Official Cornell Regular Decision Results Class of 2018

Sophie1295 · March 27, 2014, 11:00pm

Decision: Accepted College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):M 800 W 800 CR 780 =2380
ACT: not taken
SAT II: M2 790 Physics 790 Chem 790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): No GPA in school
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): Not offered
IB (place score in parenthesis): Not offered
Senior Year Course Load: Chemistry, Physics , Economics , Mathematics ( rigid subject combinations so couldn’t have taken more subjects)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Top percentile in CBSE Problem solving assessment ( taken by students in over 10,500 schools in India)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Vice President, Student Council, 6 years Trinity College London western classical piano,Environment Club(grade rep) , Physics Club member, numerous math, debate and quiz competition wins, school’s annual theatre productions
Job/Work Experience: Intern , IATA( aviation sector research)
Volunteer/Community service: Tiger conservation NGO, teaching underprivileged children
Summer Activities:Volunteer work and international piano exam
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I rehashed my other colleges’ essay. Last minute. But because I had written those essays well so 9/10. Very cliched though
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I haven’t read them so I’m just guessing
Teacher Rec #1: chemistry teacher 9/10
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher 10/10
Counselor Rec: very generic 7/10
Additional Rec: tiger conservation NGO head 10/10
Interview: not offered

Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type:Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: applied for FA
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None. ORM

Reflection
Strengths: academics and test scores
Weaknesses: lack of major national and international awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I don’t know. Rejected by school’s with higher acceptance rates and lower ones too. So it’s unpredictable.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted Vandy(CV scholar) , WUSTL and Emory. Rejected MIT , Harvard and a few more :(

General Comments: international students have it very hard, especially Indians. High test scores do NOTHING. Do something that stands out completely and that too at a very prestigious level. Start from middle school itself. The competition is only going to get worse and the randomness even more random.
Congratulations to all those accepted and commiserations to those rejected.

Aryvane · March 27, 2014, 11:07pm

Decision: Rejected (CALS)

Objective:[ul]

[] SAT I (breakdown): 2400: 800/800/800/12
[] SAT II: Chemistry (790), Math II (800)
[] Unweighted GPA: 3.99/4
[] Weighted GPA: 4.5/5
[] Rank: top 3% (assume 15/512)
[] AP: Chem, APUSH, Micro, Macro, USGov (all 5)
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, H. Physics (no AP at my school), Stats, AP Euro, BC Calc, Film&Lit, Stats
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a

[/ul]Subjective:[ul]

[] Extracurriculars: SciOly 11-12th grade
[] Job/Work Experience: 2 pharmaceutical internships (one local, one abroad)
[] Volunteer/Community service: teaching & tutoring
[] Summer Activities: See internships
[] Essays: Pretty good. I spent a lot of time on Cornell’s and was really enthusiastic about the school. My commonapp essay was pretty risky though, since I wrote on a very superficial topic.
[] Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t read (assume generic)
[] Counselor Rec: Didn’t read (assume generic)
[] Additional Rec: BC Calc teacher (phenomenal. This guy likes me)

[/ul]Other[ul]

[] State: MA
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: Chinese
[] Gender: Female
[li] Hooks: n/A[/li]
[/ul]Reflection[ul]

[] Strengths: Objective scores. Internships. Good Cornell essay.
[] Weaknesses: No leadership, ECs, major awards.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, I guess Cornell decided I didn’t fit their mission or that I wouldn’t fit in at their school.
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

Accepted: MIT, UPenn LSM (both Wharton and CAS)
Waitlisted: Harvard
Rejected: Columbia

Waiting on: Stanford, Duke

[li] Do you like the cold?: Yes. I live in New England, after all. [/li]
[/ul]**General Comments: **

I’m disappointed, but not sad. I have a great choice between (so far) two schools that I’d be happy to go to. I don’t know why Cornell rejected me, but I was accepted into peer institutions, so I (tentatively) assume that it was more a “fit” issue than a qualification issue.

I regret not trying more ECs in high school, especially athletics, because I feel like I missed out on some fun opportunities. I love SciOly and wish I’d thought to join it sooner. Otherwise, I’m rather glad that I chose to do things I liked in high school rather than try to pad my resume for college.

Congratulations to those who were accepted. And to everyone: good luck in the next few years and for the rest of your life. I’m sure you’re all ridiculously talented individuals and I hope we all have bright futures ahead. =)

(Also to whoever wrote the BBcode for this: it’s kinda messed up ._.)

satman1111 · March 28, 2014, 1:32am

[size=4]Decision: Wait Listed[/size=4]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (760 CR 760 M 800 W 12 essay)

ACT: never took

SAT II: 800 math II 780 Biology M 770 US History

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/432

AP (place score in parenthesis):
Biology (5)
Calc. AB (5)
Lang. (4)
US History (4)
Psych. (5)

IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a

Senior Year Course Load:
Calc. BC
Physics C
Chem.
Stat.

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
*Swim Team (captain)
*Tennis Team (2nd singles)
*Boy Scouts (very near Eagle)
*math league (county champion)
*NHS
*Tri-M (VP)/ SNHS/ World language/
*Marching Band (we are known nationally - have marched in the Rose Bowl Parade/ Pres. Inaugural Parade/ many others) (lead mellophone)
*Woodwind Choir (1st Oboe)
*Jazz Band (lead Trumpet)
*play bassoon, french horn, and cello in my spare time

Job/Work Experience:
*full time at my local DQ during the summer/ part-time most of the school year

Volunteer/Community service: Lots through Boy Scouts and at local library

Summer Activities: Lots of work, went to Nat.l Boy Scout Jamboree, passion of modular origami

Essays: I thought they were pretty good. At least 8-9/10

Teacher Recommendation: Got to read one and it was really good, I’m sure the others were pretty good as well

Counselor Rec: Probably pretty generic, but still good.

Additional Rec: n/a

Interview: Went well. Not the best, not the worst.

