***CORNELL CLASS OF 2020 ED RESULTS ONLY***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
41

Decision: Accepted

Name of Cornell College you applied to: Architecture, Art, and Planning
Objective: B. Arch program

SAT I (breakdown): 600 CR, 660 M, 650 W, 7 E
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 630 Math 1, 600 Math 2, 800 Spanish
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Lit. (3), English Lang (3), U.S. History (3), Spanish Lit. (4), Spanish Lang. (5), Physics 1 (N/A), Art History (N/A), Calculus AB (N/A)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: very heavy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Biodiversity Contest Winner

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): intern/volunteer at Internationally renowned institution, Community Service Committee (chairman and founder), Youth Leadership Program, Student Government Association (secretary, vice president)
Job/Work Experience: See above
Volunteer/Community service: See above
Summer Activities: Cornell Summer College
Essays: Common App: 10/10, Supplement: 10/10 (very cheesy though)
Teacher Recommendation: Teacher 1: 9/10, Teacher 2: 8/10, I don’t really know though
Counselor Rec: 8/10
Additional Rec: 10/10, supervisor from institution mentioned above
Interview: went very well, at least I though so

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major: Architecture
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): small Latin American country
School Type: Small, Religious
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: M
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): where I am from

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: see hooks
Weaknesses: SAT score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: great essays and grades
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted at Tulane
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: see hooks

42

Decision: Accepted

Name of Cornell College you applied to: College of Arts and Sciences (Chemistry)

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Took twice, superscore 2030 - Reading 620, Math 740, Writing 670
ACT (breakdown): 34 - English 35, Math 33, Reading 33, Science 34
SAT II: Chem - 760, Bio M - 720, Math II - 760
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/252
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography (5), Chem (5), APUSH (5), Bio (5), Calc AB (5), Spanish (4), Gov (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Comp. Sci, AP Physics C, AP Psych, AP Stat, AP Calc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, UPenn Book Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): YMCA Swim Team for 9 years, HS Swim team (captain), physics olympics (VP), buildOn (VP), NHS, key club, piano lessons,
Job/Work Experience: Worked for a hospital for about 8 months, now work at Wegmans
Volunteer/Community service: Philabundance once or twice a month(food bank), Middle School Tutoring once a week, various Key Club events
Summer Activities: Summer YMCA Swim Team, work
Essays: Pretty good, my common app one was all about my swimming career and what I had learned from it and I feel like my personality was accurately reflected. My supplement was focused around the “Any student, any study” philosophy of Cornell and my interest in Chemistry
Teacher Recommendation: All from teachers that I know very well personally and that appreciate my effort in school
Counselor Rec: She’s a b**** and everyone hates her but she loves me because I’m nice to her, so I expected she wrote something good
Additional Rec:
Interview: Very short, only about 20 minutes. Met in a coffee shop and only had a couple of questions with the alumni but we connected well

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): Pennsylvania
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 65,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I tried to focus on my will to succeed in both extracurricular activity as well as my school work
Weaknesses: SAT score was atrocious although I took it twice, not as well as I hoped, also I haven’t contributed a ton to my community with community service
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My GPA and course load, also my essays were good
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Didn’t apply anywhere else yet, saving the money to hear back from Cornell
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Not sure, probably my swimming career and devotion to the sport

43

Decision: Accepted

College of Agriculture and Life Science

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2110 (720 M 660 R 730 W)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (36 E 33 M 33 R 33 S 5 Essay)
SAT II: US 760, Math 2 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 100): 97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2-3 of 600
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo (5) Environmental (5) US (5) Physics 1 (4)
Senior year, Physics 2, Physics C E/M & M (Self-Study), Gov’t, Econ (Self-Study), Euro (Self-Study), Psychology, Biology and Calculus AB
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 2, AP Bio, AP Calculus, AP Gov’t, AP Psych, English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Co-President of Science Olympiad, DECA, NHS, community service clubs
Job/Work Experience: worked at Walmart for 5 months
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer Tour Guide for teaching kids about ecology, hospital volunteer
Summer Activities: LIU Summer Honors Institute, College Visits (including Cornell 4 times, oops)
Essays: My common app was pretty decent, about overcoming my fear of public speaking, but I felt that my supplement could have used more work.
Teacher Recommendation: I didn’t see them, and I have no idea which ones they sent. I hope they read all three I sent.
Counselor Rec: It should have been good.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: It went well
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Environmental Eng.
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international appli cant):
School Type: Large Lower-income Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: <40,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation, connections

