<p>My son gave up on using his AEM GT after several rebuffs from the Admission Office. He had planned to attend IU and work for admission to the Kelley Business School and AEM, which on paper was hard, but possible. However, Cornell demanded 9 credits of IU Biology to be equivalent to their 6 credit minimum. Then they stated that all GT prequisites must be completed or in process by next March. Summer school is not an option. This put my son in an impossible position, decide now on Kelley vs AEM. </p>
<p>As a Cornell Alum, it was awkward to counsel my son to forget about Cornell, but I did it. This was after he was deferred from ED, rejected from RD and then offered a GT. The whole process was humiliating. I don't think Cornell will see another penny from me.</p>
<p>i don't see what the big issue is. If you want to go to AEM as a GT, you have to follow what they say to do. Your son was rejected, plain and simple. But Cornell offered him a chance to transfer into the school if he took certain courses and received a minimum GPA. Yes, he would have to start preparing now - if not, he would need to take an extra semester to graduate costing you more money, and i'm sure you'd be much more upset about this than having to take an extra bio class at a state university.</p>
<p>Not sour grapes, just a case of poorly managed expectations. A disclaimer on the bottom of the GT that clarified some things would help--- "One, that our Bio requirement at your chosen institution might require 9 to 12 credits of pre-med BIO(as in this case). Two, summer school is not an option. Three, as a Business major, why would you want to take 9 credits of Bio your first year. Four, taking our GT prerequisites might actually hinder your chances at success at your current institution".</p>
<p>"One, that our Bio requirement at your chosen institution might require 9 to 12 credits of pre-med BIO(as in this case)." I doubt Cornell just randomly decided that your son should take 9 credits vs. 6. Usually it's because the course material covered in the intro bio classes at IU isn't the equivalent of what it would be at Cornell. This is not exclusively your problem - ILR won't take any stats courses from other schools if you were to transfer there. This is because ILR created a stats course specifically for the degree and they want graduates to know it the way they taught it. </p>
<p>"Two, summer school is not an option." The only puzzling thing. I've taken summer courses before, and they have transfered. </p>
<p>"Three, as a Business major, why would you want to take 9 credits of Bio your first year." This is because you appled to a major under the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences ... all 2-3,000 students enrolled in this college must take some sciences, even the several hundred AEM majors. </p>
<p>"Four, taking our GT prerequisites might actually hinder your chances at success at your current institution" If you can't handle a bit extra at another school, what make you think you can survive a regular load at Cornell?</p>
<p>It's not just you that Cornell sets these expectations for. Dozens and dozens of GT's go through the same thing every year.</p>
<p>i second tamiami. i am a GT and speaking from a GT, i HAD to take classes my first semester for my matriculating school, so when i tried to take chemistry also, it was full. that required me to take 19 credits spring semester, which spread me out too thin and i ended up only doing mediocre in the classes.</p>
<p>In my opinion as an alum, Cornell really needs to do something about modifying the ALS graduation requirements for students in the AEM major. There's too much science. A lot of kids who are interested in business don't particularly like science. And frankly, I don't see why they should have to study it.</p>
<p>I strongly suspect that the science-heavy curriculum (as well as the "strong recommendation" that all ALS freshman applicants, including applicants to AEM, submit an SAT II science test score) is discouraging some highly qualified applicants -- both transfers and freshmen -- from applying to AEM and prompting them to apply to other universities' undergraduate business programs instead. It is not in AEM's best interest to keep things this way.</p>
<p>I doubt that Tamiami's son is the only student Cornell has lost because of the science problem.</p>
<p>Marian brings up a good point. I was interested in business when I applied, but the fact that it was in CALS and had all the science-y requirements caused me to end up applying to CAS instead.</p>
<p>Yes, directly from the Transfer Coordinator. </p>
<p>(One)You're right, the Bio requirement wasn't random. After reviewing IU's catalog, Cornell said 9 credits of pre-med Bio(not general Bio) is needed. Why would a Business major want ( or need) to take 9 credits of Bio his freshman year?</p>
<p>(Two) "All GT requirements must be completed or in process by March of 2007. Summer school classes in 2007 will not count towards GT."</p>
<p>duh ... classes taken the summer after a decision by admissions has been made on the transfer applicant will not count towards a GT's application</p>
<p>Personally, I fulfilled a GT into Animal Science. I finished applying (sent in the last required paperwork) one month after the deadline; I failed to meet my requirements (I didn't take general chem, but I did write a very nice letter explaining why it was difficult to take 2 lab sciences at once under a trimester schedule); and I was still accepted. Helped that I had a 4.2, but still. Point being, at the end of the day I don't know how strict they're really going to be about all of these requirements.</p>
<p>The courses required in the sciences are one of the many things that makes AEM unique--I think having a solid background in the sciences is good, especially if you are intersted at all in the biotech sector. If not, then why go to AEM? Go to Stern or something like that. If your goal is AEM because it's easier to gain admission there than at Wharton or Sloan, then you really shouldn't be in AEM. You know what the requirements are before you enroll, so it's pointless complaining about them once you are there.</p>
<p>So the only real problem was taking 9 credits of Bio? I don't understand why that's so bad.</p>
<p>Marian, I agree with much of what you said, but I think the real solution would be to move AEM to the College of Arts and Sciences. (If business is a Life Science then why isn't government or sociology?)</p>
<p>
[quote]
Marian brings up a good point. I was interested in business when I applied, but the fact that it was in CALS and had all the science-y requirements caused me to end up applying to CAS instead.
[/quote]
Yeah I decided CAS over AEM because of the requirements.</p>
<p>Wasn't your son aware that bio was required of students in CALS when applying to Cornell? It's pretty easy to find the distribution requirements online.</p>