<p>Sorry @chambersw, I have disagreed with some of these other posters in the past but not this time. I have a child with an almost perfect transcript (I think one B in high school), top 3% of class , LOTS of great ECs, AP classes, community service, etc… what a lot of schools likely considered having it all based on the schools my child got into, EXCEPT for Cornell. That was child’s dream school, only one they felt was a perfect fit . Based on Naviance, etc… it was pretty much a match - had a great chance. Well there were obviously others that had something that set them apart from my child that Cornell wanted. You had better hope you have that special something and not be too cocky about ‘i will get in’. I know of many other kids in the same boat as mine, top of the top students getting rejected by the likes of Duke, Stanford, Brown… I hope for your sake you take all this in from all of these posters because we have been there, done that. Don’t assume your AA status is a hook for you, please. Learn to love your ‘safeties’ just in case. Best of Luck to you :)</p>