Chances of getting into Cornell, and please don’t say “you don’t have s chance, or better be the son of a president”.
Anyway, here’s how my application would look. My freshman year started off rough, I finished with a GPA of 82.5, my sophomore year went a little better and I managed to earn a 87.5 overall GPA. My junior year rolled around and I was taking two AP classes, a state level course in Chemistry and an Honors Philosophy class. By the end of junior year I am expecting to have a 95 average based on current figures. I should also be taking three additional AP classes my senior year. My sister is a graduate of Cornell class of 2009 and currently does the alumni interviews. I actually mention her being a graduate of CALS, the college I’m looking to apply to in my essay.
I will be applying early decision.
I have seven clubs I’m involved in and I’m a founder of the Feminism club and co-founder of the Gay-Straight Alliance. I’m also president of the Latin American Student Organization.
I taught myself Python and CSS and mention that in my essay as well.
If this matters I’m also African American.
I’m on varsity golf and I’m trying to start my schools first fencing team.
Outside of school I am an Ambassador to a student led political conversation website. I am also a fellow for Hillary for America and I have completed hundreds of calls for that. I also volunteer weekly at a local hospital.
I tutored a girl in Biology last year and I was successful. But that’s as much work experience I have and I wasn’t paid for my services.
I have not yet taken my SATs but I really want to score a 1520. If this was my score what would be my chances of admissions?
Colleges do like when they see you’re improving your grades and taking harder classes each year. Make sure you’re taking the hardest courseload available at your school. CALS has informed me that a 1460 on the SAT is the 75th percentile so I’d make that my goal if I were applying to CALS ED. What’s the major you’re applying for in CALS?
I’m thinking of applying as a Communication major and possibly switching to Bio or Bio and Society at some point in order to better my chances of pursuing medicine.
I also forgot to add I completed a summer program at Yale, and I am going to be taking courses at a local college in Biology in the Spring for an additional 3 credits. I am also planning to apply to another summer course at Cornell or Harvard for the beginning of summer, and Columbia at the end of summer.
@TheSmarterFox Your grades are improving every year, so I don’t feel your grades will hold you back as much. However, your class rank is very important to know since your performance in school can also be measured relative to your peers. If you get a 1350 SAT, you will be ~50th percentile for CALS. Your courseload doesn’t strike me as most rigorous, but this may not be true. Your ECs are also a little all over the place, but that shouldn’t hurt if you are able to draw on your ECs that relate to your major.
Overall, I think Cornell is a reach, but it’s a reach for anyone. CALS looks most at fit for major, though. Therefore, I think that if you can create an application that shows you’re a great fit for the Communications major then I think you stand a significantly increased chance.
Standardized Testing
“SAT and ACT are not required for transfer applicants.”
So we don’t have to submit SAT scores when applying to CALS… Am I missing something? Lol it seems everyone is so worried about their SAT scores when applying to transfer to CALS…
“I’m thinking of applying as a Communication major and possibly switching to Bio or Bio and Society at some point”
If you want to major in biology or biology & society, then apply to one of those majors. If you want to study communications, then apply to that major without the ultimate goal of switching. Why are you planning on applying to communications and then changing your major later on?
Well because I know that as a Communication major there is a focus area in Medical Communication and I think that would be pretty cool. Besides, based on my current stats I think it would be better to apply as a major that is not very popular to increase my chances of acceptance.
Don’t try to game the system by applying to a major that you think will increase your chance of acceptance. Communications will look for an entirely different type of applicant than biology would. Just apply to the department that’s the best fit for you/best matches what you want to pursue.
I’m assuming you have attended/are attending. Are they looking for entirely different applicants, or would someone who makes a point of describing Communication as a science in their essay appeal to the Department of Communication? I am very interested in Communication don’t get me wrong, but I also love Biology. I don’t know the statistics for each major, but I feel based on my current background and strengths I’d have a stronger application for Communication rather than for Biology. In my Biology class freshman year I had a 93 average, and I’m looking to take AP Bio next year, but I still feel my extensive background in English and History would make my application stronger if I applied as a Comms major. I don’t know specifically, if you know can you break down exactly how it works?
Cornell emphasizes fit. It matters how well you demonstrate your passion for the department/college you’re applying to and whether your ECs and other life experiences seem to go along with the major you’re applying to. Basically you have to show that you would be a good fit for the college. If you’re passionate about bio but try to apply to communications because you think it’ll be easier for you to get in or vice versa, they can usually tell.
It’s totally fine to not be sure what you want to do and to be interested in both communications and bio (you may want to consider majoring in one and minoring in the other). But if you do have a preference, apply to that one, not to whichever one you think is easier to get into.
Sorry I didn’t answer soon, I’ve been kind of busy. Thanks for the help, I’m planning a visit to Cornell in a few weeks and I’ll definitely ask some more questions to the admissions people in person.