Advice After Speaking to a Cornell Admissions Officer...

<p>Oops sorry. Did not realize that and I hope I didn’t jinx you. Good luck to you in the application process. Whatever happens, just make sure that you stay on your current trajectory and all will be well. Good luck!!!</p>

<p>RE: “Diversity should not come at the cost of academic excellence.”</p>

<p>Cough*</p>

<p>Please see all the threads on affirmatve action on CC.</p>

<p>This is a “cost” ALL colleges willingly pay every admisions season. Where have you been?</p>

<p>I was not referring to race. My guess is that most CC transfers do not fulfill any kind of AA requirements, which regardless of whether one agrees with them, are here to stay at every school. Plus, since all of the schools are doing it, there is no competitive disadvantage anyway.</p>

<p>“You make it seem like only CC students make sacrifices. We all have to make sacrifices. At the time I chose Cornell, my dad had been out of a job for a year. I would eventually graduate with 30k worth of debt. I worked every year of college and had 3 different part-time jobs my senior year at Cornell in addition to being a full-time student and preparing to apply to med school. If your family wasn’t willing to pony up the money for you to attend a better school, then I applaud your family for making that difficult choice. But, I still think you should be dinged in transfer apps for going to a CC instead of being rewarded. Like I said, it’s ass backwards.”</p>

<p>I am not being asked to be rewarded. My parents can’t help me at all even they tried. Therefore, I think I made the best choice financial wise since I want to go to grad school. I looked up my schools wisely for curriculum and money. Debt during undergrad is not something I want. So I applied to Cornell for my career and their support financially. I got accepted to Cornell for a reason. And I am thankful that I have the opportunity to go somewhere to pursue my goals, without suffering from debt. I think I made a smart choice and I work very hard to get what I want. I’m not going to let some people on college confidential tell me that as a community college student that I’m a worthless spot in the Cornell community. And I know that some people do go through hardships and I give them credit. Maybe you weren’t in the best scenario your senior year, but you and others don’t have to constantly rant. I’m not going to give my sob story of what I went through, but give people some respect. To be criticized from where I came from is not acceptable. I’m done arguing. Oh, the arguments I will get into at Cornell if anyone starts with me. That will be something alright.</p>

<p>lavender - you have earned your spot at Cornell by the fact you were admitted.</p>

<p>Speaking of pony up for education…maybe students who are on FA should get dinged for not be able to pay full fare. I applaud their family in making that different choice, but I think it’s backward they should be treated the same as other full pay student. With 30K applicants a year, I am sure Cornell could fill up 3K spots with full pay students. Why does Cornell need or should give out FA? Why is Cornell awarding people who are not financially responsible?</p>

<p>Sheesh. Look in the mirror before criticizing community college students.</p>

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<p>This is totally credited. Cornell admissions office needs to step up its game, and needs to put standards higher several notches. There is really no excuse for how things have been so far.</p>

<p>And, I don’t care if someone went to community college post- high school because of financial issues or what not, they should still be required to submit SAT scores regardless, for consideration of admission for transfer to Cornell. Come on, this is Cornell. You would need to have some serious mental limitations not to get a 3.5+ at a CC, majoring in something like Sociology or American Studies or something. That by itself should not serve as an automatic admission to any trasfer.</p>

<p>In response to an earlier comment about EC’s reflecting one’s intended major,
are debate, speech and Model UN (good dedication and accomplishments) strong
enough as EC’s to reflect my passion towards majoring in philosophy? They seem kind of unrelated to philosophy, but there was really nothing related I could find at school… :(</p>

<p>Are you Ann Coulter?</p>

<p>Here, Are you Ann Coulter? In response to LazyKid and his/her quoted partner</p>

<p>Who do you think you are, seriously.</p>

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<p>??? No. I am like half the age of that woman. People should feel free to express their opinions and concerns, without having to confront undue criticism, especially when the issue is worth the debate and consideration for a change.</p>

<p>I think you freaking live in cyberspace.</p>

<p>Try saying that in person, with your full name attached to it. Not saying you cant, but will you?</p>

<p>Dude, what the hell you talking about? There is nothing wrong with the points I am making. Cornell admissions should demand SAT scores from these CC transfers. Or, to be fair, those applying for freshmen shouldn’t be asked to submit SAT scores, either. Not only is this concerning the reputation and quality of the school, but we are talking about objectivity and fairness here. </p>

<p>Being an alum of this university, I reserve every right to promote things in the university’s interest. </p>

<p>Edit - If you happen to be one of those CC transfers trying to apply without sending SAT scores, I apologize.</p>

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<p>Exactly. I don’t see how accepting 1700 scorers by the dozen is helping the university in any way. What’s worse is these guys get accepted at a HIGHER rate than the much more hardworking freshmen. Complete and utter bs.</p>

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<p>As students and alums, we have every right to debate and question Cornell’s policies, especially when said policies are turning off intelligent students from attending due to the negative branding associated with them.</p>

