FWIW, I think your profile and especially these ECs are a fabulous fit for CALS! Make sure you talk these up in your Cornell specific essays!
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You wrote this and I asked what this meant. Does this mean you got 4s and 5# on AP exams in grade 9 and 10, and all 5s in grade 11?
If so, I’m not sure what you would be explaining at all. These are fine AP scores.
Hi,
Sorry for not seeing it, yeah thats what I meant.
Thanks. I guess I over-worried a bit bc some of those 4s were in some core classes like Calc BC. Especially with my GPA on the low-end, I was thinking 4s in math on top of it would not be great, especially for majors like some sort of engineering or STEM where I guess its expected for a top student to get a 5… Maybe i’m wrong. Also probably won’t be directly using my extenuating circumstances to explain those specifically
Honestly, I wouldn’t call this Cornell-or-bust. Your profile has a pretty clear theme around environmental/agricultural work, robotics, and community impact, and the farm research gives you a distinctive angle.
I’d still build a balanced list rather than relying on one school. Look for colleges where CALS-style interdisciplinary programs, environmental science/engineering, and hands-on research are strong. Your 1540 and rigorous coursework give you plenty of options, even if the 3.77 UW makes the most selective schools unpredictable.
For EA, I’d prioritize a few realistic targets/likelies alongside your reaches. Your profile is stronger than you seem to think.
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There’s nothing to worry about. If you don’t get into Cornell, you’ll never know why. That’s why you have a back up. There’s tons of great schools.
And pull out internationals, the acceptance rate is 10% - and then you have that you are applying ED. And maybe to an easier school.
You can’t over panic - because you have nothing to panic about. Odds are you don’t get in but you never know and if you are in or not, you won’t know what tipped the scales even though people like to think they know.
And you don’t know if your GPA is low because it’s not listed in the CDS. What is listed is that 84% of kids are int he top 10% of the class - so you want to be there.
But if you don’t make it - oh well. Their loss and another school’s advantage.
Find that 2nd and 3rd school - they are more important than Cornell because they are the likely that you’ll be attending. And if you don’t need them, after all, then that’s a big bonus!!
But no reason to sweat it!! You’ve got this either way.
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Please…only use extenuating circumstances for a good reason. In my opinion, nothing of what you posted here needs any explanation. There are lots of students who hit their stride better as they take upper level high school courses…and that sounds like you.
Honestly, unless there is something notable, this would just sound like making excuses for not getting a 5 on all AP tests (which happens to lots of students…and your 4 AP scores were in grades 9 and 10 when many students do not even take AP courses). And as noted above, your GPA is fine, and shows an upward trend. Are you going to try to “explain” why you got a few B grades? I don’t think you should!
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Explaining extenuating circumstances is proactive communication about major, unexpected life events outside your control (like a medical crisis or family emergency). Grade grubbing is aggressively or repeatedly asking for unearned points or a higher grade simply because you want one, without a valid academic or documented reason.
Extenuating circumstances doesn’t equate to grade grubbing. Admissions committees don’t have time to play guessing game. If you don’t say it, the committee cannot assume it.
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Add me to one more vote for don’t “explain” a fine grade. It may cause more problems than it solves.
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There is a difference between providing a reason, and making excuses. Be careful. You don’t want to look like you are making excuses for what are really fine grades and scores.
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Hi everyone,
Thank you for providing me with phenomenal advice so far. I really, really appreciate it all, like truly.
That being said, I do still have a few questions/thoughts:
I really do still want to write about my extenuating circumstances, as they were actually substantial and really did affect me during my first few years of HS (academically, mentally/emotionally and as a person overall). I am honestly (maybe too) afraid that my low GPA with no explanation will set me way back against the majority of applicants with perfect/near-perfect GPAs and overall currently superior HS records. However now, given the opportunity to explain what affected me and give more proof that my current GPA undermines my overall ability, I think still talking abt it would be a good idea. That being said again, here come some questions for ya’ll if you would like to respond:
- How should I involve or talk about this in my package? Be direct right? I am thinking about just stating the facts with no major implications. And obviously I won’t specify it in a way where it explicitly states/implies that it “explains this bad performance, or impacted these specific scores, or that bad grade in this year”. They judge holistically so maybe they will understand everything and make the connection…someone correct me here if needed
- If my extenuating circumstances are present throughout my submitted written materials, will it take away significant attention from the other parts of my application (story, ECs, etc.)? This is also something I was thinking about. How much do I write?
