Cornell ED Chances? Thanks in Advance

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
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<p>Chances at CALS or CAS:</p>

<p>Gender/Ethnicity: Male, Asian</p>

<p>Location: New York</p>

<p>Rank: School doesn't rank (But probably ~7-8%)
Graduating Class Size: ~650</p>

<p>GPA:
Unweighted: ~3.8
Weighted: ~4.9</p>

<p>Courseload:
10th Grade: AP World History (5)
11th Grade: AP English Language (5), AP Calculus AB (4), AP American History (5)
12th Grade (In Progress): AP Biology, AP Comparative Government, AP Spanish, AP English Literature, AP Statistics
The rest are mostly honors courses.</p>

<p>Standardized Test Scores:
ACT: 35
SAT I: 2190 (690CR, 780M, 720W)
SAT IIs: Biology (710), Math I(740), US History (760)
(Probably won't be sending any SATs)</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities/Awards (I think these will screw me over):
-Internship at Brookhaven National Laboratory in X-ray DEI (Diffraction Enhanced Imaging)
-100+ hours of volunteering at hospital
-Varsity Tennis 4th singles (Definitely not good enough to play for college)
-AP Scholar
-National Fraternity of Student Musicians (Piano Guild)
-Marching Band (10th grade only)
-Youth group leader at church
-Spanish Honor Society
-Global Language Honor Society
-Future Business Leaders of America</p>

<p>I believe that I have an adequate amount of ECs. However, they are largely unfocused and I have had next to no leadership positions throughout my high school career. How much will this affect my chances?</p>

<p>I'm hoping that my ACT score will offset my extremely low ECs. However, this brings me to another concern. New York is a predominantly SAT state (Only about 21% of students took the ACT last year). So, will it look suspicious if I only send my ACT score and not send any of my SATs? (Assuming that I only apply to CALS, I know CAS requires 2 SAT IIs). I didn't exactly bomb my SATs but all the same, I'd still rather not send them.</p>

<p>Also, does anyone know about affirmative action at Cornell? It seems to me that the percentages of underrepresented minorities at Cornell are consistently lower than other comparable schools. Does this mean that race is less of a factor at Cornell than it is at other colleges?</p>

<p>I appreciate any useful input, especially concerning my ECs as well as any difference between my chances at CALS and CAS. Thanks in advance.</p>

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<p>your sats aren't bad they are like fine for cornell</p>

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<p>By the way, I expect fairly excellent recommendations from both my teachers and a mediocre/good one from my school guidance counselor. I would also say that my essays are above average.</p>

<p>Doctorjohndorian, I'm pretty sure my SAT score isn't going to be good enough if my ECs and other weaknesses are taken into consideration. In the end, I'd still rather not send them.</p>

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<p>Over 30 views and only 1 reply? : (</p>

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<p>Kentric, i have a 2100 superscored 690 690 720....my ecs are 500 hrs of comm srv (200+ of those at hospital, debate team captain, newspaper page editor, political campaign internship) those are my main ones.....i think i have a good shot of getting in with a lower sat and according to you, better ecs....take what you may from that</p>

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<p>i'm not 100% sure, but i think you will have to send in SAT II scores for cornell</p>

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<p>I rechecked their website. CALS does not require SAT II subject tests. They're "strongly recommended" but according to their site, not sending them will not hurt your chances (Can it really not hurt your chances if it's strongly recommended?)</p>

<p>As I mentioned before in my original post, CAS requires 2 SAT II subject tests. Other requirements (Including those of the other 5 schools) can be found in the following link:</p>

<p><a href="http://admissions.cornell.edu/apply/firstyear/Freshman_Admission_Requirements_Grid.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://admissions.cornell.edu/apply/firstyear/Freshman_Admission_Requirements_Grid.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>I'm pretty sure saying "strongly recommended" is their subtle way of saying "Send us your scores if you want a better chance of being accepted."</p>

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<p>So then it's probably a good idea to send the SAT IIs, despite the fact that they're not really that exceptional? Remember that my application is going to have to be mostly academic-based, so my numbers need to be well above the average for the school.</p>

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<p>Well, your EC's are weak, and the only good one i spotted was that internship. And being a member of the tennis team is an okay EC. 100 hrs of volunteering is barely anything. However, grades+SAT/ACT are worth more than EC's, and you're grades are really really good.</p>

<p>For Cornell, you'll probably have a decent/okay chance.</p>

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<p>kentric your ecs are ok..your sats aren't bad for cornell...once again mine are 690 690 720 and i really don't think my chances are as bad as you are making yours sound</p>

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<p>Da elite...how many hours for comm srv is considred a lot..or significant enough to affect admissions...?</p>

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<p>Do you think my ACT score can make up for at least a portion of my ECs?</p>

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<p>IMO, it's possible because a 35 is really quite great but it seems as if you joined a good portion of clubs but are just members in them..it'd be much less of a problem if you had 1-2 leadership positions that demostrated your passion</p>

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<p>and BTW...just wondering, someone said that 100 hrs was not enough to make a significant dent in admissions but is 500 hours near the amount that would be significant?</p>

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<p>What is your intended major? You do have a "hook" in that Brookhaven internship, particularly if you can tie it to your intended major and/or if it has inspired a dedication to research/graduate study. I do not think your SAT I scores will hurt you. If colleges are to be taken at their word, they will in fact consider your ACT score in concert with your SAT IIs and disregard your SAT Is. If I'm an admissions officer reviewing your file, I want to compare apples to apples, so I'm not going to pad scores for one applicant while comparing him/her to another student who may not have submitted extra scores. Let your essay speak to who you are and why Cornell is the place for you (not necessarily "state", but "speak to" or "illuminate"), keeping in mind that you are already "the guy who interned at Brookhaven".</p>