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Focused on fit
Weaknesses: Poor essays that could have been developed more (If only I took college comp before I wrote them…)
Why you think you were accepted: My fit, my passion, and my scores compared to the peers in my school
Where else were you accepted: U-Minnesota full ride and Fordham
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application:

Potential foreshadowing:

  1. If your financial aid portal was updated - Idk
  2. If Cornell asked for your first quarter grades - Nope, I wasn’t but I was accepted.
  3. If your Applicant portal was disabled in the days leading up to the decision. It was not.
  4. If Cornell offered you an interview" I was offered one.
44

Decision: Accepted

Name of Cornell College you applied to: Engineering

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (one sitting): 800 Math, 750 CR, 680 Writing
ACT (breakdown): 34 composite, 34 math, 34 reading, 32 English , 32 science
SAT II: 740 Biology E, 750 Math Level 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/275 (Top 1%)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem (4), English Language (5), US His (5), Stat (4), World His (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Lit, AP Calc, AP Gov, AP Bio, Econ, Business
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): PSAT Merit Commended, AP Scholar w/ Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Tennis, NHS, Key Club, Black belt taekwondo, marching band, math tutor
Job/Work Experience: grocery store
Volunteer/Community service: 100 hours United Way and hospital
Summer Activities: work/volunteer
Essays: common app: 7-8/10, wrote about acquiring self confidence
Supplement: 9/10 , wrote about interest in comp sci
Teacher Recommendation: 7/10, teachers liked me but didn’t know me that well
Counselor Rec: 5/10 , counselor didn’t really know me well since I got a new counselor this year
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Computer science
State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: male
Income Bracket: 60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation college

Reflection

Strengths: GPA and SAT/ACT and essays
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I tried to show my passion for computer science
Weaknesses: extracurricular
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: decent numbers + essay showed good fit
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted at Purdue, that’s the only other school I applied to
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: No idea but I think my supplement essay was unique and displayed my passion for comp sci

45

Decision: Deferred

Name of Cornell College you applied to: Human Ecology (HBHS)

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (750R 750M 790W)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: 780 U.S. History, 740 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): idk so i’ll just list my weighted below
Weighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.28
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): we don’t do rank or percentile, but i’d guess at least top 10%?
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World History (5), APUSH (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Calc AB subscore (5), AP Lang (5), AP Physics 1 (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Chem, AP Bio, AP Gov, AP Japanese
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): district and state band, stroked a 4+ to 3rd at states (when i was a sophomore though lol), placed 9th nationally in Japan Bowl

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): It’s Academic (Treasurer), founded wellness club, 4 yrs of varsity marching band, Science Olympiad (only 12th though)
Job/Work Experience: worked at my parents’ integrative pharmacy this summer 6 days/wk (helped teach workshops and other stuff) and taught taekwondo 5 days/wk
Volunteer/Community service: mentor/tutor at school, formed a flute choir
Summer Activities: ^^working, attended Georgetown medical camp
Essays: common app (7/10), supplement (thought it was an 8/10, but after getting deferred and thinking back, maybe 6/10? i liked it though :/)
Teacher Recommendation: one was 8/10, the other i have no idea (could have been 5/10 up to 7/10)
Counselor Rec: no idea on this one either, maybe 7/10??
Additional Rec: 10/10
Interview: i thought it went pretty well. never done an interview before though.
Other: part of an wind ensemble called Flutopia that performed at Carnegie Hall (for paying audience)