Other:
State (if domestic applicant):

Country (if international applicant): NJ

School Type: Large public that sends a couple to Ivies/ top schools every year (though no one got into any elite RD school this year…)

Race(s) (White, AA, AI/AN, Asian, NH/PI): White

Hispanic (Y/N): N

Gender: M

Income Bracket: 75k

Hooks: none

Reflection:
Strengths: Test scores/ decent ECs as per the opportunities available

Weaknesses:

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/denied: see above

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/denied:
A: Rutgers (full scholarship)
WL: Penn, Cornell, Brown, Duke
R: HYP

General Comments:

FLstudent2014 · March 28, 2014, 1:32am

[size=4]Decision: DENIED[/size=4]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (750 CR, 770M, 770W)

SAT II (place score in parentheses): 790 USH, 770 Spanish, 750 Math II

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.69

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 14/425

AP (place score in parentheses): Psychology, Spanish, Stats (5); APUSH, Art History, Microecon (4)

Senior Year Course Load: AP Euro, AP Lit, APES, AP Physics B, 4 Dual Enrollment Classes

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Club Swim Team (3hrs/day), Varsity Swim Team (Co-Captain), Designed Website for an Orphanage in Colombia in which I help with fund-raising and activity coordinating, National Spanish Honor Society (Secretary)

Job/Work Experience:Two basic jobs that only require an average of an hour or two per week. Lifeguard Certified. Looking to get a job in that field

Volunteer/Community Service: Swim Meet Volunteer and the whole orphanage in Colombia thing

Summer Activities: None really

Essays: Common App - GREAT. Supplements - ok. I wrote in the Best Advice I’ve ever received: “Never use a public toilet without checking for toilet paper first”

Teacher Recommendations: Both above average to good

Counselor Rec: Generic probably

Other
State (if domestic applicant): FL

School Type: Public

Ethnicity: Hispanic

Gender: Male

Income Bracket: $80000-90000

Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: Test Scores, URM, Common App Essay, Varsity Sports Captain, work with orphanage
Weaknesses: GPA, no research or incredible ECs.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was a solid applicant. Good test scores, good EC’s. Great essay. Good recs. Just a low GPA. Far too many B’s. I got in because I had a good application and a URM.

Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: Rice, Northwestern, Cornell, WUSTL, Emory. Rejected Yale, Brown. Waitlisted Duke. Waiting on Georgetown.

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I thought I was dead because of my 3.69 GPA but its not impossible. I’ve gotten accepted to a whole bunch of good colleges with it (granted, I am a URM). Still, a low GPA isnt the end of the fight if you have everything else going for you. Cornell is an incredible school and congrats to those who made it. You truly deserved it. For now, RICE CLASS OF 2018.

rkw0211 · March 28, 2014, 2:12am

Decision: Waitlisted

CAS

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): CR 710, M 730, W 710 (2150)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math II (730), U.S. History (760)
Unweighted GPA: 3.93
Weighted GPA: 4.57
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/235
AP (place score in parenthesis): U.S. History (5), Composition (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP U.S. Gov, AP Psych, D.E. Intro to Drama, D.E. Intro to Short Story, D.E. Statistics, D.E. Discrete Mathematics, Spanish IV, Band, Jazz Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government 4 years (V.P.), NHS 2 years (President), Marching/Concert/Jazz Band 4 years (Section Leader), Bowling Club 4 years, Pep Club 4 years
Job/Work Experience: 2 years in retail
Volunteer/Community service: Random stuff, didn’t list outright
Summer Activities: One summer taking college classes, next summer working
Essays: Common App was really good, thought my Cornell sup was one the better ones as well
Teacher Recommendation: Good but probably bland
Counselor Rec: Thinks I’m great, but again, probably lacked substance
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview (If AAP or Hotel): N/A
Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): N/A

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Delaware
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Crappy Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~$100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Maybe underrepresented state? Also, school has high poverty level and average SATs of around 1150/2400. I have around 30 dual enrollment credits with a 4.0.

Reflection

Strengths: Decent all-around but not spectacular enough for Ivies. I think my weak school profile and geographic location helped in some places. I also thought the essays were strong.
Weaknesses: Scores, lack of outstanding achievement
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: See above?
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Georgetown (EA), UVA (EA, OOS), Delaware (Honors, Distinguished Scholar, 12k/yr [instate]), Vermont (Honors, $12k/yr), Drexel (Honors, $16k/yr); Waitlisted: Cornell; Rejected: UPenn, Dartmouth, UNC (EA, OOS); Waiting On: USC
Do you like the cold?: I don’t mind

**General Comments: Probably wouldn’t have attended anyway! I’m going in as a Political Science major, so I’ll probably end up at Georgetown or UVA. **

coralqueen · March 28, 2014, 2:22am

**Decision: Accepted

Arts & Sciences / / AAP

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (four tries - kept telling myself I was going to study) 800M 800CR 790W
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Physics, 800 US History, 770 Math II
Unweighted GPA: Like a 93-94…makes me wonder if they even looked at my transcripts because what
Weighted GPA: School does not weight
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 15%
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4) US History (5) Biology (3) Psychology (5) English Lang & Comp (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics B, AP Calculus AB, AP English Lit & Comp, AP French, AP US Govt & Politics, Economics A (school doesn’t offer AP), band, a writing elective
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSQT Finalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Band (vice president), Irish dance (assistant teacher, championship level, national qualifier), Physics Honor Society Tutor (cofounder & president), Chemistry Honor Society Tutor, SAGE (CEO - team came in second at worlds), school paper (layout editor), Astronomy club, Science Olympiad, NHS, all that nerd stuff
Job/Work Experience: A crappy retail job throughout most of high school, various small jobs on local video productions (commercials, independent documentaries, etc)
Volunteer/Community service: Organizing Irish dancing shows throughout my community (literally 1000+ hours), Habitat for Humanity, some things through school/NHS
Summer Activities: Nothing too exciting…the summer before my junior year I made a documentary about zoning codes in my city that was screened at an art gallery and for which I was paid
Essays: Common app was 10/10, best thing I’ve ever written. Supplements were eh, with CAS being slightly better than AAP.
Teacher Recommendation: One from my eleventh grade physics teacher (who has said I’m in his top three favorite students ever) and one from my eleventh grade English teacher (who can speak to a great extent about my transition from a small Catholic high school to the enormous public one I attend now). I didn’t see either, but I’m sure they were great.
Counselor Rec: Don’t know the man.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview (If AAP or Hotel): Went pretty well.
Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): N/A

Other

State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White - BUT - I’m only second generation Irish-American, and spoke a bit about being raised by my foreign grandparents in my AAP supplement. I feel that this probably made me sound more cultured than “white”.
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Applied for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Eh

Reflection

Strengths: Scores, ECs, female half-majoring in physics
Weaknesses: GPA, supplements, didn’t show a ton of interest
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no idea. I’m in complete shock.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted U of Pittsburgh, NYU, SUNY U at Buffalo
Waitlisted Reed College, Skidmore College/Dartmouth 3+2, U of Chicago
Do you like the cold?: Where I come from, there is cold and only cold.

