Applied EA, accepted
White/Hispanic Male
UW: 4.0 W: 4.13
ACT (Superscore): 34
Lots of APs, Honor Classes
Captain of Nationally Ranked Cross Country Team, Summer Research Internship, Lots of other ECs
Solid Why CC Essay, Creative “create a new block” essay
Good Interview
There was a subsequent post about Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, which contained inaccurate information. Cornell College is not hard to get to. And, the closest airport is definitely not 4 hours away. The closest airport is 20 minutes away in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That airport serves cities across the United States–Denver, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and others. Cornell College is 20 minutes off of a main interstate (I-80), and Chicago is only 3 hours away by car. Cornell is an incredible school that is worth considering if you are interested in the block system. Cornell students love being at Cornell. It is a very sweet place.
(just found this and figured I’d add in my decision)
Applied EA
Decision: Deferred
GPA: 3.73 (UW)
ACT: 31
School doesn’t rank
I am in a freshman advising program, I hold a leadership position in drama club (been in 9 productions, 4 lead roles, plus crew and volunteer hours with drama), have 50+ service hours, have been playing lacrosse for 6 years, 3 in HS, my GPA has only gone up since my freshman year, lots of tough courses- 3 AP, 4 college courses, 1 at the local community college, the other 3 held at the high school. Worked hard on the supplements, etc.
I was happy to not be rejected, and now, looking at my company in the deferred pool, I am surprised that I wasn’t. My GPA is pretty eh, although I was only recently diagnosed with ADD which I have always struggled with. I was only able to take the ACT once after getting diagnosed, but I only improved by 1 and had only gotten like 4 hours of sleep at the time that I took it…I visited CC last summer and initially didn’t know anything about it and didn’t think I would apply, but ended up falling in love with it after the tour/info session!
Now it’s just a waiting game…
Applied early action
DEFERRED
3.9 unweighted, 4.3 weighted (Class of 500, around 10th percentile for unweighted GPA, around 5th percentile for weighted GPA)
2030 SAT, 32 ACT (non superscored, but superscored changed SAT by only 10pts and didn’t chance ACT)
Varsity XC/Track (In contact with CC’s Coach)
National Honor Society, National Merit Scholar, Captain of Ski Club, President/Founder of a Debate-like club
Lots of AP’s, average a little better than a 4.
I liked all my essays and I’m a pretty good writer
I’m pretty suprised I wasn’t accepted immediatly. Obviously CC is a good school, but based on where my stats compared to prior years, I didn’t expect to deferred. It may have been a particularly competitive year this goaround. We’ll see what happens in a few days though!
@skidude722 sadly, your stats are right in line with a lot of the other (plentiful) deferrals from this year–definitely different than past cycles
The explanation lies in the higher yield ( number of accepted students who actually attend) the past two years. Combine this with another record for applications ( nearly 8100) and you get a recipe for fewer admissions in the Class of 2020. The Admissions Department could easily fill the 500 person class from just the ED applications, so they announced that they are purposefully saving slots for RD applicants. Your stats are within the profile of the Class of 2019, so don’t give up yet. The decision is probably all about your essays, which actually are important at CC, unlike a lot of other colleges.
Applied Early Action- DEFERRED
SAT superscore-2280
Subj Tests- Math 2-800, US Hist-790, Eng-750
GPA- 4.6 W
6 APs (4 scores of 5 so far)
Extra curriculars- Theatre, Theatre and more Theatre
Financial aid- yes
White middle class female
A little late…
Early Decision: Accepted
ACT: 31
SAT: 1990
GPA: 3.8 UW
8 APs, 8 Honors Classes
Extra Curricular: Tour guide, tri-varsity athlete (three years each), captain of two varsity teams senior year, boarding school prefect (two years), 100+ hours of community service, summer jobs, peer english tutor
Good recs, average essay and supplements
white female from the northeast, no financial aid, attend a decent prep. school in CT
Support from the women’s lacrosse coach (ie. recruit)
Hi KoloradoKid, have a ? for you. Some background: my son was just admitted RD. CC was his 3rd choice (first 2 were Bowdoin and Williams). We live in CA, he visited CC in fall and really liked it. He now calls CC his “consolation prize.” I get that it wasn’t his first choice, but a lot of kids with great stats probably got rejected from CC. What would you say to my son about his feeling that CC is a “consolation prize” ? (He doesn’t read this site-hates the stat bragging.) Thanks.
tell him to read through these 2 ‘decision’ threads at the top of this forum. ignore the long stats lists and just pay attention to scores and gpa’s. no way he’ll see it as a consolation after seeing all the 33-35 ACT scores getting denied admission. also have him read throught the feb letter to counslors (there’s a link and it’s on their website). admissions this year was especially hard due to them recovering from overenrollment last year. no school with sub-20% admission is a consolation prize.
