Do you think I could get into Cornell or Duke ED?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>General Info-
<em>East Asian</em>
Female
Lower middle class ($50k/year)
Go to a big public school with 2500+ students
Rhode Island resident
Intended major: Agricultural/Computer/Civil Engineering or Information Technology/Computer Science</p>

<p>Test scores:
SAT: 730CR, 780M, 800W 11 essay =2310 (first sitting, NEVER took a class or got a tutor)
PSAT: 68CR, 74M, 75W =217 (Most likely qualify for national merit)
SAT II: Math I (780) | Math II (expecting an 800) | World History (expecting 720+) | Biology (taking in Oct.) | US History (taking in Oct.)</p>

<p>Grades/Courses Taken/Class Rank:
GPA: 4.0
Class Rank: School doesn’t rank, but I’m definitely in the top 5%
I’ve taken the most rigorous classes offered in my school. In my junior year, I took 4 AP classes (AP Calc BC, AP Physics B, AP Micro, and AP Bio) and I definitely got 4s or 5s on all the AP exams.</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:
**School Newspaper<a href=“Assistant%20Editor,%209”>/b</a> (Sports Editor, 10, 11) (Format Editor, 11) [Have written at least 20 articles, edited at least 50, and spent a total of 20+ hours formatting each issue] [I actually utilize journalistic techniques before I write. For instance, I interview people such as football players, parents, students, teachers, etc]
**National Honor Society<a href=“General%20member,%2011”>/b</a> [Tutored a student, wrapped Easter presents for 4 hours, etc]
**Chess Club<a href=“General%20member,%2010,%2011”>/b</a> [Have beaten 10 opponents from other schools]
**School Yearbook<a href=“General%20member,%2011”>/b</a> [Collected quotes and wrote a few articles]
**Baking for the Elderly<a href=“General%20member,%2010,%2011”>/b</a>
**Helping the Town<a href=“General%20member,%2011”>/b</a> [Menial work]
**Bowling Club<a href=“General%20member,%2010,%2011”>/b</a> [Joined to have fun with friends]
**Band<a href=“General%20member,%209,%2010”>/b</a>
**Softball<a href=“Played%203rd%20base,%209”>/b</a>
**Homeroom Leader<a href=“9,%2010,%2011”>/b</a>
Have played the violin for 10 years I haven’t played in a year, so my skills are a little rusty. Could I still put this on my app? I’m extremely talented.
Volunteered in a hospital for 120 hours</p>

2

<p>There’s nothing wrong with your resume - strong grades and test scores - but nothing particulary pops. Extracurriculars are all over, which isn’t bad, but try and get some focus for your major(: colleges love to see that. I think you have a shot at Cornell, and applying to Duke ED will help, but Duke is tougher.</p>

3

<p>I agree with above, I think you’re golden, but try to do things that’s YOU. Not random things. Cornell seems in your reach because of your SAT and your grades. For some reason Duke is very strict, you can almost consider it and Ivy sometimes, just by their admission processes and by being very picky.</p>

4

<p>I could almost say you’d be in Cornell ED; Duke’s a little tougher, but not out of question.</p>

5

<p>You have a good chance at Cornell :slight_smile: But, I can’t say much about Duke because I’m not familiar with them</p>

6

<p>Thanks for all of your responses! Do you think it’s too late to start joining clubs that pertain to my major (Engineering or Computer Sci)? I don’t exactly know what else I can do that could improve my chances of getting into Duke ED. Do you think I have a good chance at UPenn ED?</p>

7

<p>You have great chances for both. You’re a competitive applicant from several standpoints. The one thing you could do is boost your ECs. </p>

<p>What other schools are you looking at?</p>

8

<p>Unfortunately, I’m pretty burned out! How bad will it look if I don’t do anything productive over the summer?</p>

<p>I’m looking at these schools:
Carnegie Mellon
USC
UNC at Chapel Hill
Vanderbilt
William and Mary
Rochester Institute of Technology
UMichigan
UVA
Northeastern
Northwestern</p>

9

<p>All of those are attainable, so you’ve gotten the difficult part out of the way. The only thing I would be mildly concerned about are the ECs. Look to do something special this summer and make a difference in your community. Creating a benefit/fundraiser can go a long way in demonstrating leadership and initiative.</p>

<p>Edit: Didn’t see the “burned out” comment. Apologies! If you don’t, I wouldn’t worry about it. Will it ruin your chances at Cornell/Duke/NU/CMU? Definitely not. I was just speaking on what it would take to ensure that you get accepted to 1-2 of those.</p>

10

<p>Sorry for bumping, but didn’t you say you got a 2280 in one post and 2310 on another???</p>