Am I on track for Cornell?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>I'm a junior in high school in Texas, and it's always been my dream to go to Cornell. I have a 3.6 unweighted GPA but that number will increase significantly after my junior year's grades are accounted for. I scored a 2000 on the SAT I (M 670 CR 610 W 720). That was my first time to take it so I think my Critical Reading will improve on my second or third try. I have straight A's this year in 2 AP 1 pre-AP courses. I'm in the top quarter at an extremely competitive public school and my rank will surely go up this year. My extracurriculars are decent but not outstanding. They are spread out and not concentrated on one activity. I want to major in Economics either at ILR or College of Arts and Sciences. </p>

<p>Am I on the right track to getting accepted to Cornell? Am I at any sort of advantage/disadvantage because of my location? How should I improve the EC aspect of my resume? Is the ILR or College of Arts and Sciences easier to get into? </p>

<pre><code> Thanks,

            Cornelliot

</code></pre>

2

<p>To Improve your chances: 1) Your M + CR is at 1280, you’ll need to get that up by approx. 100 pts. 2) Improve class rank to the top 10% 3) Show some leadership through your EC’s. If these three areas don’t improve your chances seem moderately below average.</p>

3

<p>I agree with csdad. Your CR score definitely needs to be a lot higher. Writing is pulling your SAT score to something that at a glance would seem in range (but still low’ish), but it’s being pulled up by the section that matters BY FAR the least. Get CR+M over 700 if you can. Your GPA isn’t stellar either. An upward trend will help as well, which you seem to have. Your course rigor doesn’t stand out either, if you are only taking 2 AP courses and still have a low’ish GPA. Maybe you’ve taken more APs previously? Top 25% really won’t cut it unless there is truly something special about your school and if your courses junior year are just 2 APs in terms of “hard” courses, I’m not sure your high school really counts as competitive. Maybe your chances are better if you’ve seen others from your school with similar rank get into Cornell. Hard for me to know as I don’t have specific knowledge, but I have a hard time seeing you as really being on track. You certainly have a chance, but at this point, it’s below average.</p>

4

<p>You aren’t at any disadvatange since there are a decent amount of students from Texas, albeit typically from the significant cities (Houston, Dallas, El Paso, etc.). As for Economics and ILR, one is a major while the other is its own college. Econ in A&S is in a selective college and focuses more on theory. A&S also has its own separate requirements regardless of major. ILR has a much smaller student body than A&S but has more specific programs and focuses more on business and labor.</p>

5

<p>If you really want to stand out testing-wise though, aim for 1500+ CR/M, placing you above the 75th percentile.</p>

6

<p>Thank you all for the input. This is about what I expected. This year it is only possible for me to take two AP courses, albeit there are more “pre-AP” ones, unless I wanted to take Chemistry instead of Physics, which I didn’t (I loathe Chemistry). As for my high school, I would say it is competitive. Last year we saw around 6-7 students off to Ivies (none to Cornell) and several more go to prestigious schools (MIT, Stanford, Georgetown, Rice, Vanderbilt). 52 students went to University of Texas at Austin and somewhere around 40 went to A&M, and I really, really don’t want to go to UT, where my family thinks I’ll be going. I don’t want to go to somewhere just because all my friends or classmates go there, and I don’t want to be like everyone else from my world, who goes to an instate school, gets a decent internship, then fills the job that daddy secured at the family business and lives a life that’s already planned for them. I have always dreamed of going to Cornell. Cornell Cornell Cornell. I think I will die if I don’t get in. Going to college somewhere far away will be the best thing for me, and I think my parents will support me financially where ever I decide to go. Now, if I could only get in…</p>

<p>Also, remember that the misleading 2000 I got on the SAT was the first time I took it, and I have time to improve. Does ILR even take into account the writing section of the SAT? If they do, do they even care about it? I know people who go to Brown and Harvard with a pretty low writing score. If I raise my SAT I Critical Reading score to around 650 and my Math 680 or 690, will I have a decent chance of being accepted? I think I’ll have to have a great resume and outstanding essays–am I correct? I also want to show the admissions that I am passionate about going to Cornell and I’m different from most of the other prospective students. I’ve always been very independent and I’ve never had tutors, outside help, prep courses, etc. (unlike most of my classmates, whose radical parents will go to great lengths to improve their chances). I always have done things on my own, like fixing my car and computer, or teaching myself something new (ex. Latin). Is there anyway to show the admissions people this? Through my essays maybe? Is independence even something that colleges like to see?</p>

