Hey! I want to apply to CALS ED for Environmental Engineering next year as a senior and am curious as to what admissions looks for in terms of GPA, SAT, SAT 2s (should I even take them? how many & which ones?), courses (plan on taking AP Physics 1, AP Calc BC, & AP CompSci this year with AP Chem, AP Bio, & Multivariable Calc senior year – have already taken AP Stats as a soph), extracurriculars, recs, essays, demonstrating interest, etc.
In addition, if I were able to be accepted into CALS EnvEng, what job opportunities would I have with a B.S. in EnvEng? What about with an MEng in Civil/Bio & Env’t Eng or Eng Management?
I’d really appreciate any advice, but I’d be very happy with hearing from any current CALS (esp EnvEng) students or CALS grads. Thanks in advance to everyone!
I’m not a current CALS student, but attended an on-campus info session recently. They mentioned that post-graduation outcomes are posted on the website (note that Biological and Environmental Engineering are offered both in CALS and the Engineering school):
CALS also had an info sheet on the stats for the incoming class of 2020 (SAT/ACT scores and other facts). I couldn’t find it on the website, but if you contact admissions, I’m sure they’d email or snail-mail it to you.
Also, if any could give advice on how to improve my CALS chances I would very happy.
My GPA is a 3.9 uw. I will have taken 10 APs (Stat, CS, Calc BC, Physics 1, Lang, Bio, Chem, French Lang, Econ, Lit) as well as Multivariable Calculus by the end of senior year. I will be taking the SAT in December aiming for a 1550 with an 800 Math. I will be taking the Math 2 & Physics Subject Tests as well this year. I will also be taking the PSAT in October.
For my ECs, I am performing EnvE research at Columbia currently and will likely get published and patented for my work this past Summer. I will also be entering research competitions like Siemens, ISEF (local fair first), I-SWEEEP, and Lexus Eco Challenge. I am Captain of my school’s xc, winter track, and spring track teams and have been a part of them all 4 years. I will be All-Conference or All-County in all 3 sports as well as having received the Varsity Award all 3 seasons. I am also a national qualifier in the Junior Olympics for both XC and track. I am a leader, mentor, and ex-officer for debate club where I’ve been a 2x state qualifier. I am also an internationally recognized sanskrit scholar & have volunteered at my local hospital for 300 hours.
Idk about my teacher recs yet lol. My mentor (who works in the EnvE Dept at Columbia) as well as my track coach (he loves me and is a Cornell alum) will both be writing recs for me.
I plan to write my personal statement on my love of running while my CALS supplement will be on my goals and love for environmental engineering and how CALS can give me the tools needed to make a global impact in my field.
On the fact sheet we received from CALS for the freshman class entering in the fall 2016, the middle 50% for ACT is 29-33 and for the SAT is 1260-1460. Their incoming class has 675 students, and 50 of these students were either a valedictorian or a salutatorian. Their overall acceptance rate was only 13% of applicants. These stats are for all majors within CALS, but the engineering applicant pool may have higher stats than the general pool. On a different fact sheet, it was mentioned that almost 90% of Cornell freshman were in the top 10% of their HS class.
While your stats look strong, keep in mind that a 13% admit rate means admission is still a lottery. There’s no way to definitively know which EC, essay topic, or recommendation comment will tip the scales. Maybe others will comment, but I think it’s important to realize that unless you are a recruited athlete, I don’t think there’s much else you can do beyond what you’ve already mentioned to improve your chances further. The best you can do is write essays that are honest and genuine, and hope for the best, and have good alternative safety school options.
Thanks so much! I’m really surprised to hear CALS has a 13% acceptance rate! Do you happen to know what the ED acceptance rate is? Also, is there any advantage for NY Residents?
The fact sheet I received doesn’t indicate the ED vs. RD acceptance rate specific to CALS. A different fact sheet that is for all of Cornell (all schools) for the Class of 2019, the ED acceptance rate was 26% and the RD acceptance rate was 13%, so the overall accept rate was 15%.
The ED accept rate is probably artificially inflated by recruited athletes, who often apply ED. Recruited athletes don’t follow the normal rules, because they have coach support in the admission process.
I am also a national qualifier in the Junior Olympics for both XC and track.
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have you contacted the track & cross-country coach(es) yet? Being a recruited athlete is one way that you can increase your admission chances. I suspect the athletic recruiting offices have a means to provide you with contact information at the appropriate college to get your questions answered.
Yeah so I’ve been in contact with Cornell’s XC/Distance Track coach since my freshman year. Unfortunately,
I doubt I will be a recruited athlete since my times likely won’t drastically drop this year. Alas, making Junior Olympics Nationals is much easier than becoming a recruited distance runner for Cornell.
Does my course rigor seem to be “most rigorous?” I will have taken 9 APs: Calc BC, CS, Stat, Phys 1, Bio, Lang, Econ, Lit, French Lang. I will also have taken Multivariable Calculus (harder than AP Calc BC). My guidance counselor told me I’m taking a very hard courseload, but she never specified to me if it’s the most rigorous available.
Also, will my schedule senior year look bad if I’m in (4) APs for science, ela, ss, and french as well as multi math & 1 rigorous elective BUT I have 2 free periods daily? I may take a 5th AP (10 overall) in AP Chem if that’s the case.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I feel CALS is most interested in students who have interests that coincide with CALS’s mission. Thus, as CALS offers majors in 4 areas (life, environmental, social, and ag/food sciences), I feel CALS has a focus on topics covered in AP Bio, AP Env’t, AP Econ, and AP Comp (idk what for ag/food but I guess bio). Thus, it may be best to take APES instead of AP Chem as my 2nd science senior year. That way, I’ll have taken the 4 APs stated above as well as AP Physics, which is essential for engineering majors. This is all just hypothetical, though.