<p>@NYC0205
Congrats on succeeding. If only Cornell tightened its admissions process, it could single people like you out from the rest of the pack. But as it stands, for every well-chosen transfer, there’s 9 other 1700, 2.5 HS GPA chumps who also get in…and fail or ruin the school’s image.</p>

<p>P.S. I was going to let this thread die, but I guess it still has some life left.</p>

<p>Someone should send this thread to the heads of the state school transfer departments. They’re the ones who need to see this the most. But I can’t help but think that they already know the problem, but aren’t doing anything about it because of the extra tuition money they’re collecting.</p>

<p>First of all, I am not.</p>

<p>You should reconsider your tone and your “freedom of expression”. Freedom should not come with insensitivity. I thought you would like to add weight to your self-valued point in this debate by adding your full name here, and it would be so much more impactful if you are actually a Cornell alum speaking out on behalf of Cornell and doing “poetic justice”</p>

<p>And if you really are, it is exactly people like you that gives others the image that Cornellians are insecure.</p>

<p>I mean if you really care, shouldnt you email the Dean of Admissions or something rather than picking on those prospies with the not-so-kind words of yours in your oh-so-glorified anonymity. (Message to the above too)</p>

<p>Plus, I dont know where you guys got your info from. I am sure the various admissions office do not and will not choose well qualified applicants who are clearly a good fit over someone just because he/she is a NYS resident. Perhaps if you show concrete evidence, then your anger might be warranted. But still, thanks to you for upholding stereotypes. <em>sarcastic</em></p>

<p>My guess, regarding SAT score, is that the various schools that do not require it for transfer feel that the SAT score is not a good predictor anymore, especially when one has already proven him or herself in college coursework. But then again, since when did we have a common consensus that SAT was not a bs on its own? Why did some colleges have test-optional policies? Im not talking about CCs but your “top LACs and colleges” too</p>

<p>If you are really dissatisfied with this, go ahead and give the dean an email. Take action, dont grumble on the internet and set off bad vibes especially when you claim to be an alum. HS kids can form a whole new impression of the school based on your tone.</p>

<p>Why dissolve your whole post to just talking about SAT score now? It was so much more and had so much more implications</p>

<p>The Cornell alums here- in or headed to professional school- have done more disservice to my notion of the standards at Cornell than the knowledge the college, as a land grant institution, accepts cc students. What simplified, emotional thinking.</p>

<p>It’s sophomoric. And mean-spirited. You can’t prove cc transfers are lesser. No more than you can prove all prep school kids cheat or all redheads have a temper. </p>

<p>Yes, you complainers “know” a few cc kids who were lesser. And, now I “know” three or four Cornellians who…</p>

<p>I fully support lookingforward’s post.</p>

<p>Lavender, </p>

<p>Congrats on your accepotance and best of luck at the school. I don’t think the debate here is targeted at you specifically. Hopefully, you have a wonderful time here and enoy all that Cornell has to offer. </p>

<p>The issue at stake is really the general policy of the school, which I think everyone will agree is lax when it comes to a certain portion of the transfer applicant pool. If this were a regular state school, then nobody would really give a damn…but it is not…and the reason that people want to come here is precisely because of that fact. So, it is in the best interests of everyone affiliated with the school that any such loopholes are closed. </p>

<p>Cornell’s openness to the world can be expressed in many ways…while keeping intact the demanding standards that form the core of the school…</p>

<p>I don’t know if SAT scores are the best way to measure things. However, I agree that a watered down application should not just breeze through the process. It does not take a genius to see if the applicant has excelled or just done well in an easier program. Applications say a lot about someone’s level of engagement. All that people are saying is that only those students that have made a definitive turn should be granted admission. There is nothing controversial about those statements.</p>

<p>I think if we dig a little deep into this, it’ll come down to money. I don’t think Cornell will ever admit this of course. It receives millions and millions of dollars each year from New York State. Is it really a shocker that it has agreements with NY community colleges? Or that it’s the contract colleges who have really high transfer rates? We can debate all we want about what value transfers add to the community but the fact remains, it’s the contract colleges with the high amount of transfers. Taking NY state transfers in exchange for state funding…sounds very state schoolish to me, unfortunately. If Cornell really believed that transfers add a lot of value and if Cornell is really using transfers due to people graduating early, we’d see an equal distribution of transfers across all of Cornell’s colleges. Instead, it’s only the schools that receive a ton of state funding that’s taking all of these transfers. I think we need to admit to ourselves that Cornell is not as resource rich as some of the other elite privates out there but instead resembles a state school in some ways. </p>

<p>That’s all I will say on the matter. I think this thread has largely run its course.</p>

<p>I think there’s some misunderstanding on the relationship between Cornell and New York in this topic. I’m no expert, but there’s probably someone that knows a lot more than I do.</p>