**General Comments: **

Of all the schools I applied to, I expected the least from Cornell. It was my maximum reach, hey-I-think-I’ll-apply-here-just-to-frame-the-rejection-letter school. I am beyond thrilled, and I’ll hopefully be meeting some of you in the fall go big red!

mdcmom · March 28, 2014, 2:24am

**Decision: Accepted

Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (2280 single sitting, 800 Verbal, 760 Writing, 720 Math):

SAT II: 800 US History, 780 Chemistry

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 98.5 (How does that convert?)

Rank: (3/152)

AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5) (The only AP course available to non-seniors)

Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Biology (the only other two AP courses offered in our school), Calculus, Economics, Band, Chorus, Select Chorus, French 5

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, NAfME All-Eastern Mixed Chorus

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Band (1st chair flute, section leader), Chorus (section leader, All-County 4 years, Area All-State 4 years, All-State 1 year, All Eastern 1 year), Cross-Country 4 years (Division All-Star), Track and Field 3 years, Odyssey of the Mind 4 years (6th at Worlds in 2013), School Newspaper, NHS, Sports Council, Band Council

Job/Work Experience: Maintains three large lawns

Volunteer/Community service: Worship Team at church weekly, teaching sunday school monthly, volunteering quarterly at community dinner for the needy

Summer Activities: Studied Mandarin online through CTY one summer, raised funds to go to Guatemala to shadow an Acateco translator, camping trips with family

Essays: We thought they were great, but we’er biased

Teacher Recommendation: Teachers love her, so we assume they were good

Counselor Rec: Good as far as we know

Additional Rec: No

Interview: No

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): New York

Country (if international applicant):

School Type: Public

Race(s) (White, AA, AI/AN, Asian, NH/PI): White

Hispanic (Y/N): N

Gender: F

Income Bracket: <$35,000

Hooks: Passionate about linguistics and has worked hard to pursue that with limited resources. Had to self-study French and challenge two French Regents to take both French and Spanish at a school that usually only allows one language. I don’t know if this is a “hook,” but is from a small rural town with few extra educational opportunities. Mom is an alumna.

Reflection:
Strengths: Taking advantage of what she had; standardized tests; passion for her major

Weaknesses: GPA? AP courses taken

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/denied: Around here they say that Cornell likes rural kids; so far 3 out of her rural of class of 152 have been accepted.

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/denied: Waitlisted Chicago, Columbia; denied Yale; accepted Cornell, Middlebury, Kentucky (Patterson scholar), Binghamton.

General Comments:

musicheartbreak4 · March 28, 2014, 2:41am

[color=green]ACCEPTED: Engineering<a href=“Likely%20Letter”>/color</a>

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2210 (CR:750 M:730 W:730)
ACT: none
SAT II: Math II (750), Chemistry (760), English (740), US History (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 100): 94.6 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calculus BC (5), AP English Language (5), AP US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus/Linear Algebra, AP Physics B, AP Chemistry, AP English Literature/English IV, AP US Government, Intro to Computer Programming
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Commemorated National Merit Scholar, AP Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4 years varsity softball (Captain), 3 years cast and crew theatre (stage manager twice), 4 years Latin Club (treasurer), 4 years GSA, 3 years Student Diversity Board.
Job/Work Experience: Intern on Capitol Hill and in a science lab.
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered at special ed school
Summer Activities: Working
Essays: I loved my common app essay, and I think my Cornell essay was pretty good.
Teacher Recommendation: didn’t read them, but I think they were good
Counselor Rec: also not a clue
Additional Rec: from the Representative that I worked for on Capitol Hill
Interview: I think it went pretty well

Other
State (if domestic applicant): Northern VA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private, all-girls
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: no financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female engineer (?)

Reflection
Strengths: test scores, grades, common app essay, showed a lot of interest
Weaknesses: low SAT math
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: UVA, Michigan, Penn State Schreyer Honors College, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton

justin5585 · March 28, 2014, 3:39am

(Just copying this from my chance thread)

ACCEPTED: Human Ecology (HBHS Major)

SAT I (breakdown): 730 CR, 800 M, 800 W
ACT:
SAT II: 750 Bio, 800 Math, 790 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81~3.82
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/350 students
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemisty 5, US history 4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, Literature, Spanish, Calculus AB, Engineering Honors

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
2013 Chemistry Olympiad Semifinalist
2013 President’s Volunteer Service Award Gold Level (not sure if this is that great or not)
Rest are small state science league, volunteer, and club awards

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

President of school club which provides socialization for develop-mentally disabled students living in district

Chinese Club President, promoting Chinese culture in student body, organize and host all events with officers

Debate Team Varsity Debater since junior year

County Symphony Violist -Orchestra composed of high school students from county

Soccer Team
Junior varsity team #1 in division (county)
Junior varsity team maintaining an undefeated record for past 3 consecutive years
Will be playing on varsity level for senior year

Job/Work Experience:
Biomedical Cancer Research Intern -Work at local medical center since sophomore summer
-Spent 2 whole summers as well as 2 times per week during school year, conducting cancer research and am co-author of a research paper, which will be published by end of 2014) Submitted work to Siemens

Volunteer/Community service:

Town Environmental Commissioner -overseeing town’s movement toward being green
-Board consistently checks on district’s water resource management, pollution control, solid waste management, etc.

