Chance me please! US citizen living abroad applying ED to Cornell CHE!

Chance Me / Match Me
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chance me! my profile is a bit complicated so sorry if it may be difficult to decifer but bear with me!

I am applying to Cornell CHE for Human Development this november (ED)

I was born in upstate NY and have all extended family on my mother’s side in upstate NY, however currently living in the UK (US-UK dual citizen) but grew up in asia for the first 11 years of my life, although visited the USA often. basically I am a domestic out of state applicant with strong ties to NY state but my academic qualifications are british!

Grades:

currently doing a-levels and should be predicted

A* psychology

A* biology

A fine art

at gcse i got (when i was 16)

9- biology

8- chem, physics, maths, geography

7- lit, lang, german, photography

6- art and further maths (optional accelerated curriculum i did one hour a week after school for one year. typically a gcse couse takes 2 years of multiple hours of class time to learn the content for the exams for context)

SAT: havn’t taken yet but quite confident i will get 1540-1560

Honors:

selected art piece currently being displayed in the Royal Academy Young Artists Summer Show. 25,00+ entries and less than 200 being displayed in person, its quite a presigeous place in London.

just some psychology academic commendation awards from my sixth form college (junior and senior year) as i usually rank top of my class or near the top in exams

Context:

public secondary school from ages 11-16 and currently in quite a large sixth form college (1,000 students per year group)

Activities:

4 years of leading worship at my church 3-4 times a month (plan set, play keys and sing, coordinate rehersal, communicate with my band) and have preached 3 times. I’ve also co-lead a city wide youth event (about 5 hours a week)

4 years of co-leading a youth small group where i manage the scedule, keep track of people, mentor others, lead discussions, etc (3 hours per week)

1 year of leadership training that i was selected for by my youth leader, its a national program i took when i was 16.

2 years of founding and running my own small buisness selling my handmade jewelery (only takes up about an average of one hour per week)

independent exploration of philosophy, psychology, sociology, history,& theology for many many years (over 4 but on my common app ofc it’ll only be 4), about 4 hours a week

2 years of co-organising and founding the christian union at my sixth form college

1 year of self directed python and data science learning following my EPQ (more detail later), about 2 hours per week

Selected for the academic program at my sixth form that includes uni-level lectures and stuff like that for top achieving students

1 year of volunteering at my college food pantry and events whenever help was needed (one hour a week when it was avaliable)

back to my EPQ i mentioned. I did an EPQ which i have gotten an A* in (not official yet but the mark my college gave me means i will almost definatly get an A* when grade boundaries are released). i used my additional info section to list my 11th gcse but also an overview of my EPQ and my A-level fine art project, and i have pasted this text below:

EPQ RESEARCH THESIS

Title: “Graphology: Psychology or Pseudoscience?”

Methodology: Literature review, quantitative primary data collection, and calculation and analysis of Pearson’s rho correlation coefficients and normal distribution graphs.

Focus: Investigated handwriting markers (e.g. slant/baseline angles) against Big Five assessments in a pilot study, designed and carried out by me, through a questionnaire using an opportunity sample (N=12). While data refuted traditional graphological claims, a systematic review of modern engineering and deep learning journals re-contextualized handwriting features as objective digital biomarkers for neurodegenerative conditions and neurodivergence.

A-LEVEL FINE ART FOCUS

My A-level art unit, titled “My Home and Culture” functions as a visual investigation into environmental psychology, displacement, childhood development, cultural identity, and the concept of “Home”.

Two key examples from my Portfolio:

“That Illusive Home” (mixed media concertina book, 7.8"x 59") was selected for the Royal Academy Young Artists’ Summer Show. It is a 10-panel continuous narrative mapping the internal tension of trying to construct a definition of Home across cultures and displacement, with the visuals shifting from a world map, to my previous homes, to an airport waiting area, to domestic interiors.

