Applying ED, what are my chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>Haha…I bet you guys are so tired of reading these -__-;;.. so bear with me please!!</p>

<p>I’m really wavering between ED CAS or CALS…I intend to pursue a biology oriented career, but I’m really not sure at this point. Should I apply undecided or would that hurt my chances? </p>

<p>I am:
Female, Class of ’06, in a public magnet science-oriented school in NJ</p>

<p>GPA:
Around 3.6 xP …</p>

<p>Courses:
All honors (but makes no difference since everyone takes all honors -_-)
AP Calc BC (5, AB subscore-5)
AP Chem (5)
Microbiology, Molecular Biology I & II, Bio/Chem/Physics Labs</p>

<p>Next year:
AP Bio
AP Physics B
Multivariable Calc</p>

<p>Scores:
ACT-34
SAT Is- Dec ’04 – 770 M, 720 V
March ’05 – 790 M, 740 V, 700 W
SAT IIs- IIC- 760
Chem – 750</p>

<p>ECs: </p>

<p>Microbiology Research –
Independent at school/ internship at PHRI (research institute for NYC) </p>

<p>ISTF, TechXplore, Pirelli internet science fair competitions</p>

<p>Chrysler’s Build Your Dream Vehicle ’05 semifinalist</p>

<p>VP of Tech Club (’04-present) </p>

<p>Treasurer of Alzheimer’s Club (’04-present) </p>

<p>Secretary of Multicultural Taskforce
(’02-present –member ->board member -> communications -> secretary)</p>

<p>Under Secretary of Internal Affairs for AMUN (Model UN)
(’03-present – delegate ->staff -> us of ia) </p>

<p>Leader of Unity (Racism workshop)
(’03-present – staff -> leader) </p>

<p>Member of:
Amnesty International
World Hunger Club
Computer Club</p>

<p>Music:
Graduation Manager for Concert Band for Class of 2004
North Jersey Regional Orchestra in violin ('01-'04)
Pit Orchestra for “Pajama Game” in viola ('02-'03)
String Quartet in viola and violin ('04-present)
Orchestra in viola and violin (’02-present) </p>

<p>Sports
JV Girl’s Lacrosse (2003, ’04, ’05 seasons)
Captain for JV Lacrosse (‘04, ’05 seasons)
Varsity Girl’s Lacrosse team (2005 season) ---don’t ask, I ended up playing for both JV and Varsity this year xP</p>

<p>I’m not sure how well my essays are going to turn out (right now, I only have drafts) and my recs are probably going to be mediocre at worst...</p>

<p>All comments are appreciated, please be truthful!
Thank you..^-^</p>

<p>btw...sorry for writing so much :[</p>

2

<p>What's your class rank? Is your school competitive? I think your ec's are outstanding; if you make yourself really stand out in your essays, I think you have a good chance.</p>

3

<p>my school doesn't rank and is VERY VERY competitive...The Science Academy has about 100 students who have very good stats..</p>

<p>I keep forgetting math team in my EC's -<em>_-;;
AMC 12 -111 this year
AIME - 2 -</em>-;;....
ARML, Alpha team
Got into Columbia SHP program this year
around 150 hours volunteering (mainly Camp Sunshine for disable children and adults)
and I got a job this summer</p>

<p>thank you for your comment imacrazyscientist...i spent so much time outside of school for all those, but they seem "meaningless"/small on a piece of paper or as a few lines on a word document -___-;;</p>

4

<p>your gpa may weigh you down, although your ECs and test scores may compensate, definitely apply ED</p>

5

<p>Ok, thanks for the advice. At this point, I think I'm good with ED at Cornell. </p>

<p>Question: </p>

<p>What school (CAS or CALS) do you think I should apply ED to while keeping in mind 1) biology (or other sciences) courses/research 2) easier to get into?</p>

6

<p>Is that GPA weighted or unweighted? If it's unweighted thats on the low side for the typical applicant on this board (most typical applicants on this board are rather competitive) but it's still a decent, respectable GPA (and better than mine was. :))</p>

<p>Everything else looks very good, or great.</p>

<p>ED for cornell, woohoo, spread the word! haha</p>

<p>CAS is a more diverse education. The traditional college education, with a very loose distribution requirement. The Bio major in CAS and CALS is identical. If you're in-state, CALS will have lower tuition and slightly, don't get too excited now, easier admissions.</p>

7

<p>My gpa is unweighted since and my school only goes up to 4.0 (A+'s are counted as 4.0's)..</p>

<p>"If it's unweighted thats on the low side for the typical applicant on this board "</p>

<p>do you mean weighted? b/c my gpa should be higher if it was weighted due to my honor courses, aps, etc..right?</p>

8

<p>I think that's what he meant.</p>

<p>But more importantly is the trend in your grades. If it's upward, I'd say you're good, especially on ED. Get good recs and essays !</p>

9

<p>i said and meant unweighted. sorry :( it's nothing to be worried about though. Your chances are still good, especially for ED. I think GPA is one of those very important but not in a precise way type of things. As long as it's pretty good, they look at your other stuff. Even a B+ student with hard courses has to work pretty hard.</p>

<p>That unweighted GPA is on the low side for the typical applicant on this board from what i've seen over the '09 and '10 applicants. most of the posts we see are from rediculously awesome kids though. It's nothing to worry about. I mean I had a 3.34 and only average recs...everyone's recs are positive, some are just from teachers better connected to the student...so don't fret. the other parts of your app are def very strong. A high GPA doesn't make one stand out in a particularly good way, does it now? How many applications have kids with 3.8 to 4.0 GPAs? probably a good number. How many have the extracurricular diversity you've got? many fewer.</p>

10

<p>I think you have a very good chance, good luck.</p>

11

<p>thank you so much for your advise guys ^-^...so CAS it is xP
anyone else have an opinion on the difficulty of getting into CAS compared to CALS for an out of state applicant?</p>

12

<p>dont worry about instate crap, it wont matter much ;) just apply to what you love</p>

13

<p>that should only be a factor in your decision should you decide that the schools are exactly the same in terms of what you're looking to get out of them. In other words, it's not much of a difference, just a slight bonus--you still gotta be kickass to get in either way.</p>