Cornell ED Class of 2023 Results

[screenname45]

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1490 (780 M/ 720 E)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 M2/ 700 Bio M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.2 uw/ 4.75 w
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Lots of CS ECs, Captain of Volleyball, captain of fencing lots of awards in both sports, ran community service organization with over 300 participants
Job/Work Experience:
Internship at software engineering firm
Taught Volleyball and tennis for my town
Volunteer/Community service:
Not a lot, ran blood drives
Summer Activities:
Backpacked a lot plus internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (8/10) Supplemental (5/10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Never read them so I’m not going to rate

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Went well.
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: Info Sci in CAS
State (if domestic applicant): Connecticut
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Magnet
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): A lot of legacy, filled out four of five slots for immediate family members who were alumni plus I have sibling legacy

Reflection: Only did this because it really helped me when I was going through the process. Don’t stress it too much, whatever happens, happens and it does for a reason.

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was a decent candidate but tbh I know it was because I’m a legacy.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Heard back from a few safeties but thats it

General Comments :
Literally cried for a half an hour. I can’t believe how lucky I am.

[Copied from last year thread]

[GoBears2023]

**Decision: Rejected **

SAT I: 1590 (790 English, 800 Math)
ACT: 36
SAT II: 800 (Math II), 800 (Physics), 790 (Bio), 800 (Chem)
GPA: 3.96 / 4.7
AP Scores: All 5’s (AP CS, AP CS Principles, AP Spanish, AP Physics Mech & E&M, APUSH, AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Physics 1, APES, AP Chinese, AP Statistics)

Senior Courseload: AP Micro, AP Macro, Multivariable Calculus, Graphic Design, AP Literature, TA for AP CS, Autoshop

Awards / Honors:
NMSF
AIME Qualifier (5x)
USAJMO (2x)
USAMO (1x)
USACO Platinum
USAPhO Semifinalist
USABO Semifinalist
Principal’s Honor Roll (GPA higher than 3.9)
School Ambassador of the Year
Siemen’s semifinalist
National AP Scholar
Science, Math, History, and English Department Award
Two papers that will be published with Stanford professor
Several FBLA national awards
Several DECA awards
Won at several nationwide hackathons (PennApps, MHacks)

EC’s:
Varsity Football
President of CS Club
President of YCS
President of Engineering Club
Volunteer at the local petting zoo
Assistant coach for MATHCOUNTS team
CEO of a startup that has generated $100,000
Freelance software development
Travelling around with math team
FIRST Robotics
FBLA and DECA

Summer Programs:
COSMOS
Ross Math Program
TASP

Recs:
(10/10) CS Teacher: Super close with him, practically like a dad
(9/10) English Teacher: She said I was her favorite student in the last 20 years

Demographics:
Gender: M
Race: Pacific Islander (Tahitian in case anyone was wondering)
State: CA

School: CAS
Major: Computer Science

Other schools I applied to so far: UIUC, Purdue
Honestly, I don’t even know anymore. I guess I’ll just wait to see how other colleges turn out …

[bigredhope]

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I: 760 Reading, 720 Math , 1480 Composite
ACT : N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9 out of 322
AP : USHis: 4 World: 5,
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Bio, AP Gov, AP Comp
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Captain Girls XC, Interact Club Historian
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard
Volunteer/Community service: Hospital volunteer and youth track mentor
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9: Essay told of personal crisis that strengthened me to take on more rather than set me back and drove home my devotion and passion for nutrition and health.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10: Math teacher knew me well and had pride in how to write a great recommendation
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10, teacher for 2 AP courses and my XC coach, also knew me very well and was able to backup what I said in my primary essay
Counselor Rec: 9/10: knew me well and met with me frequently throughout high school
Additional Rec:
Interview: 9/10

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:Yes
Intended Major and College: Nutrition Sciences
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: I thought my essays were creative and powerful and really expressed my passion for the major while also highlighting my visits to Cornell and specifically why I was choosing Hum Ec
Weaknesses: My SAT math score could have been higher.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays and recommendations as my SAT and grades were like everyone else’s
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: This was my first acceptance

General Comments :

[AeroPhys]

Accepted Arts and Sciences for physics!