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Human Biology, Health, and Society (HBHS)
State (if domestic applicant): Virginia
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: wellll it was probably about 200k but then my dad got laid off and my mom just started a business so…who knows now…tbh we’re probably losing $$ though lol
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection: sigh gotta do more apps now

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: first hand experience w/ an integrative approach to health, how me and my family got into health after my mom became depressed
Weaknesses: GPA, extracurriculars?, community service, few major awards, lack of ECs that truly connect w/ what i want to study
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: One teacher and counselor might have given me a mediocre rec lol, GPA, essays
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: n/a
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: worked at my parents’ integrative pharmacy

Potential foreshadowing:

  1. If your financial aid portal was updated: idk
  2. If Cornell asked for your first quarter grades: no
  3. If your Applicant portal was disabled in the days leading up to the decision: idk
  4. If Cornell offered you an interview: yes
46

Decision: Accepted

I am honestly still in shock. I was certain I wouldn’t get in…I’m beyond happy right now :slight_smile:

Name of Cornell College you applied to: College of Engineering

Objective:

  • ACT (breakdown): 35 superscore 35E 34M 33R 36S
  • SAT II: 750 Math II, 710 Physics
  • Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.929
  • Senior Year Course Load: AP US Gov, Engineering, AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP English Lit, AP Macro

Subjective:

  • Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4-year varsity track, founding member of mental health awareness club, Athletes Committed to Excellence (leader - lead discussions among athletes who remain drug and alcohol free), Orchesis, Snowflake (leader - teach middle schoolers to be drug and alcohol free), Science/Engineering Club member
  • Job/Work Experience: Manager of tutors 15 hr/wk
  • Volunteer/Community service: raised over 1000 books for less-fortunate children in my area this summer
  • Summer Activities: Cornell track camp, Purdue STEP engineering camp, summer job
  • Essays: Common App=9/10 (I really loved my essay because it showed who I truly am) Cornell Engineering=9/10
  • Teacher Recommendation: 10/10 from my physics teacher, 6/10 from my engineering teacher
  • Interview: none

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper Middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I am a female nerd :wink:

Reflection

Strengths: Standardized test scores, love for Cornell,
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I made sure to stay true to who I am - a huge space nerd :slight_smile:
Weaknesses: SAT scores, extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted into Purdue, waiting to hear from UIUC and Georgia Tech
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: I highlighted courses I would take and places I would visit (Fuertes Observatory etc) while on campus

47

Decision: Accepted

Name of Cornell College you applied to: CALS, International Agriculture and Rural Development

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 30 - E:33 M:27 R:34 S:26 W:31/9
SAT II: didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/116
AP (place score in parenthesis): Lit:4
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load:Took all 3 APs my school has, took an FFA (agriculture class), and 2 concurrent college classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National FFA Champion, National FFA 2nd Place, National FFA 3rd Place

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FFA, student council
Job/Work Experience: Worked in a goat artificial insemination research lab (3 years) and at a local Oil and Gas Law firm (1 year)
Volunteer/Community service: lot of helping youth learn about ag, probably >100 hours
Summer Activities: working, took a community college class related to agriculture
Essays: wrote about my ffa experience, supplement I wrote about living on a farm
Teacher Recommendation: not sure on one, 8/10 on the other
Counselor Rec: not sure
Additional Rec: from one of the lawyers I worked with-it was touching 12/10, another from a family friend in the ag business 9/10
Interview: was called for one but I could never contact her again

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: IARD
State (if domestic applicant): Oklahoma
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: at risk small public school
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: <$70,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): my location, my farm background, my whole high school career was focused around agriculture

Reflection

Strengths: my fit, my essay, my recommendation from the place I worked, literally all my father’s family were farmers
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
Weaknesses: ACT score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:my fit and my passion for Cornell
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: basically some state schools
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: my fit for agriculture