- From question 2, to what depth do I specify the ex. circumstance when I write it out?
Non-related questions:
4. Still about my ED choice. Does anybody know to what degree CALS is more forgiving than other schools for lower stats? Just wondering. Like could someone with a great fit have a real chance of getting in, with stats similar to mine or lower? I know literally nobody who applied to CALS or even a major like the one I intend to.
5. Any suggestions for other ECs or awards I should do this fall and winter to further increase my chances, and also on the side gain experience? I was thinking about cold-emailing/reaching out to uni labs related specifically and insanely well to my previous research and major. Could be really good experience too if I don’t end up being a liability, which I could become haha. Although I don’t know if it is a good idea to spend most of my allocated time for ECs chasing this, opposed to maybe something else like even more volunteering and other activities. I just want to be as proactive as I can for college apps. and my future.
6. Yes, I won’t put “Should’ve gotten PVSA gold but it got discontinued” of course
7. Does cornell recalculate grades, especially to adjust from school to school? I’ve seen other applicants with objectively worse grades than me with higher GPAs on the same scale. Strange maybe I’m tripping.
8. I saw all of the college suggestions. Thank you all for that, I am looking into them.
My bad for the long post
Don’t assume everyone has a perfect/near GPA. IN fact, the fact that they feature rank in their profile and common data set and not GPA - tells me it’s maybe not so important. Plus a 3.9 at one school is different than a 3.9 at another.
If you were to say, my parent passed and I struggled for two years is, in my opinion, different than I had a breakdown or am bi-polar and found meds. That’s not bad of course, but schools are under resourced and risk averse. In the end, would they want you on campus based on what you told them? Would that excite them to have you?
You are selling a product - you. It’s not just your profile. Do you fit in or will stress potentially make you fall apart.
It’s your app - you have to do what you think is right. But I think the best thing is for a counselor to share info, if they think it’s impactful. But someone wrote above - if you don’t share it, how will they know?
It’s your app - so you have to do what you think is right, not what we think is right. But they are going to look at your app for x minutes. You’re on paper. They are not talking to you or looking you in your eyes as they read it - so what you convey, will it be seen in a positive light? Will it be seen in a negative light? Will it show that you are making excuses? It’s not what you think (other than to share or not) - it’s what will they think?
So that’s up to you. But your GPA is likely not subpar - or very subpar.
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How should you talk about it? 1) Either a very short description in the additional info and / or in an essay if it fits and would positively impact your application.
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I would be factual and quick. Again, will this resonate positively. It’s not what you are trying to show. It’s about how will you be seen? Will it help you?
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If it’s an essay, answer the prompt. If it’s in the additional info, one or two sentences.
Non-related questions:
There will likely be people with a lower GPA/SAT than you that get in and people with higher stats that don’t. No one can truly answer.
You already have a great extra curricular background. Continue to do the activities you like and make an impact. Be authentic, not fake - and what is you working on something for two months going to accomplish? Continue to grow where you have.
Grades - you can ask Cornell if and if so, how they recalculate. But why does it matter? You’re still applying - nothing changes based on what they tell you.
You are missing the point. You have a great story. Apply ED and hope - but if it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be. If it is, great. But you can’t game this. Your profile is your profile. It’s why you need #2 and #3 - as they are more likely.
Take your shot - there is nothing to fake or gussy up. You are you and you are as good as you need to be.
You don’t know who is reading your app - did they have a fight with their spouse that day? Are they not feeling good (sick)? Are they tired? DId they read your app right after a really good one or a not so good one?
There’s so much involved - and you can only put your best foot forward - so write great essays, pick the right teachers for recs.
But you’re way over thinking this.
Cornell is not your most important school. You already know you want to go there - so that’s done. Where is 2nd and 3rd and 4th? Those are the more important schools, the schools you need to spend time focusing on as #1 is already cemented.
So relax, get organized, and move forward instead of stalling on Cornell.
Good luck.
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I have frequently heard it recommended that instead of talking about this yourself, you might want to consider having your guidance counselor talk about it. They have more experience with university admissions and are likely to know what to say. Also, whether you or your guidance counselor talk about this, what you did to overcome the problem and become a strong student is an important thing to mention. Admissions will want to know that this is something that is in the past, and that you are ready for university. Overcoming some adversity is something that university students (and adults in general) frequently have to do, and it is not necessarily a bad thing that you have already done this once.
