Why Cornell? or Why Not Cornell? Chance a nervous Cornell Hopeful?

Colleges & Universities Cornell University
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<p>I have had my sights set on Cornell since Middle School. Coming from a relatively weak school academically, I never truly thought that my dream had a shot of coming true until recently. Multiple visits to Cornell solidifies its spot atop my college list. I could envision myself amongst the buildings, in the classrooms and even searching through the stacks upon stacks of books. Honestly, I know that Cornell is the perfect ‘fit’ for me, I just hope the admissions officers see it as well. </p>

<p>Also, I guess I should have prefaced this by saying that I am a white male at a public school in PA. Our school is slightly competitive and only sends about 1 person a year to a top-20 school. However, within the past 5 years, two people have been accepted to Cornell CALS. Also, I plan to major in something along the lines of Business/Business Management, Law or Politics. With that said, I will most likely be applying to CALS for AEM or CILR. So, without further ado, here is the spiel:</p>

<p>GPA: UW-3.98 W-4.3
Class Rank: 1/279 (valedictorian from the class of 2010 is headed to Cornell)</p>

<p>SATs:
CR:730
M:740
W:670</p>

<p>1470/2140 </p>

<p>I’m taking Math Level II, Biology and possibly 1 more SAT II in October. I should be able to pull off 800 in Math2 and 750+ in Bio. I do have a poor Math1 score, though.</p>

<p>Math Level I: 710 </p>

<p>Since the start of high school, I have taken the absolute hardest possible course load that my school offers(AP is not offered to Freshman and Sophomores). In addition, I will have taken every class within our business dept. by the end of my senior year. Also, my school requires that we take Bio (10th) and Chem(11th), but does not offer advanced classes for those subjects. Also, our school does not give out A+'s even though the majority of my A’s were 98-100. Lastly, no weight is given to honors courses in 9th and 10th grade (is this normal?).</p>

<p>Freshman:
Honors English 9 - A
Honors Geometry - A
Honors U.S. History - A
Agricultural Science 9 - A (considered the hardest freshman course considering our ag program(FFA) is annually in the top ten food science teams in the nation and wins state titles also).
General Business - A
Gym/Health(required) - A
Latin I - A
Latin II - A</p>

<p>Sophomore:
Honors English 10 - A-
Honors Algebra II - A
Honors U.S. History II - A
Agricultural Science 10 - A
Accounting I - A
Latin III - A
Gym/Drivers Ed(required) - A
Biology(required, no honors or AP offered) - A</p>

<p>Junior:
Honors Pre-Calculus - A
Honors English 11 - A
AP World History (score: 3) - A (val from class of 2010 going to Cornell got a 3 as well)
AP Environmental Science (Score: 5) - A
Accounting II (weighted course) - A
Latin IV - A
Chemistry(required, no honors or AP offered) - A
Gym/Health(required) - A</p>

<p>Senior year schedule:
AP English 12
AP Government and Politics
AP Calculus AB
AP Biology
Latin V - (AP Latin Vergil is not offered, course still weighted)
Biotechnology (weighted course)
Health/Service Learning(required, volunteering at local corporation that works with children and adults with developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome.)
Business Law</p>

<p>I will have taken all the business course my school offers outside of keyboarding I and II(not really business classes). </p>

<p>EC’s:
-JCL(Junior Classical League or Latin Club)- 4 years (3x Secretary)
-National Honors Society-2 years, can only join in 11th grade (President 12th grade, already elected)
-FFA: 4 years (involved, 4th place finish at dairy foods competition at FFA States)
-FBLA: 2 years, club only started 3 years ago (Possibly applying for National Business Honors Society next year)
-PAML- 4 years (Pennsylvania Math League)
-150+ hours of community service including a mission trip to Peru. I collected money,crayons and pillowcases for a project known as “Pillowcase Magic” that my grandmother and I started in order to provide clothing made from pillowcases for less fortunate children in Peru. We went to hospitals in Iquitos, Peru and delivered pillowcases and crayons to ill children(possible app. essay?). Also, I earned community service hours as a wrestling referee, a camp counselor and a supervisor for children and adults with developmental disorders.