48

Decision: Accepted

Name of Cornell College you applied to: CALS

Objective: Biology major

SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II: 770 chemistry 730 math 1
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): chemistry (4) comp(4) statistics (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: ap psychology, in biology, ap calculus AB, research, English and social studies
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): state qualifying gymnast, applied to Intel JSHS LISEF LISC

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience: Coaching and bus tables
Volunteer/Community service: national honors society tutoring
Summer Activities: internship at lab over two summers
Essays: really focused on my biological research
Teacher Recommendation: physics chemistry research cousin who attends
Interview: went well with an alumni

Applied for Financial Aid?:yes
Intended Major: biology
State (if domestic applicant): ny
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:public
Ethnicity:white
Gender:female
Income Bracket:??
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):none

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - biological impact and really played off translating my research to the public. tried to show that I fit into cals
any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
Weaknesses: gpa
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application:

49

Decision: Accepted

Name of Cornell College you applied to: SHA

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 33C 35E 32M 33R 33S
SAT II: n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.92
Weighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.35
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), English Lang (4), Physics 1
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics, AP English Lit, AP Statistics, AP Psychology, AP Biology, Honors Chinese 3
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): A bunch of minor awards but nothing that major

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Started my own charity organization (Founder), School’s Stock Market club (President), School Store (Vice President), Varsity lacrosse
Job/Work Experience: Shadowed at a boutique NYC hotel, and worked in event planning and sales for a local start-up
Volunteer/Community service: Founder of charity which took hundreds of hours starting and maintaining my own lacrosse organization to collect equipment and start teams in two inner cities, and one team on a Native American Reservation, and volunteered at a local nursing home
Summer Activities: All of the job experience, and continuing the lacrosse teams through my organization in the local cities
Essays: 9/10 for both Common App and Supplement. I talked about my organization in my CA essay and all of the challenges I faced to finally achieve all of the success I have now; basically the entire story of my organization. My supplement focused really heavily on my work experiences and how I want to develop the ideas and skills from these experiences at SHA.
Teacher Recommendation: Honestly probably 9.5/10 for my 2 teacher recommendations. Both of them loved me

Counselor Rec: 8.5/10- didn’t really know my GC too well but definitely feel that she represented me fully
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: Had an on-campus interview with a current student and felt we had a lot in common and connected extremely well.
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Hotel Administration with a concentration in Finance, Accounting, and Real Estate (FARE)
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Absolutely none

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Really tried to focus on my fit in the supplement.
Weaknesses: No hooks
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Indiana University (Kelley School of Business, Honors College, Dean’s Scholarship)
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application:

50

Decision: Accepted

Name of Cornell College you applied to: College of Engineering

Objective: Chemical Engineering Major

SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): English 35, Math 36, Reading 29, Science 33
SAT II: Chem 800, Math II 800, Bio 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8426
Weighted GPA (out of 5.0): 4.0587
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem 5, Physics C Mech 4, Physics C E&M 5, Microecon 5, Macroecon 4, Calculus BC 5, Calculus AB Subscore 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish lang, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science, AP Multivariable Calc BC, AP Government and Poligy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Chemistry Olympiad Finalist, Science Department Award, AP Scholar Award with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Tutoring kids, cofounded nonprofit tutoring business, JV tennis (freshman and sophomore year), first chair Tuba player, regional Tuba player
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring
Volunteer/Community service: Tutoring for my nonprofit
Summer Activities: Took accelerated courses for freshman and sophomore year. Did summer program at Columbia for junior year.
Essays: Stellar. Commonapp essay 10/10. Engineering Essay 9.5/10
Teacher Recommendation: Chemistry Teacher - I was her favorite Student - 10/10
Calculus Teacher - I was a pretty normal student in her class - 8/10
Econ Teacher - I was a pretty normal student in his class - 7/10
Counselor Rec: Likes my motivation and drive - 9/10
Additional Rec: Rec from Columbia professor 10/10
Interview: N/A for CoE
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No.
Intended Major: Chemical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Connecticut
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Large Public (~1800 kids)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: > 200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Second generation

Reflection:

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Probably my essay about being a tuba player
Weaknesses: Grades
Why you think you were accepted: Extracurriculars
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Waiting on Georgia Tech, UC Berkeley, UMich.
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Being a tuba player that started up a nonprofit.