Volunteering group dedicated to helping autistic students improve socialization and interaction skills
-Interacted with, helped, and, educated every week through arts and crafts, reading sessions, and music sessions
-Hold annual fundraiser sales with wristbands and t-shirts, raised over $8000 from past fundraiser
-Hold annual week long event during summer, educating developmentally disabled students through stories, puppet shows, songs, arts and crafts, and skits

Essays (rating 1-10, details): I worked very hard on my essays, especially Cornell. For the majority of them, I would say 7-8.

Recommendations:
Teacher Rec #1: very good
Teacher Rec #2: very good
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview: Not yet

School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: Good awards, Cancer research
Weaknesses: gpa maybe?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: SHOWED A LOT OF INTEREST (visit your colleges! Email your representatives! It will help you!)
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: UCLA, UC Berkeley, Boston College Honors
Waitlisted: WashU
Rejected: Duke, Ivies

Got some great options! Will most likely attend cornell next year! Guys college really is a crapshoot! Give high school your all and whatever college you end up attending is probably the best one for you!

trigonal · March 28, 2014, 3:57am

Decision: Rejected

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (760 CR, 770 M, 800 W)
[] ACT: NA
[] SAT II: 790 Physics, 800 Math II, 720 US History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95 UW, 4.97 W
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/590
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), Physics B (5), Calculus AB (5), Music Theory (5), English Literature (4), European History (4), US History (4), US Gov (3)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): Music Solo Performance (7)
[] Senior Year Course Load: International Relations H/Model UN, IB Physics HL2, IB Math SL, (IB English HL2, IB History HL2)/TOK, AP Spanish Lang, AP Calc BC, Econ, OC Academic Decathlon, Adv. Orchestra
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Indian classical music featured in an international music publication, AIME Qualifier, FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Regional and State Awards (Finalist Alliance, Semifinalist @ LA Championships), National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Indian classical music for 10+ years, Organized a benefit concert of Indian music for a local community organization and raised almost $1,000, Gave a TEDx talk on how music fosters cultural connection, Built and Programmed robots for FTC, Founder/President of the community Math Circle
[] Job/Work Experience: N/A (Math, Chemistry, Physics tutoring?)
[] Volunteer/Community service: Taught students from my ancestral village high school in India the basics of programming and robotics, the benefit concert
[] Summer Activities: the benefit concert, Robotics course @ UPenn (SAAST), and visited my relatives/taught children robotics in India
[] Essays: Thought they were good…really connected my experiences with what I hoped to accomplish at Cornell’s Engineering school, with specifics.
[] Teacher Recommendation: Math and History teacher. Math probably a 9.5/10, and History a generically good one, 8/10. Didn’t read them though.
[] Counselor Rec: I go to a large public school, so he didn’t know me much other than with chance encounters. But we had a great interview. We both enjoyed it. He seemed to like me as an individual…hopefully that translated to a well-written rec.
[] Additional Rec: N/A
[] Interview: Really good. He was also an engineer, so we really clicked. Lasted for about 1.5 hours. Talked about topics ranging from the specific robots I built and coded, to the Indian music I was involved in. We tied it back to Cornell’s specifics, and he told me I would be a really good fit with my diverse range of interests, and my heavy involvement in a few choice extracurriculars. It was one of my best interviews.
[] Arts Supplement: Yup. Submitted some performances of my Indian music. Personally, I really liked them, and felt they displayed a unique part of who I am in a professional way. The IB music people gave me a 7 in solo performance for the same pieces I submitted, and these were a couple of my pieces that were featured in an international journalism publication.
[/ul]
Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): California
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Large Average Public
[] Ethnicity: Asian Indian
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: not poor, not rich.
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): hehe. good one.
[/ul]
Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Strong extracurriculars/awards and service…did stuff that I was passionate about, and won some regional and statewide recognition for them.
[] Weaknesses: Competitive applicant pool? I dunno…
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m really put down by this…looking at the people that got in (through CC and the people I know) I thought I had a really good chance of getting accepted. But I didn’t even get a waitlist…straight out rejection. >:(
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: UCLA, UCSD, UCI
Waitlisted: Harvard, UChicago, UPenn, Dartmouth
Rejected: Princeton, Yale, Yale-NUS, Cornell, MIT, UC Berkeley (!!!)
[/ul]
General Comments:

I’m just really disappointed with how things ended up for me in this whole college application process. After following my passions and getting rewarded for going above and beyond in the activities that I love, and putting my all for every one of my college applications, I can’t believe I only ended up with a bunch of waitlists at my top schools (Harvard, UPenn etc.), and rejections at schools I thought I had a good shot at getting in (Cornell). With all the waitlists, and no acceptances at ANY of the Ivies, I feel like it’s just everyone trolling me saying “so close, yet so far away…” And looking at the qualifications of everyone I know, and all the people on CC who are getting in, I’m really just confused with why not a single one of the top-tier schools saw enough potential in me for an acceptance??? I know it’s a crapshoot, and I know I’m Indian (yeah, I lost), but still, not even accepted to ONE out of the private schools I applied to? And getting outright REJECTED from Berkeley, after seeing all my equally qualified friends getting the Regents scholarship? I really don’t know anymore. Looks like I’ll have to settle for UCLA, after years of dreaming to go to an Ivy…

To all the asians/whites/Non-URM’s out there, take my example as a lesson. It’s getting tough out here, kids.

/rant

magnificent6 · March 28, 2014, 8:20am

Decision - Human Ecology: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t send.
[] ACT (breakdown): 35 (36M, 34S, 34E, 34R, 12 essay)
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 (Math II), 740 (Chemistry)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0. Weighted: 4.59
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (4), U.S. Gov (self study 4), English Language (self study 4), Spanish Lang (4), Biology (3)
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: 5 APs, 1 Honors, and 1 elective
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Commended, some other local awards.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): President of National Honor Society, President of Tutoring Club, President of Cultural Club, Founder/President of Technology Club, Work at consulting firm, research at university lab and published abstracts, section leader of section in band, tennis team, and a lot more.
[] Job/Work Experience: I have had 3 jobs. 1 or 2 pretty unique ones.
[] Volunteer/Community Service: Listed above.
[] Summer Activities: Research internships, work, volunteering, and intern at NPR.
[] Essays: Common app essay: 9.5. Cornell supplement Humec: 10-very important for human ecology.
[] Teacher Recommendations: English teacher of two years: 10. AP science teacher: 9.5
[] Counselor Rec: probably better than any other recs she wrote, so in relation to other applicants from my school, probably 10. But, since it’s a public school, the rec probably doesn’t compare to some of the ones that private school counselors write.
[] Additional Rec: from research mentor, he doesn’t really know how to write a rec, but besides that: 10.
[] Interview: Went well: 10.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: below 50k.
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: GPA, ACT, extracurriculars, Common app essay.
[] Weaknesses: AP scores, awards.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: [li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: Columbia, Cornell, Berkeley, UCLA, WashU, and Rice. Waitlisted: Northwestern. Rejected: Yale, Penn, Duke, Harvard, and Princeton. [/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
Everyone has a chance, just apply to see what happens. For the ivies, make sure you spread yourself and do not apply to just a few schools, because they are so random.

