@lookingforward I’ll admit I don’t have any engineering experience, though I will be an Instructor at an Engineering camp for kids hosted by my state university in the spring. I did take mostly STEM courses at my liberal arts prep school, was the cohead of a science-related club (not revealing more for confidentiality reasons). I was involved in a mix of ECs, which I thought might differentiate me from the other cookie cutter engineering applicants – let me know if my thinking is flat out wrong. My downward trend is bad, I know, though I raised it back to an upward trend senior year… I just was wanting advice on whether that downward trend shoots all my hopes. I mean, an int’l asking for aid is at a disadvantage compared to an int’l not asking for aid, since Cornell is need-aware.
B/c it’s the best Ivy engineering program and has the OR major I’m looking for (and can’t find in Canada).