Hi all - newly starting our kiddo’s college application process. Applying in environmental science. Good candidate - all a/a- after freshman year (a couple b’s that year) at a competitive high school, 1570 SAT, participated in competitive STEM research programs, interning with a green power company and an environmental organization this summer. Full pay, no hook, Hispanic but not first gen. NYC resident.
For Cornell, one of the selected reaches, it’s not clear which college or school to apply to. The BA/BS in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is available to students in CALS, A&S, and Engineering according to the website. How does this work? I presume there is some strategy to which college to apply to?
Sorry if this is obvious - new to this! Thanks in advance for advice.
Thanks so much - is there a difference in competitiveness? Would it be easier to get into A&S because everyone wants the reduced tuition from CALS? Or is that just ridiculously overthinking things…
Agreed - if you are a resident, and don’t have need - go for the cheaper school. It’s be a huge, unnecessary risk to “game” percentages given the amount of $$ at stake.
The bigger risk, in my opinion, is the major. I love it - my son thought of it. But with this administration and the destruction of this type of thing - unless you are pre-law or pre-med or think the world will change in five years - i’m not sure it would be the best place to be…Or I might have a double major…so I have a place to land.
I’m going to disagree here. Cornell is very much a fit school when it comes to which college to apply. And, they are very sensitive to instate residents applying to the contract colleges just to save on costs. (Certainly though if your child is a good fit for two and one is a contract college, then by all means apply there.)
I would encourage your student to do a deep dive into the distribution requirements for each of the three colleges. All three will be different. A&S will have way more gen ed requirements + foreign language, engineering will have more math, etc… Look at which aligns best with your child’s HS activities and interests.
Then how does an in-state student ‘convince’ them their interest is genuine vs cost sensitive ?
You can try to exhibit it in essays etc but it seems like you’re thinking they’d have doubt. I believe you were an interviewer so I know you have experience here.
Is there a revenue component too in their thinking ? The more non NY the more revenue ?
It’s a $23k delta x 4 so it is a significant difference.
I’ll use myself as an example even though it’s from the stone ages. I had pre-med intentions and applied as a bio major. You can major in bio in CALS, CAS and HE. I applied to CALS because it was cheaper and that’s what my parents wanted me to do as an instate applicant. My alumni interviewer and a close family friend who was an alum told me to switch my application to CAS because my HS ECS were very strong in music and foreign languages and I had an interest in continuing those things in at college. They both felt that I aligned better with CAS. Would I have still gotten in if I had applied to CALS? That’s anyone’s guess…c
But, as an alumni interviewer myself for over two decades (not a thing anymore if anyone is wondering), I did see a correlation between college fit/interests and acceptances.
I don’t believe it’s about revenue but I don’t have any insider knowledge about that. As far as I know Cornell doesn’t breakdown the instate/out of state ratio for their individual colleges. According to Cornell, 32% of students are from NYS. Student enrollment - Institutional Research & Planning
Not sure where you got these stats. Here are the most recent acceptance numbers from Cornell by college, and some are quite different. For example:
Dyson: 4.9%
Nolan: 18%
ILR: 20%
Engineering: 6%
Helpful stats for us - thanks so much! 7.4% for A&S, 14.5% for CALS - certainly only advantageous, assuming it’s a good fit and makes sense, to go for CALS rather than the opposite.
Would also recommend a deep dive into the mission statement for the colleges to make sure the application aligns well. When your child writes their supplemental essays, they can highlight the fit to their college. Here’s the one for CALS: About | Cornell CALS
The supplemental essays give lots of clues too!
The CALS supplement prompt: Required: By applying to Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), you are also applying for direct entry into one of our 20 majors. From here, you would be part of a community dedicated to purpose-driven science; working within your major and across disciplines to tackle the complex challenges of our time.
Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected and specifically, why do you want to pursue this major at Cornell CALS? You should share how your current interests, related experiences, and/or goals influenced your choice. (500 word limit)
(Note that for both engineering and arts, students don’t declare a major until second semester sophomore year. And, their essay prompts are very different (which reflects different approaches and priorities)).
CAS supplement:
At the College of Arts and Sciences, curiosity will be your guide. Discuss how your passion for learning is shaping your academic journey, and what areas of study or majors excite you and why. Your response should convey how your interests align with the College, and how you would take advantage of the opportunities and curriculum in Arts and Sciences. (650 word limit)
Engineering supplements:
Long Essay Responses (200 word limit)
Question 1: Fundamentally, engineering is the application of math, science, and technology to solve complex problems. Why do you want to study engineering?
Question 2: Why do you think you would love to study at Cornell Engineering?
Short Answer Responses (100 word limit)
Question 1: What brings you joy?
Question 2: What do you believe you will contribute to the Cornell Engineering community beyond what you’ve already detailed in your application? What unique voice will you bring?
Question 3: What is one activity, club, team, organization, work/volunteer experience or family responsibility that is especially meaningful to you? Please briefly tell us about its significance for you.
Question 4: What is one award you have received or achievement you have attained that has meant the most to you? Please briefly describe its importance to you.
The devil is always in the details on the acceptance rates. For example, a not insignificant proportion of recruited athletes are in CALS majors (per admissions direction.) OTOH, the proportion of recruited athletes in a given class at Cornell is lower than it is at some other schools, notably LACs. But still something to consider with eyes wide open.
After doing the research momofboiler suggests I would choose the school that offers the best fit and most appealing curriculum, I think it’s too difficult to strategize based on any of the publicly known factors of acceptance rates and the like because fundamentally we just don’t know the majority of each school’s priorities.
