I don’t get it. If Cornell’s acceptance rate for the class of 2004 was around 26% (correct me if I’m wrong), then about 1 out of 4 people should get in, correct? It looks to me like that’s a really, really good chance. Is it just that everyone that applies to Cornell really qualified?
<p>it's not a exactly a good chance. it's a self selective pool. </p>
<p>depends on what college you apply to also.</p>
<p>blogger, i think it's just everyone is really qualified, 26% is actually not a good chance considering the people that the people applied probably all expect they have a decent shot.</p>
<p>kriegz, why dont you try to answer other people in a respectful manner.</p>
<p>26% is not a high acceptance rate in my mind.</p>
<p>But the "self-selection" is an important factor when you consider some schools. There are some (University of Chicago comes to mind) that have a distinctive character and a specific appeal to a certain kind of person. Schools like that may not have large applicant pools, but the pool may be very high quality. Consequently, the school may have a pretty high acceptance rate but still have an excellent class profile.</p>
<p>...which is why a school like Case is the only one in the top 50 to accept 70% of the applicants (the most dramatic example of this I can think of).</p>
<p>CalTech's acceptance rate is 40%. You don't apply to Caltech unless you have some serious academic fu. Cornell's rate is somewhat higher than other Ivy's for many reasons. It has more seats to fill. There are many state-affiliated schools in the University that draws many in-state students from NY. The engineering school has the highest percentage of acceptance for the same reason as Caltech.</p>