Cornell ED Class of 2021 RESULTS

[moomoocow196]

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]

Objective: CAS
SAT I (breakdown): NA
ACT (breakdown): (1 sitting) comp 33, eng 35, math 35, reading 34, sci 28 <-hah
SAT II: math II 790, bio 760
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parenthesis): psych (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: ap int’l politics, ap chem, bc calc, ap stat, ap spanish lang
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): national merit commended scholar, my school’s honors society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

• united states figure skating association (USFSA) member
• north atlantic figure skating regional finalist for 5 yrs
• usfsa double gold medalist (basically i passed a bunch of skating tests)
  -presentation to administrators on school reform to lessen student stress
  Job/Work Experience:
  -figure skating coach
  -math tutor for homeschooled kids
  -babysitter
  Volunteer/Community service:
  -greenwich figure skating special olympics volunteer president
  -lingnei high school volunteer english tutor (over skype)
  -edward williams elementary school tutor
  Summer Activities: NA
  Essays (rating 1-10, details):
  -common app 9/10, about skating and how applied what i learned to other things
  -cornell 7/10, didn’t talk enough about why cornell CAS
  Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
  Teacher Rec #1: 10/10, her daughter skates too
  Teacher Rec #2: 8/10, i had her for 2 years
  Counselor Rec: 7/10? idk
  Additional Rec: 7/10, my skating coach who doesn’t know a lot of english
  Interview: average

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: neurobiology and behavior
State (if domestic applicant): ny
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NA

Reflection

Strengths: figure skating is pretty unique, cornell has a good skating team
Weaknesses: sucky act science score and applying for science major, gpa
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: cornell has good relationship with my high school
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: NA

General Comments : I totally feel if you didn’t get in, I was probably honestly just lucky with my high school and the admissions process and i wasn’t expecting to get in at all! just know that wherever you end up, you’ll have an awesome time!

[Sumac11]

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):35 composite, 36 English, 35 Math, 35 Reading, 34 Science
SAT II: 800 Spanish, 770 Physics, 770 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.85
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):11%-ile
AP (place score in parenthesis): BC Calc (5), Physics C Mechanics (5), US History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: College Seminar in Mathematics Honors, AP Latin, Integration of Desgin, Engineering,and Architecture Honors, AP English Language, French II Honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Olympiad (president), Fencing Club Team (Captain), Latin Club (Co-Consul), Wind Ensemble, Soccer
Job/Work Experience:Tutoring Latin and Physics
Volunteer/Community service: Student tecnology consultant in school
Summer Activities: engineering camps, sleepaway camp
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9, as a child, used duct tape to recreate military armor, leading to interest in ancient Roman history and Roman military technology
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:9, AP Physics teacher, has great relationship with her
Teacher Rec #2: 8, English III Honors teacher, very much appreciated her contributions to class discussions
Counselor Rec: 10, counselor thinks very highly of her
Additional Rec: Fencing coach contacted Cornell coach to say she would be great for the chemistry of the team
Interview: NA

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Hispanic, female, interested in engineering, grandfather is alum

Reflection

Strengths: great essays including quirky personal statement, strong recommendations, high ACT and STEM AP and SAT subject test scores, solid GPA in very challenging courseload
Weaknesses: B+'s in math classes, though took math one year accelerated, completing BC Calc as a junior
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: essays, test scores, recs, rigorous course load
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: withdrew applications from other colleges immediately, but was told by Carnegie Mellon admissions interviewer that she was “extremely competitive.”

General Comments :

[MIT2017LOL]

[asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Deferred [/color][/size]

Objective: CoE
SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (one sitting)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (didn’t submit)
SAT II: 800 MathII 800 World History 800 Physics 800 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99 (Studied too hard)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/500
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Comp Sci (5) AP Physics B(5) AP Calculus BC(5) AB subscore(5) and other 9 APs, all 5s.
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Linear Algebra at local university, AP Physics C, AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Psych, AP Music Theory. AP Spanish, AP Econ
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Made IMO(Gold Medalist), Intel ISEF 1st place in category, Siemens Regional Finalist 10th and 11th grade.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Mathletes (President since 9th grade), Class President(9th,10th,11th,12th). Varsity Football (Captain 9th -12th, made state championship for two years in a roll)

Job/Work Experience: Part time coder for a financial firm in Manhattan.
Volunteer/Community service: 500 hrs at local hospital
Summer Activities: Math research at Princeton University for 3 summers.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10. I had a NY Times best seller author help me.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9/10

Teacher Rec #1: Really good! 9/10
Teacher Rec #2: Okay… 8/10
Counselor Rec: Hated me because she is probably a racist
Additional Rec: Got one from my mentor and another from my boss at the place I worked at
Interview: 10/10. Was an hour and thirty minutes long.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: I have no money.
Intended Major: ME
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Huge public
Ethnicity: Asian (Probably why…)
Gender: Male (Which made it even worse…)
Income Bracket: < 80 K.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.

