Advice greatly appreciated :)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
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Hello! I am a sophomore in high school who aspires to be a veterinarian. Right now my #1 college on my list is Cornell because of its strong animal science and vet program. However, I know that the animal science program is very selective and I want some advice on how I can improve my chances extracurricular-wise and start them ASAP because I know that Cornell emphasizes fit. I don’t live in an agricultural area or anything, just in a suburban area, so I feel that my extracurriculars are not as up to par as people who live in agricultural areas or were surrounded by animals or did equestrian all their lives.

As of now they are (everything that says 12 is projected)-

Animal-Related-
Animal Welfare Club (9-12) (officer 9-12) (hoping to get VP or Pres)
Writeups for bird species for local bird sanctuary website (10-12)
I write stories about animals (yes very cheesy I know)
Coursera courses (does this even count?)
Past bunny and current mice owner (2~3-12) (I know this doesn’t really count but ya know . . . animal experience I guess)

Music-Related (I play piano and violin)-
Pit Orchestra (9-12)
Jazz Band (10-12)
Tri-M Music Honor Society (9-12) (hoping to get some sort of position)
Royals ABRSM lvl 8 pass with merit (9)
Piano solo at NHS induction ceremony (9)
Piano accompanist at several churches (6-12)

Other-
Tennis (9-12)
Leader of Children Sunday School (9-12)
Volunteer at a children’s summer program (summer of 10)

This is what I plan to do over the next 2 1/2 years-

Animal-Related-
Volunteer at various animal shelters (once I turn 16)
Shadow a vet (once I turn 16 and can find the opportunity)
Summer program such as Cornell Summer College or Tufts AVM (any other good programs out there?)
Maybe get a license for wildlife rehabilitation?

Music-Related-
Get diploma for music performance through Royals ABRSM
Try out for Youngarts (most likely over my league but ya know never hurts to try)

Other info-
GPA- 3.9something UW, 4.0something W (no rank)
PSAT- 179 (didn’t study, I’m studying REALLY REALLY hard to do well on the next one and the SAT)
SAT II- Bio 770, planning on Chem and Math 2
Planning on taking AP Bio, Chem, Physics 1 & 2, Calc AB, Lang, Lit, World History, US History, Music Theory
Asian female

I know that I shouldn’t do extracurriculars just to pad a resume, but I would love to do anything animal related and it wouldn’t hurt to kill two birds with one stone.
Sorry for the long post I tried to be as specific as I possibly could without being too specific so that I could get the most useful advice. Any suggestion is greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

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Keep up what you’re doing. Chances are, your opinions will change within the next two years. Focus on your grades, study for those tests, and try to gain leadership positions in your activities. If in a year and a half from now, Cornell is still your #1, you can ED there, and if you keep up your hard work, you’ll have a great shot.

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Hi there! I am a guaranteed transfer to Animal Science and will be starting at Cornell this fall, so hopefully I can help.

I think what CALS really emphasizes when it refers to fit is depth of involvement and focus, especially for a somewhat niche major like Animal Science. Volunteering at a shelter and sanctuary, as well as being a part of an animal-related club should be sufficient, especially if you end up doing an AnSci-related summer program.

I think you’ll be fine wherever you end up. Best of luck, and enjoy the rest of your sophomore year! (Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, my thoughts are kind of jumbled right now and I didn’t write nearly as much as I would’ve liked to)

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@jamesjunkers‌ Thank you very much for the imput! I spent much of middle school debating between being a lawyer, animator, and a musician, but after the death of my bunny, my heart has been pretty set on becoming a vet (which had also been my childhood career goal). However, I will be sure to keep other options open too :).

@Coriander23‌ Thanks! I do have one other question- do you know of any other high school animal science programs that are not as costly as the ones I mentioned above? I forgot to put that I’m applying for Columbia Science Honors Program but it’s not animal science related.