Though it may not have been an issue, your age is also a flag to me. Cornell is a very intense school. It’s not among those that have students there extolling the quality of life. It’s stressful. A lot of very directed, intense and tense folks there. There are schools with this vibe, and Cornell tends to have it in abundance. I would not want a 16 year old there.
I noticed you didn’t say cornell is your number one. So since you’ve got a wealth of other attractive options, what’s the problem??? You’re wasting your time agonizing over why u didn’t get admitted. It could have been for ANY arbitrary reason. The AO who read your application could have had a bad day because his dishwasher broke.
Move on.
@cptofthehouse I will be 17 in August. There is about a year difference in most of my classmates. I have been in this grade since 3rd grade. Isn’t it strange that Cornell would think like that, though?
@GMTplus7 I said Cornell is probably my number one right now.
@ib43823 There is nothing wrong with trying to get off the waitlist and go where you want to go. Good luck.
@CaliCash It is not about being frustrated. I am sure Cornell had their reasons. What is the best way to appeal to adcom now? That is all I want to know, and all I have been asking on this thread!
“16 years when graduating” is what you wrote in your opening post which means you will still be a minor for your first year of college. I really don’t know how Cornell looks at this. Some schools don’t care at all, some would. I do know that mental health issues are of a major concern there. The college years are fraught with all kinds of nasty mood and mind demons rearing their ugly heads. All part of growing up. But it’s easier to deal with a legal adult and there are ramifications when one is dealing with a legal child, bear in mind. It’s not the academic part that is the issue as much as the social, emotional, behaviorial , legal aspects.
Again, this is just my opinion. There are certain schools that are just more stressful, less nurturning, harsher than others, and I would not want a legal child going there unless commuting.
Just enroll at Duke and move on.
I think there are a lot of threads on CC on strategies for getting off waitlists. I think some posters above did give you some ideas too. I don’t know the strategies.
“For Cornell, the 75th percentile is much less than my 1560 SAT.”
FWIW for Cornell’s College of Engineering, which is where you appled, the 75%ile is right about at your 1560 SAT.
http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/6574/screen/19?school_name=Cornell+University
But admissions is about more than standardized test scores.
This is about CAS admissions but much of it probably still applies:
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2014/12/arts-and-sciences-reading-every-admission-application
Maybe send them copies of all your other acceptances,then tell them you’ll attend Cornell if they admit you off the waitlist.
I was about to say “Just enroll at Hopkins and move on,” but whatever.
@cptofthehouse That is really interesting. I see where you are coming from. It’s funny, I thought being 16 was a cool hook. Guess not, since it can probably be a liability too. Thanks for that analysis
@monydad Oh wow, yes I never considered the possibilities that the schools would have vastly differnet acceptance criteria. Especially striking is that a 35 ACT is exactly 75% percentile, good sir. Well, yes, then. Acceptance to CoE was much harder than assumed.
@CaliCash I apologize, I failed to account for differences in college choice.
@Marian @3rdsontocollege So Duke vs Hopkins for CS/economics/BME (not too sure yet, hoping to do a sort of combo)?
Not necessarily. All four of the schools that accepted you are terrific. I just happen to know people who like Hopkins.
You may want to take a close look at all four of these schools now to see how they compare in all sorts of ways that matter to you. That might include visiting their campuses if you haven’t been there. You have a decision to make that many people would envy. I don’t think you can go wrong, but it always helps to do your research.
@ib43823, I think you are overvaluing the impact of these statistics in the admissions process at the very selective schools. As I believe the article I linked indicated, there is a lot more to it than that. Maybe your application indicated you wanted something for which Cornell was not the best fit for you. Or you did not come off as sufficiently focused on what you wanted to do. Or you did not make it clear why your needs would be best met at Cornell. I don’t know. but you might look a bit in that direction, if you are hellbent on dissecting it. Your stats were good, but they were not going to rule the decision by themselves.
Also age is someting schools would consider. I remember my D2, who graduated early, got a call from the college she eventually attended before they admitted her. they tried to determine if she was mature enough to go there early.
On the other hand I myself entered Cornell at age 17, and there was a kid in my dorm who was 16.
But that was a long time ago.
I may have missed this, but are you male? If so, the male admit rate to Cornell Engineering was 9.2% for the class that entered last fall. ED enrollees represented 38% of the Eng class, and while I do not know the ED admit rate for Eng, it is higher than the RD admit rate university-wide. My point being that the RD male admit rate is probably even lower than 9.2%.
@monydad Thanks for the input, I understand. There is no telling. I got some great advice about the WL, and I intend to use it. Thanks everyone!
@CT1417 Right, that is true. Looks like I seriously undermined the difficulty of acceptance. O wells. Hahaha.
You have some fantastic choices, but if Cornell is truly the place you want to be, the advice offered upthread is all accurate. Contact Cornell and let them know that you will attend if offered a position.