Communismrulez · March 28, 2014, 2:49pm

[ b]Decision: Accepted

[ b]CAS**

Objective:

[] SAT I (breakdown): CR: 700 M: 740 W: 680 (2 sittings)
[] ACT (breakdown): 31
[] SAT II: Math II: 710 Physics: 680
[] Unweighted GPA: 3.9? (School doesn’t do I weighted)
[] Weighted GPA: 4.22
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US History: 5, AP Calc BC: 5, AP Lang+Comp: 5, AP US Gov: 5, AP Comp Sci: 4, AP Physics C Mech: 4
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): None
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP MicMac, AP Lit, AP Bio, French 4
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist (Now finalist)

[/list]Subjective:

[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN, DECA, Poetry Out Loud, Poetry Slam, Piano (10 years + RCM lv 10 certified) Lab intern for molecular diagnostics, Math Team, Speech and Debate (0 leadership). 
[] Job/Work Experience: Marketing rep for college company.
[] Volunteer/Community service: ESL instructor, tutoring, NHS activities.
[] Summer Activities: ESL + Marketing mentioned above
[] Essays: Common app essay was about my identity as a Chinese/African/Canadian American and how my travels around the world affected me. Packed full of lit allusions, witty metaphors, and sob story anecdotes. Very sincere life story overall. Supplement essay was about my diverse interests and how Cornell was the place where I could develop them.
[] Teacher Recommendation: AP English and AP Physics teachers. I didn’t read either, but I’m sure the one from my English Teacher was good. The one from my physics teacher was probably a “this kid got 100 on every test” rec.
[] Counselor Rec: I know him quite well since he helped me transition to my current school after the move. He said it was good and I trust him.
[] Additional Rec: None
[] Interview (If AAP or Hotel):
[] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): None

[/list][ b]Other**

[] State (if domestic applicant): MI
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Suburban Public
[] Ethnicity: Chinese
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: $70,000
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I think I got a few pity points for transferring from a prestigious NYC high school to a small suburban school after moving halfway through 10th grade. [/li]
[/list][ b]Reflection**

[] Strengths: mah riting skeeelz…essay
[] Weaknesses: Test scores for ethnicity, lack of leadership roles, affected by azn quota.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Azn + bad scores =/= accept? Screw math I just disproved that formula xD. I really can’t believe I got in. I didn’t even bother checking my decision until this morning because I was 99.9% sure I was going to get rejected. I’m a weak candidate overall. That’s pretty obvious. All I can say is that it was probably my essays that got me in. They must have struck a soft spot in the admission officer. 
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected: UPenn, UChicago, Duke, Columbia, Northwestern. Still waiting on: Yale, JHU. Accepted: U of M
[li] Do you like the cold?:[/li]
[/list][ b]General Comments: **
Waiting for my free class of 2018 shirt coming in the mail :D!

fk2705 · March 28, 2014, 3:39pm

**Decision: Accepted

<a href=“Arts%20and%20Sciences”>b</a>**

Objective:
ACT: 31 (31 E, 30 M, 31 R, 30 S)
[li] SAT II: Math I: 690 Chem: 690[/li]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.70
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish, Honors English, Macroeconomics, European History

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Tennis (10, 11, 12); Soccer (Varsity 11, 12); Computer Science Courses (9-12). Peer Leader (group of upperclassmen that help freshmen and other new students transition into high school 11,12) Microfinance Club (10, Leader 11, 12) Model Congress (10,11,12)
Volunteer/Community service: 200+ hrs of service
Summer Activities: Volunteering at a Charity in Colombia
Essays: 10/10
Teacher Recommendation: did not see; probably above average
Counselor Rec: did not read but probably 9/10
Interview: N/A

Other
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: M
Income Bracket: Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college, URM

Reflection
Strengths: rigor of course load and community service.
Weaknesses: GPA and standardized test scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: my essay, rec letters, and extracurricular involvement.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
WUSTL (Waitlisted)
Bucknell, Case Western, RPI, Lehigh (Accepted)
Carnegie Mellon (rejected)
Waiting on JHU.
General Comments: SO elated right now! Congrats to everyone that got in!

orientalsoup · March 28, 2014, 6:43pm

[ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected **[/color]

[ color=red]<a href=“Arts%20and%20Sciences”> b</a>**[/color]

[ b]Objective:**

[ *] SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t Send
[ *] ACT (breakdown): 31 (35 E, 33 M, 27 R, 28 S, 9 W)
[ *] SAT II: 660 US History, 660 Literature, 630 Math II
[ *] Unweighted GPA: 4.195/4.0
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.72/4.5
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/43
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): Not offered at high school
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): Not offered at high school
[ *] Senior Year Course Load:
Honors British Literature
Honors Calculus
Honors Physics
Honors Western Civilization
Sociology/Jurisprudence/Psychology
Guidance IV
Honors Spanish IV
Art IV
Physical Ed/First Aid
Church Lifestyle/Church History (Religion)
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Honor Society Scholarship Program Nominee, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award Runner Up, New Jersey Scholars Program Semi-Finalist, Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award, Certificate of Merit from the Society of Women Engineers, New Jersey Governor’s School for Engineering Nominee