<p>And yes, my GPA does show an upward trend. I transfered from a private school for wealthy, lazy kids who don’t care about schoolwork to a public school, and I’ve become more serious about my GPA and class rank. I deeply regret not taking the seniors seriously when they said, “I wish I tried harder as an underclassman.” That’s the one thing they would change if they could start over again, and now it’s the same for me. As for the economics major, ILR sounds like a better fit for me since I’m more interested in business and labor than theory. When you apply to Cornell, do you apply to the university or a specific college? How selective is ILR?</p>

<p>This last question may seem ridiculous, but it is serious: will the admissions officer judge me if I include my being a senior officer in the Republican Club on my resume? Say, for example, the officer(s) looking at my resume is an extreme liberal and sees my position that I included. Of course they are obliged to be bipartisan and objective in the selection process, but it isn’t inconceivable that they would take this into account when deciding if I’ll be accepted or rejected. Any helpful insight on this subject?</p>

<pre><code> Thanks once again for your consideration.

                        Cornelliot

</code></pre>

7

<p>…bump…</p>

8

<p>You’ll have a much better chance of admission at ILR, and seriously what csdad said is like the academic minimum of what you will need to attain for a reasonable chance (esp. class ranking - being under top 10% effectively reduces any non-athlete/non-URM’s chances to near zero). Realize that if you apply to ILR, ILR is your major. If your school doesn’t regularly send many kids to cornell, chances are that you will need something that really stands out from the crowd.</p>

<p>To answer your questions:
None of the cornell colleges take the writing section into consideration. As for brown and harvard, those friends of yours probably had hooks - pretty serious hooks too. If you get your scores at around 700 for reading and math, you’ll be at the 50th percentile-ish - it does not stand out at all, and you’ll need to rely on really eyecatching ecs for that (Winning major competitions, immense leadership shown through volunteer work, etc.) Essays are really important too.</p>

<p>I’ve always been very independent and I’ve never had tutors, outside help, prep courses, etc. (unlike most of my classmates, whose radical parents will go to great lengths to improve their chances). I always have done things on my own, like fixing my car and computer, or teaching myself something new (ex. Latin). Is there anyway to show the admissions people this? Through my essays maybe? Is independence even something that colleges like to see?"
Yes, definitely show it thematically into your essay (don’t be too blunt about it though - they don’t like it if you make yourself stand out by putting others down). They already know how the rich have an advantage in everything - what they don’t know is you as a person.</p>

<p>As for Republican club… what do you do there? Usually you would want to be as un-political on a college app as possible (just like the SATs), but this may not be avoidable for you.</p>

9

<p>Thank you all for the input. Colene: In the Republican Club, I’m a Junior Officer and event coordinator, and I intend to be a Senior Officer next year. Out of all my EC’s, I’ve been most involved in the Republican Club. I recently took a practice SAT I and scored a 680 on Critical Reading. What do I need to make on the ACT for decent chance for acceptance? </p>

<p>Also, I started an online political forum this summer and it’s becoming more popular and organized. It also generates decent revenue through advertisements. Will this be appealing at all to admissions? </p>

<p>I completed my course selections for next year, but it isn’t final. I’m taking AP Economics, AP Government, AP Environmental Science, AP English IV, AP Calculas AB, Debate II, Money Matters (semester course), Accounting I, and I’m debating whether to take Late Arrival, Student Leadership, or Study Hall for the second semester after Money Matters. All the AP courses are also GT (the gifted and talented program). I get to choose whether AP/GT or just AP appears on my transcript. Which do colleges prefer to see? Will taking Late Arrival for a semester make me seem like a slacker? Nearly everyone at my school takes it. </p>

<p>And finally, how do stack up in respect to getting into Washington and Lee University? I do realize my chances with Cornell are very slim.</p>

<p>Thanks again for your time. I only have until midnight tonight to change my course selections!</p>

10

<p>bump…</p>