Is it even worth it to waste my ED on Cornell?:(

Colleges & Universities Cornell University
1

I really want to go to Cornell but there is nothing that is really outstanding in my application…

GPA: 3.8 UW, 4.5 W

Class Rank: Top 20 out of 500ish

ACT: 34

Awards:

  • AP scholar with distinction; second place in district essay contest
  • first place in California federal conservation message
  • California federal art contest young artist award (basically honorable mention)
  • Local Newspaper art contest encouragement award
  • Academic Honor Roll all three years
  • volunteer award

Leadership position:

  • ASB Finance (12)
  • KIWINS president (12)
    -CSF Publicist (12)
    -Audubon Club President (12)
  • Korean Club Activities Director (12)
  • Class Secretary (11)
  • Audubon Vice President (11)
  • KIWINS Project Coordinator (11)
    -KIWINS Project Coordinator (10)
  • Class Publicist (9)

Courses:

  • AP World History (4)
  • AP Chemistry (3)
  • AP Lang (3)
  • AP Calc AB (5)
  • AP Comp Sci Principles (4)
  • AP US History (5)
    -AP Lit
  • AP Bio
  • AP Environmental Science
  • AP Psychology
  • AP Calculus BC
  • AP Government
  • AP Macroeconomic and Microeconomics
  • Also took college classes the summer of going into Senior Year: Probability with Statistics, Intro to Sociology (A’s both)

Volunteer:

  • Audubon environmental club
  • library homework helper
  • art club (helping the disabled people by teaching art)
  • library summer reading program helper

Extracurricular:

  • Cyberpatriots
    -praise team

work experience:

  • tutor

sports:

  • tennis and track&field for two years (freshmen and sophomore year)

thinking about applying to Cornell ED with College of Art and Science Undecided
(im hoping to transfer to Johnson)

I feel like im reaching too far… wasting my ED chance on a school that I have no hope in at all

should I just shoot my shot or apply to Barnard or Emory ED?

2

I think you are a good candidate for applying ED to Cornell. Given it’s your top choice school, do it. .

3

Your stats put you in the ball park. I agree that if Cornell is your top choice, apply.

Be aware that Johnson School is the umbrella for Dyson, Hotel, and the Johnson Graduate School. You would not transfer to Johnson but either Dyson or the Hotel school as an undergrad. Dyson is extremely competitive and they do not guarantee they will except transfers from other Cornell colleges even if they meet the transfer criteria. https://dyson.cornell.edu/programs/undergraduate/admissions/internal-transfer/

4

You are in the ballpark for Cornell so if that is your top choice I’d apply there ED. Admissions at the top schools are unpredictable. If you get in to Cornell ED that is fantastic, if not at least you will never wonder “what if.”

I believe Vandy and Emory offer ED2 options (double check me on that) so you can consider that if Cornell doesn’t work out.

5

Why do you want to go to Cornell?
Why is Barnard your 2nd choice (per another post), and/or Emory or Vanderbilt (this post)?

I just took a look at all your posts, and I can’t see any clear threads. Your ECs are nice- some community helper roles, some art, some environment- but none of them really jump out. You have 5(!) leadership roles in grade 12, 3 of them “President” but I wonder how substantive those roles are? which ones say something about your real interests?

On the academic front you have a boat load of APs, but no SAT subject tests - and Cornell wants 2 (in another thread you mention that you ‘failed’ them, which I suppose you mean you didn’t do well?).

In a number of posts you are looking at business, but here it’s undecided- is that b/c people told you in another post that Dyson is a tough admit, and you figure the better bet is ED in and hope to transfer?

So then I wonder if you “really want” Cornell b/c it’s an “Ivy League”? and you think you have the best chance of getting into it b/c it has the highest acceptance rate of that particular group? Then Barnard b/c it’s Ivy adjacent?

But unless you are choosing colleges based on trying to align admission odds with names of schools that are prestigious enough for you (/your friends/your family), I can’t see why this particular group of colleges are the ones that you are deciding between for ED.

ED should be where you are really, really sure that you want to spend 4 years of your life. I can kind of squint and see how a person could be torn between Vandy & Emory- I know students at both and I could see them swapping. But I really can’t see how somebody who loveslovesloves Cornell would love (say) Vandy- they are wildly different places. Or how somebody who is super excited to go to Barnard would be equally excited to go to Cornell.

Have you visited these schools? Do you have a real sense of them? You don’t want to find yourself caught up in a whirl of dreams and marketing, and impressive names - and then when the dust settles you either don’t have a place that you love and are excited about (b/c realistically your odds at any of these schools aren’t super high, even with the ED boost), or you go to the place you think you are in love with- only to find that you were in love with the postcard but the everyday reality is so unhappy you want to transfer.

Do the hard thinking now: how good is the fit between you- real, core you - the personality of the school, and the things that you want from your college education? Bonus: the better the real fit, the more likely you are to get an offer- b/c believe it or not, the AdComms are pretty good at spotting a good fit.

6

Mentioned above is that you may lack SAT subject test scores. Cornell requires two to apply to its arts & sciences college. If you fail to submit two subject test scores you will not be admitted simply because of the failure to provide required items needed for admission.