[asize=4]Decision: Accepted [/size]

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 36/36/36/36, 8/12 Essay
SAT II: 800 on Physics, Math II, Chem, Bio E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School does it weird, but my GPA was fine
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (def at least top 5%)
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 on US History, World History, Chem, Physics 1, Psych, Lang
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Calc BC, Physics C, AP French, AP US Gov, AP Micro, AP Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF and nothing else big RIP

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Average Asian STEM stuff lol: Scioly, Mathletes (VP), Robotics, Physics club (VP), etc. Received some awards for them though.
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Taught young kids about problem solving at a math camp/class every weekend
Summer Activities: Research internships at bio and physics labs, used for local competitions and Renegeron (didn’t get results back yet)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 8/10, Not related to my ECs at all lol, they were too stereotypical. Instead I wrote about how my interest in origami evolved as I matured.
Cornell supplement: 8/10, REALLY detailed

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Physics teacher 7/10, did really well in her class
Teacher Rec #2: US history teacher 8/10, really liked me
Counselor Rec: 9/10, really liked me
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 7/10, My interviewer had a lot to say about Cornell!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: Physics
State (if domestic applicant): Don’t want to specify
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: pretty competitive public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Too much for need based aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores, GPA, ECs were very directed in what I am interested in.
Weaknesses: ECs too stereotypical, no big awards, I made the resume that I sent too long (3 pgs lol)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See comments
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: First decision!

General Comments : It just goes to show you that you still can get into a top school even if you seem stereotypical…it depends on how you portray yourself through your essays!

[abifalls]

I am literally so grateful I thought I’d get deferred. Wow.

**Decision: Accepted!! **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1570 (R:770 M: 800) one-sitting [essay score was trash]
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Math - 800 Bio M - 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): CS A (5) APUSH (5) Lit (4) Chem (4) Bio (4) Calc AB (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs its a doozy
(not really) Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

• 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalist
• Science fair awards in the state and inter-state competition (recognized in the state talent search for science fair)
• lots of special awards from my 10th grade project during inter-state comp.
• first place in my state for a writing competition on finance

- got a poem in an anthology lol

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

• founder of CS club at my school (3 yrs and VP)
• National Honors Society
• Student Council
• Multicultural Initiative (Officer)
• Science Fair
• Marching band (4yrs)

Job/Work Experience:

• Co-founder and current president of a non-profitable charity and organization (local though)
• work as a paid teacher on weekends for CS and teacher at a CS summer camp

Volunteer/Community service:

• Volunteered at hospitals over summer (over 200 hrs) (did music, actual volunteer work, intern at hospitals almost annually)

Summer

• lab research bio-related at a university in the big city nearby during summer
• Lots of volunteer work!!
• went to a selective summer program before senior year @ an ivy

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
–Personal Essay (9??) My personal essay was really personal. I think it was pretty good and I had a lot of people edit. Completely different flow by the end of the editing which was like 2 months.
–Supplemental (7/8) I stated why the school fit me very well for my varying interests and such. I am an active person and I guess it showed through this.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: CS teacher - 7/10 (i’d say pretty good had him for 3 years and club; not that standout though)
Teacher Rec #2: Math teacher - 7/10 (i dunno have them again this year and she liked me but probs average)
–for both teachers, I wasn’t like an eXCEptional student of best friends, but they both knew me decently as a human and I was good in their class
Counselor Rec: 8/10 (Pretty good; had my older sibling and knows my parents well from those meetings; in a public school, definitely found me to be standout a bit)
Additional Rec:

Interview: Alumni interview went well and went overall well for ~50 minutes. older alumni so wasn't that in touch with how it is now but thoght I was a good fit!! Went off topic a lot. idk how big of an impact alumni interviws have

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: CS in CALS
State (if domestic applicant): OH
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: public (fairly big with a competitive batch ot students)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: not getting anything most likely
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: I don’t think my supplemental was that good because I didn’t spend as much time on it as others. However, I did show my passions and clearly stated why I think this school fits me which was a push. Activities were definitely pursued for a long time and showed passion
Weaknesses: Really thought being asian would hurt me. In my school my rank is like just in top ten which is cutting it close for my type of large public school. I personally thought my achievements weren’t as good as others in my school for being asian but I think my passion shined through.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I really thought I was going to be deferred. There are other people at my school who were doing ED and definitely quite eligible. I think I was overall a good student with the test scores, grades, and activities. I didn’t have a major hook but I definitely showed my personal side in my essay and had passion in my supplementals (still would give them 8 and 9 if it’s a good day).
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: 2 state schools but nowhere now bc of Cornell!!