51

Decision: Accepted

College of Human Ecology

Highlights:
32 ACT
Gpa: 4.0 (94/100)
Private all girls catholic school
Native american decent
All confrence volleyball
No clubs
Works 15 hours a week
Essays: very well written
Recommendations: probably very good
All advanced courses: AP biology AP euro AP us history CC spanish CC psych
From St. Louis MO

52

Decision: Deferred

Name of Cornell College you applied to: ILR

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Did not Send
ACT (breakdown): 34 Composite, 36 English 36 Science 35 Reading 28 Math
SAT II: 760 U.S. History 730 Math
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top ten percentile
AP (place score in parenthesis): US (5), Language and Comp (4), World History (4), Chemistry (4), Spanish Language and Culture (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Gov, AP Microeconomics, AP Lit and Comp, AP Bio
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Body President of Student Council (4 yrs, 1 yr Pres)
Varsity Prep Hockey team (3 year varsity letterman)
FBLA (founder and President)
Chess Club (President)
Yearbook committee
NHS peer tutoring association
Travel Soccer
Science Olympiad Team

Job/Work Experience: I have worked for a real estate office for three years, I plan on earning my license in January.
Volunteer/Community service: I volunteer for political campaigns
Summer Activities: Successful county family court judge race, training for hockey/soccer, work… etc
Essays: I wrote my ILR essay about my interests in public policy and organizational psychology… I thought it was strong… My Common App essay paralleled a show I watched as a little kid with my chess strategy.
Teacher Recommendation: History teacher and an English Teacher, both pretty strong.
Counselor Rec: 10/10 she really like me
Additional Rec:
Interview: I thought it went smoothly

Other
I am writing my senior thesis on labor relations… originally it focused on labor politics in a democratic society but now I have changed it to economic inequality in the workplace and how the organized workforce can affect that… I have had an ILR Professor help me with it, she has recommended resources and we have had an interview.
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: ILR
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private, competitive
Ethnicity:White
Gender:M
Income Bracket: 200+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

I really thought I was going to get in. Hopefully they will accept me in the spring.

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
Weaknesses: Blah
Why you think you were deferred: I honestly don’t know.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted Michigan State, applied U of R, Dartmouth, Hobart, Brandeis, Duquesne, Harvard
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: the senior thesis probably

53

Decision: Deferred

Name of Cornell College you applied to: Human Ecology

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2290- M 760, CR 750, W 780
ACT (breakdown): 33- M 35, W 35, R 31, Sci 32
SAT II: 780 Math II, 700 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB(5), World History(4), Calc BC(5), CS(5), English Lit(5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Gov, AP Econ, AP Chem, AP Spanish, ERWC(English)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): piano for twelve years; varsity swim for all four years (captain two years); varsity water polo for two years
Job/Work Experience: babysitter at preschool, piano teacher at same preschool and independent for two years
Volunteer/Community service: local soup kitchen, UNICEF chapter
Summer Activities: shadowed doctor w/ specialization in infections in India; global health program at USC; research project at Stanford
Essays: I thought were good…
Teacher Recommendation: one for sure really great, the other I guess was not as detailed.
Counselor Rec: honestly I don’t know
Additional Rec: once again, I thought were good- my mentor since fourth grade and my swim coach for the past six years
Interview: went well; about an hour and a half in length, but my interviewer was really nice and said she’d definitely let the university know about some health problems that had put me on independent study for a while
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Global and Public Health Studies
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: co-ed large public
Ethnicity: South Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection
I think my first quarter transcript really screwed me over. I was in the hospital for a large chunk of time and so my first quarter grades were pretty much straight B’s. I think my essays could have been a little better too, especially my common app - I wrote about how swimming contributed to my interest in infections and public health.