One university professor I know at one point told me that he thinks that all of the smartest and strongest students that he has known have had mental health problems at some point. I personally think that “all” is an exaggeration, but certainly a very significant number of very good students have some sort of problem at some point (whether mental health, or parents, or injury, or illness, or whatever). Perfection is exceptionally rare in the real world (and what looks like perfection to others is usually not really perfection if you were aware of all of the details).
And of course a 3.77 unweighted GPA is quite good. And more recent years of education will matter more than earlier years (eg, grade 11 is more important than grade 9 when considering undergraduate university admissions).
Do what is right for you.
Universities in general will look at your actual grades, and will look at the actual courses that you have taken (including but not limited to course rigor). They seem to be aware of how grade scales vary between different high schools. They also seem to be quite aware that different high schools calculate GPA in wildly different ways. In my experience university admissions staff are very good at adjusting for these variations.
I do not think that any of us can predict whether you will be accepted to Cornell. I have seem a few cases where a student with less than perfect grades was accepted to a highly ranked school, where the school was in fact a great fit for them. Admissions seems to be looking for students who are going to be a very good fit, and they seem to be pretty good at it (at least in my experience). However, as I hope that many of us have tried to across in earlier posts, I think that there are multiple other universities that will also be a very good fit for you, and that can also provide you with an excellent education. Most of them (for example, most schools that have very good agricultural science programs) will be easier for admissions compared to Cornell.
To me it looks like you know why Cornell is a good fit for you. I think that this is very likely to come across in your application, but Cornell is still a reach. I think that you should plan to apply, and also make sure to get applications into multiple other universities that will be a good fit for you. Then keep your budget in mind, and just see how this comes out. It looks to me to be very likely that you are going to end up with multiple very good options when the time comes. Whether Cornell will be one of your options we just cannot predict.
Do your best, and have faith that this will come out well one way or another.
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Your school college counselor should address extenuating circumstances in their letter. In my opinion, your own mention of them should be minimal (mostly because I think your grades and everything else are fine).
You want your application to reflect the reasons a college should accept you, and not reasons why they might not.
Your ECs should be things you really want to do and enjoy doing. They should not be things you think might impress some adcom at a college. Look at what you are doing now, and see what depth you can do with those ECs.
And gain I’m going to say, I think your grades and AP scores are fine…and there are plenty of colleges where you will be a welcome addition.
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this unlikely should be in both places…
3.77 UW is NOT at all terrible, a B+s are NOT terrible…
If you come from a truly rigorous highly regarded HS, even better. Does your naviance/scoir whatever show ED kids with this track record having a shot at top schools ? I would think maybe with ED and a 1540 honestly…
I think you have an interesting profile, with a clear point of view and interests which will serve you well.
Holistic means holistic. That’s a double edged sword. You cannot control what “connection” they will make. And of course it will take attention away from other parts of your application- why else you would you include it unless you wanted it read and considered!
The successful “additional information” comments I’ve seen have been the counselor pointing out “Joanne’s diabetes was not diagnosed until junior year. She struggled with attendance and focus until she was receiving appropriate medical care. Her teachers are confident in her ability- as shown by her recent performance- to handle a demanding curriculum. Her intellectual curiosity makes her a joy to teach”.
Anything that gets into the weeds-- I dunno. Is the payoff worth the risk?
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How do you know this was ‘successful’? My point is the student may have been accepted wherever they were without this note in the counselor LoR.
IMO there is likely no possible benefit to explaining a GPA that the applicant believes is ‘low’ and/or connecting said circumstances to four B+'s, it’s only downside risk. Moreso if the student writes it vs the counselor.
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Good points.
Nobody knows why an application is accepted or rejected. But when a kid’s Naviance shows that the GPA is sitting in “rejection” territory, but with an uptick…the GC assumes that the explanation did its job.
But you are right…
I think and I got this from @Mwfan1921 post and others have mentioned it up top - you may know what you think when you write but you don’t know what the adcom will think - and they very well may think you are making excuses to justify that you weren’t perfect.
I write a lot of stuff on here and I perceive it one way. Others perceive what I write differently.
How they perceive it is what matters…not necessarily what I intended.
Same for this student.
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