General Comments: I always hear about having a hook or spike or something and heard that being well rounded is not good. In my case, I think that being well rounded is absolutely fine if you have a genuine interest in all those areas and the admissions can see that in your application! Maybe this is what made me stand out compared to others in my school. Good luck to everyone in the future

[akcha1801]

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Not taken
ACT (breakdown):34(E-35, M-34, R-34, S-33)
SAT II: Math Level 2-800, Chem-800, Physics-800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): We don’t get a GPA at school ( Predicted Percentage - 98.7)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10
AP (place score in parenthesis): Not taken any
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: In a CBSE(National Government Board) school - course load almost equal to 4 AP courses(Phy, Chem, Math, CS)
Major Awards: Finished within top 50 ranks in General AI Challenge, Solving the AI Race Round; Competed in News-Wiz Quiz till pre-televised rounds; Finished 4th in the western round of JAIBC India Competition; Participated in NASA’s Cassini Scientist for a Day Competition

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
I have published a Research Paper on Acta Astonautica Journal of Elsevier on GAGAN and future airports
2 projects on Data Science to be used in my school from the next academic year(LORs mention the same)
Zonal Level Table Tennis Player
Certified Scuba Diver
Working on creating an 8-bit computer using breadboards
Designed a Journal to enhance productivity for high-school students - working on releasing and selling copies on Amazon

Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Helped initiate Storytelling sessions for underprivileged students to teach elementary English with AASHA Foundation
Summer Activities: Completed various online courses on Data Science and Mathematics - Part of an online Data Science invite-only community
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
CA Essay (10) - Spoke about how I dealt with finding friends and adapting to a new life due to a move from a rural area to a large city - which caused me to go into depression after 3 years of the move. Wrote how I dealt with the switch; drew a parallel between that and my experience with scuba diving.
CoE Supplementary Essay (9) - Wrote about profs, motto and my future goals with a CoE education
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8; had a good rapport with my Math Sir - worked on a project with him. Not experienced in writing LORs though
Teacher Rec #2: 7; CS Teacher - decent academic relation - again worked on a project with her. Again, not experienced in writing LORs
Counselor Rec: 9; Built a strong connection with her
Additional Rec: 8; written by my academic mentor
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope
Intended Major and College: CS, College of Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): None
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type: extremely competitive private school
Ethnicity: Asian(Indian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:200000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: strong essays and grades
Weaknesses: subpar ECs, unrecognized school - weak school profile
Why you think you were rejected: CS is the toughest major to get into, I guess. Should have done more competitive coding as most of my ECs were theory based only 2 being projects.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Not received any intimation from UMich, UWash

General Comments :
Incredibly disappointed, was really hoping to at least get deferred. But, then that’s life - you do not always get what you want. Congratulations to whoever got into Cornell - it truly is an amazing school - hope you have an amazing and enriching 4 years.
Sorry to go so philosophical in the end.

[erionoire]

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1490; Math 800; Reading+Grammar 690
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: none
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): don’t know. probably REALLY low. Weighted 3.9 (Also to note that I got a C in junior religion class and F in a no-credit course)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not 100% sure but probably right in the middle (50%)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio 3 (did not report); 2D Art 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): school does not offer
Senior Year Course Load: CalcAB, French, APES. Our school has a weird policy that only allows seniors (except the top 10%) to take no more than 3 AP/honor courses.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3 pieces (gold&silver&bronze) in an international photography competition; first place (in a 3-people group) in an international wildlife species searching&identification contest at a pretty professional level with some graduate/PhD scholars
TOEFL: 113 (R29 L29 S27 W28)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): captain of school crosscountry team; varsity xc & track (4 yrs)
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered at a botanical garden for 2+ yrs; did some volunteer in a national nature reserve in China during summer
Summer Activities: mentioned above. Off-site summer program offered by an ivy
Essays (rating 1-10, details): don’t know.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): don’t know

Teacher Rec #1: from my soph&junior yr math teacher & 4 yrs xc coach. I guess it’s pretty good
Teacher Rec #2: from my junior yr AP Bio teacher. really not sure about the quality.
Counselor Rec: She seems to like me but I’m not sure.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major and College: CALS plant science
State (if domestic applicant): attending high school in California. F1 visa (Not US citizen)

Country: born and attended school 1st thru 9th grade in China
School Type: private, religious, all-girl
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: female
Income Bracket: not sure. middle class.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing

Reflection

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I know 90% of my objective stats are basically TRASH. The extracurriculars might have saved me from straight rejection.

General Comments : I know that I’m a extremely weak applicant compared to others in my pool so I already feel like winning lottery for being deferred. Ready to take that L in the regular round. All the best to those who have received whatever results AND people applying the regular round!!

