Chance Me for Cornell Agriculture & Life Sciences!

Colleges & Universities Cornell University
1

Do you think I’ll make it in the 2018-2019 Freshman class? Give me odds! Please and thank you. Every reply is much appreciated:

I am really passionate about agriculture and food sciences. This may sound touchy feely but I truly want to make a difference in the world. I want to create a sustainable food source or growing medium that can aid those in third world countries with the global food crisis. If you have an idea on which major this applies closest to, I’d love to hear it!

Grade: 12th
Class: 2018
Rank: Unsure, class has been fluctuating, but currently in top 10%
Unweighted GPA: 3.83 (I barely passed one of my college courses)
Weighted GPA: 4.51 (self-calculated, my school doesn’t report weights)
ACT: 29 Composite, 29E, 31R, 28M, 29 S. Retaking next month (would love to have a goal score)
AP: AP Calculus AB, but I didn’t take the test. (received a B)
Dual Enrollment: My school allows me to take courses at my community college to work towards a degree there, for free! I have taken several courses so far on the college level, receiving mostly A’s with a few B’s:
English 101 (Freshman Composition)
English 102
African-American Literature (Critical Reading Class)
Nutrition and Wellness (Life Science)
Analytical Calculus with Geometry
Media and Society
General Biology 1 and 2
General Chemistry 1 and 2
Cultural Anthropology

Gender: Male
Ethnicity: African American/ Black
First Generation College Student
(Edit: Location: Arizona
First place in High School Science Fair a few years ago
Recognition from Community College and put on their Dean’s List)
Over 50 volunteer hours with my church and private organizations.

What are my odds? Any suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated!

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It would be better if you could get your ACT up to 34, and if you had won some awards beyond high school, like at the state or national level. Also, I can’t tell if the courses you took were the most challenging at your high school, which is something else that will be considered. However, what you have going for you in addition to solid grades are being from Arizona, first gen college student and URM. You certainly can give it a shot and apply.

All of the “land grant universities” have strong programs in agriculture and food sciences. Cornell is the land grant research university for the state of New York, but there is one in each state. They include University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan State University, University of Arizona, Colorado State University, University of Massachusetts, and many others. You can view a map of the colleges here: https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/land-grant-colleges-and-universities-map-1862

I recommend applying to several of the land grant universities in addition to Cornell. You will find fantastic programs at each of them, and lots of relevant research projects and clubs you can get involved in.

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@mommyrocks Thanks. I have been switching schools since 7th grade, so my 9th, 10th, and 11th years were all at different high schools. Not a personal choice, but it is what it is. That being said, I wasn’t able to have a long-lasting accolade, such as the founder of so-and-so club, or 3 years cross country, as I have been in online school since sophomore year.

On a side note…does anyone know if there is a thread that will proofread Entrance Essays?