[ /list][ b]Subjective:**

[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
School Musical (Lead Role grade 10, 12)
Students Against Destructive Decisions (Secretary)
School Choir (Senior Soloist)
Art Club
Spanish Club
National Honor Society
[ *] Job/Work Experience:
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:
Soloist at Parish
Big Brothers Big Sisters
[ *] Summer Activities:
Summer Camp at Local Community College; Graphic Designer online (through a forum and Tumblr); Fanfiction Writer
[ *] Essays: Common App - excellent; Supplemental - Good
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: I had 3 - Precalc/Algebra II teacher, Literature teacher, and US History II/Geography teacher - and they were all excellent; I’m one of their favorite students and they adore me
[ *] Counselor Rec: Excellent; she likes me a lot
[ *] Additional Rec: Director of my school musicals - excellent; I saved my sophomore year show and he loves me
Note: For recs, I got lucky because my school is so small. My teachers know me very well, and I’ve taken to texting and talking to them in my free time. In addition, my musical director has been through a lot with me, and this year’s seniors are his favorite so he adores me.
[ *] Interview (If AAP or Hotel): N/A
[ *] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): N/A

[ /list][ b]Other**

[ *] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Catholic, All-Girls
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: Female
[ *] Income Bracket: <$300,000
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Parents are immigrants - if that IS a hook…

[ /list][ b]Reflection**

[ *] Strengths: Recs, Grades, GPA, ACT
[ *] Weaknesses: Supplemental Essay, SAT II’s
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My essay could have been much better, and my scores and extracurriculars aren’t much to look at
[ *] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Northeastern, Babson College, University of Richmond, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Waitlisted: Brown, American University; Rejected: Princeton, UPenn
[ *] Do you like the cold?: Purely for the sake of cuddling in blankets and drinking hot tea ;D

[ /list][ b]General Comments: **
I didn’t think I would get in (oh, look, I was right!), but even if you think the same, just give it a shot anyway!

wimmiett · March 28, 2014, 6:49pm

**Decision: Accepted

<a href=“AAP%20-%20Architecture”>b</a>**

Objective:[ul]

[] SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (690 Math, 770 Reading, 770 Writing) (3 takes)
[] ACT (breakdown): 32 (36E, 35R, 29M, 27S)
[] SAT II: 740 Math II, 740 US History, 690 Lit, 640 Chem
[] Unweighted GPA: 3.95
[] Weighted GPA: 4.39ish
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1-2/114
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP: World (4, self study), Euro (5), Lang (4), USH (5), Chem (3)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): nope
[] Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs AP (US/Comp Gov, Lit, Calculus AB, Physics B, Psychology) / Drawing II
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Had a photo exhibited at the W Hotel in Chicago one time.

[/ul]Subjective:[ul]

[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Swim Team (captain), Best Buddies (VP), Photography Club (Founder and President), NHS (President), Engineering Fair, Theater
[] Job/Work Experience: Interned at an architecture firm once for a week
[] Volunteer/Community service: 600+ community service hours at a camp for the mentally or physically disabled.
[] Summer Activities: ^^ camp, traveling about, summer swim team
[] Essays: Common App: about my interest in photography, pretty good imo!
[] Teacher Recommendation: Probably amazing! I love the teachers who wrote mine!
[] Counselor Rec: I was friends with my GC before she came to work at my school. so +1
[] Additional Rec: nah
[] Interview (If AAP or Hotel): There was not an interviewer near enough to where I live (NE Florida), so I had to write the interview essay, which was decent. I might have preferred an actual interview, however. Oh well.
[] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): That portfolio… spend the longest time trying to figure out the “perfect” way to organize and present that thing. In truth I had no idea what I was doing, and I had to go to at least 4 different print shops before approving the photo quality, but I suppose it turned out well. I can send any future arch applicants the link to my portfolio if they want, just PM me.

[/ul]Other[ul]

[] State (if domestic applicant): FL
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: small private, rarely rarely send to top 25 schools
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Too much for financial aid
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing really[/li]
[/ul]Reflection[ul]

[] Strengths: Essays (strong voice), reading and writing SAT scores, made it clear that Cornell is my #1, photography in my portfolio was some of my best
[] Weaknesses: SAT Math, subject test scores (curse lack of score choice), portfolio (nothing spectacularly architectural)
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no idea but wow
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: University of Notre Dame, University of Virginia, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Chicago (what), Rice University (#2), Carnegie Mellon University, Wake Forest University, Drexel, UF, CORNELL YEAH YEAH. Rejected lol: Williams, Harvard, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth.
[li] Do you like the cold?: have been gradually stockpiling winter clothes here in FL, anticipating this moment. [/li]
[/ul]**General Comments: ** Wow… Cornell has literally been my dream school since the 9th grade, borderline obsessive. I applied to 16 colleges, hoping to get into at LEAST one, ended up with 10, including the gorges Cornell. Ivy Day was pretty intense yesterday, I was saving Cornell for last and kept hitting “We’re sorry to inform you” from the first 4. So by Cornell I was like “never again” but THEN NOPE I GOT IN

GO BIG RED

my life is made

siru95 · March 29, 2014, 1:50am

**Decision: Accepted (Meinig Family Cornell National Scholar) **
<a href=“School%20of%20Hotel%20Administration”>size=4</a>[/size]

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (CR: 710 / M:800 / W:770)
[] ACT (breakdown): 34 (36E / 35M / 32R / 34S / 10E)
[] SAT II: Math II 790 / Chem 750 / World History 740
[] Unweighted GPA: 3.90
[] Weighted GPA: 4.71
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/355
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 (Calc AB, Calc BC, Chem, Physics C Mech, Stats, Gov); 4 (World History, English Language)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, Differential Equations, Wind Ensemble, AP Psychology, AP Biology, Computer Science I, AP Spanish Language
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nationals 2nd Place Hospitality competition, All-Eastern band clarinetist, Presidential Service Award Silver, National AP Scholar
[/ul]

Subjective:

[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):[/li] NHS (President)
FBLA (Co-President x2)
Tri-M Music Honor Society (Vice President)
Math team (Co-Captain x2)
All-Eastern band
All-State band/orchestra (x6, Principal x1, Assistant Principal x2)
County orchestra (Principal x4)
State orchestra (Assistant Principal x2)
Woodwind Quintet (Founder)- performance and composition
Marching Band