[PM99292939]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1460 (790M, 670 R&W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Physics-800, Chemistry-800, Maths 2- 790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Physics 1-5, AP Physics C mechanics-5, AP Chemistry- 4, AP Calc AB-4 ( All self studied)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 2, AP Physics C E&M, AP calc BC, AP Statistics, AP EVS
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honors

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Council, School Cricket team, 2-3 Science Projects, MUNs, etc
Job/Work Experience: Part time intern at a Robotics startup.
Volunteer/Community service: Part of Bharat Scouts and Guides. Won Governor’s Award for commitment to community service.
Summer Activities: Worked with a friend to build a quadcopter which could effectively monitor waste and presented it to the City’s municipal Corporation along with a project report which summarized how drones could be effectively used to monitor landfill waste
Also worked with another friend to build a model of a thermocouple which could be used for generating electricity in an environment friendly manner. The model won us the third prize at a state level science fair.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):COMMONAPP- Wrote about my waste management initiatives and how my concern for the environment stemmed out of things which I witnessed on a daily basis (8/10)
Cornell Engineering: Wrote about how a cornell education would equip me with the best facilities to find solutions to present environmental issues.(9/10)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10
Counselor Rec: 9/10
Additional Rec: From my employer at Phoenix Robotix 7/10
Interview: Did not get one

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes. I guess it was a mistake since Cornell is need-aware for international Students
Intended Major and College: Mechanical Engineering in CoE
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 50k-100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Sibling Legacy. Don’t know if that counts though.

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, Recommendations, Subject SAT, AP Scores
Weaknesses: Low R&W score. I guess my ECs were not good enough to help me stand out in a competitive applicant pool.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: IDK. Maybe I was just under-qualified for Cornell Engineering. I also should not have applied for financial aid to a need sensitive college.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments :

Congratulations Class of 2023. You will love your Cornell experience and you will fall in love with Ithaca. I guess it’s time for me to get over Cornell now and focus on my Regular Application

[CoyMint]

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1530 (800 Math, 730 R+W)
SAT II: Math II (750), Spanish w/ Listening (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Spanish Lang. (5), AP Computer Science A (5), AP European History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, APUSH, Middle Eastern Studies, AP Spanish Lit., Physics, AP English Lang., Design & Data Structures (H)

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Studied abroad in Spain during my junior year, Model UN for >= 6 years, JSA (Assembly member though that doesn’t mean much) JV Tennis (MVP 10th grade), (Unpublished) research essay during J.Y.
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: YMCA España (regret not doing more service with them, only around 12ish hours), Operation Gratitude (only 30 or so hours though).

Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CA essay (7, didn’t feel as natural as I wanted it to be though I got positive comments on it); Cornell supplement (9, really went all out, I cared a lot about the school lol)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 5-7 (Could really go either way, I liked my math teacher and I did really well in his class but we didn’t know each other all that well and I only had him for one year).
Teacher Rec #2: 4-8 (God have mercy on my soul. Econ. teacher, love her, she got to know me more as a person because I worked with her on a research essay, but I wasn’t exactly the best student in her class lol [+ her first language isn’t English])
Counselor Rec: 9
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 9

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: Spanish, Arts & Sciences
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Prefer not to say.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.

Reflection

Strengths: Study abroad complements my major really well, solid test scores (Spanish was perhaps a little low but I took it with listening + curve is ■■■■■■ by bilinguals), males are underrepresented in language study.

Weaknesses: No strong extracurriculars other than my study abroad experience, maybe too weak of a CA personal essay.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was deferred because my grade in Spanish Lit. (B+) for the quarter was too low for them to be comfortable accepting me at this time (so maybe they want to wait until the semester to see if it improves?).

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet.

General Comments : Obviously I’m saddened because I have to churn out my ■■■■■■■ reg. apps now, but I think this is a good lesson for me in some ways that I’m not going to divulge here (though I will say one). Although I’m passionate about languages, I’m not entirely certain that I want to major in one. I find that my interest in subjects fluctuates a lot of the time based on the postive feedback I get from them - I thought Spanish was perhaps something that could escape that pattern, but it may not be. Regardless of my circumstance though, I’m honestly incredibly happy for the rest of the people in this thread that got in and hope that they’re (or you’re, if you’re one of them that’s reading this) able to attend.

[BadCoder]

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]

