<p>I applied through the H/EOP Cornell University Program and was wondering what my chances are.</p>
<p>I qualify for the program because my family made less than the given amount provided by Cornell University, so do I get an advantage? How does the program work, and does it let you get a major advantage over other applicants? </p>
<p>My Standardized Tests:</p>
<p>800 Chemistry
730 Math II</p>
<p>600 R, 750 M, 790 WR</p>
<p>GPA: 88.88 Top 40% (Difficult School; ranked 48th on the U.S. News List) (Will go to 89.5sh with Mid-Year Report because I’ll have a 95+ average.)</p>
<p>Reccomendations: Simply amazing.</p>
<p>Extracurriculars Listed on Application:</p>
<p>Vice President Chess Club (10th grade, 11th grade)
Founding Member, Senior Delegate Model UN Club (9th grade, 12th grade)
Singles Player Tennis Team (10th Grade)
Chorus Singer (10th Grade)
Starting Five Member of Math Team (9th, 10th, 11th, 12 Grade)
Volunteer Service 50 Hrs @ Hospital (12th grade)
Blood Captain (11th, 12th Grade)</p>
<p>Essays:</p>
<p>College Essay- Both my Stanford Interview and my peers said it was amazing.
Supplements for Cornell- Pretty good.</p>
<p>So, under the H/EOP Program, do I have a decent chance at getting in?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I don’t know what the program does, but good luck with the program. It may help you just a bit.
But knowing how chancing works on this forum, it’s a lot of misses than hits, so it’s unreliable to hear what others say. If you can be proud of what you did the last four years and really think you did as much in term of academic work, then you will always have a good chance.
If you still feel unsure, apply to a couple more colleges in your “range” and a few more reach schools. There will be a okay chance that you will get into other reach schools.</p>
<p>ah, well, any other responses?</p>
<p>You’d probably get preference and have some sort of advantage.</p>
<p>In the same way that being a URM is a tip for a school that considers racial diversity,
financial difficulties are a tip for schools that consider socioeconomic diversity.</p>
<p>does that apply to all my schools? and how?</p>
<p>It applies to schools that consider it as a factor (all ivies fall into this category).</p>
<p>While it won’t be something that makes the admissions director run through the snowy streets in his bathrobe, clutching your application folder, shouting “We’ve done it! We’ve broken all the inequality barriers that have plagued this nation! Children of the world, REJOICE!”</p>
<p>It is something that might make them say “Considering this applicant’s background and their degree of achievement, I think we should offer the candidate a place at X”</p>
<p>If everything else is in order, and people are fence sitting on your admission, an aptly named “tip” like URM status/financial disadvantage CAN (does not necessarily) tip you into the admit pile.</p>
<p>As opposed to a hook (family donated a building/you cured cancer/you are a child soldier war vet with a recommendation from Ban Ki Moon that makes your story more “awww” inducing than another/ etc) which basically guarantees your admission.</p>
<p>I was lucky enough to speak with Jason Lock/Doris Davis about this and they essentially said that what a candidate has control over is most important, and what they don’t have control over is least important.</p>
<p>GPA: Very important
Skin Color/Money: Not important
Discernible obstacles you had to overcome as a result of above that other people would’ve have had to deal with: Very important
Teacher Evaluations of you: Very important
Test Scores: Important
EC:Important.
Essay:VERY Important
Misc: Case by case</p>
<p>Then again, that was how those two broke it down in front of about 50 people during a summer college class at Cornell, and not necessarily how things actually go at 410 Thurston.</p>
<p>thanks for the insight</p>