[] Job/Work Experience: Peer2Peer Tutors (National “Tutor of the Month”)
[] Volunteer/Community service: 300+ at local archives
[] Summer Activities: Internship at local bed and breakfast, Marching camp, essays
[] Essays: Common App- 8/10, Why Hospitality-9/10
[] Teacher Recommendation: AP Calc C, AP Eng
[] Counselor Rec: Great
[] Additional Rec: from volunteer
[] Interview (If AAP or Hotel): 20 minutes
[li] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): Did not send [/li][/ul]

Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): MD
[] School Type: Public (1500 students)
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: $250,000+
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul]

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: National award in hospitality, strong music EC, hospitality essay
[] Weaknesses: Hospitality experience was much lower than the usual Hotel School admits. I did 3 weeks, 50 hours in total over the summer, whereas other Hotelies seems to have years of work experience.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: National award in Hospitality Management
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Duke, NYU Stern (Stern scholarship), UVA Echols, UMD full merit scholarship / Waitlisted: Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth, Northwestern / Rejected: Penn (Deferred), UChicago (Deferred), Yale, Princeton, Yale-NUS
[/ul]

**General Comments: ** The Hotel School is all about interest in hospitality! Whether you show that with work experience or competitions is up to you. As for the required interview, others may disagree, but I do not think it is a huge factor. I only had a 20 minute, casual talk. And write clear, clean essays!

bigdreamer96 · March 29, 2014, 3:15am

ACCEPTED! -Arts and Sciences

[ b]Objective:**
[ list]
[]SAT I (breakdown): 2210- 790 CR 740 W 660 M
[]ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
[]SAT II (place score in parentheses): Latin 690, US History 740
[]GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 W
[]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[]AP (place score in parentheses): US History (5) European History (4)
[]IB (place score in parentheses):
[]Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Physics B, AP English Lit, US Government, Economics, Psychology (1/2 credit), Forensic Science (1/2 credit), Theology IV

[ b]Subjective:**
[ list]
[]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): National Honor Society (treasurer), Latin Club (president), Track Club, Student Prints
[]Job/Work Experience: N/A
[]Volunteer/Community Service: computer teacher and activity coordinate rat an eldercare home; tutor
[]Summer Activities: NYLF Med, Volunteering
[]Essays: Common App- very good. Supplement- good.
[]Teacher Recommendations: Good.
[]Counselor Rec: Good.
[]Additional Rec: N/A
[li]Interview: N/A[/li][/list]

[ b]Other**
[ list]
[]State (if domestic applicant): NY
[]Country (if international applicant):
[]School Type: Catholic/Private
[]Ethnicity: White
[]Gender: Female
[]Income Bracket:
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Eh not really [/li][/list]

[ b]Reflection**
[ list]
[]Strengths: Essays, Teacher Recs, some scores
[]Weaknesses: low GPA? Extracurriculars. SAT 2s could’ve been higher.
[]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was honestly so excited ahhh
[] Accepted: Cornell, BC, Villanova, Fordham, Scranton, Marist, Fairfield
[] Waitlisted: Notre Dame
[] Rejected: Dartmouth, Tufts
Waiting for Georgetown.

Very excited! I’ll have to visit but I’m definitely considering Cornell

LayraSparks · March 29, 2014, 12:40pm

**Decision: Rejected (CAS) **

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (M 660, CR 770, W 790 – single sitting)
[] ACT: N/A
[] SAT II: Literature (790), German (790), French (800), Math L1 (690)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Don’t have a choice at public HS, I took A-Levels as a private student in History, Literature & Sociology (AAA) & AS Levels in French, German & Art (aab)
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Semi-Finalist in National German Competition, finalist in International Schools’ Short Story Writing Competition, 3rd Prize in International Schools’ Poetry Recital Competition & a couple of prizes in international songwriting & screenwriting contests
[/ul]

Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): aerial silks (grade 11- 12), Student Council (VP gr 11-12, member from grade 9), Finnish Club (founder – grade 10), Russian Club (founder – grade 10-12), choir (grade 11-12), Media & Film Club (grade 11), school radio (grade 9), Drama Club (grade 9), editor at school magazine (grade 9-12)
[] Job/Work Experience: French, German & English teacher, tutor
[] Volunteer/Community service: tutor; volunteer at MigHelp, an association to help refugees in my country
[] Summer Activities: Filmmaking/ Screenwriting/ Volunteer work/ Teaching
[] Essays: Great!
[] Teacher Recommendation: Really good.
[] Counselor Rec: Excellent, she knows me really well.
[] Additional Rec: Decent.
[] Interview: N/A
[] Supplementary Material: N/A [/ul]

Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): N/A
[]Country (if international applicant): Hungary
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): We’re not that well off.
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.[/li][/ul]

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Lots of ECs & awards in my field (film & writing), I speak a lot of languages, A Levels, I also attended two schools at once for three years, while doing A-Levels & IGCSEs
[] Weaknesses: Math scores, international asking for FA ( I know Cornell is need blind, but still…)
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I don’t think I was a good fit.
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Emerson College, Occidental College, Drexel & everywhere I applied to in England (KCL, Exeter, York, Nottingham, Bristol)
Waitlisted: N/A
Rejected: Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, Duke, USC
Waiting: Amherst, JHU
[/ul]

**General Comments: I’m not that disappointed, I didn’t see myself as a good fit there, & my first-choice major isn’t even offered. Congrats to everyone who got in! **

chocolatechipcu · March 29, 2014, 2:42pm

**Decision: Accepted

<a href=“Arts%20and%20Sciences”>b</a>**

Objective:

[] SAT I (breakdown): 2110 superscore; 730 CR, 640 M, 740 W
[] ACT (breakdown): Did not take
[] SAT II: 800 Spanish, 700 Math 1, 660 Biology Molecular, 640 US History, 760 Literature
[] Unweighted GPA: My school has it out of 100 and does not calculate it unweighted
[] Weighted GPA: 93.994/100
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): My school does not rank
[] AP (place score in parenthesis):
English Language (5)
Comparative Government and Politics (4)
Biology (3)
English Literature (5)
US History (4)
Spanish (5)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): None- I’m taking one IB this year
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Art History, AP Calculus AB, IB Psychology SL, and the rest are regular classes that are required to fulfill my course requirements
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Head of Upper School’s Honor Roll (all semesters of high-school thus far); National Honor Society; AP International Diploma; AP Scholar with Distinction; Outstanding Student in Social Studies (9th grade); Outstanding Student in English (11th grade); two Honorable Mentions in different years for art in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
[/list]

