Chance me at Cornell, please.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm just wondering if I have /any/ chance at Cornell.
I want to major in Environmental Science.
I'm a junior right now, so I will be applying for colleges in the Fall.
I live in Pennsylvania, if that matters.</p>

<p>Also looking for chances for SUNY-ESF, Juniata, UM-BC, U of Delaware, and Rochester Institute of Technology.</p>

<p>Stats:
GPA: 3.43-ish
SAT's: Took them in June, expecting ~1800.
Will take them again in fall, after practice, hoping for 2000+.
ACTs: Taking them this weekend, maybe again in fall
Hoping for a 28+ but I'm not sure how realistic this is.
I also plan on taking SAT II's in the fall, since I need them for Cornell.</p>

<p>Class Rank: top 37%, out of about 450.</p>

<p>I've taken AP Environmental and AP Macro, awaiting test scores still.
Taking AP Psych next year.
I've taken Honors Biology and Honors English in freshman year.
Upon completion of this year, I will have credits in these classes:
English: 3
Science: 4
Math: 3
Social Studies: 3
Foreign Language: 3</p>

<p>Next year I'm taking another english class, two more sciences, plus a science elective, and a Social Studies (AP Psych).</p>

<p>Extra-Curriculars:
ENACT (Environmental Action) - recycling, basically. Only 1 year but it's better than nothing.</p>

<p>I'm trying to get 3 good recommendations from my teachers(2 are guaranteed, I'm sure).
And I'm not too bad at writing essays, so that should help me.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>If you apply ED, I’d say your chances are less than normal; the gpa is not very good for a top school such as Cornell. Based on your current scores and GPA, not so good. But you still have a chance! If you can get your SAT up to 2000+…maybe if you score 2200+ your chances won’t really change; work really hard Senior year, and the GPA should go up.</p>

<p>If you apply RD…almost no chance.</p>

<p>Still, if you express major interest and passion for Cornell, your chances will be better.</p>

<p>(don’t take any of what I said to heart, I am not an adcom, and I am mostly basing this evaluation on your stats)</p>

3

<p>Cornell’s a bit of a reach right now…</p>

4

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>And I know it’s a bit of a reach… lol… just wondering if it’s even worth paying the $70 app fee on the off chance that I get lucky and get in.</p>

5

<p>I would apply anyway! MAKE them say no to you! If you show an interest in environmental science, and if you apply ED, they might see your drive and commitment and give you a chance. Your scores aren’t really bad for Cornell, lower but people with those scores get in. Apply ED though!</p>

6

<p>Cornell is a very high reach with your stats (low GPA/SATs/class rank; weak ECs). I agree with the others in that applying ED would increase your chances. If financial aid is a priority, then ED might not be the best route to take unless you’re sure they’ll give you enough.
I recommend that you look through the stats of those who were accepted to Cornell for the class of 2014 so that you can get an idea of where you stand compared to admitted students.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/895010-official-cornell-university-class-2014-rd-results.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/895010-official-cornell-university-class-2014-rd-results.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>I know it’s a very high reach, it’s an ivy league school, after all. :smiley:
Also don’t the people with lower stats than mine have more EC’s or sports or something?
I AM very passionate about environmental science, so at least I have that going for me.</p>

<p>Thanks for the link.</p>

8

<p>No problem. If you’re passionate about environmental science, you should consider getting involved in more extracurriculars that relate to that passion (ie joining your school’s Environmental Club/founding one) – it’s all very well to like it a lot, but supporting that claim through your ECs would be best (maybe you could write about it in your essay?).</p>

9

<p>I’m also concerned about financial aid.
What if they don’t give me enough?
assuming i got in. obviously.</p>

10

<p>They will give you enough if you get in. They are one of the most generous schools with FA, believe me, I’ve researched it heavily.</p>

11

<p>Thanks, I hope you’re right… if you could provide any statistical evidence that would be nice.
Any other thoughts?</p>

12

<p>Look at their common data set to see how few students with youir stats get in. Then asume the vast majority of those have real hooks.</p>

<p>My advice is to spend the vast majority of your time on applications to schools where you comfortably fall into the 50th percentile and have a real shot. If you still have time and money when those apps are filed, then go for broke on the reaches.</p>

13

<p>I would say major reach, unless you have a pretty interesting background you can shed light on in your essays/interviews.</p>

14

<p>Can anybody give me some advice of what to do to best improve my chances in such a short amount of time?</p>

15

<p>As i tell my students, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.</p>

16

<p>The end can be a sprint. >.></p>

17

<p>anyone?
Can anybody give me some advice of what to do to best improve my chances in such a short amount of time?</p>

18

<p>Dramatically raising your scores would help, but I disagree that sprinting at the end helps much. You rank could not change enough to make Cornell realistic at most schools.</p>

19

<p>I don’t think there is much you can really do to help yourself right now… I just don’t see Cornell happening.</p>

20

<p>Thanks for crushing my dreams. :frowning:
Not really, this is basically the kind of responses I was expecting, thanks. ^^</p>