Cornell: how to get in?

Colleges & Universities Cornell University
1

<p>(Background)
White
Male
Rural town in Montana
Combined income of family under 40K
Planning on early decision</p>

<p>(Academics)
SAT test I: 1690(650 math, 530 reading, 510 writing) i know it’s low
SAT test II: 2100(780 math, 670 reading, 650 writing)
SAT math I: 780
SAT math II: 740
Physics: 730
Latin: 690
GPA: 3.4 unweighted
Rank: 31:156
All AP/Honors classes taken, only three offered though</p>

<p>(Activities)
4-year Varsity football, All-conference 3 years in 2 positions, 6 all conference titles total, 2 all-state titles, State most valuable player title.
4 Montana weightlifting state records, 3 bench, 1 dead-lift
Division track placement in 100m and relays, State competitor
Rugby for 2 years, state title</p>

<p>Eagle scout with several palms, brotherhood in order of the arrow, predicted vigil (leadership program which is selective within the boy scout program, vigil is highest honor for leadership)</p>

<p>Volunteer fire fighter as well as lifeguard: 300-400 service hours</p>

<p>Student council representative, Boy’s state attendance (selected but event unattended till June)</p>

<p>College summer program both at Montana University, Montana State University, Montana Tech University)</p>

<p>National winner of Mastercam competition (Computer Aided design and Manufacturing) made a set of harmonicas, a pendulum clock, as well as a guitar capo by CNC machining</p>

<p>Started student outreach program as well as school newspaper and engineering program at high school.</p>

<p>Plenty of work experience, nearing 1000 hours (Ranch-hand, wood chopping, Piano tuner, construction apprentice) </p>

<p>Fluent in guitar, as well as an understanding of music theory, high interest in instrument structure. </p>

<p>(interests)</p>

<p>Mechanical Engineering major
Aerospace minor
Applied Mathematics minor</p>

<p>ROTC army or air force</p>

<p>College football</p>

<p>Career after college and military service: Acoustical engineer</p>

<p>My question is, how does my application or background look in general? I am being talked to as a prospect recruit for football, is that a plus? What are the biggest pros and the biggest cons? I know Cornell engineering admission is competitive, but i believe due to athletics, SAT improvement, and activities i could have a chance. My essays have been revised by college English professors as well as high school English teachers and i feel very good about them. I am scheduling an interview with the college which i feel confident about also, but mostly due to my low class rank/GPA and first SAT scores i am leery about my chances. How does it look and what can i do to make it better?</p>

2

<p>You have very, very good ECs and I’ve seen people with lower SAT scores get in (though I can’t remember if it was to the CoE or a different Cornell college), so you have a shot. I’d try as hard as possible to get that GPA up if you can though.</p>

3

<p>I did the calculations and as long as i stay on track i can get up to a 3.45 buy the end of this year, and a possible of 3.68 by graduation next year</p>

4

<p>I don’t think I have ever chanced anyone here at college conf.
I will tell you this, as the nephew of someone pretty high up in admission at Tufts University - (a school I was not personally considering)
The most powerful admission hook is connected legacy - legacy that gives real money.
That overrides anything, unless you have absolutely horrible scores and grades.
After that, if you are a superstar athlete, and play a major sport like basketball or football, you have an excellent chance, and scores and gpa don’t matter much unless they are horrible.
If you are a great football player, you can even have a shot at a school like Stanford, as well as other ivys. If your position is quarterback, and you are one of the best in the country, you can probably get in at any school, including top ranked schools if you want something with a top academic reputation. The best athletes usually go to big mid west and southern schools - as they feed the most to the pros, but the ivys and stanford, duke etc, will also look at top athletes that can add a lot to their school program, as long as your grades are half way decent. Stanford is known to take the most athletes as they have tremendous athletic programs.
As the threads here at cc can attest to, there are a lot of applicants with perfect stats, but not many with very generous legacy parents or superstar athletics.
good luck</p>

5

<p>I’ve got to be honest, your chances don’t look very good. Apply to other schools that you know you’ll be happy attending and apply to Cornell, you never know…</p>

6

<p>I may be wrong, but I disagree with the above post. If you are truly a top football athlete, your scores and grades only need to be half way decent to get into some of the top schools - if that is what you want. If you are that good, you not only have a shot at cornell, you can probably get recruited by stanford or other top schools. of course if your goal is to make it to the NFL, then look at the big southern and mid west schools, like Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio, etc. just know that the ivys take basketball and football more seriously than most think, and you have decent enough grades to get considered - if you are that good and play an important position.</p>

