Chance me ED Cornell?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

Country - USA
Gender - Male
Race - Asian
Location - CA

GPA - UW: 3.53 Weighted: 3.88
SAT - 2270(CR 760/M 740/W 770)
SAT Subject Tests - USH: 770 , Bio E: 750, World History: 690(ugh… may retake)
AP Scores: AP Lang - 4, Bio - 5, Comp Sci - 3, APUSH - 4, AP Spanish - 4, AP Psych -4(yeah… lot of 4s. Even averages out to a 4)
AP Classes I took so far - Bio, Spanish, Honors US History(essentially AP), AP Lang
Classes I will take Senior year - AP Lit, APES, AP Stats, Econ(1st semester), AP Gov(2nd semester), debate

Extracurriculars - Co founder of the investment club, paid freelance writer for financial blog, top analyst in investment research site, Treasurer in 2 clubs, Golf 3 years JV, started community service organization helping old people with phones and gadgets, debate, managed parents money.

Work Experience - 2 internships at a wealth management company and a real estate company, one paid, one not

Planned major - Econ(Can you guys tell me if AEM is significantly harder?)

Recommendation letters - I think it’ll be 10/10 for my chem teacher and counselor, 6-7/10 for History

Languages - English (1st language), Chinese, Spanish(4 on AP test, a bit worse than my Chinese skill)

Essay - Personal: Excellent, Cornell supplement: probably ok.

So here are my special circumstances that could get me out of the hole I’m in with my GPA. My dad essentially got framed for a business deal gone wrong in China and was sentenced to fourteen years in prison. I haven’t had contact with him since I was 6. His sister proceeded to steal all of the money he accumulated as a businessman, so my mother had to go and try and win the money back. I had to help as well, and this took a lot of time from my studies. I’m thinking of mentioning this in the additional information section, and trying to win some points back, because this took a major portion of my time, and hampered my abilities to focus on my studies significantly. I also will write the essay on this.

Please chance me!

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Oh also tutored for a while i suppose, but may not mention that.

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bump

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I’ll jump right into the core point. Your chance is a little below average, and here are the reasons. First, your GPA is significantly lower than the average. No matter what your excuse is, it’s your fault that you couldn’t keep your GPA high enough to compete with those who have 4.0. Second, SAT subject test scores are very weak compare to those with 800’s on every subject test. Third, your courses aren’t as rigorous as those who are already taking classes at university. Finally, your AP scores are very weak, considering the fact that you may major in economics.
On the plus side, you have a fantastic SAT score and wonderful extracurricular activities that greatly support your intended major. Unfortunately, most Ivies don’t really pay attention to the college essays, unless the applicant is in the borderline, so wonderful essays don’t contribute much to your admission chance.

Reference:

  1. My father is an admission officer who analyzes statistics on college acceptance rate.
  2. I’m a college freshman at Cooper Union, who applied to Cornell and got rejected. I had a similar stats to yours except I had a GPA of 3.83.
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@Mminjjae Yeah I wasn’t expecting much better, but how much below average? High Match, Low Reach, etc? And thanks for the comment!

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@Howardyuan Your ECs are obviously great for your major, so that is a super positive. CALS is great because it’s all about fit! You are saying your supplement is EH, then get working on it till it’s outstanding. Exaggerate what an amazing person you are and what a great fit you are! Supplements are SUPER important.
One thing i always say is it certainly doesn’t hurt to apply early decision to the school of your dreams. Sure, your GPA is low- and the admissions officers will not care about your excuse, i have read horrible stories from amazing students, do not drag on your story, admissions officers have NO FRICKEN sympathy, but certainly talk about not having contact with your dad- but your SAT and SAT 2s (excluding world history-are you allowed to not send this?) are above average for CALS. The only thing holding you back is that darn GPA. What state are you applying from, if you are from NY that should help. Not sure why you wouldn’t take AP Econ???
Anyhow, i would apply if i were you. I remember my brother’s roomate at Cornell had a 3.5 UW GPA. Of course, being asian certainly doesn’t help. (just the facts)
I don’t want to say high reach because of your standardized test scores, but your GPA would say so. I think there is certainly a possibility that you are accepted. Keep yo head held high and i’ll see you smiling on Dec 15th! :slight_smile: