Hey guys,
I’m planning on applying to Cornell ED most likely as an econ major.
I find it funny how people are freaking about being behind schedule despite writing 2 drafts.
Meanwhile I haven’t even started my essay…
Hey everyone! I’m applying to Cornell ED but I’m a little confused on what to put as my intended major. I am very interested in biochemistry and was wondering what exactly the differences between the chemistry/chemical biology major and the biological sciences concentration in biochemistry major would be. Does chemical biology have a stronger focus in general chemistry while the biochemistry concentration has a bio focus? Or are the differences just negligible, in which case are there advantages to applying to a certain one over the other? Thanks sorry if this is a dumb question!
Hello!
I’m applying ED to Cornell CoE, majoring in materials science and engineering. Really hoping to get in as I’ve been obsessed with Cornel for years. Stat wise, my GPA is only a 3.8 uw (I had a very messy freshman year that has weighed my GPA down) and I’ll only have taken 8 AP’s by graduation (I’m in a math and science program at a public school that has set core classes, making taking AP classes hard). I took the old sat in October and got a 2220/1520 with an 800 in math and 720 in reading (I sadly didn’t study at all, so I could have done better). I haven’t yet taken my SAT 2’s, which I will be doing this October and plan to take math II, physics and chem. On my AP’s I got 4’s in physics 1, chem, and us history (yet again, didn’t study, leading to low scores). My extracurriculars aren’t anything insane but I did well in an international math modeling competition, have a few leadership roles, am in many clubs related to math and science, attended a NASA academy thing, and have somewhere around 200-300 hours of community service with my church. I hope to get in and hopefully see many of y’all there in the fall of 2017.
College apps have begun to consume me. Anyone else?
I’ve heard that you shouldn’t write the supplements for your top choice school first, because your first essays are usually your worst. Any thoughts about this?
@roboticsnerd33 I agree with that unless you’re a naural, excellent writer. I believe for most, the essays get better with practice, so writing your first few essays for your safety schools can be good advice.
Hi everyone, I had a question about ED admissions. Do you get the financial aid package upon acceptance? If not, when?
Hi!
I’m heavily considering applying ED to CALS to major in Communication. I also want to be a journalist and the Cornell Daily Sun is without question among the top independent daily papers in the country. My GPA is very low, 3.61 weighted, and I’ll only be graduating with 4 APs (I took AP Calculus AB last year and got a 4). However, I think my extracurriculars and ACT should help. I got a 34 composite on the ACT and I play football (might be a captain) and baseball, am on the debate team, school newspaper, model UN, took a bunch of summer courses in writing, and write for two sports websites outside of school. Hopefully I have a great first quarter and can impress admissions enough to be on campus come next fall!
@gabrielmgea last year, based on the threads, ED students got an estimate of their package, but this year colleges are accepting FAFSA earlier so idk if that will change anything…if anyone knows more please say so because I’m curious about this too
@hleeigh @gabrielmgea If they accept FAFSA earlier, do you think we’ll be able to get an exact amount of AID, given that we got in during ED? If the aid isn’t enough and my family can prove it, I may not be able to attend, even if I got in during ED.
Thanks @hleeigh. I am in the same ballpark as you, @roboticsnerd33. My FASFA would be quite different if I turned in the one my parents filled last year for my sister than if I filled one at the beginning of 2016
Regarding financial aid—if you apply ED, your commitment is non-binding if your financial aid is not sufficient. They send you a package within 2 weeks after your decision, then you get to discuss with Cornell whether you can actually afford it. That’s what I’ve heard at various sessions.
In other news, I am really nervous about this entire process. Being at such a competitive high school where students take 11+ APs at graduation when you’ve taken only 6 and some dual enrollments (unique classes like photography and math modeling) at the state flagship can be really disheartening. I try to believe that it’s more important to do what I love (foreign languages and all the ECs that come with them—Japanese, Arabic, and Russian next year, plus volunteer translating work and refugee work) than waste time in classes I’ll never have a need for. I’m done with all my applications now, so I’ll just wait until December and keep on working hard. Chins up fam 
I’m definitely drowning a bit. I’m insanely excited for December to come though! I can’t wait to find out if I got accepted!
Is it alright to partly discuss extracurriculars in your essay? I’ve heard that you should try not to mention them too much because the admissions officers don’t really like to see stuff that you’ve already included in the activities section of the common app.
@roboticsnerd33 I would just avoid listing them or anything like that, if you write about the experience of the EC’s I don’t think it would hurt you.
@Shrilkshire yeah, that’s what I was thinking. My mom was wary about even mentioning them, though. I’m still a bit confused about how to approach this properly.
@roboticsnerd33 It’s fine to talk about them in your essay if you’re adding further information, but don’t mention them for no good reason. You want to provide deeper insights about yourself that they couldn’t already gather from your application. For example, if you were involved in a sport or music, your essay could involve one of those topics if you’re writing in depth about an experience that helps them to know more about you (and it of course answers the question). Hope that makes sense.
@Renomamma So, in my essay, I write about a certain quirk that defines me. I then have mini-stories which discuss two of my extra-curriculars, and how I used my “quirk” to succeed in them. It doesn’t go too in-depth about them - it brings them up briefly. Is this okay?
P.S. I remember you had commented on my “chance me” post from the end of last summer, before I was starting my junior year. Wow, how everything has changed so much! It’s funny to see how time flies, because I remember typing that post and "bump"ing it 1000 times. It’s cool to know you’re still here
Yes that sounds fine. It’s integral to your essay and your story, you’re not just listing your ECs.
Best of luck!
I really don’t know why I am still on here. It has become a habit. Hopefully I have been of some help
@Renomamma I’m glad you’re still here! CC is awesome and it helps a lot of people; albeit, there’s a lot of garbage that can be discouraging, but you can always extract positive parts out of anything. Please stay!