Chance a Pacific Islander with low GPA (competitive high school) /good SAT/extremely strong extracurriculars for T30s and Cornell ED

Chance Me / Match Me!
43

Again, you are misguided.

If you go to Cornell and get a job in NYC, it might pay you $80K. If you get the same job in Charlotte, it may be $60K.

I work for a large automotive manufacturer in sales and marketing. I have an undergrad in journalism and an MBA at a 2nd tier school. My boss went to a lesser known HBCU and has a masters from Memphis. Others I work with don’t even have bachelor degrees. Others have MBAs. Our highest guy - so making at least $500K a year - went to Devry for his undergrad.

Again, you are a sucker for marketing.

Also, you say business - what will you study? Operations? Marketing? FInance? Supply Chain? IS? Do you know.

Business is broad.

So let’s say you want to get into top 30. You apply to all 30 that have a b-school and get in one - then what?

There are thousands of valedictorians and even more salutatorians out there and they’re all applying to these schools.

My daughter’s valedictorian with a perfect ACT applied to 16 of the top 20 and was rejected everywhere. She was in at NYU with no money and is going to Tennessee. Every state flagship (i.e. Alabama, South Carolina, Nebraska, etc.) has many students who could get into top 20 schools.

No one is telling you not to apply to top 30. No one can be assured you wont’ get in.

But we’ve all read numerous stories on the college confidential of kids who did just that…great students that had great opportunities…and they got shut out.

We’re suggesting to you - that you expand your search.

And when you say top 30, look at schools like Indiana, Miami of Ohio, Arizona State - they are great programs. You know who’s making bank? Babson and Bentley - and you’d get into Bentley. You probably haven’t even heard of it - and their grads kick butt!!

Expand your search and find some that are suitable for you. Shoot for the stars, but find a soft landing.

That’s all people are saying.

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44

I want to ED Cornell for other reasons:

  1. I like the North’s Climate
  2. I like the campus
  3. I like the large student body
  4. I like the smaller class sizes compared to public schools
  5. My parents want me to go there
45

#1-4 are great. #5 - horrible reason to choose a school.

Cornell is great - so apply ED - but again, just have your safeties.

If you like the bad weather and want a strong business degree, look at Indiana, Miami of Ohio, Pitt, and Syracuse. You can also look at UCONN and UMASS.

Other “reaches” up North would be Rochester and Case Western - but they’re not as reachy as your initial list. You could add BU and Northeastern but they are in the city.

If you truly want business, I’d take a strong look at Bentley. You might also look at Lehigh and Bucknell - again reaches - but not as much as Cornell. And great names!!

Someone wrote you before - there’s a lot more good schools out there than just 30 - and they’re absolutely right.

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46

Would anyone chance me for UK universities, including Oxford?

I am currently studying for the TSA, and I think I can get 70

47

If you really want a shot at Cornell, forget the music major (which will not accomplish what you think it will, at all) and apply to the Hotel School. Plenty of successful business careers have been launched there, and it has more than double the acceptance rate of Arts & Sciences.

Also, it’s unusual for being a Pacific Islander to be a hook. Most schools will lump you in with AAPI and it will be either neutral or a disadvantage.

Consider Lehigh. It’s good for all things Econ/Finance/Business; it’s “prestigious” but not a super-reach; and it considers AAPI students as URM.

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48

I know that the Hotel school has a 21% acceptance rate, but I have Music Extracurriculars and I think it would make sense and look better to colleges if I applied to a Music Major.

49

Music extracurriculars will help you just as much if you’re a [whatever] major who wants to be in music ensembles.

But, no point debating hypotheticals, since your mind is made up about… pretty much everything, it seems? I’m confused as to why you’re even asking for opinions here. Go for it, and let us know how it goes!

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50

The Hotel School has a high(er) acceptance rate and very high (75%) yield because of self-selection. I am guessing they are pretty good at sniffing out applicants who aren’t well aligned with their mission.

