Trying to decide between CAS and CALS. I am in-state, but tuition is not really an issue for me. Not sure about applying to CALS directly with a major. If I did apply to CALS I would apply into Biological Sciences, but I hear that is one of the hardest majors to apply to CALS for (and I’m not sure if my application will stand out among applicants with tons of research experience). Please chance me for both schools. If you have an opinion on which school might be a better fit for me, please let me know in your responses.
ACT: 33-35 (I have a 32 now but am retaking, the average score of admittance from my school to Cornell is a 32)
SAT II’s: (these are laughable. I’m hoping they might be explainable since I suffered a concussion that affected, and continues to affect mental processing, for almost the entirety of my second semester in junior year? I do not have any accommodations.)
Literature (expected: 610-620),
U.S. History (720-740)
AP"s: AP World (3), APUSH (3), and AP English Literature (4), AP Calc AB, AP Stats, AP Bio (school only offers 4 other AP’s, 3 of which would conflict with other classes)
GPA: 3.84 UW
School Type: Prestigious private school (it’s also a Catholic school)
School does not rank, top quartile
About Me:
Legacy at Cornell (dad is an alum)
NY resident
White affluent female
Prospective ED Applicant (rising Senior)
Random tidbits:
-Did my yearlong theology research project on the Ethics of Human Genetic Intervention. Combined a passion for CRISPR technology for my obsession with doing the right thing
-I’m Catholic but by no means a Bible-thumper… there is MUCH within the Catholic Church that I disagree with. Am contacting Jennifer Doudna (co-inventor of CRISPR who has spoken out about its ethics) to see if there is anything we can collaborate on.
-Suffered terrible concussion January 2017 (2nd semester junior year, could there be worse timing?) that affected my processing (slowed it down severely––but I don’t receive extended time on standardized tests), my ability to focus, and my prowess in some of my classes (I think my UW GPA would be slightly higher). Didn’t finish junior year classes until 2 weeks after my classmates for this reason.
-Staight A’s except for 2 B’s in sophomore year: Honors French and Honors Geometry
-Interested in becoming a pediatrician, but I think I am seeking more of a liberal arts education… I am a proficient and extremely capable writer, am interested in ethics, genetics, and biomedical engineering… my interests are incredibly varied, is what I’m trying to say, I guess.
EC’s:
- Biology Club (10, 11 (VP), 12 (President) -IEA Equestrian Team (Requires a 5hr round trip commute and whole-day commitments for competitions on the weekends) (11, 12) -Alumnae Ambassador (11) -2 30-hour workshops at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (prestigious lab located in NY) -100+ Community Service Hours: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center volunteer, training to be a pediatric volunteer this fall (I would one day like to be a pediatrician) -Human Trafficking Awareness Club (10, 11, 12) -Math Team (11, 12) -Varsity Outdoor Track (9, 10. 11&12 (as manager)) -Campus Ministry (10, 11, 12) -School newspaper contributor (11, 12) -Summer Activities: -3 years camp counselor at rugged horseback riding camp in the middle of nowhere. Very farm-y. Writing my Common App about what it taught me about thriving on a little bit (or a lot) of chaos. (in my opinion, might fit better with CALS. Would fit be enough to not admit me ED to CAS? I think I (and my father) would prefer I attend CAS if I could get in) -Job at local restaurant (post-11, post-12? (TBD)) -Summer precalc course -Babysitting
Also, should I write about my concussion in the additional info section of my Common App, or should I have my counselor (who knows me and my experiences during my concussion well) write about it? I’m worried about appearing to make excuses?
Thank you!