@maning36. There are a lot of ups and downs in the admission process as kids get surprising and unhappy results. I’ve got two going through it now. After being turned down at their first choices, I think they start to feel that any school that accepts them must not be a very good school. CC is actually more selective than the college rankings would suggest, and they are turning down a ton of kids with top stats. Encourage your son to see that his consolation prize is a happy life at a great school with a bright, engaged (but not cut-throat) student body. After his first block-break trip, I doubt he will ever look back.
@manning36 Tell your son that Colorado College’s acceptance rate has been lower than Williams for at least 3 years now. And if he doesn’t go, he’ll be missing out on all those block breaks. 
@ISpy42 makes some great points, but @manning36 what do you think is behind your son’s feelings? The reality is that getting in to 3rd choice is actually an amazing result in the current admissions environment (especially when 1 and 2 were as insanely competitive as Williams and Bowdoin). The students at CC will be indistinguishable from Williams and Bowdoin kids in terms of ability and intelligence. But Colorado College and Williams/Bowdoin are very different schools. Did he get in anywhere else that he’s considering? Anyplace more traditional and New England like the other two? Any other NESCAC schools?
I’d be concerned about sending a kid to CC who wasn’t “all in” on the block plan and the unique culture. I think the reason that CC is the 1st choice of so many of the kids who go there is because they chose it for it’s unique opportunity. But a kid who is lukewarm on the academic opportunity might have a hard time there.
Williams and Bowdoin were high on my list too, as well as Pomona. I chose CC over those three excellent colleges. The Block Plan was certainly one significant influence. I firmly believe that we learn more, and enjoy class more, when classes are taken 1 at a time. This also allows for field trips for virtually any class. CC students frequently learn from primary resources as opposed to text books. The atmosphere was another significant factor. Faculty demand that we address them by their first names. Everyone at CC is considered part of an intellectual community, and of (somewhat) similar standing. Faculty go out of their way to engage with students.
CC is also consumed with innovation, both in the classroom and in the world around us. The college encourages exploration and the students take advantage. Faculty always wish to assist in our innovative goals. This makes CC very unique. There are two prominant feelings around campus: 1) by the time we graduate, CC will be spoken in the same breath as Williams and Bowdoin and 2) nobody really cares about rankings, because we feel CC to be both unique and unparalleled.
That said, the 4 members who have responded already all make great points. None of us on campus like stat bragging either, but the reality is that our useless stats are comparable to the useless stats of Williams, Bowdoin, Swarthmore et. al. I don’t believe profile for the Class of 2020 have been published, but simple math skills indicate the acceptance rate will be below 15% this year. CC was a well kept secret for decades. But it has always been cool. The band at the 1967 Homecoming dance was the Doors. Yup, I mean Morrison, Krieger, Densmore and Manzarek. (http://sites.coloradocollege.edu/ccspecialcollections/files/2011/09/doors1967web2.jpg) How many stuffy New England colleges can say that? The secret seems to be out, at this point. The number of applications is through the roof. Useless test scores and GPAs are through the roof ( I have honestly not met anyone in my class who did not have a weighted GPA above 4.0.)
I am clearly jaded. However, by the time my class (2019) graduates, students will consider Williams and Bowdoin as consolation prizes when they can’t join those lucky enough to have been admitted to Colorado College.
I can confirm the last paragraph. The Block Plan is fantastic, but it is very challenging. The least rigorous classes meet 5 days from 9 to 12. Classes with labs adding another 2 or 3 days with 3 hour lab classes. It is a lot of work in 3.5 weeks. I spent my final year of high school as a fulltime college student, taking 5 classes for 15 credits. That was a walk in the park compared to the rigor of the Block Plan. That said, CC provides an unmatched opportunity to follow our curiosity and really dig deeper into a question. In fact, the college gives grants of up to $1500 to go and chase that question off campus. CC literally pays us to go find answers.
There is a very positive flipside to the somewhat crazy culture and rigor at CC. Other posters have mentioned Block Break. My experience is limited as I spent only one year in a traditional college atmosphere while technically in HS. However, from the first day in September to the last day in May, I had worries about school. Even on Christmas Day, there was the evil spectre of final exams right after vacation. At CC, we work hard for 3.5 weeks, then get almost 5 days off, with nary a worry in the world. Class is over. The next class has not even posted a syllabus yet. CC provides a much needed mental health holiday after each Block.
The previous post was a reply to Betty’s final paragraph, not my own
did anyone get a personalized letter from the admissions office following their acceptance? I heard people did and wanted to know if I’m the only one who didn’t get one
I also got a personalized letter from the admissions counselor. It was really sweet and added a personal touch.
Did it come with your admissions letter or was it separate?
It came later and it was a short note addressing my essay and fit. It was very welcoming but I was accepted early action.