<p>I’m currently a junior, who may be applying to Cornell under ED this upcoming Fall. The title is self-explanatory. :)</p>
<p>[ul]
[<em>] GPA: ~3.85 UW, ~4.2 W; Rank: Top 10% at #5 school in CA
[</em>] SAT: 2100 (all 700s)
[<em>] SAT II: 700s - 750s (on 3 SAT IIs); possibly 750-800 when I re-take in June
[</em>] Essays, Recs should be good to excellent
[li] ECs: For privacy, I don’t want to go in detail, but: 3 leadership positions, founder of 2 clubs, 1 sport, Speech and Debate, one international EC, summer research internship, dozens of various awards (NM Commended, etc)[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>I’ve shown commitment to each EC, spending roughly 7 hours/week for the past three years. The only hook I can think of at this point is the international EC and the summer research internship. I’m planning to apply to CAS. Thanks for the help. :)</p>
<p>I won’t hazard a guess here, but let’s just say that as the size of the graduating class increase in the next few years (ah, the joys of being the offspring of baby boomers) crap shoot will become more prominent in admission decisions. It’s not that we’re under-qualified for a place… it’s just that the colleges don’t have enough space to take everyone they want. But judging by what you’ve written here, I’d say you’re looking good. Keep it up!</p>
<p>sparticus800: Do you think the low SAT I score is holding me back? Also, what other factors should I keep in mind when I apply this Fall? Thanks!</p>
<p>Passion with a capital P. Make sure it translates onto your app, because a good handful of my friends applied with near perfect SAT and what-have-theys got rejected/waitlisted. I suspect the adcom got a sense that Cornell was only used as a backup for them. With more than 24000 apps each year in total, I imagine the adcom must be very experienced with this stuff. ^^;</p>
<p>leigh787: I will definitely show that Cornell isn’t a “backup” school; it’s been my dream school-so to speak-since I was in elementary school. I hope to convey my enthusiasm about Cornell by applying ED.</p>
<p>how are 700s low? Thats right in the range. they’re low if you want to be above the range but…yeah you’re fine. SAT won’t be a + for you, its a 0, but not a -. Your GPA is a + though, as is your overall balance of good test scores. It shows you’re well rounded. Passion is what makes the app. Who do you pick out of 5 4.0 valedictorians w/ 2400 SATI and 3 season varsity sport captain? the most intereting one…being unique is key. Imagine putting 3100 unique people together each year and having them learn together with 3 other sets of 3100 people. Yeah, thats Cornell…</p>
<p>sparticue800: I agree with you that my school is highly competitive. However, I know most of the students who are in the top 10% with me at my school, and none have said they plan to apply to Cornell (ED), since most are aiming for HYPMS. Is that what leigh787 meant, when saying it could be a “double edged sword” - in that, I have to face competitive applicants from my own school, thus decreasing my chances? …Or did I misintrepret the original message?</p>
<p>Soliloquy, if Cornell is your first choice it most definitely works to your advantage to apply early. Your odds of acceptance are greater because Cornell knows that EDers help their precious yield statistics. The numbers for this year were 42% ED admit rate and 24.3% RD admit rate. They also know that EDers are awesome because they sweat Cornell the most. (Sorry, I’ll never lose my bias!) Your stats look good, focus on writing outstanding essays and ask for recommendations (maybe even 3 or 4) early on in the year.</p>
<p>haha soliloquy, funny you should ask. I <em>just</em> called admissions and asked if I could get in a few more recs to boost my wait list chances. The lady actually said “I would advise against sending too many because the adcom usually doesn’t like anything more than 4 recs.” Granted, this came from the hotel school adcom, so you never know whether the other colleges are thinking along the same lines.</p>
Keep it up!</p>
All the best!</p>