Reflection

Strengths: Score and ECs.
Weaknesses: Skin color and gender
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I don’t know what happened. I hope MIT makes a better choice tomorrow.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: MIT, Caltech (deferred)

General Comments : Need to work harder next time! Also don’t apply Cornell Engineering ED if you are asian male.

[rphcfb]

MIT,
You are obvoiusly very smart. However, you could do better with a positive attitude. What made you think your counselor is a racist? Maybe, he/she simply did not like your attitude.

My D’s friend is an Asian male who is accepted to CoE this year. He is smart but his credentials are not as impressive as yours.

You said NY Times bestseller helped you with your easay. How much help you got. If the help was a lot, it is no longer “your” essay. Admission officers are the pro. They read thosands of easays. They usually can tell how much of it is the students’s thoughts and how much is the helpers’.

We did not help our D. She wrote her own essay with her originality and passion. She is accepted to CAS this year, too.

[MIT2017LOL]

rphcfb,

First, congrats to your daughter and his friend for making into Cornell!
I’ve tried my best to get into the ivy but it all seems so far away now.
Indeed, I received lots of help from the author; however, I tried to keep it as original as possible.
For counselor, I might have over reacted on that one. My counselor is actually an amazing person who helped me so much.
But, the rejection broke my heart. It hurts me. I started thinking if my counselor had always been lying to me and pretending to be nice. I apologize for that.
After all, it isn’t all for the credentials, it is fate: the one thing I cannot dictate.
Let’s see if MIT does value my hard work tomorrow.

All the best,

[rphcfb]

MIT,
Cornell seems to look for what fits more than just the GPAs and ECs. That can be expressed by the essays. My D’s credentials are good but not as good as some who posted here but are deferred. She wrote an amazing, genuine essay that clearly showed her passion in what she wants to major in and why she could be an asset to Cornell, not just what she can benefit from Cornell.

We think her essay is what got her in. We don’t know what her guidance counselor and her two teachers wrote. The letters were sent directly from the school to Cornell.

You probably are destined to MIT or other great engineering colleges. One of them will be fortunate to have such a bright young man like you. Best of luck.

[MIT2017LOL]

thank you rphcfb . I appreciate your thoughts and advice. I hope you are right and I get accepted into a good engineering school

[yewlongbow]

How did MIT turn out?

[sumptuous]

**Decision: Accepted to CAS **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2390 (800 R, 800 M, 790 WR)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Chem, 800 Math I, 800 Math II, 750 Bio
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 95.4/100
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank.
AP (place score in parenthesis): 6 5s on Calc AB, Calc BC, Chemistry, Physics C: Mech, Statistics, Comp Sci A
IB (place score in parenthesis):N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calc, Mathematical Statistics, Comp Sci A, Spanish IV, AP Bio, AP Lit, AP Physics C: E & M,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Eagle Scout, AP Scholar, Congressional App Challenge, #1 in State for FBLA Event, AIME Qualifier

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boy Scouts (Senior Patrol Leader/JASM)
Cross Country/Track (3 Varsity Letters, not really leadership)
FBLA (Webmaster)
Math League (VP)
School Class (Treasurer)
Coding Club (Founder/VP)

Job/Work Experience:
Boy Scout Camp: 1 summer as counselor
Intern at Software Company: 1 summer
Research Internship in NASA Lab: 1 summer

Volunteer/Community service: Boy Scouts/NHS (not my strength lol)
Summer Activities: Aforementioned jobs, skipping classes, standup comedy, Cross Country, Boy Scout Camp

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9 or 10 for both supplement (It was about Cornell’s Machine Learning research and had some quality Cornell related jokes in it) and Common App essay (It was about doing standup comedy and failing. Everybody I showed liked my essays a decent amount.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Teacher Rec #1: Comp Sci Teacher: 6. He spoke pretty bad English but he liked me.
Teacher Rec #2: History Teacher: 9. He said he worked hard on it and we are tight.
Counselor Rec: 6. I was annoying and made her finish mine first, so probably a little exasperated.
Additional Rec: Chemistry Teacher: 7. I was a good student but we really didn’t form a relationship.
Additional Additional Rec: Research Supervisor 1: 9. I heard it was good.
Additional Additional Additional Rec: Research Supervisor 2. 6. We had a good relationship but his English was not amazing.
Interview: I did 2 other college interviews, and this was definitely the best one. I formed a bond with the lady and we had a pretty cute email pen pal relationship leading up to Dec. 8th.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yeah. (They emailed me asking for additional docs 2 days before Dec 8th which kind of leaked my decision early)
Intended Major: Statistics/CS double major.
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: County Vocational School
Ethnicity: White/Russian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:100-125k a year.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Maybe being a Russian speaker, but probably not.

