Demographics
White Male
New Mexico Resident
US Citizen
Public High School
Academics
GPA: 4.0UW, 4.33W (School weights only for APs)
Class Rank: 2/340
ACT: 33
AP Coursework
AP Bio (5), US History (5), Seminar (5), European History (5), Psychology (5), Human Geo (5); AP English Lang (4)
Currently taking: AP Calculus AB, AP US Gov, AP Physics C, AP Research, AP English Lit
Extracurriculars
Internship with African Federation for Emergency Medicine
Research internship at University of New Mexico on environmental public health study
United World College Global Leadership Forum
Interned for local organization assessing pedestrian/bike access for local schools
Model UN - board member and 2 awards at state conference
National Honor Society - Co-president
Varsity mountain bike racing - competing on elite regional sponsored team, 4th at state championships
Paid tutoring
Intended Major(s)
Global and Public Health Sciences (Cornell)
Environmental Studies for the rest (environmental public health focus)
Colleges
Cornell - College of Human Ecology (ED)
Amherst
Middlebury
Bowdoin
Colby
Oberlin
University of Arizona
CU Boulder
What do you all think - will I get into Cornell ED? How about the other liberal arts colleges? Any other match schools I should consider given my interest in public health?
I’m hoping coming from New Mexico (which is usually pretty underrepresented at many of these colleges) will help!
Congratulations on your great resume!
Chancing at a school like Cornell depends a lot on how you line up with regard to what is offered at your school, as well as how successful your HS is in general with ivy/ivy-plus type universities .
-what APs does your school offer that you have not taken(ie is there a calc BC or an AP chem?)
-how many students matriculate each year at ivy-plus type schools?
-what is your ACT breakdown and is it a super score?
Your stats are great! I think you are very competitive for Cornell ED, but do not be disappointed if you get deferred. As you know these types of schools are ridiculous and there are so many more qualified students than spots. Your stats are very similar to my daughters. She has applied to a few reaches (4) and a few targets (5) and a few likelies (5). I would encourage you to look at a few more target options as it seems as though Oberlin may be your only one. With the top of your list being reaches and the bottom two being likelies. Have you considered Bucknell or Lafayette (both with over 30% acceptance rates and very likely to be targets based on your stats?) Others that come to mind are Skidmore, Connecticut College, Dickinson. Just some ideas! Good luck to you and keep us posted!
My school is large, underserved, majority-minority, and doesn’t usually send a ton of kids to elite colleges, maybe 5-10 depending on the year. Last year two went to ivies and a few more to other top schools. I know we have had a lot of success at elite liberal arts schools though.
My counselor said she checked “highest strength of schedule” for my school, although we have quite a few different APs like AP Calc BC and Chem which I wasn’t able to take.
As for ACT, I got a 33 in one test sitting (not superscore).
35 English
35 Reading
34 Science
26 Math
I know my math is super low…
Thanks for your advice and recommendations! I’m definitely in need of more target schools and will look into those. I am applying to a few international schools that should be target or hard target schools based on my stats, I just didn’t include them in the main post for simplicity. They are McGill, Amsterdam University College, University College Leiden, IE University all have 40%+ acceptance rates for international students. Also applying to St. Andrews which is a bit more of a reach
It is very hard to predict but it seems from that info, you have around the average cornell ED chance(18%)! I like your chances a lot for Bowdoin and Middlebury though, and Colby will be a bit easier. I think you will get into at least one of those 3. Spend a lot of time on essays and sign up for any optional interviews or videos. Good luck!
I think the math score can be a concern. But you have a shot anywhere and New Mexico would help.
Are you interested in health policy or something else?
Any cost issues? I missed it - that could impact Colorado.
Public Health means different things at different schools so I’d look at curriculums.
I think Oberlin is likely and the others - could go either way but with Colby next.
Have you run the NPCs or can your family afford?
i ask about major and desire because not all these schools have public health - so then what? Sociology? Poli Sci? Bio?
As for SLAC, Franklin & Marshall will give you a safety - and has a major - if it works for you curriculum wise. Furman might be another. Depauw is another less rigid, lots of merit and has a global health major.
As for big schools - Arizona will be a great price for you but CU will not. Alabama is another with a great price but UAB is well known for public health - but again there are aspects - and many schools will be good such as Indiana, South Carolina and more. Pitt is always solid and has a new program.
I get the environmental studies part - but do all the curriculums allow a cross over into health?
So I’d look at curriculums if you haven’t. You said studies, not science - so I assume it’s more on the policy side…so public policy might work too.