7

<p>Thank you for the information. I have no legacy, or actually, i don’t even know any direct Cornell alumni. Athletics wise, i do not think i could be anymore then a walk on at a university such as Stanford. However, i have been receiving consistent letters from division I colleges in the lower conferences (e.g. Cornell, Holy Cross, Minnesota, Montana and Montana state) as well as some division III schools. So i have an idea of what possibilities for football i have. Cornell was my first choice without even considering athletics, their engineering program is what first enticed me. but once i received a letter from them to send in my highlight film i was ecstatic to think that i could maybe even play college football there.</p>

8

<p>englandern is correct. A student-athlete who receives a recruiting slot - while still needing to meet minimum scores - is not held to the same expectations as the rest of the applicant pool.</p>

<p>The trade-off is, of course - especially with a school like Cornell - they are expected to pull their weight in the classroom as much as everyone else, which can be challenging given the time they need to commit to their sport. That said, there are thousands of Ivy League student-athletes who have managed this - and successfully - over the years.</p>

9

<p>I’ve heard of the AI rating the ivy schools are forced to meet. minimum is a score of 171, a really good(almost best score) is around 220+</p>

<p>I’m just doing this by memory, but a week or so ago i calculated the approximate AI score for myself and i believe it was 197 so it looks as if i am near the middle.</p>

<p>englandern your information was very helpful. I’m looking for mostly an academic experience in college, football is just a benefit that i think would both be helpful for college experience and admission. but i most likely would not choose a college for athletics, in fact there are several back up colleges i am applying to that don’t even have a football program. My main factor in decision is a recognized engineering program.</p>

<p>By the way aotsite, i was wandering what you thought my biggest disadvantage was in my information. Is GPA and lowish SAT scores for the university? Cornell is my reach university and i have several backups by the way.</p>

10

<p>Scores, grades, class ranking.</p>

11

<p>noffnoff, You may want to read what doby and I said above in the 4-5 posts.
If you can take that football talent to the next level, that would be great.
as for your question, the last 2 quarterbacks at stanford has standardized test scores very similar to you. If you can just get yourself into the category of recruited athlete, you would stand an excellent chance, at schools some would consider as or more prestigious than cornell.
Football is a big time sport and if you can make yourself a big time player, you can look at schools like Harvard or Yale - which are very big on their football team results, as well s of course stanford - which recruits more athletes than a lot of schools in the country. If football is secondary, then that is a consideration. In terms of what is your disadvantage, it is hard to say as scores seem to mean less and less with some schools like NYU and some prestigious lacs making them optional, but I am no expert. For an athlete, your GPA is fine. ranking - don’t worry too much, many prvate schools and publics don’t rank and it is not as important for an athlete.
Talk to your athletic director and coach and contact the colleges. If you pursue engineering, it is a great field and very rewarding. But don’t give up on the athletics; if as you say you have state titles, you could be a major athlete. just remember that Michael Jordan did not make the first cut at his High School basketball team. There is nothing wrong with going to an ivy or Stanford or Duke, etc and getting in based on athletics. but you will have to keep up with the academics, although some majors are easier than others. good luck you you.</p>

12

<p>Thanks a lot for the excellent information englandern, as well as dobly. It has been very helpful in broadening what schools i will consider applying to. The next level of football would truly be an amazing honor, which i didn’t even really look twice at earlier. Your information is greatly appreciated and i will look more into competition at the higher level.</p>

13

<p>I would say with the athletoc hooks and very good ec’s in general you should have a good shot. Sat 2100 for an athlete is good. If you show an uptick in your gpa I think you are in. Good luck</p>

14

<p>Keep in mind two things: First, if your high school provides a class rank, it is most certainly the top factor in college admissions almost anywhere. GPA’s can very due to the context of your school, but the way you perform against your peers does not change no matter where you are. So second, you’re in about the top 20% of your class, which unfortunately is not quite on par with Cornell’s class rank standards. 90% of Cornell’s entering freshmen class is in the top 10%. Of course, there are exceptions, but it is important to be realistic in admissions and your class rank is fairly low for Cornell, just be aware. If you can get into the top 15% by the end of this year then i say your chances will improve moderately.</p>

15

<p>I’m diligently working to increase my GPA and class rank. This is my dream/reach university (everybody’s info has been great), some other universities i plan to apply to are Penn State, Montana State, Illinois, Oregon tech, and open to others.</p>