I am a current high school junior and I am looking to apply to the Cornell Summer College program “How to Win an Argument: An Introduction to Debate and Rhetoric” for the summer of 2018. I am really interested in politics and I plan to major in political science in college. I was wondering what the acceptance rate for the summer college is overall and what my chances are given my personal info. Also, if anyone has been accepted to this program or attended a different Cornell summer program, how was your experience and what should I know about the application process?
Here are my personal stats:
1370 on the PSAT (I have not taken the SAT or ACT yet)
92-ish GPA on 100 point scale for junior year (Around 95 for all three years put together)
I am a member of the debate team, was President of Student Council, hosted a political forum between two local politicians, and started a political action club at my high school.
My father and uncle both attended Cornell ( I have heard that sometimes alumni relation or legacy status may help the admission process but obviously I am not banking solely on that).
My S attended the program last summer and took the Middle East history and politics class. He enjoyed it.
To be honest, I didn’t realize the application process was selective at all - I figured it was pretty pro-forma as long as the teacher recs didn’t raise any red flags. I assume the acceptance rate is very high if you apply early. It was a rolling process - my S heard back maybe 2-3 weeks after he submitted everything.
I don’t think it’s that hard to get in. I got in last year, but didn’t attend because of the cost. At the time, I had a psat score lower than yours. You should be fine.
A word of warning- if you want to attend this program because you think it will increase your chances of being accepted to the university itself, it will not. Colleges create these programs to make money off of their otherwise vacant facilities. There are multiple threads on CC of students with good stats being denied from the university after attending the summer program.
Even if you are genuinely interested in the summer course, I’d still be cautious of attending. The program is expensive and I’ve heard that the work load is very heavy. However, I wish that cost was not a factor and I did get the opportunity to attend because the program sounds very interesting!
As far as the application process, I think I had to write 3 250 word essays, get letters of recommendation, and fill out some other general questions.
Adding to @AnthonyZ - I know of two high school-ers who went to summer college last year and got grades below A They claim they were impacted and did not make it (rejected) during the ED round due to “poor” summer college grades. Since I don’t know their statistics/ECs well, I can’t vouch for their conclusion but I am sure Adcoms will look at those grades closely. In conclusion it may not help you get in to Cornell but it could affect you negatively! On the plus side summer college admission staff help you with common app essay review! And you can talk to the AOs while you are there.
Does anyone know about the marketing class? My daughter is interested but still needs to apply. How intense is a three week class? I’m torn between wanting her to try a college class and thinking it may be so compressed/stressful that it actually dissuades her from liking the school or subject.
@GnocchiB, my daughter will be taking the Middle East history and politics course this summer. Glad to hear your son enjoyed it! I am concerned about the workload. Would you happen to know how many hours were spent daily on reading? We’re there lots of papers and tests? Any feedback or advice would be appreciated!
Well the chances of getting into Cornell are fairly low based off previous history of going there. The chances are good when you have a strong GPA and a have a high amount of extracurricular work.
My cousin went to this school and has never taken summer classes, but her friend has. The classes are rigorious and challenging to take in a shorter period of time.
This separates many people who are not used to doing a fast paced course. It is hard to fail, but it is also difficult to get A’s in this course as well.
My daughter is there right now. She’s loving it. Her PSAT was slightly lower than yours, but her GPA is higher. That being said, I agree with most above: if you can pay for it, you are likely to get in to the Summer College. She’s not doing it to increase her chances at Cornell; she was really interested in the classes offered and wanted to take something for credit.
Want to add: her class is quite rigorous. I think she thought she’d have more time for “fun” but when you cram a college level course into 3 weeks, there’s a lot of work to cover.
Sorry - one more thing: if you have a specific class you want to take, apply EARLY. My d applied in February which we thought was early, and was locked out of her first choice. Some friends she has made there also did not get their first choices.
I agree! My daughter applied way before the deadline and her first choice was already full. But she is there now and seems to be having a great time. It’s a lot of work, but a great taste of college life.