Reflection

Strengths: A lot of stuff related to my intended major.
Weaknesses:Community Service/Applying to a hard major from a hard region.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I met the requirements?
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Deferred from MIT, and I withdrew everything else.

General Comments : lol i wrote all my regular decision essays already.

[nshadow3]

**Decision: Deferred **

Engineering Applicant

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1420/1600 740 Math 680 English
ACT (breakdown): 32/36 35 Math 35 Science 29 Reading 28 English
SAT II: 800 Math I 800 Math II 790 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~94/100
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):not given
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Compsci(5), AP Us History(3), AP Physics 1(5), AP Physics 2(5), AP Statistics(5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, AP Macro/Micro Economics, AP Computer Science Principles, Independent Study Computer Science, Independent Study Multi Variable Calculus, H English, Band, Gym, Health
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Tied for 1st at programming competition, nothing else major

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):FRC robotics(Senior Director of Engineering)
FTC robotics 9th and 10th (leader)
American Computer Science Leauge
Computer Club
National Honor Society
Wind Ensemble
Jazz band(1st trombone)

Job/Work Experience:Worked as intern over summer, was offered a job instead of going to college
CIT at computer camp for a summer as well

Volunteer/Community service: Community service to fufill requirement for NHS plus 50+ hours for other things.

Summer Activities:Work

Essays (rating 1-10, details):CommonApp 10/10 talks about my job offer and how it made me evaluate the value of a college education.
Cornell Essay 9.5/10 Not 100% perfect, but very close to it
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:Physics 10/10. He told me to thank him after I get into college lol
Teacher Rec #2:Compsci/independent studies 9/10. Known him for a long while. Worked with my other siblings as well
Counselor Rec: 9/10. Very orgainized counselor. He knows that I am super motivated and serious.
Additional Rec: 10/10 Rec from my employer that offered me the job. I was able to read it and it was amazing.
Interview: Went pretty well. Super nice lady, had good conversation.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Extremely Competitive Public School
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Sibling went to Cornell

Reflection

Strengths: Essays Recs and Extracurriculars
Weaknesses:SAT and GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably because I’m a white male. My take on it is that they try to fulfill the minority requirement during the ED cycle and accept everyone else during the regular cycle.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments : I emailed an associate director asking what I could do to improve my application for the next cycle and I got a very reassuring response. I also mentioned that Cornell is still my top school and they said that they took note of that. I’m confident/hopeful that I will get in during the next cycle.

[kfmaguire]

**Decision: Rejected **

Applied to CALS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): NA
ACT (breakdown): 32/36 (35 E, 29M, 35R, 29S)
SAT II: Biology-710 (took others but didn’t report, they were bad tho lol)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): none
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB: 3
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, AP Biology, AP Computer Science, English Elective, History Elective
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Member of Community Service Learning (schoolwide community service organization, elected positions) 10th-12th grade
On school’s 3D printing team, won some competitions
Member of several clubs: GSA (gender and sexuality alliance), French Club, Filmmaking club, founded my own club called “Water Women”-- club about conservation issues in underwater ecosystems
Job/Work Experience: none(other than babysitting but didn’t mention that)
Volunteer/Community service:
2 years volunteering as an education assistant at my local zoo
Volunteer in examination room at local shelter
Summer Activities:
Volunteering every week at the zoo (summer b/w freshman and sophomore year and b/w sophomore and junior year)
Study abroad program in Prague for 1 month (summer b/w junior and senior year)
1.5 month long intro to engineering class at Johns Hopkins, got a B in the course-- 3 math credits (summer b/w sophomore and junior year)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 7.5 or 8/10, not the best I’ve ever read but definitely good, well constructer.
Supplemental: 9. it was real gud
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 my spanish teacher for 2 years, he adores me
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10 my biology teacher last year, she is kind of scatter brained but is also a Hopkins professor (thought it would give me cred)
Counselor Rec: 9/10 She’s great and knows me well
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yea
Intended Major: Animal Science
State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private all girls, very competitive
Ethnicity: White af
Gender: F
Income Bracket: >$125,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): women in STEM?