Subjective:

[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Literary magazine (Editor-in-Chief); music (singing and self-taught at piano and guitar, have performed in various school events since I was 13, used to play in the subway, recorded a professional CD with my band in 2011); art (also a long-term activity for which I have won two Honorable Mentions in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards); independent writing of poems, stories, memoirs, etc.; Model United Nations (Moderator)
[] Job/Work Experience: None
[] Volunteer/Community service: “Signs”, or a community service club for deaf and blind children in Mexico (Officer); Gamma Club Teacher, which is a club dedicated to teaching underprivileged children in Mexico for free; Habitat for Humanity; opportunity volunteering with the elderly and Red Cross; packing for food drives at school; etc.
[] Summer Activities: Traveling with my family, journalism camp at Boston University (although this has no effect on my decision, since I didn’t put this anywhere in my application)
[] Essays: I wrote the Common App one about being in the car during long rides that I have with my family during family trips. The other one was about how psychology and English were my main interests and how I’ve gone to psychology because I desire to understand myself and others. I talked about how English, to me, through writing, is the deepest form of expression. Lastly, I ended by saying why Cornell was perfect for me due to all of this. I think my essays were amazing- if there’s anything that pushed me over to the accepted pile, the essays were probably it.
[] Teacher Recommendation: I only saw one of them (the one that I wrote about in the Additional Rec section), and the other one I didn’t see but I know it was stellar, since I had been my English teacher’s best student for two years in AP English classes.
[] Counselor Rec: No idea. She doesn’t know me too well, to be honest. I hope she didn’t think I was a mediocre student.
[] Additional Rec: US History teacher, whom I have had a close relationship with since 11th grade. I was able to see it and it was wonderful, talked about how there are “very few students” like me in both academic and personal qualities.
[] Interview (If AAP or Hotel): None offered
[] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): None submitted
[/list]

Other

[] State (if domestic applicant): N/A
[] Country (if international applicant): Mexico
[] School Type: Private, American system, Large (around 200 people in my grade)
[] Ethnicity: Mexican-American
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: N/A
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM[/li][/list]

Reflection

[] Strengths: URM, lots of community service, multiple awards, some leadership, my essays were pretty honest and well-written
[] Weaknesses: test scores, GPA, midyear report had one seventy-something in AP Calculus AB
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’ve worked pretty hard all high-school. I also am pretty well-rounded, have music and art and writing, lots of community service, and I think I was able to develop a voice through my application and essays.
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Williams- waitlisted
Harvard- rejected
Brown- rejected
Wellesley- accepted
Duke- waitlisted
Dartmouth- accepted
Yale- rejected
Princeton- rejected
Cornell- accepted
Tufts- accepted
[li] Do you like the cold?: I can stand it I lived in Boston for five years so I’m used to it and I’d bear it because I love New England[/li][/list]

**General Comments: **
SO HAPPY to be accepted!! Congrats to all accepted and good luck to all those who didn’t get accepted! I’m sure you’ll find an awesome college that is perfect for you.
:-*

snn6396 · March 29, 2014, 5:28pm

Decision: Accepted

<a href=“College%20of%20Engineering”>b</a>**

Objective:

[] SAT I (breakdown): didn’t submit
[] ACT (breakdown): Well I read cornell superscores sooo Composite: 34 Wr:35 Ma: 34 Re: 36 Sci: 30
[] SAT II: Physics: 600 Math II: 750
[] Unweighted GPA: 3.91
[] Weighted GPA: 5.14
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 22/715
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Human (4), World History (5), Calc AB (4), English Lang (4), Psychology (5), US History (4)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Two honors, 5 APs (Calc BC, English Lit, Physics B, US Gov, Statistics)
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

[/list]Subjective:

[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Photgraphy club (creator and president), AOF (VP), DECA (VP of fundraising, previously senator), Mu Alpha Theta
[] Job/Work Experience: Cashier at Publix for two years, Paid tutor in math, paid Accounting internship last summer through AOF/DECA
[] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered weekly at a free tutoring program, volunteered at local elementary school, Girl Scout
[] Summer Activities: internship/Publix
[] Essays: Okay I guess… I’m not the best writer. They were genuine though and my essay as to why I wanted to attend showed great interest
[] Teacher Recommendation: the one from my calculus teacher was absolutely exceptional, the other was average 
[] Counselor Rec: Average I guess, never saw it. I didn’t know my guidance counselor too well.
[] Additional Rec: Pretty good. From my internship supervisor who is also deputy mayor if the town I’m from
[] Interview (If AAP or Hotel): I had an interview (I know it didn’t affect my chances of getting in), but it went really well. I talked to the lady for two hours about the school, myself, and herself, lol.
[] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): N/

[/list]Other

[] State (if domestic applicant): Florida
[] Country (if international applicant): N/A
[] School Type: Large, public, ranked top in the nation. Very competitive
[] Ethnicity: Caucasion
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: A little over 100k
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): woman in engineering I guess? [/li]
[/list]Reflection

[] Strengths: rank, interest in school, ACT score
[] Weaknesses: definitely my SAT Physics score and my common app general essay
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Not really sure honestly. Decent activities outside of school may have helped to.
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to UF and UCF. I got rejected from UF honors though (lol). Waitlisted at Carnegie Mellon. Rejected from Rice and Harvey Mudd.
[li] Do you like the cold?: LOL I live in south Florida and haven’t seen snow since I was two. I don’t know what the cold is even like! I definitely like the warm weather though. I think I’ll be able to adjust [/li]
[/list]**General Comments: **
I CAN’T WAIT to attend! Super excited. Best moment of my life when I got accepted! I got a likely letter too, two weeks before the official decision. Cried my eyes out! Congrats to everyone else. And to any other students wishing to apply next year, you can do it!!! I honestly did not think I was going to get in. This has been a dream come true :). Oh and I got great aid as well!

Official Cornell Regular Decision Results Class of 2018

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