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application:

54

Decision: Accepted

Name of Cornell College you applied to:

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendation:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application:

55

Decision: Deferred

Name of Cornell College you applied to: CALS

Objective: Environmental Science and Sustainability

SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 31C
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Lang-4 APUSH- 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:AP Chinese, AP Lit, AP Calc AB
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Team captain of research team, service internship in China, music internship
Job/Work Experience: internships^^
Volunteer/Community service: Arboretum volunteer
Summer Activities: Service trip
Essays: CA 9/10, Supplement 9/10
Teacher Recommendation: 10/10 10/10
Counselor Rec:10/10 all my recs were supposedly really good
Additional Rec:
Interview: alumni, cornell offered
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: ESS
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: All girls prep
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first gen

Reflection
I’m kind of disappointed, but I kind of saw it coming

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: my research is very environmentally based
Weaknesses: GPA, test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: probably my GPA and test scores
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted to my likely (lmu), waiting on NEU
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application:

Congrats to those who were accepted! I’m not giving up just yet!

56

Decision: Rejected

Name of Cornell College you applied to: Engineering

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 780 M 740 CR
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 M 800 Phy
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): NA
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parenthesis): NA
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: Pretty heavy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): A national, shortlist for IMO team

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays: Pretty decent
Teacher Recommendation: 10/10 and 7/10
Counselor Rec: 8/10
Additional Rec: 7/10
Interview: none

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: “Asian male with good Computer Science and Maths”
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: No idea

Personal video blogs are not allowed, deleted that link. - FC

57

Decision: Deferred

Name of Cornell College you applied to: CALS

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2260: Math 770, Writing 750, Crit Reading 740
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: Literature 770, French 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): Env. Science (4), Calc A/B (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP French, Chinese 3, English (Myth/Sci-Fi), Economics/American Gov, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Screenprinting
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing major, a few French awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Affinity for Animals Club 11-12 (Activities Commissioner 12), French Club 9-12, Student Sierra Club 11-12, Green Team 11-12
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: some service learning hours
Summer Activities: attended COSMOS at UCSD (Cluster 3: Living Oceans and Global Climate Change)
Essays: 9, 8
Teacher Recommendation: 10 for both, really great teachers that I knew pretty well :slight_smile:
Counselor Rec: 7-8, should be decent though I didn’t know my counselor (our school hires extra counselors to write letters, we send them info, they interview us)
Additional Rec:
Interview: I feel like I didn’t speak very well for my alumni interview, but my interviewer was super nice
Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Environmental Studies
State (if domestic applicant): California
School Type: Public, very competitive
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $70,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection:

Strengths: strong personality, thoughtful essays, and letter of recs were probably amazing!

What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I wrote about veganism and how it changed my life and made me more of an activist. I also talked about how it’s more sustainable, which connects to the theme of my second essay about my passion for the environment and how I fell in love with APES class.

Weaknesses: few APs, few extracurriculars, & didn’t take any math or science SAT Subject tests

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I had two B’s first semester (whoops slacked off a little. Straight A’s all previous years except B in summer bio) so they’re probably waiting to see how that turns out

Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Veganism

58

Decision: Accepted

Name of Cornell College you applied to: CALS

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): CR 730 WR 700 MA 760
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: M2 800 WH 730 USH 730
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.69
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NON GIVEN
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo (5) Comp. Gov (5) Micro (4) WH (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Very rigorous, 10 courses each semester