Reflection

Strengths: my extracurriculars, teacher recs, essays (ACT score is neutral-- not the best but definitely not bad)
Weaknesses: gpa
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: majority of applicants to animal science program = white women and I don’t stand out among that group
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments : I’m probably going to go to UMD next year. Super pumped congrats to anyone who got in! Also my mom was kinda happy I didn’t get in because now she won’t be spending $70,000 a year and instead will be spending ~$15,000 (less than my high school tuition)

[Benny123123]

**Decision: Accepted **

applied to CALS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2100 (750M 660CR 690 W 10E)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (34E 35M 33R 31S 31W)
SAT II: 770 Bio M, 760 Chem, 790 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (3), US History (3), Chem (4), Physics 1 (4), Calc AB (5), Eng Lang (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: APs Music Theory, Bio, Physics 2, Eng Lit, Macroecon, Stat
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): ABRSM level 8 piano pass with merit, National Merit Commended

Subjective: (not going to go in much detail here sorry guys)

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): an animal-related and a music-related club at my school, shadowing at local vet
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: animal shelter, church
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8/10 honestly I thought they weren’t too great even though I had a professional check it over for me, though I did try my best to convey my interests and passion and I think it worked!
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: US History teacher 10/10 loved me
Teacher Rec #2: Precalc teacher 10/10 also loved me
Counselor Rec: 7/10 I have no idea what she thinks of me
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Animal Science
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: low enough
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: true passion for my major and activities relating to major, my grades were pretty solid imo
Weaknesses: my writing skills aren’t that great lol
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I truly had a passion for my major and tried my best to convey it through my extracurriculars and essays
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to some state schools and Purdue

General Comments : I’m so excited to be accepted at Cornell! Can’t wait to meet you all next year

[ew8080]

.

[benoitmandelbrot]

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1480 + 20 WR superscored (680 CR + 800 MTH + 8/7/5 WR)
SAT II: Math II 800, Physics 800, Chem 750
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.902
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): weighted top 10%, unweighted top 20%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
Calc BC (5, with AB subscore 5)
Physics C Mech (5)
Physics C E&M (4)
Chinese (5)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Mandarin 11-12, IB HL Further Math, IB SL CS 1-2, IB SL Philosophy (college classes: Modern Physics I & II, Group Theory and Applications)
*TOEFL: 111 (27 Reading + 27 Speaking + 29 Listening + 28 Writing, taken once)

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

• 3 times AIME qualification
• 2 times Math Prize For Girls qualification
• Regional Science Bowl 2nd Place
• A couple of state-level math competition awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

• One of the NASA Launch Initiative programs at a local university
• Math Club (co-President)
• Science Bowl Club (co-President)
• Asian Club (Secretary)
• Ping-Pong Club (Secretary)
• ARML A-level Team
  Volunteer/Community service:
• Peer tutor at school
• School coffee cart that helps children in Congo get education
• a couple of college classes in junior yr: linear algebra, multivariable calc, differential equations, vector analysis
  Summer Activities:
• Full-time intern at a nuclear reactor affiliated to a local college
• AwesomeMath Summer Program

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
CommonApp: 8/10. Made some minor typos. I didn’t quite like my common app essay but most of the teachers/adults who read my essay said it was good. I feel like Cornell just didn’t care much about my conventions b/c I’m an ESL (English as a Second Language) student.
Supplemental: 9/10. Same issues (one typo), but everyone including myself liked it.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:
10/10. Sophomore year math teacher (that was the highest level of math class offered at our school tho), and I TAed for him in my junior year. He was literally the legendary teacher at our school and is really good at writing recs. We liked each other a lot and talked almost everyday, and he was still really happy to write me a rec when he moved to teach at somewhere else at the end of my junior year.
Teacher Rec #2:
9/10. Senior year English teacher. He liked me a lot, but it was just regular Eng and we didn’t know each other for a very long time.
Counselor Rec:
9/10. We weren’t that connected, but she paid slightly more attention to me than she did to other students b/c 1) I’m an ESL kid; 2) my schedule was really special since I had to take classes at a local university to graduate.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: physics
State (if domestic applicant): OR
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian-Chinese
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female in STEM, first gen immigrant (Eng as Second Lang, moved to the US halfway through freshman year)

Reflection

Strengths:
Had some decent awards and leaderships, took a lot of advanced classes in math and physics, also decent ECs in STEM.
Weaknesses: SAT CR/WR was kinda low, GPA was rekt (got 4 Bs), not a lot of community services, record was extremely one-sided (Honestly I was surprised that Cornell took me because all of my ECs & awards & advanced classes were in STEM–in junior year, I took 6 classes/semester: 3 IB sciences + 2 college math + 1 regular English, and I only took the Eng b/c it was a graduation requirement. I thought Ivies liked kids who are more balanced/committed to community services.)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
I guess not a lot of STEM kids apply to Cornell. My app was really consistent: had a ton of stuff in STEM and I devoted a load of time to almost all of them (I’ve been doing most of the ECs since freshman year). Being an ESL student definitely helped a lot, b/c all the Bs I got were either in social science or Eng (1 in freshie + 3 in sopho), and my counselor basically said that it was b/c my Eng wasn’t very good.