I hope this helps someone!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (770 Verbal, 780 Math) (Single sitting)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Chemistry, 780 Math II
Unweighted GPA: 97.79/100 UW (Don’t know my GPA out of 4)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Note: my school really limits the number of APs that we can take
AP Latin (4), AP Chemistry (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:AP Comp. Sci. A, AP Physics C, AP Calc. BC, AP Lit. and Comp., AP Psych.,Honors Latin
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
These are just the ones I listed on my application
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Co-founder and co-president of a club that helps people learn programming and engineering.
-Co-president of our school’s chapter of the Technology Student Association and won some national and state-level awards.
-Captain of our school’s Science Olympiad Chapter.
-Worked on a research project with a finance professor from the University of Oklahoma
-Currently working on a printer that uses Python,Google APIs,and Arduino to print online orders from a Google Forms page for my parents’ restaurant
-National Latin Exam 2 golds, 1 silver
-Intel and Hackster Planet Pulse Challenge, 3rd place category
-HackerRank World CodeSprint 11- 1580/6212
-NHS
-3rd place at a programming competition at a local university.
Job/Work Experience: I work at my parents’ Chinese Restaurant
Volunteer/Community service: Habitat for Humanity, Nativity Miguel (a middle school that serves the underprivileged), Soup Kitchen
Summer Activities: Took 2 college-level classes at Carnegie Mellon University and got As in both (Principles of Computing and Reasoning with Data)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7/10 for my common app (I felt it was a bit impersonal and full of fluff, so please avoid what I did), 9/10 for my supplement (I really put a lot of effort into writing this and everyone I showed it to liked it.)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
I waived my right to read my recommendations, but my teachers seemed to like me.
Teacher Rec #1: From my AP Chemistry teacher
Teacher Rec #2: From my Pre-Calculus teacher
Counselor Rec: I feel that it was personalized since we had a long meeting discussing the recommendation
Additional Rec: A good recommendation from the professor that I worked with in the research project.

Interview: Went really well I think. We talked for about an hour, but it got awkward at times since it was my first interview.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No (big oof)
Intended Major and College: College of Engineering, Computer Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Pennsylvania
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private/religious
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$50k (I wanted to apply for financial aid, but my parents convinced me not to. You probably should though)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation, neither parents graduated from college.

Reflection

Strengths: My testing and extracurriculars. For my extracurriculars, I simply pursued the things that I loved to do and really developed a deep “spike” in engineering.
Weaknesses: My essays, definitely. I’m a bad writer.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted probably because my extracurriculars matched the major that I want to pursue and because of standardized testing. I can’t think of anything else since I feel that my APs and essays are relatively weak.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Penn State, University Park

General Comments: I’m not sure if this will work for you, but really try to pursue the things that you love to do and are passionate about. I think that was the one thing that helped make me stand out with my otherwise pretty average profile. But really, I’m at a loss as to why I’m accepted and some others who are more qualified aren’t. I’m not too special and even my strength isn’t as strong as some others. Maybe I’ve just seen too many good applicants on CC, lol.

[TheoreticalTaco]

**Decision: Deferred **

Hopefully this helps someone!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1530, EBRW 730, Math 800, Essay 22
SAT II: Math 2C 800, Physics 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93, school does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB&BC (5), Physics C - Mech (5), Physics C - E&M (5), Chemistry (5), Statistics (5), Computer Science A (5), English Lang and Comp (4)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Nothing too big, but constant AIME qualifier + almost represented my country at IYPT. My research paper was also taken interest by the editor of a SCI-E journal, if that counts.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Physics Club (Leader), Math Circle (Leader), Varsity Basketball, Math Team, Curling Club, Boy Scout
Volunteer/Community service: Led an Appropriate Technology Project (Leader)
Summer Activities: MIT Camp + writing research papers with independent research.

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App (9) - pretty good I’d say. Teachers and friends told me it was rly interesting.
Supplements (7) - was good, but it was pretty boring.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Counselor (7) - She think’s I’m very organized and has a good impression of me
Physics Teacher (9) - He told me I’m his best physics student in my grade
English Lang Teacher (7) - He has a good impression of me, and he was happy to write my rec
Outside Rec: Math Circle director (8) - He knew me for 6 years, and he offered me that he’d write my recs.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: Physics, Arts & Sciences
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): South Korea
School Type: Charter School
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~$120000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope

Reflection

Strengths: Strong physics related ECs, pretty good academics.
Weaknesses: I guess I didn’t show much personality in my essays. I talked too much about physics.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly don’t know.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: None yet

General Comments:

I thought I had a good chance because my counselor and teachers were confident that I’d get in. Rip. Maybe I’ll get in regular decision Congrats to anyone who’s been accepted ED!