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
-AP Scholar with Honour Award
-Debate Champion (March 2015), Rome Model United Nations Conference, Rome, Italy
-Meritorious Student (2013, 2014, 2015)
-AP Scholar Award
-Best Chair (July 2014), Students’ International Government Model UN
-Academic Excellence in Geography, Korean History (July 2013)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Mostly MUNs, founded school MUN club, and a nationwide international relations youth think tank
Job/Work Experience: -
Volunteer/Community service: Played bass in homeless shelter
Summer Activities: same as ordinary ECs
Essays: very good, about me being a “ham,” a person who likes to act in exaggerated manner and have fun
Teacher Recommendation: very good for both, and I was the first ever student to write a rec for a teacher.
Counselor Rec: Very good
Additional Rec: -
Interview: -

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: International Agriculture and Rural Development
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): South Korea
School Type: Specialised boarding (public)
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: +120k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Strong essay, showed detailed plan of what I will do after studying my major
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: appealed that “I intended to major and have career in international relations, but I am able to study agriculture and make use of my studies for everybody’s well-being.”
Weaknesses: gpa, only 3.69!!!
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essay, Rec, and pretty decent SAT that covered up my flawed GPA
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: I am determined, and passionate in what I am doing!

HEY GUYS HAVE HOPE! EVEN A PERSON WITH 3.69 GPA AND CR-M 1490 GOT IN!

59

Decision: Accepted

Cornell College you applied to: College of Human Ecology

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 3 of entire grade
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Rigorous courses
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Science awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National level for one specific sport, President/founder of lots of math/science clubs and SCA

Job/Work Experience: Co-Author of reputable science medical journal, Researcher of TONS of Health/Medical Research centers
Volunteer/Community service: Served at a Rehabilitation Center and tons of other health-related services
Summer Activities: Worked as a Medical Researcher & taught elders about sports medicine
Essays: 10/10 (I worked REALLY hard on making a touching/compelling story for CommonApp essay)
Teacher Recommendation: 9/10? I’m not sure either…most of them were from science teachers
Counselor Rec: 10/10
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Nope
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major: Human Development
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection

Strengths: Definitely my essays (CommonApp and Cornell Supplement), Health research ECs, GPA
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
Weaknesses:

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Showed a great fit to the Human Ecology college (I think that’s really important)
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I applied Early Decision!

Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: My unique health-related EC’s focused on one specific area of health (gerontology) and my touching CommonApp essay

Potential foreshadowing:

  1. If your financial aid portal was updated: it was empty the whole time lol
  2. If Cornell asked for your first quarter grades: didn’t send them
  3. If your Applicant portal was disabled in the days leading up to the decision: nope
  4. If Cornell offered you an interview": nope

Have hope!!! Show fit to your specific Cornell college!!!
I thought I was going to get rejected, but I guess not! :slight_smile:
Good luck to future Cornell applicants!
Dreams really do come true…

60

Decision: Rejected

Name of Cornell College you applied to: Cornell

Objective: ECE college od Eng

SAT I (breakdown): 720r/800m/720w
ACT (breakdown):na
SAT II:math 2 800/ chem 780/ phy 730/ us 730
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):idk 98 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):10%
AP (place score in parenthesis):5 Calc AB/BC/4Chem/4Human Geo/3US
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:AP-Econ,calc bc,lit, bio, world/ non ap- music
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): two AMC 12 awards/AIME acceptances/ ap scholars/other domestic awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):2 Patents (Dynamic Currency Conversion,application), Research (intel-math related, heavily calculus),Math 2c book publication, SNHS(founder/leader), business related club(founder, leader), NHS(9),student council, orchestra first chair
Job/Work Experience: month intership at Singapor
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays: CA9/10 cornell- 9/10-wrote specific about ECE major and ECE day at cornell video
Teacher Recommendation: 10/10chem 9/10 calc bc they both love me
Counselor Rec:idk kind of friendly but not as well 8-10
Additional Rec:
Interview:na
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:no
Intended Major:ECE
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:int
Ethnicity:
Gender:m
Income Bracket:>250000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first gen

Reflection

Strengths:extra cur, AMC scores/AIME accpetances
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: my passion toward eng and cornell.
Weaknesses:test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: test score? Idk…
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:i want to know
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: research, book publication