“The Silent Transition” (Acrylic, A1 size) investigates the unconscious, lasting impact our relocation from Central Asia to Southeast Asia had on my brother. Despite not recalling the event himself, he went through a year-long selective-mutism episode following our move, which I explored by embedding traditional Kyrgyz motifs around him.

finally a brief overview of my essays:

Common app- I open with my Royal Academy concertina artwork unfolding, visually anchoring my Third Culture Kid search for “home”. I transform this existential displacement into academic curiosity through an EPQ that bridges empirical data with what cannot be measured about human nature. I resolve this search by redefining “home” not as a physical place, but as an internal cognitive schema. I ground this realization in my leadership role on the piano, guiding a diverse church congregation.

Community essay: I open with a dinner table debate with my brother, showing how our identical TCK background and genetics still produced completely different cognitive lenses. This realization drives me to actively seek out clashing spaces—like my multifaith art classroom—where contrasting worldviews coexist in open dialogue. Engaging with these diverse perspectives transforms my internal monologue, teaching me to constantly challenge my own assumptions. Ultimately, I show how I will bring this hunger for dialogue to Cornell by driving late-night common room discussions and advocating for missing perspectives in seminars.

Why CHE essay: I start by questioning whether I am just a biological psychologist, critiquing A-Level coursework for reducing complex human behavior to isolated mechanisms. I advocate for an integrative bio-psycho-social framework that connects epigenetics, cultural psychology, cognitive processes, and intergenerational relationships. I connect this holistic vision directly to Cornell CHE through the Senior Research Thesis Honors Program, Dr. Qi Wang’s Culture & Cognition Lab, and Dr. Anthony Ong’s Human Health Lab. Finally, I highlight using Ithaca’s natural environment for Attention Restoration as I work sustainably in MVR Hall and Mann Library.

i know this is an insane ammount of detail and that chance me’s are “fundamentally useless” and this is unlikey to be seen anyways but i have never found a major and college that alligns so perfectly with who i am as a person, so i would appreciate any good, actionable tips. thanks!

also in case you’d like to look at the other planned applications I have I’m looking at Yale, UPenn, Brown, Amherst, Williams, Tufts, Vassar, Colgate, Hamilton, Union (I can live at my grandmother’s and commute for Union). Also for UCAS: University of… Birmingham, Warwick, Edinburgh, York, Bath.

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You seem like you are heading toward becoming a competitive applicant for top tier US colleges. I find the fine arts/science combo particularly interesting and a way for you to potentially stand out among others. Not sure people here will chance you given the many predictions, but if EVERYTHING goes as expected, I am comfortable with your list and the level of school you will be applying to.

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Thank you! To clarify, my teachers have already confirmed that they will officially predict me an A* in Psychology, A* in Biology, and A in Fine Art when school resumes, it is just that predicted grades are not officially released until October. The only true variable left to lock in is my official SAT sitting- I am sitting it on the 22nd of August while visiting family back in Albany, but keeping a potential October 3rd sitting as a backup if needed. Do you have any advice regarding at what score I should say “good, I’m not going to re-sit” when I get it back from my august sitting and when I should decide I do need to resit in october?
I am only really aiming for higher level places in the USA because I will only be going if I get a good financial aid package (which should be likely since most will be need-blind and given family income, etc). Because of this I don’t have any extremely safe backups (although Union should be safest but they are need-aware), as most backups are likely to leave me with more debt and I would prefer UK debt to USA debt.

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I totally understand that timing, besides The SAT, may be beyond your control. Now that the SAT is digital and so easily accessible in the UK, why did you decide to wait so long? 1500+ would be a fine score IMO. Your range is even safer.

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You probably cannot commute to Union unless there is some very extraordinary extenuating circumstance.

Due to Union College’s status as a residential campus, students are required and expected to live in College housing for the entirety of their undergraduate experience.

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Looks to me like you are a competitive applicant and have some sure bets in the UK and with Union, so I feel good about your list too.

I do have a Cornell specific question - why CHE and not the College of Arts and Sciences? With your arts background it seems like a more natural fit for CAS than CHE, and you would have more flexibility to take more fine arts courses if you were inclined.

One last note that Cornell does not give the same ED bump as many of its peer schools so be sure that it is your first choice school.

And to the SAT, I agree that if you get a well balanced 1500+, you can be one and done.

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I didn’t know USA uni’s were financially viable options until about a month and a half ago, this has been quite a last-minute realisation.

