ruling on race and admissions, etc. So other schools might have changed similarly.

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Purdue has a strong animal science/pre-vet program and amazing new facilities. It’s also one of the more affordable programs even for out of state applicants at $40K/year. It’s one of the more competitive majors for admissions but certainly less reachy than your current reach list.

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Seconding Purdue & Kansas State.

One school that is very different from most of the ones on your list that you may want to consider is Ohio Wesleyan. It has lots of zoological research and internship opportunities, you’d get small classes (if you care), and would likely offer you a significant amount of merit aid.

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I would definitely choose any of my reaches above all others, then from there move to schools where I would be eligible for automatic merit scholarships based on my act/gpa. The NHRP scholarship would come into play at Iowa St and Arizona (as of now). My mom is a Princeton grad, so fully understand which schools are need based vs ones that offer merit scholarships. The merit scholarships would just be a bonus, and ultimately I would choose the school that is the best fit program wise.

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Have you run the NPC for Cornell? If you will be full pay, it is really a family financial decision. If you will receive aid, maybe the financial cost won’t be that much more than some of your other choices, so ED is less “risky”.

IMO, while ED will give you some boost, with your evident focus, maintaining some optionality by going RD to Cornell and REA either Princeton or Yale might be the better play.

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I think your list is fine then and you can likely cut down your safeties to save time assuming you have a favorite - or two (nice to have options).

Good luck.

15

It is neither crazy nor a waste of time - you are a strong applicant. We are also in DFW and know of a local student who was admitted to Cornell CALS ED a few years ago with very similar stats and arguably lesser ECs. It’s still a reach, given the limited number of spots and extraordinarily qualified applicant pool, but you have a legitimate chance.

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