Demographics: MENA (middle east and north africa).
International student
Intended major: aerospace engineering
Grade: 90 percent
Class rank : 1/40
SAT: 1530
ECs:
1.played a sport called squash since 8th grade ( 14hrs/week) and i competed in tournaments.
2.I taught myself a 3rd language and took courses in it.
I did an internship ( i helped high school students with studying abroad and setting up events )
LOR: one language teacher knows me really well personally and academically.
my math teacher knows how strong my math is and always told me it would be a waste of talent if i didn’t become an engineer
My counselor knows of my good reputation in school only.
The employer i did an internship with can write me a LOR.
I will be applying for financial
Unfortunatly I can pay for 10000-12000 dollars only.
Applying ED means that you are telling the university that you will go there “no matter what” and if they don’t offer financial aid to you as an ED student, how will you pay? Also:
After receiving a degree, international students are expected to their home country.
What did you plan to do with this degree after you graduate? Are there lots of aerospace engineering opportunities for you in your part of the world?
You cannot plan on staying in the U.S. Employers in the US, must seek US citizen applicants first, and often will not sponsor international candidates.
Recruiting for squash at Cornell is big, but it might be too late in the process. Either way, definitely reach out to the coach because they may be able to help with admissions. Sometimes coaches write letters to admissions, which don’t carry a lot of weight, but they can still help if you are on the edge.
Cornell is need aware for admissions for international students. This means your ability to pay will be considered when your application for admission is considered.
The acceptance rate for international students is likely 1/2 of what it is for the overall acceptance rates, so keep that in mind…so very low.
Consider Cornell a reach because of your need for very significant aid.
But apply if you want to. You can’t get accepted if you don’t apply.
Yes, you can break the agreement if they don’t meet aid.
It depends on what your priorities are.
If you only want to go to the US if you can go to Cornell (or a similar top-tier program), and you have other choices in your home country (or other countries), then go ahead and apply ED.
Your chances, bluntly, are tiny: there are about 300 international students in a first year class of ~2200 students. You are asking Cornell to essentially give you a $300,000 college education for free. For that, they want a superstar.
If your goal is to get to the US no matter what, then you need to look at universities where you would be considered a star, and the actual ‘cost’ to the university of subsidizing your education would be less. That means schools you haven’t heard of. Even then, it is going to be hard.
Also, be aware that many colleges are squidgy about having international students in aerospace. Not saying it doesn’t happen, but it is a field where there can be both explicit and de facto barriers for non-nationals.
Colleges in the US have been hit hard in their finances by the pandemic.
You need to do your own search. Since you need financial aid, you need to look at colleges in the Southern states and in the Midwestern US that would fund you. Get a college guide book like Fiske.
Some of those schools may not have your aerospace major.
Re-emphasizing that many US companies will not hire international students, so you need to be sure that when you return home, you have a job prospect at home.