Chances (Kind of cliche, but curious to see...)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
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<p>Hey!</p>

<p>So, I am a junior in a very competitive public high school in NJ and I am curious to know my chances of getting into a short list of schools, namely Cornell. Cornell's my first choice and I am specifically interested in applying ED to ILR. I am completely aware that many kids who applied to ILR ED got rejected and deferred unless they had legacy. But we'll get to that later.</p>

<p>I go to a school in which ~25% of the population is Asian American (Chinese, Indian, Korean, etc.). Safe to say they are competitive, literally to the point of unethical behavior (cheating, plagiarizing, BIG issues). They perceive me generally as being an idiotic bimbo (mainly because I am Jewish, Caucasian, and a bit less uptight than they are) of which they can't understand why I am taking some of the same classes as they are. People can be so close-minded.</p>

<p>But I digress. Here are my stats:</p>

<p>SAT-wise: I got a 2090 my first try (620 CR, 730 M, 740 W). This was 10 points short of my original goal, but clearly that would not have helped my CR score. That being said, I do plan on re-taking in June. I have, out of curiosity, tried to do a series of ACT problems. This simply reassured me that the SAT is a better exam for me.</p>

<p>Subject Tests: Math II: 720, Also plan on taking US History and Literature.</p>

<p>APs: I am in preparation for my APUSH (That's AP US History FYI) exam. However, this is the only AP I have taken in my high school "career." Fortunately, I do plan on taking AP Econ, AP Stat, and AP Art History my senior year.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: I have quite a few, so I won't try to list them here. However, I can safely say that I tend to be involved in more charitable clubs (Rotary, NHS,) and school administrative positions (Principal's Advisory, Student Representative for my school district's Steering Committee, as well as part of the first group of Student Recognition Recipients) rather than ethnic, literary or athletic extras. I also engage in a fair amount of charity work (through the Jewish Family and Children's Service organization in my area). I try to concentrate my extracurriculars so I don't spread myself too thin, something that seems to be an issue amongst my student body.</p>

<p>Recs: Definitely considering my Calc teacher. She was an inspiration to me. Also considering two of the three vice principals at my school since I have maintained good relations with them. Guidance counselor also will likely give me a stellar review.</p>

<p>Legacy: I am not quite sure if graduate school graduates constitutes legacy. If this is the case, then my father had graduated from the Law School.</p>

<p>Other Schools Considered: My Full List (Which could totally change). Asterisks indicate legacy (Undergrad and Grad), Dollar signs indicate money was donated. "At" sign indicates attended or will attend a summer program</p>

<p>Cornell <em>$@
Columbia </em><em>$
UPenn</em>
Stanford (Reach, yet if I get rejected, I will not be upset)
Michigan@
NYU
USC
UCLA
Pitt
Minnesota
UMass Amherst@
UMiami*
Rutgers</p>

<p>Any help would be greatly commended and appreciated!</p>

2

<p>Oh, Two more things:</p>

<p>GPA: 3.88-3.9 (approximated, not quite sure what about a 93.41 equates to…)</p>

<p>and</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: Also do some writing for a national blog that’s been publicized on CNN, and even Real Housewives of Orange County.</p>

3

<p>I really wish I could size you up, but just like Cornell admissions, it really depends… I had a 4.0 unweighted and a 4.6 weighted gpa when I applied and got in with a likely letter and a scholarship to Cornell but was rejected from Columbia. My sat was 2170 combined an I had no legacy anywhere nor could my parents have afforded to donate money to any school since I we moved here from a second world country when I was 10. </p>

<p>I also had over 700 hour of volunteer work in labs, universities and other companies. I also work every day o the week and play varsity tennis.</p>

<p>For your admissions, honestly the way I have always seen it is just what really matters is for you to be the best you can truly be and everything else will come with it. Based on your grades Cornell seems to be a bit of a stretch or just barely a math school. I feel like what matters more is showing the admissions staff that you are truly passionate about something and actually put time into it. ( I was applying for engineering and did science fair projects with independent research as well as working at UCSD first as a programmer and then an engineering intern)</p>

<p>I am sorry if I did not answer your question fully, but I honestly don’t believe that people can be quantized by meaningless numbers. What matters is what you make of any experience, no matter where you do end up going, if you really want to pursue something, you will make the best of your experience. Needless to say, I am just trying to explain my viewpoint on college applications: college is truly meant to allow you to grow as a person, so just be the best you can be and if you don’t get into a place, do not worry because it will probably work out better for you that way in the end:)</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

4

<p>@AnonymousIy, I do appreciate your input. I am glad to hear that numbers are not the end-all be-all that many of my peers at my high school believe them to be.</p>

<p>SAT scores should be easy to raise, since I’m definitely be putting the time in. =)</p>

<p>I am pretty aware that legacy and donations don’t apply to everyone (actually, with all of the students who applied to the Ivies and other top schools, it didn’t apply to <i>anyone</i>). Nonetheless, many students at my school who are applying to college and may not be able to academically compete, are resorting to donating money. However, I am aware that the results of this can be pretty mixed depending on how good or poor the student is (For example, I know one girl, who is a complete idiot, is desperately trying to get into Penn State by meeting with the dean, donating money, using her father’s legacy, etc. Most people don’t think she can get in, but that’s another story…)</p>

<p>As for grades, yes, I do understand that my GPA is not at the 4.0 level. Being that my school is the #10 public school in my state (NJ), from what I have heard around my town, most of the top colleges are aware of this and understand. Of course, this may not be entirely true, but this is just of word of mouth.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your help!</p>

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<p>I think you have a fair chance - even a pretty good chance.
The question I think you need to focus on is why cornell?
It looks like you are applying to schools across the entire united states north - south - east - west - - why?
Don’t go to a school just because of a name.
scores are becoming less and less important at all schools
Penn said at an info session I attended last year that GPA is far more important than scores. Some schools, like NYU, have made SAT optional.
This year my high school had completely unhooked kids with 1900 sats and good gpas with decent ecs get into Yale and Princeton!
If you are from NJ, it may make sense to stay within a reasonable distance where you have some contacts which can sometimes be helpful.
What makes cornell your first choice and maybe I can give you some insight.
I visited several times and and pretty familiar with the school.</p>

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<p>You are wrong on the percentage for Math II 720 was an 86 percentile for the exam as posted by the college board. Did you bother to see if she is going to be an engineer major or not. If she is not, than the score she got is fine. I guess that you just have sour grapes that you do not have an advantage like her!</p>

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<p>OOG I just have a brief question: Not trying to be conceited here, but what makes you think that someone who has a perfect score on their SATs is a viable candidate for an Ivy League University? Check the RD results for 2015: Safe to say a lot of kids with scores that are nowhere near the 2300 range were accepted. Do your research.</p>

<p>Furthermore, if I wasn’t ethical, would I have received the opportunities that I have obtained over the past few years? Likely not. Remember the elementary rule about what happens when you assume things? Again, likely not. Judging by your screenname, you seem to spending too much time creeping and trying (and likely failing) to increase your kill streak on Black Ops than you are learning about common courtesy.</p>

<p>I almost pity you, since you are obviously a ■■■■■, and therefore a waste of space. But then again, you need a reality check…</p>