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There are commuter forms and paperwork I can get to make it pretty likely- Union allows commuting if you live within 30 miles from the campus, my grandmother is 8 miles away (15 minute drive/bus straight down one road). Its possible I would get denied for a commuter pass, in which case I would be relying on any aid being enough for me to justify going. I do really love union’s system, but financial aid is certainly going to be weakest from them.

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I thought that too initially but Human Development specifically aligns with my crossover of a holistic approach, my interest in biology as well as just psychology, and ability to study culture, class, adolecents, and senior citizens specifically- I just love the approach the college has to humanity and when I look at specific required courses and directions CHE seems a much better fit for me. But I am 100% Cornell is my first choice- the major itself aligns perfectly with my interest (I don’t really like studying art at a-level and likely wouldn’t want to take it much at college, my plan is to build up my portfolio in the holidays where I have more freedom) and i also love the campus and upstate NY, plus would be relatively close to USA relatives still which gives me more security about that than somewhere like Yale or UPenn.

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I would definitely clarify the residency thing at Union. PLus…it IS a residential college, and do you really want to be the only member of the freshman class who doesn’t live on campus? We know two very recent Union grads, and part of why they chose the college was the closeness of the student community. Also, will you have a car? 8 miles seems not so far, but it actually will feel far in the winter, and if you have night things to do at the college.

Would you like some additional college suggestions that might meet your price point? If so…what IS your annual budget from your family for college costs? That would be good info for us to have to provide additional college options.

I’m also a little unclear about what you want to study, and why.

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I would likely rather live on campus, its just if living off campus is cheaper. I’m not sure about a car, but I would certainly be trying to get one as soon as possible (unless living somewhere like Cornell where its advised against for the first two years)
We have a budget of about $10,000 for the first two years, assuming it drops by 40%-50% for the final two when my brother starts college. Basically for USA options we’re looking at options with large need-based grants for an income less than $10,000 and regular family assets. Its also important to note our family income is donations based as my parents work for a charity (global, christian, non-profit NGO)
I would like to study psychology primarily, but want to go somewhere that will give me the freedom to at least take quite a few electives in human biology, sociology, and anthropology.

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sorry to clarify $10,000 per year for the first two years. (basically overall budget of around $30,000 for all years)

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You will not be able to afford a car. Period, full stop. You’ll be living in snow country so need a road-worthy car (safe tires, brakes, etc.) not a 20 year old “junker”. You will not be able to afford to put gas in that car or insure that car.

So you should assume you are relying on family/friends for rides, or taking a bus.

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i agree this is pretty much the case. I should have $2,000 saved up from tutoring, small buisness etc and my grandmother is I believe planning on giving me the $8,000 my parents just paid her back. I could get a car with this all but it’d burn through all of it extremely quickly and insurance would be expensive even if I joined my grandmother’s and considering i will likely need to keep that money for flights to the uk and stuff like that, it wouldn’t be realistic. I’ve also been considering deffering entry for a year and working to save up but that’s also a bit risky if that money is sitting in my bank account from working before applying for my financial aid that year.

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Really, it sounds like you need a full ride to college regardless of where you attend.

Keep in mind that you will need health insurance and that could gobble up at least 1/3 of your $10,000 budget every year.

@MYOS1634 any suggestions for this student who resides in the UK? Are there colleges in Europe that might be affordable?

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kind of! For the UK I will inenvitably have a maintanance loan and a loan for my tuition. On paper I would leave with a lot of debt but the system in the UK means that this debt just works as a small-ish income tax which dissapears if not paid off by a cetain age, meaning its a lot less restricting than USA debt. Thats a good reminder about heath insurance, I really should be looking into those logistics a bit more.

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Are you considering applying to American University? That’s in your subject…or did you just mean American colleges? If so, I can delete that. I doubt American University will be affordable for you.

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ah whoops yeah that’s a mistake I just meant american colleges. i always get mixed up because in the uk where i am studying now is “college” and i always forget there’s a college called American University. I am only really looking at USA places within a 5 hour journey from my family in Albany anyways!

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Are you saying that your family can pay $10,000 a year for you to attend college but have an income of less than $10,000?

I deleted American University from your subject.

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income less than $100,000 sorry thats a mistype, our income is about $90,000.

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