What does it take to overcome a poor GPA and class rank?

Colleges & Universities Cornell University
1

Cornell Engineering is presently a pretty long reach for me, but I’m hoping that I can overcome a poor GPA and awful class rank with my other stats. Presently, my UW is 3.55, W 3.81, and class rank barely 80th percentile.
My SAT (taken only once, April 2016) is 1540(750RW/790M),
My ACT (also only taken once, October 2016) is 35(35/24/36/24).

I also received National Merit Semifinalist this year. I’ve only taken two APs so far(USH, 5; Calc AB, 5), but I’m presently enrolled in 5 APs (BC, lit, Phys C, CS-A, Gov). My present senior GPA is a 4.33 W, 3.67 UW. My extracurriculars are decent, several different volunteer efforts, long-term employment at a national lab, worked for UC Berkeley, captain of crew team.

My supplements are good, everyone that’s read them says that my common app one which I’m still working on is about 8/10 (about a teammate dying) and my engineering supplement is 9/10. I’ve got 4 letters of rec:
AB and BC teacher, 7/10 (not a great writer but I’ve destroyed his class for two years)
APUSH teacher, 9/10 (got a B in the class, but 5 on the exam and she’s a new teacher that put a lot of effort in)
Employer, 10/10 (department head at LBNL, wrote an amazing letter)
Volunteer employer, 9/10 (excellent content, known him for over 10 years, volunteered for 4)

Given all of this, do I really have a chance? I thought I might given their class of 2020 statistics, but after reading the ED thread I’m not so sure. What do y’all think?

2

Forgot to include SAT IIs, but they aren’t stellar: Math 2, 780; USH, 760 (both june 2016); Chemistry, 680 (june 2015)

3

I think your SAT/ACT stats and everything else you provide balance your GPA and class rank.

4

@dellarness2 Your test scores are stellar and you have a rigorous course load, which Cornell really values. While your GPA isn’t perfect, as long as you’re within the top 25% then I think you have a great shot. They also consider class size. So top 25% in a class of say 350 kids, that’s still pretty strong. Like the other poster said, your test scores help balance your GPA and class rank. I applied ED and was accepted and based on the stats I have seen from my new classmates, you are right in the thick of it. Call it 40-50% chance, which is really good considering a 14% overall acceptance rate. But that still means you have a 50% chance of not being accepted - flip of the coin. I’m sure you have some great backup schools though. You’ll do great wherever you end up. Hopefully it’s Cornell.