[djgrimm]

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):1510 (M: 800, RW: 710)
ACT (breakdown):Didn’t take
SAT II:800 Chem, 800 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.51/5.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not Available
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem(5), Gov(5), Calc AB(4), Calc BC(4), Stat (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor, National Spanish Exam - Silver Medalist, Eagle Scout

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band (Drum Major and Equipment Manager), Jazz Band (Lead Tenor Sax), Local youth committee for parks and rec. dept (Director of Technology), TEDx Youth (Budget Manager and Community Liaison), NHS
Job/Work Experience: Work 40 hrs/ week in the summer as a lifeguard, 15-20 hours/ week at a ski shop during the school year
Volunteer/Community service: NHS Volunteering, Habitat for Humanity
Summer Activities: Work
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 9/10, wrote about the day my dad died and the emotional struggle after
CA Personal Statement: 8/10, wrote about my eagle project and the motivation behind it
Cornell Supplement: Showed my love for math and detailed my passion to be a biomedical engineer as a result of my dad’s death

Teacher Rec #1: Chem Teacher: 9/10, Have a very close relationship with him. Didn’t read it but he told me what he wrote about
Teacher Rec #2: Calc/Stat Teacher: 8/10, Didn’t read either, but close with him as well and have spent much time talking about math and life
Counselor Rec: 10/10, My Guidance Counselor is actually a family friend, and I know she wrote an awesome rec.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Was awesome, bonded very well with my interviewer and had an awesome time talking about opportunities at Cornell and life in general

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: Biomedical Engineering, CoE
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not very wealthy, strong story

Reflection

Strengths: SAT II scores and AP score. Essays, essays, essays
Weaknesses: SAT Score, not many nat’l awards or anything like that
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My essays. I really took my time on them and put a boatload of effort in. I did my best to write a really powerful story
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: 2 State Schools nothing big

General Comments : GO BIG RED I’m so excited to attend! For those looking at this like a guide as I did, put a SERIOUS amount of work into your essays. Not everybody has the most amazing story, but everybody can make one.

[hopeigetin22]

Decision: Rejected :((

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1350 (math-730 and eng-620)
ACT (breakdown):did not take
SAT II: math2- 650 chem- 650 math1- 700
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): school didnt give
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 out of 11
AP (place score in parenthesis): did not take
IB (place score in parenthesis): predicted 40/45

Senior Year Course Load: math hl. chem hl, psych hl, phy sl, eng sl, hindi sl

i was in a different school in 9th and 10th

for my 10th grade i gave the ICSE board exam- 89% overall across 10 subjects

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Australian National chemistry award- Merit
EUMIND certificate of excellence 2017 - best article
EUMIND certificate of excellence 2018
100% attendance grade 10 (it was kind of a big deal in my school)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
School Marshal (Head of the Student Council) 2017-18
Best Co-chair in **MUN 2017
Deputy Secretary General in ***MUN 2018
Co-founder and Treasurer of Debate Society
CEO – School Enterprise Challenge
Model United Nations (2015-2018)
Electronic Keyboard - Trinity College London - Grade 2
Participation in ISA (International School Award by the British Council)
won tons of inter house competitions
made certificates and invitations for most school events

Job/Work Experience:
Freelance Birthday Photographer 2017, 2018 (paid)
Volunteer for data collection at Faasos Food Services Pvt. Ltd. (unoaid)

Volunteer/Community service:
Founder of Cleanliness Drive (School Project)
Volunteer at many organisations
Organising Sports day for children from a tribal hamlet (year 2017 and 2018
India’s first 24 hours Beach clean-up drive
Young Environmentalists Programme Trust- Eco friendly Idol Making
Clean-up Drive at Sangharsh Nagar
Butterfly Garden
Happiness Quotient Play

in all approx more than 250-300 hours

Summer Activities: I travel every summer so no activity in specific

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

common app essay- really good, have of my friends and teachers have read it and they all really liked it
(it is a bit personal so wont talk about details)

cornell supplement essay: it was good- i talked about how my experiences make human development the perfect major for me and how I wish to use my education in the future.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:8.5/10- psych hl teacher- she really likes me but might have rushed the letter so might not have been the best
Teacher Rec #2:7.5/10- chem hl teacher- i am not a great chemistry student, but the teacher knows me really well; so the entire letter might have been mainly about my personality and nothing much about my grades
Counselor Rec: 10/10- she knows me since i was 6 or 7 yrs old
Additional Rec: none
Interview: did not happen

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major and College: human development in college of human ecology
State (if domestic applicant): n.a.
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Sexuality: straight
Income Bracket: $40,000 per year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: extracurriculars, essay and letters maybe
Weaknesses: scores, asian, indian
i dont know if this counts- my subjects have been very science oriented and the only relted subject is psychology which i only took/ am taking during my dp years; but i really want to study human development/ psychology
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: umass amherst ($14k per year Award ) and university of illinois, chicago ($7.7k per year merit scholarship )

General Comments: wish i applied from some country where they get no applications from

[Horses1234567]

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1410 (one sitting)
ACT (breakdown): didn’t send
SAT II: didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB diploma program ( two years of all IB classes)
Senior Year Course Load:
IB Biology HL
IB English HL
IB Math SL
IB Psychology HL
IB History HL
IB French AB SL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Cum Laude