Unless you would be thrilled to attend (and can afford) CU Boulder or Arizona, you need more matches and safeties (you should also read the news about Arizona’s current budget crisis and think about how that might affect your academic program). The LACs on your list (except maybe Oberlin) will be tough admits in the RD round. If you like LACs, you should consider Macalester, Occidental, Conn College, Dickinson, and Skidmore - all of them have strong environmental studies/sciences programs. Not sure about public health, but you should look at the science track in their environmental studies majors to see if it works for you. All of these schools have strong applied learning emphases, which could translate into good internships in your desired field.
If you require financial aid, some of the LACs on your list are not need blind and that may impact your chances. Colby, for example, yield protects and cannot meet 100% of need and may turn away an otherwise qualified applicant. It is just something to keep in mind. Middlebury, Amherst, and Bowdoin are at least need blind.
McGill has two campuses, the downtown campus in the center of Montreal, and the Macdonald campus, which is 1600 grassy and forested acres on the west of the island, on the waterfront, with working farm, greenhouses, arena etc. Macdonald campus has smaller class sizes, more connections with professors and more sense of community. If you are looking for a more bucolic vibe (based on Cornell, Amherst and Middlebury etc. on your list) choose the Macdonald campus (connected to the downtown campus by a shuttle every 30 mins). You can do science courses and Gen Ed courses there your first two years (or your whole degree), or after second year, you could move downtown to see Montreal more, and take policy, law and other courses related to environment on the downtown campus
Considering the breadth and practical (in the sense of active) nature of your interests, you may benefit from adding a few more colleges with an available program in public policy (such as that offered at Cornell). In terms of LACs with this attribute, look into Hamilton, Pomona and Carleton.
For another match option, I would definitely look at Macalester. They are generally strong in Environmental Studies, and they have interdisciplinary versions of that major, including a Community and Global Health version that seems to align really well with your interests:
In terms of universities, Rochester is a popular choice in my circles for people who also like LACs but are looking for a more likely/match university that also has a lot of depth and breadth academically and supports a lot of interdisciplinary programs. And in fact within Public Health they have an interdisciplinary BS in Environmental Health that again seems like it might be really on track for you:
You look like a strong candidate and coming from NM may indeed be a plus. While grade inflation has diminished the value of a 4.0, your AP scores confirm that you mastered the material. I like your odds for Cornell but as you know, it’s hard to know what will happen.
If you get to the RD round, my guess is that you’ll get into Oberlin and at least one of your NESCACs. They all have single digit acceptance rates, however, and hugely favor ED candidates. Anecdotally, I know kids who were admitted to one of them but none of the others. So Midd but not Colby or Bowdoin, Amherst but not Bowdoin, Colby not Amherst, etc. It all comes down to what the school is looking for after the ED rounds. (Btw, I have never heard of Colby “yield-protecting” as noted above, and their FA is generous, so I would discount that concern raised above. )
Because your likelies are so different from the rest of the list (with the possible exception of Cornell), I would also suggest that you dig deep to make sure you have likelies on your list that you’ll like.
Hope you come back to tell us how it went and wishing you luck!
Congrats on your accomplishments. I think you have a shot at Cornell with the ED. New Mexico is a plus. Having your ex circs out side of your HS helps. Bowdoin would be a great school for your interest. Oberlin would not be a bad place to land. I think you have a well thought out list you just need to have a safety that you would enjoy and can afford on the list.
I agree that being from NM should provide a boost, but your recommendations all have single digit acceptance rates, and many students with perfect stats will be rejected. But…you can’t win the lottery if you don’t play the lottery.
Thanks all for the amazing feedback and match school suggestions! I am looking into them and many look awesome for me.
I’m currently considering applying to Middlebury ED2 if I don’t get accepted to Cornell, as it’s my favorite of all the others. I know Midd really likes their ED applicants (60% of their students come from ED) and I think I have a pretty good shot ED2. However, I’m super conflicted - I would love to see if I could get into some of the other LACs, but don’t want to miss my opportunity at Middlebury by applying RD. Hopefully I’ll get into Cornell and not have to worry about this, but I’m not holding my breath. Any thoughts?
Also, as for safeties, I’m applying to University of Arizona’s Honors College, they give phenomenal merit scholarships. Same with Montana State University. Both are super different from the East Coast LACs but I actually really like what they have to offer and liked the campuses. I’m also applying to McGill and some schools in the Netherlands which aren’t guaranteed but very likely given my stats.
