<p>I'm not the brightest of students but I was considering an SCEA at Cornell. can someone give me some critiques on my stats and/or my chances of getting in if I early apply? any comments would be great! thanks</p>
<p>SAT (just got my score yest.): Math-730 CR- 700 writing- 620:( total- 2050
ACT: 32
Rank: 4/396
SAT II's: none yet, but will take 3 in Oct. and maybe retake SAT I in Nov.
AP/IB: Stats-4
Calc. -4
Hist.- 3 (took soph. year :(
Bio-5
IB tests- don't know yet
EC's: Tennis all 4 years (including next year). Varsity tennis from 10th-12th grades.</p>
<p>Tabla (indian drums) since i was a wee lad of 5.</p>
<p>Volunteeting at the hospital (150-ish hours)</p>
<p>Research at the local college near my house (University of Colorado at Col. springs)</p>
<p>I won one or two scholarships for summer programs at local colleges but their not even worth mentioning (in my opinion)</p>
<p>Cornell does not offer SCEA, only ED. Are you sure you want to apply early to Cornell? Seems as if someone needs to do some research first.</p>
<p>aren't SCEA and ED the same thing? i thought the two usually implied the same connotation.</p>
<p>SCEA is single choice early action, where you apply early to only one school. You do not have to attend the college if accepted.
Early Decision is the same thing, except you MUST go to the college if you are accepted. You may be able to opt out if you prove that financial aid is insufficient.</p>
<p>You should be fine to get into Cornell. There standards are not as tough as the other Ivy League schools. I know someone who didnt break 1000 on the old SAT and got into cornell. So i think you will be fine. Try the ED if you really want to go there, if not do regular.</p>
<p>adamboy87, you are too optimistic. Anecdotal evidence isn't very useful in college admissions. The sub-1000 admit was most likely a recruited athlete, minority, legacy, or some combination of the above.</p>
<p>SexyYetiBeast, you are a strong applicant who unfortunately looks like almost every other applicant. Many people get rejected with your stats. If you market yourself well and appear unique, you have an excellent chance. ED is a boost.</p>
<p>Actually the below 1000 was not an athlete, and surely not a legacy. He was a minority, but that alone couldn't have gotten him into the school. I see why you are upset at my post. Sorry for insulting Cornell's prestige, but the truth hurts.</p>
<p>Adamboy87, maybe you should clarify what kind of minority that someone really was. Seriously, there IS a difference between, say, an Asian and an American Indian.</p>
<p>there are soooo many other things admissions looks at than SAT score / minority status.</p>
<p>I got in as a transfer being a white dude with 1130 SATs in high school. BUT...I showed an upward trend in college, poured myself into extra curricular work that was personally important to me, and wrote a great essay.</p>
<p>Point is that they look at the applicant as a complete package. They'll take a unique individual with mediocre SATs who has volunteered to clean the monkey cage at the zoo for 12 yrs just b/c they love monkeys over a cookie-cutter 1450 SAT million EC-having scholarship student. See what I mean? Sorry for the run-on sentence, lol.</p>
<p>so you think when people apply they should play their uniqueness cards, for example: i've been playing the indian drums since i was very little and I've recorded a CD with a studio (although the studio is very small and only 100-200 copies of the CD were made). is that what you mean by showing yourself to be unique, or is it something different like writing an amazing essay about oneself?</p>
<p>You pretty much hit the nail on the head. yeah, i'd say the drums are a great example of what makes you YOU. For an essay, maybe explain the difference between why you initially picked them up and why you continue to play them now.</p>
<p>Example: I picked up my dad's guitar when i was 12 just to **** him off (it was a no-touch item in my house) - but now I pick mine up to take myself away, like when my grandfather died and I was having trouble dealing with his loss. That's just a thought, but you see where it leads in general? It's something that's personal, and somwhat unique. Doesn't have to be Guinness Record-Book unique, but let it explain a little more about YOU.</p>
<p>There is of course a fine line between 'playing' uniqueness and thrusting it into someone's face (i.e. an essay about how awesomely unique you are). Never boast in ANY aspect of the admissions process...a good way of getting that skinny envelope. In general admission folks see the same thing year after year...a million ec's, but no passion. Let them know what you're passionate about, and you'll be a step ahead.</p>
<p>I hope that can be of help!</p>
<p>quick note - it doesn't have to be all sunshine and roses either. my essay was about a drinking problem i develped overseas...</p>
<p>thanks a lot man, your advice really helped. btw what college do you go to?</p>
<p>lol - i've been to 4 colleges. cornell will be my 5th as an undergrad.</p>
<p>-American River College (community college in CA, where I dropped out before joining the military)
-Wesley College (4-yr private in Delaware where most my transfer credits are coming from)
-Community College of the Air Force (associate degree from them w/ some Wesley credits)
-Delaware State University (currently here, finishing up my last pre-req class before I start Cornell this August)</p>
<p>See? At least you're on the right track from the start! lol</p>
<p>lol damn dude, thats a lot of colleges! but at least you save a ton of money since your not in cornell for four years (there goes 160k down the drain for my family). what are you gonna major in?</p>
<p>i agree w/you on the money part...thank god Uncle Sam covers a lot of that stuff.</p>
<p>I'm majoring in Communication, and i'm gonna apply for a dual degree in Electrical Engineering or Information Systems (if engineering doesn't work out).</p>
<p>dude, that sounds pretty tough. i think i might go into engineering too though</p>
<p>adamboy you are correct about some stuff: cornell is less selective in admissions than alot of the other ivies. however, having something like an 1130 SAT is not good enough for you "not to worry." You need to have a very strong otherwise) application to make up for that.</p>
<p>I do agree with you that cornell is not out of sexyYetiBeast's range. He's got some really interesting qualities with that indian drumming. I'd say you've got a fair shot and should definitely apply if you're interested.</p>
<p>play up your uniquenesses, show passion; good luck! woo! :)</p>