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): indoor track (1 year), varsity cross country (3 years, captain, team manager, first runner), varsity riding ( competed on two competition teams, IEA and JHC), weightlifting (2 years), Global Issues Network Club (implemented a recycling program), completed two nutritionally based research projects on my own ( not official or published research), Junior class president
Job/Work Experience: Worked in a veterinary lab (2 years), worked at an environmental learning center (4 years)
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered on rescue cow farm, launched an environmental program in an inner city school
Summer Activities: working at two jobs listed above and volunteering at cow farm, completed nutrition course through eCornell
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8 I think
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8 - Bio teacher
Teacher Rec #2: 8- Psych teacher
Counselor Rex: 7-8
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: Nutritional sciences in Human Ecology
State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: private boarding
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): idk

Reflection

Strengths: passion for environment and nutrition reflected in my ECs and essays, strong GPA, in IB
Weaknesses: low SAT, no specific hooks, didn’t take chemistry, focused too much on the environmental science in my essay which isn’t the major I’m applying for but my experience with environmental science led me to my passion for nutrition so I thought it was crucial to include
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I mentioned a specific professor I was influenced by, maybe my essays were good, ECs reflect my passions
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: idk I applied Ed

General Comments :
I really did not think I was going to in because my sat is so low. If you are worried about your test scores still apply. They are obviously not the only deciding factor. Show a passion!

[all4lax]

Rejected

College of Human Ecology. 34 ACT (35 M, 35 R, 34 E, 33 S); 3.95/4 Unweighted and 5.1 Weighted; 11 AP Classes; 1000 plus service hours; Did not apply for Financial Aid

So sad I did not get in, really thought I had a good chance. Good luck to the rest of you regular decision applicants and those who got deferred. Congrats to everyone who got in!!!

[BadCoder]

I just want to update my original post. I originally said that I did not apply for financial aid, but apparently I accidentally did apply for financial aid because I received an email saying “Our records indicate that you wish to be considered for financial aid; however, your application is currently incomplete.” It allowed me to finish my financial aid application even though I passed the deadline and I submitted it. At least for me, selecting and not selecting financial aid did not affect my chances.

[ejn415627]

Decision: Deferred HumEc

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 750 Reading, 660 Math, 1410 Composite
ACT (breakdown): 35/25/34/31, 10/12 Writing, 31 Composite
SAT II: none of my scores were worth sending lol
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.67
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): my school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Spanish, Honors everything else: US History II, English, Calc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Presidential Service Award (100+ hours), National Hispanic Recognition Program

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Competitive dance for 13 years (captain for 2 years of HS), NHS (exec board), Spanish NHS, School Ambassador, School Musical (dance captain for 2 years), Future Doctors of America Club, Service club, health/wellness club
Job/Work Experience: private dance coaching
Volunteer/Community service: presidential service award, local hospital volunteer (4 years), team captain of pancreatic cancer research walk, organized christmas card drive for recovering soldiers, meals on wheels, special needs dance team, lector, eucharistic minister
Summer Activities: envision youth leadership medical forum
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
common app: 8/10, really creative and i thought it had an awesome hook and was true to myself
cornell supplement: 7/10, unique but might have been too abstract
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
I couldn’t read any of them so idk how to rate them lol
Teacher Rec #1: chem teacher, liked me
Teacher Rec #2: spanish teacher, liked me and did well in her class, had her for two years
Teacher Red #3: liked me but i only had her for one year
Counselor Rec: never really used my counselor but generally knew me
Additional Rec: ballet teacher, known her for 10 years and we’re very close but her letter was kind of bland
Interview: 8/10, thought it went very well, but was mostly just me asking questions about the school

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major and College: Human Biology, Health, and Society
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: very competitive private, all-girls catholic
Ethnicity: Cuban
Gender: F
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing

Reflection

Strengths: essays, interview, ED status
Weaknesses: GPA, test scores, too long of a resume (i put unnecessary things on it and it was 3 pages lol)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: my scores/grades are not amazing but my essays definitely kept me from flat out being denied
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: haven’t heard back from anywhere else but i applied to bucknell, tufts, lehigh, colgate, UNC chapel hill, elon, providence, and hawaii (lol)

General Comments: i hoped for an acceptance but everything happens for a reason and now its just time to wait until April! goes to show you that even if your scores and stuff aren’t spectacular you still have a shot!

