Cornell 6-week Summer Colege- Worth Attending?

jrcho88 · November 6, 2004, 8:55pm

Hi guys.
I'm a junior student in Canada, and I've decided 2 years ago that Cornell is my #1 school, and the decision still stands.

Therefore, I want to apply and (if accepted) attend the 2005 summer program.

Or... I could spend the summer of 2005 trying to get my SAT score up for the October or November test that year.

My practice tests indicate to me that I'm currently at a (700 ~ 740)Math and (630 ~ 670)Verbal...or (1330 ~ 1410).

With these scores, and being international, I know I have no chance of being accepted to Cornell..... (well not with my average EC's)

So..............
Is it worth attending? Even if I have to give up getting my SAT scores up?

Say I took the March NEW SAT, if I scored in the desirable range... 2200+
than I wouldn't be worrying at all, but in case I don't, I'll have to ditch one

techiedork · November 7, 2004, 11:40am

i did the 3-week sophomore program and i had a great time. i also knew people who did the 6 week program from my school and they had a blast as well. it gives you a good idea of what the campus is like and faculty, etc. it had hardly even been a consideration for me until i did the program (i was looking for a summer program to do) and now it's one of my top 5 choices.

and in terms of the SAT, you'd be taking the new one anyways (most schools are requiring it even). it's not like you couldn't study for the SAT after the program because it gets out sometime in august. and, depending on the program you do, you might even have time to work on it a bit while at cornell (dorky yes, i know). and i don't know about cornell, but some summer programs at other schools actually have sat prep courses as classes.

but i would definitly recommend attending. :)

thejuiceisback · November 7, 2004, 1:50pm

It's a good time. I did the 6-week program. The classes are tough, you take them with Cornell undergrads who stay for the summer. I had an intro econ class with a kid who was going to be an econ major, so you can imagine how bad the curve was getting killed by him. Like techiedork said, it gives you a good idea of Cornell life and you realize that it isn't all that bad. Most people visit Cornell and think it sucks, however, there really are a ton of things to do. I got into it with a low SAT score and they saw that I did well cuz my grades did not end up sucking at all.
Give it a shot!

jrcho88 · November 7, 2004, 2:30pm

Thanks for your comments techiedork and thejuiceisback.
They were extremely helpful. Now I'll just wait until Cornell puts up their Summer Programs 2005 information up.

just_forget_me · November 7, 2004, 4:25pm

I did the 3 week soph program in '03 (what year were you, techie?), and had a great time. If you have the money, I'd definitely recommend it... the program definitely gives you a feel for college life (although that did make going back to high school kind of crappy for me). I wouldn't count on it being a huge admissions boost, but it definitely doesn't hurt. If you get close to one of your profs, that could definitely help you.

techiedork · November 7, 2004, 7:32pm

justforgetme: i actually did the program this past summer. :)

and like she said, going back home was a bit hard after having all that freedom. it also can't hurt your chances and give you a minor boost if anything. and if you do it i would highly recommend staying in touch with any of your professors if you potentially want them to write a recommendation for you (especially if you did really well).

just_forget_me · November 7, 2004, 8:11pm

Ahh, I'm a guy! But I second everything techie said.

infinity · November 7, 2004, 9:04pm

I also attended the 6-week this summer. I had a lot of fun and as I posted before, I believe they lower the bar a little for their summer program.