If, in fact, you have two decent SAT subject test scores to submit along with everything else, and Cornell arts and sciences is definitely your first choice (and like others above, I am not sure that is a given), then applying ED can be the option to pursue. Chances of being admitted ED are somewhat better than RA and, unless you believe your stats are going to become even better if you wait for RA, better would be to choose ED.

If what you actually want is Johnson (Dyson or Hotel Administration), then you should apply for Johnson. It does not require subject tests and thus if you do not have two, it would be the better choice for that reason, and because transferring later is not something that is necessarily easy to do.

7

IF you do not have the required SAT II subject tests for Cornell then I amend my previous comment and would think twice before applying ED. Your application will be at a severe disadvantage if you don’t meet all the admissions requirements.

8

The stats aren’t really there, with the proportion of 3 and 4 scores. Looking just at that, it doesn’t show you clearly as either stem strong or humanities. And Ivy adcoms are going to look at the ACT subscores, not just the Composite. And the transcript, to see where you got lower than an A grade.

Not to mention that you’ve clearly stuffed a lot of leader “titles” into 12th, seem to have changed clubs or roles from 11th (if not, it’s not clear. This is NOT about collecting titles.) You need to understand what Cornell wants- or Barnard or Emory. Not just what you’d like.

I agree it’s a lot of “helper” roles. What do you think shows how you stretched, climbed out of the safe zone, and had some impact? (That’s not the number of AP.)

Now, you can go ahead and apply to one of these 3 ED. But try to inform yourself on what these colleges like to see, what improves your shot. Just applying in Oct/Nov is no tip, in itself.

9

I agree that OP should have all required test scores and whatever else each school required for application or it could be a total bust. If school requires or even recommends SAT2 Test scores, not including them compromises admissions.

OP is certainly within ballpark for Cornell admission acceptance IF all things are sent in and within parameters of acceptance. With what’s laid out, I’ve seen acceptances. If there are no regrets for not giving another school a try, ED is fine. Though ideally, ED is when a school is truly the burning first choice, things have morphed into a strategy for getting into the most selective school. ED is a way to usually get s bit of a bump in admissions chances. At Cornell, it certainly is

10

@happy1 @cptofthehouse @drusba @momofsenior1

I have a 800 Korean 720 US History SAT Subject test scores and I will be taking Math Level 2 in October.

I looked more into Cornell CAS and I am more interested in Statistical Science and Econ now. I think I will be staying in CAS and try to declare either one of them as my major.

Also… looking at my application I think Cornell is just too unrealistic now

11

OP - I think you are in a tough position. You are the “average” excellent student. Your stats are certainly strong enough that your application will be considered.

Whether it’s “worth” applying ED is anyones guess but I still maintain that if Cornell is your top choice, and you can articulate the specifics of “why Cornell” you should go for it. That’s the whole point of ED, not figuring out where you get the most boost, but applying to the school that you know you love most.

IMO, your profile actually fits better with CAS than Dyson. CAS’ distribution requirements are liberal arts heavy, regardless of major, and I think you speak more to that with your ECs. Look at the mission statement of the university. Delve into the mission/action statement of CAS. See how your strengths can merge with the university’s goals. Write about that! Make them see that you would be an asset to have on campus.

12

I think you absolutely have a good chance of ED at cornell!!!
If it is your top choice, there’s no reason to not do it. Do not choose an easier school for ED if it is not your top choice.

13

Cornell is a reach school. If you want the best chance of getting accepted, ED will give you that. They are very open about that. If you don’t think you are a viable candidate early, it certainly is not likely your chances are going to go up RD.

14

If you want to get into Johnson why don’t you apply there directly?

15

@austinmshauri I wrote a comment saying that Im now more interested in Statistical Science and Economics in CAS

16

Use your ED for the school where you REALLY want to go. For many years, I volunteered to interview students as part of CAAAN. I came to be pretty good at predicting who would make it, and who wouldn’t. I looked at two things: why Cornell, and what they were passionate about in high school. I was not looking at academics, scores, and essays, although I saw the full application. Those who applied to Cornell for the name never got in, regardless of legacy or connections. Those who treated high school like a resume didn’t do well at all, with me or with Admissions.

Honestly, I look at the broad but mediocre performance on your APs. Why so many? I look at lots of titles in extracurriculars and wonder why? Have you thought about why you want to go to Cornell? If no one cared about the name, would you still want to go? What are you passionate about? What do you want to study, and why? What did you ask - what did you REALLY want to know about life at Cornell decades ago?

At 17/18, I don’t expect you to know what you want to do with the rest of your life. I do expect you to have enough personal insight and motivation to understand what you want out of your life, now and in the near future. You need to be authentic. You need to have a personality. You need to be connected to others in and out of school. You need to care about something. You need to be curious.

It’s not about getting in or not - these qualities I speak of? They are the qualities I saw in my friends who made it past the first prelims, the first winter, the dismal weather combination we called Ithacation. I knew a lot of people who dropped out. It’s hard - really hard, depending on your school. Don’t go because it’s hard. Go only if you will truly LOVE Cornell.