<p>Cornell admissions are not lax. It is unusual in being a hybrid of public land-grant college (with an ag school), professional school of hotel management, and college of arts and sciences. The admit rates and SAT averages you usually see are for the whole shebang. I’ve only seen the numbers for the CAS broken out a couple times, but they are quite high (as are the overall numbers, really).</p>
<p>Depending on your point of view, this hybrid organization could be a good thing. Cornell’s motto: “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” Compared to most other peer schools, it is bigger, academically more diverse, and less of an ivory tower. It is often said to have one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Cornell has top notch programs in many fields, including architecture, engineering, computer science, and the life sciences.</p>