  • Environmental Education Development Camp Counselor, application process/interview for this
    -co-captain of my varsity cross-country team (3x county champs, 2x district champs), 4 years
    -Varsity spring track and field-3 years
    -Varsity winter track and field-2 years
    -Varsity wrestling- 2 years (named all-division in 10th grade, but gave it up to pursue running)
    -JV baseball-1 year
    -Junior Legion baseball-1 year (Also gave baseball up to pursue running)
    -will graduate with 11 out of a possible 12 varsity letters</p>

<p>Work Experience: Worked for two summers at corporation that betters the lives of people with developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome, put in unpaid CS hours here during school year</p>

<p>Possible Hooks: Legacy? (my uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather all went to Cornell), maybe running, my coach is currently in contact with Cornell’s cross country coach. </p>

<p>Family Income: 45,000-50,000. Yes, I will obviously be applying for FinAid. My mother was a RN(registered Nurse) but was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis nearly ten years ago and has been on disability for about 9 of those years(possible app. essay?).</p>

<p>Lastly, should I apply ED even though I need Financial Aid? Also, will my Ag backround be advantageous in any way when apply to CALS for AEM?</p>

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<p>I think you have a 90% chance of getting in. your ECs are good (although more focus on business might be better). your SAT scores could be higher but it’s not bad at all. your grades and rank are all set. what also caught my eye was your legacy… let me tell you, Cornell REALLY takes good care of its legacies. just make sure to write some authentic, enthusiastic essays, and you’ll have a great chance.</p>

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<p>for your essay, if you are going to write about your moms MS make sure it ties back to YOU in someway</p>

4

<p>No one can provide a percentage of your chances of getting in, but…</p>

<p>As CUAmbassador says, if you’re going to talk about your mother’s illness, make sure it ties in to why you have selected Cornell and what you want to pursue, e.g., if you’re applying to Hum Ec and PAM, CALS as a bio major, etc. </p>

<p>Legacies have a higher admit rate than non-legacies, but a majority of legacies still do not get in. However, it does increase your chances (your uncle, FYI, does not make you a legacy but your grandfather and great-grandfather do). Also, if you become a recruited athlete, that also increases your chance for acceptance.</p>

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<p>I was in your same boat. ranked 1/308, same sat score, similar ECs, BUT I didn’t have a legacy. And I applied Reg decision (even though it was my first choice). </p>

<p>I got the waitlist. </p>

<p>Don’t let ^ that deter you. It’s a crapshoot. Just don’t assume you’ll get it, or you may be very disappointed (as I was). Understand that it IS Cornell, an excellent school. There are plenty of people with better stats. That said, you’ve got a shot. Best of luck.</p>

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<p>I didn’t mean to come off negative. By all means, apply. You have a chance at getting in (as do the majority of people who apply). I just don’t think anyone can put a percentage of your chances of getting in, or that if you’re a legacy you’re going to get in either.</p>

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<p>@ cornellpezra- I didnt think you came off in a negative way, pezra. Everything you said was completely valid and I agree with you. I realize that the best that someone can do is tell me that I either have a shot or not. Thanks for your input!</p>

<p>@automobile- Thanks for giving me someone to compare myself to! I read your thread about transferring to Cornell after attending UVA for two years. Personally, I think your passion for Cornell alone should warrant an acceptance, even as a transfer to CoE. It is beyond evident that Cornell is the school for you and I find it sad that you are not attending. I wish you the best of luck in your attempt to transfer to Cornell(you better try to transfer, you owe it to yourself!)!</p>

