I really need your help. What are my chances to get into Cornell College of Agriculture and Life sciences?
Okay, a little bit about myself:
I am an international student from sub -Sahara, Rwanda.
Stats:
I was consistently in the top 10% of my class
I did the A Level curriculum. My combination : Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Math, entrepreneurship, and General Paper, plus other elective courses; languages, CompSci…( this curriculum is really demanding and topics mirror those offered at the College level)
I took June SAT subject tests in math level 1, chemistry, and biology. I got 700, 730, and 710 respectively.
I took ACT and got a 29.( this is a pretty good score to a student from sub-sahara; in fact College counselors said that a 29 from sub-sahara is considered as good as a 34 from an American - schooled student.
Extra-curricular:
I was head of the school debate &speech team.
Founder & president of a youth health organization that seeks to advance health literacy in vulnerable communities through outreach education programs, financial assistance, and advocacy. We work in more than five different communities across the country.
Founder & president of Green Hands project : a task force that raise awareness about environmental concerns, mobilise people to adapt environmental friendly attitudes, and conduct initiatives to protect the environment in local communities.
Cofounder and head of the school Honor Society.
Head of the biology department/Science Club.
Head of theater department/student government
(These are the most relevant)
Awards & honors
1st place in a national debate competition
Best speaker in various debate tournaments
outstanding student leadership award( school level)
humanitarian award(school level)
honor roll of 2014&2016 academic years
Kigeli award for the most meaningful community initiatives.(district level)
best actor/ youth category ( district level)
That’s all I remember for now.
I want to apply for bioengineering but I wasn’t exposed to many tech opportunities, so I also have troubles finding how to show my passion for engineering.
Also suggest some skuls that you think might be good fit.
Wow! What specifically do you want to do at CALS? You want to make sure that your achievements align very closely with your ambitions. I understand that being from the sub-Saharan makes it difficult to gain pre-register access to engineering ideas, so I personally think you have a good shot! Whether you are applying for financial aid or not, that is another question. If you don’t mind me asking, why has Cornell been placed in your heart?
@whenderson272 , thanks first of all for your reply. I would love to do biological engineering. But since I think it would be hard to effectively portray my passion for it, I want to mention that i intend to major in agriculture or animal sciences. ( growing up, I raised rabbits and was very fond of them. Kids my age called me the rabbit boy or the veterinary. Despite how they initially mocked me, they were moved by my commitment to rearing and ended up requesting me to give them some rabbits to raise. So I turned this into a business…) I want to write this childhood story in ‘why CALS’ and connect it with opportunities found in their agriculture program and how they will fuel me to impact the agricultural sector back in my country. I am also applying for financial aid. Cornell CALS really resonates with my interest; I have a genuine passion for animals, Ag, environment, and public health. In fact my biggest EC were about public heath, environmental sustainability, and debate. Cornell mission to impact societal and world problems also match my intense community engagement.
@Gasab So neat! That will make a great CALS admission essay. But if you are quite passionate about Agriculture and Animals, then why go into biological engineering? I will hopefully get accepted in a program they have called International Agriculture and Rural Development, which seems similar to what you are passionate for. Do more research on the majors at CALS. If you want Bio Engineering for the money, then go ahead, but don’t go wasting your life for a well-paying career, when you could have one that you actually enjoy doing.
@whenderson272 thanks for your advise. I gave it more thoughts and will surely go for agriculture or animal sciences
given that story i want to write about, do u think applying for animal sciences would look better than applying for agriculture or it makes no difference? thanks again
@Gasab Again, this depends on what you want. If you prefer flora, working with plants, choose agriculture. But if you prefer fauna, working with animals, the animal sciences. Based on your essay topic, you seem to waver more towards animals, but I can’t tell you how to feel. Do you prefer growing plants or raising animals?
@whenderson272 honesty I am equally interested in both plants and animals. My essay just happens to lean more on animals. But in truth, my love for the two is equally great. I am confused because I once read a threat that one shouk make sure his essay really matches with his chosen major. Thanks
@Gasab, Cornell is an Ivy League, meaning it is a crapshoot for 9 out 10 times.
Your counselor is perhaps too optimistic about your score. 29 isn’t bad, but still low for Cornell. Retake if you can and aim for at least 32.
If you can pay at least 2/3 of cost of attendance, which I think is about 60K dollar, your chance is as good as that of citizens/permanent residents with 32+ ACT scores. If you need significant amount of financial aid, then it will be harder than finding a needle in a hay stack. In fact, think of international student acceptance rate as 1/3 of overall admission rate for elite colleges.
Best of luck for you. Do you have list of other safety schools?
@paul2752 you have to understand that for the present only two people got a 30 or above(31) in my country. A 30 scorer got into MIT on a full ride. 29-27 scores got into any Ivy league plus Stanford, Duke, UChicago, and other elite tier school you can name. All with an average aid of $ 65k. So in my context, a 29 is really good. I am also applying for huge financial aid( close to the full tuition). I know it’s hard but that’s all I can.
@Gasab Well, financial aid at Cornell is partly need-based, but I feel like it is also based partly on merit. SO if you do show extreme financial need, yet have distinguished scores and a perfected essay, you are in a good chance for full grant aid. That being said, ideally a 30 or higher is a good range for all applying to Cornell, international or not. I am applying this year from in the U.S., and I currently have a 29 on the ACT. But you best believe that I will be retaking it next month for a better score, as a 29 is mediocre. On the topic of your essay, what you read once in a thread is correct as well. Either you want to align your essay with your interests, or align your interests with your essay. In your case, you have an ideal essay, so you want to let CALS know that your interests in majors and what not align with the essay directly. The two go hand in hand. Good luck and please don’t forget to update!
@whenderson272 I am not retaking the ACT because it represents a huge financial burden to my family. I wish you good luck on your second test. I hope you will nail it. I am planning to apply in agriculture. I guess there is no big difference between the selectivity of and being a good fit for Ag and animal sciences( ideally I would apply undecided, but CALS doesn’t offer that option)
@Gasab Don’t get discouraged! There is yet still hope! If you have a little faith, and a great essay, you truly can go far! If the ACT was a financial burden, why not sign up for a fee waiver? Or was it the travel to a proctor site that cost more. Nonetheless I do think you have a great shot, and I would love to see you working at Cornell helping your people and everyone else.
@Gasab
I really think you have a very good shot. Cornell loves diversity. You fit the bill and you are intelligent and determined.
The one thing you really need to work on is your essay. Write from the heart. Make sure to choose a topic you are most passionate with ( it will show). Tie that topic to the mission the school you are interested in. Show Cornell why Cornell should pick you and what can you bring to enrich the university. Draft your essay, ask a few different people to read it and critique honestly. Try to have someone who can read objectively and critique your essay constructively.
This year, there was a girl whose essay was about ordering pizza and got accepted to a few Ivies.
It does not matter what the topic is. It has to show substance, thoughtfulness and a good command of English. When I had a few people read my daughter’s essay, they all said it was well wriiten. They could feel her passion while showing herself as worthy of Cornell’s consideration. My daughter starts her first class at Cornell today.