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51

So your patents went to a school that is below you as far as prestige but can write a blank check for an IVY league education.
You need to take a good look in the mirror

You want a school in the North. NYC look at Fordham (Target) or Seton Hall (Safety with great internships in NYC) right across the river in NJ

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52

My parents were immigrants, they attended college outside America, but they worked hard

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53

This may seem like a tough crowd but you are getting some solid advice here: even with a perfect GPA, Cornell would be a reach given the rest of your stats. If your counselor’s LOR can meaningfully and convincingly address the impact your parent’s illness had on your ability to focus, you’re sort of back to square one. Cornell admits the vast majority of its legacies and athletes ED; it isn’t a silver bullet for unhooked kids.

The good news for you is that you are an exceptional candidate and have an incredible number of options in the Northeast-Midwest. I hope you can figure out a way to worry less about prestige, because by any definition you are going to end up at a prestigious college.

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54

Many colleges require a music supplement to be entered in as a music major. That could be a lot of work for someone who just wants to try to “get in” and then “switch” to a different major. Please do more research about if switching majors is possible at the schools you dream of as well.

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55

Without Calc BC many top economics courses in the UK will be a tough admit. Maybe KCL, Durham or St Andrew’s would be plausible.

At Oxford the interview is all important. Many US applicants are underprepared academically. I would advise reading as many as possible of the books on this list over the summer as prep for the interview, in addition to TSA prep: https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/philosophy-politics-and-economics-reading-list

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56

Poppycock. My second kid had amazing music ECs. State ranked player on a much needed orchestral instrument. Precollege orchestra and wind ensemble for four years. Auditioned children’s chorus for 10 years. Piano and primary instrument lessons starting in third grade.

And her main essay related to something she had done musically.

Kid majored in engineering.

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57

In that case, eliminate Emory. Atlanta isn’t famous for its cool crisp days for a very good reason. You’ll also get a lot of hot humid days at JHU, though it’s not like Florida.

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58

For what it’s worth, I think applying for Music at Cornell A&S is a good strategy due to your music talent, as long as you’re okay switching to Econ, not ILR nor Dyson.
Your odds are very long, as they are for all other reaches, but you never know and if Cornell is your favorite, choosing it for ED makes sense.
Just keep in mind it won’t be a slam dunk and odds are you’ll end up elsewhere. That’s why choosing several targets that match your criteria matters.

However if you want a Northern flagship university with a good reputation in NYC/Boston/Philly/DC, Penn State*, Vtech, Pitt, Uvermont, UMaryland will serve you as well, if nor better, than UF.
I know that UF has a fantastic reputation in Florida, and it’s a great deal financially, but most outside of Florida don’t know the difference between UF and FSU. Basically, look at the list of public universities between UF and FSU and pick a few if your goal is to study at a reputable institution in a colder climate, closer to one of these big cities. The above would likely have the best ROI.
Babson, Bentley are excellent suggestions, too.

*you’ll need to apply DUS.

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59

I had music extracurriculars, an extremely strong music supplement (if I do say so myself), and did not apply as a music major. Sadly, many of your preconceived notions are flawed

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60

Where do you see yourself after college? Back in Florida? Wall Street? Eventual MBA?

There are dozens of people I know personally who went to competitive, but not quite t30, schools and ended up making a ton of cash on Wall Street and/or getting an Ivy League MBA.

There’s nothing really wrong with having Cornell or any t30 colleges as your goal for any reason including prestige.

Just make sure you apply to some safeties and open your mind to some lesser, but still excellent and highly-regarded, colleges that could be the perfect fit for you and your future.

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61

Just a bit of a reality check on Oxford PPE. In the past two years, they have averaged roughly 750 non-UK or EU PPE applicants. Only roughly 60 offers made each year to that group of applicants.

To @Twoin18 's point on math, 92% of successful applicants offering A level qualifications in their applications had completed either Math or Further Math. Calc BC is the closest US equivalent, but is is viewed at Oxford as a lesser math qualification. If all you are going to be able to offer on your UCAS for math credentials is a predicted 5 in Calc AB, you are going to need to do something else to get shortlisted. That something else would be an extremely strong TSA score.

You also need to make sure that you are prepared for life as a PPE student. The speed of the terms and the grind of the essays are not for the faint of heart.

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62

I don’t understand why you need Calc BC for a PPE, which economics is only 1/3.