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<p>I don’t think it is fair to tell you that you have a 90% chance of getting in. I would reserve that 90% chance for someone who scores 2300 (plus) on the SAT with a 4,0 uw GPA taking the most rigorous classes. It is an Ivy school and the applicant pool is extremely competitive. I would put your chances around 50 to 60 percent (with the legacy factored in). That’s still great odds! Hope you have some good A-/B+ schools on your list as well. These could be Notre Dame, Bucknell, Boston College, Tufts, NYU. If you have not visited the schools I’ve mentioned you should try to do so.</p>

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<p>cornellpezra, i don’t mind that you disagree with me, but i wish you wouldn’t just completely discredit my percentage like that. i simply gave a percentage instead of putting my thoughts into words. i guess if i was the OP, i would find it slightly annoying if people only gave me vague answers. however, i’m not the OP, so i’m not sure what type of “chancing” he/she was looking for… after reading jshain’s post, i think i should take back my 90%, which in retrospect is indeed too high, and i think 60-70% would be a better guess. CornellHopeful, i’m really sorry if i gave you any false hopes. it’s still a good chance and it looks like you worked really hard in high school, so best of luck to you!</p>

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<p>A couple of things, 1) you have amazing credentials 2) Admissions is a crapshot 3) as a fellow xc/track runner cornell is a great place to run with a killer team 4) if you’re coach is able to convince coach johnson that you are recruitment material it’s a big plus in getting a foot in the door with admissions 5) If you are serious about running at Cornell give coach johnson an email or phone call the better to get to know him rather than having others get to know him for you 6) I would say apply ED, finaid has a way of working itself out… Best of luck!!!<br>
If you have any questions about the team or finaid (I was in your same shoes) PM me.</p>

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<p>Great stats. Apply ED, you’ll most likely get in.</p>

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<p>I second the ED notion. Some have also stated on this forum that your legacy status only helps if you apply ED but I don’t know for sure. That being said you fall comfortably below the $60,000 income bracket and were you to be accepted I’m sure your financial needs would be met. Given how much you love Cornell, ED is almost a must for you. Best of luck.</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone! I appreciate everything everyone has said, but I obviously will take it with a grain of salt. If I even have a 50/50 shot, I’ll be more than pleased.Also, my hopes are relatively stable, so, they will not change until I get a letter/email revealing whether I was accepted or rejected. Thanks again! Anyone else care to respond?</p>

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<p>Thanks Suzalicious! I missed your post because we posted at similar times. It’s nice to know that I should still apply ED. I was (mis)informed previously that I should not apply ED because of my financial needs. I have a few questions that have yet to be answered if anyone wants to take a crack at them. Does having an Ag background help me in any way when applying to CALS for AEM? Does having two students from my school currently attending affect my chances(positively or negatively)?</p>

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<p>
[quoteDoes having an Ag background help me in any way when applying to CALS for AEM?
[/quote]
</p>

<p>A lot of the majors in CALS are actually not related to agriculture. I don’t think growing up on a farm will necessarily help your chances, but I could be wrong.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>It shouldn’t. If admissions thinks you’re good and unique enough, they should accept you.</p>

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<p>I have never lived on a farm. That is not what I meant by “Ag background.” I meant that I have been in FFA for 4 years, 4th place in the state in Dairy Foods and have taken a variety of classes related to Agricultural Science.</p>

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<p>Well if you had grown up on a farm in Ny state that happened to be heavily involved with the Cornell Cooperative Extension (experimental crop planting, etc) it would help your chances for admission greatly!!</p>

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<p>^haha, that is not quite the case… I was just thinking that having done a significant amount of work and extra-curricular activities related to Agricultural Science couldn’t hurt when applying to the College of Ag and Life Sciences, even when applying for business. I had read on here that a lot of the AEM’ers, for lack of a better term, looked poorly upon the rest of CALS and wished to disassociate themselves with the rest of the college. I thought it might at least show my ‘fit’ with the rest of the college as well, if that even matters because of the program to which I’m applying.</p>