AEM or ILR?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>Having trouble deciding which should be my primary choice for RD - I think that I'd have a good niche for AEM being that I have environmental, philanthropic and business EC's; however, I am lacking science courses and AEM admissions are very competitive.</p>

<p>For ILR, on the other hand, I have several average business EC's. Are its admissions less competitive, or about the same as AEM's? </p>

<p>Ultimately, which would you recommend?</p>

<p>Here are my stats:</p>

<p>GPA: 4.05 (weighted) approx. 3.86 unweighted
ACT: 33 (36 english, 36 reading, 32 math, 27 science)
Class Rank: School does not rank
White female, Michigan</p>

<p>AP's: US History, Statistics, Microeconomics/Macroeconomics, English Language, European History, English Literature, Psychology, Physics B, Calculus AB</p>

<p>EC's: </p>

<p>Founded a non-profit, "Inject Life!" to provide vaccines to children in developing nations
Founder and President, Italian American Student Association
President, Environmental Club
Varsity Cross Country (1 year)
Captain of JV Lacrosse (2 years)
Vice President, Debate Club
Executive board member and secretary, Student Council
Federal Reserve Challenge Team
Curriculum council student representative for my school (met with school board and voted on/created high school curriculum for the entire city)
School Board Evaluation representative for my school (went to schools within the city and evaluated progress, etc.)
Marketing Coordinator for city's Foundation for Educational Excellence
National Honor Society</p>

<p>Awards:
Michigan Greenschools award - Emerald level
AP Scholar awarded by school - English (most talented student in each AP class is awarded)
Several ACT awards
AP Scholar with Distinction
Scholar Athlete</p>

<p>Work experience:
Tim Horton's for a summer</p>

<p>Recommendations: one absolutely stunning, one good. Both from English teachers. Counselor rec should be good/average.</p>

2

<p>There are such stark differences in the AEM and ILR curricula that nobody can answer this question well for you. Are you interested in a traditional business program, and want to take finance, accounting, etc.? Or do you want to immerse yourself in the “world of work” with courses like labor law, labor history, and labor economics? What school is less competitive than the other should be a secondary thought, as they provide two distinct but phenomenal educations.</p>

3

<p>As said above, they are fairly different programs. Look at the sample courses for each program and decide which appeals more to you. Don’t forget to compare graduation requirements beyond the major.</p>

4

<p>I’ve gotta say AEM. </p>

<p>So much of ILR is about dealing with labor issues or disputes. AEM is more business oriented, and if you can get in then you have a wide range of choices in CALS to minor or double major in. </p>

<p>Honestly though, the two really are quite different. You might want to try to highlight their differences. It can even be seen in their names. would you rather learn about “Industrial and Labor Relations” or “Applied Economics and Management” ?</p>

5

<p>I’ve heard that AEM is the hardest program to get into at Cornell. ILR is easier to get admitted to. I really don’t know why everytime someone asks whether one school is easier to get into at Cornell they always get the same useless answer on college confidential. If you call AEM they will tell you that they only accept 100 students and it’s very, very competitive. </p>

<p>ILR is all about fit. Debate in Cornell is in ILR. I notice that you’re a debater. You could play this up in your essay - negotiation, etc.</p>