[TheOrdinaryRon]

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (760)(760)(22)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 780 Math II, 720 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis): 41/45 (HL English A Literature 7, HL Biology 7, HL History 6, SL Mathematics 7, SL Spanish B 6, SL Music 6)
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

International European Music Competition - High school Piano National Champion
International History Bee & Bowl - Varsity National Bowl Champions
Taipei Cicero English Debate Competition - Varsity National Finalists
TISSA National Soccer Competition - Varsity National Finalists
TISSA National Volleyball Competition - Junior Varsity National Finalists

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

Self-published a collection of short stories and poems written over the course of 4 years
Student Council Vice President
NGO project leader to organize groups of students from my school to work with the elderly with dementia
Principal Cellist of school orchestra
JV/Varsity Cross-country
JV/Varsity Soccer
Classics Club
Cooking Club
Crafts Club
Organized and performed solo piano concert for the underprivileged and the money from the tickets were donated to charity

Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Government licensed volunteer, worked in care homes, organized summer camps, led an anti-drug campaign
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App 10/10: Talked about my love of English in a traditional Asian family and how I struggled against family expectations, very personal and unique
Supplement 9/10: Wrote about very specific courses in Cornell’s English curriculum that I was really excited to study, really showed my interested and understanding of the school

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10, English teacher for junior and senior year, really liked me and enjoyed my contributions in class
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10, Biology teacher for junior and senior year, was pretty close with her
Counselor Rec: 10/10, Only knew him for a short time but got really close with him, he really liked me and wanted me to get in
Additional Rec:
Interview: Went very well. He said he liked my energy and excitability and hoped that I’d get accepted

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: English
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Taiwan
School Type: International school
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection: feelsgoodman I had my doubts (as everyone else does), but it’s really relieving know that work paid off.

Strengths: Nice assortment of ECs, couple of competitions, decent grades. It was obvious what I wanted to do at Cornell, and I had already produced something substantial out of my passions.
Weaknesses: SAT I was a bit low, but I only improved 10 points from my first try, so I didn’t feel like wasting more time for a couple more points.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I had a total of 20 drafts for my Common App and Cornell supplement. It really pays off the invest time in creating memorable essays, I guess.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: UMich (withdrawn)

General Comments :

Congrats to those who got in and good luck to those that were deferred or rejected. I wish the best for all applicants.

[all4lax]

@theravenslamarSb i really do not know man, I also had legacy. It’s crazy, but everything happens for a reason. My twin brother also did not get in, he applied to hotel administration.

All I can think of for why I did not get in is ethnicity maybe? I am a white male and not first generation. I also live in South Florida not northeast, which could of been a reason.

These are my stats: (rejected)

College of Human Ecology. 34 ACT (35 M, 35 R, 34 E, 33 S); 3.95/4 Unweighted and 5.1 Weighted; 11 AP Classes; 1000 plus service hours; Legacy; Class Rank: 14/526; Did not apply for Financial Aid

So sad I did not get in, really thought I had a good chance. Good luck to the rest of you regular decision applicants and those who got deferred. Congrats to everyone who got in!!!

[screenperson1]

Replace the “[a” below with “[” .

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 670 R, 670 M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): only have weighted GPA which was 4.0 (sent in my MP1 grades which was a 4.35)
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History, Computer Science Principles, Language and Composition, Literature, Psychology, French, and Physics. Did not submit scores.
Senior Year Course Load: AP World, French, CSP, and Literature. Also regular calculus and astronomy.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Model UN honorable delegate award
high honors
national honor society
national french honor society
national art honor society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Founder of my school’s first debate team, Girls Learn International (President), Model United Nations (secretary and historian), French Honor Society (Secretary), Feminist Club, Girls Club, and Cultural Awareness Club.
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard for 3 years and hostess at a restaurant.
Volunteer/Community service: Over 100 hours of community service.
Summer Activities: Lifeguarding, debate camp, ACLU advocacy institute
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app- 8/10 pretty good but I could have made it better
Supplement- 10/10 I really believe this is what got me in. I demonstrated interest and showed I know exactly what the major is.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Can’t rate any because I did not read them.
Teacher Rec #1: History teacher who I had a great relationship with.
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher whose class I preformed really well in.
Counselor Rec: We had a decent relationship and I made it really clear what I wanted in it
Additional Rec: Softball coach who could talk about leadership and my personal growth
Interview: Went great.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: ILR
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Luckily high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
I am INCREDIBLY lucky.
Strengths: Supplement was great, my extracurriculars match perfectly with my fit for ILR, I demonstrated as much interest as possible
Weaknesses: test score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I believe it was my fit and love for ILR that got me in.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: None… ED baby

General Comments :
I cried for like 3 hours. I am beyond excited and grateful!!