[pandadragonz]

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective: College of Engineering
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 33, Reading (28), Science (36), Math (34), English (32)
SAT II: Math-720, Physics-700, US History-630
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 15%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Mandarin (4), Psychology (5), World History (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Lit and Comp, AP Calc BC, AP Physics C: Mechanics, Religion classes, dance
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Commended National Merit, AP scholar, Rochester Book Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Tennis, STEM club, Mandarin TA, Robotics

Job/Work Experience:

Volunteer/Community service:
Today’s Youth Matter (80 hours), Boys and Girls Club (50 hours)

Summer Activities:
CTY: writing course, College of San Mateo: Intro to Engineering Course, COSMOS: Mobility for land, air, and space cluster

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Personal Statement: 9- I talked about how a few friends and I wrote a letter to the social studies department of our school about the lack of minority representation, more specifically asian representation, in our school textbooks and teachings.
Supplement: 9- not as well written as the previous essay but probably my favorite to write. I framed my essay in 3-4 paragraphs. First paragraph was intro. Second was my past and how I started liking engineering. Third was what my future would be at Cornell (if I were accepted). Fourth was my future after Cornell and where my experience at Cornell would lead me.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 7-Precalc teacher, didn’t talk much in that class, but I did well in that class
Teacher Rec #2: 8.5- Psych teacher, also didn’t talk much in that class, but he knew me well from encouraging us to write the letter to the social science department.
Counselor Rec: 9- I talk to her a lot. She’s quite similar to me: soft-spoken, but smiles a lot.
Additional Rec:
Interview:
I had an alumni interview, doesn’t really count as an interview, but it was okay.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: undecided but now thinking of environmental engineering
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private Jesuit school
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: +$300,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female in engineering

Reflection

Strengths: Most of my extracurriculars were dedicated to STEM, my essays were written well and were creative
Weaknesses: My stats weren’t that high, not much leadership
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My essays showcased my values and dreams.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: no where

General Comments :
I’m so excited to go in the fall!!! It still hasn’t hit me yet though. Congrats to people who got in! It’s gonna be a fun four years.

[shelbypalmer]

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective: CALS
No SAT scores
ACT (breakdown): 32 composite–36 english, 34 reading, 32 science, 27 math (yikes)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/250ish at end of jr. year, idk right now
AP (place score in parenthesis): school doesn’t offer AP/IB, only dual credit
IB (place score in parenthesis): see above
Senior Year Course Load: honors world masterpieces, honors british literature, honors calculus, senior portfolio, honors spanish 4, genetics, human biology, weight training, honors physics 1, honors composition 1 and 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nope

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Art Club (secretary 1 year)
-Varsity Cross Country (91st at state frosh year, 25th at state soph. year, 12th at state jr. year, injured senior year )
-Varsity Track (8th at state soph. year in the 3200m, injured every other year)
-Student Council (class VP 1 year)
-NHS
Job/Work Experience: two weeks of work on a farm last summer, had to quit due to injury (clearly I’m injury prone lmao)
Volunteer/Community service: participate in annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count, work occasionally with my city’s environmental organization, currently painting an inspirational mural in my school district’s student special services building
Summer Activities: summer training for cross country, occasional volunteer maintenance work on a natural preserve in town, volunteer work at my mom’s preschool
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
-Common App: 9/10–writing is one of my strong suits, put probably 8+ hours into it and loved how it came out
-Supplemental: idk maybe 8/10 didn’t like it as much as the common app but still a strong essay

Teacher Rec #1: my XC coach and bio 2 teacher, she likes me pretty well and knows I work hard, probs 8/10

Teacher Rec #2: my portfolio teacher, he legit loves me (and i love him) and he’s known my family for years, plus he’s smart af so probs 9/10

Counselor Rec: not a huge fan of my counselor but i think she likes me, probs 7/10
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yep
Intended Major: general biology
State (if domestic applicant): Missouri
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: medium, not competitive, rural midwest (was hoping this would set me apart)
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 70,000ish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): rural midwest white girl??? idk

Reflection

Strengths: english/reading ACT, essays, teacher recs, that I plan to run XC/track at Cornell if i get in RD
Weaknesses: math ACT, extracurriculars, lack of AP classes on my application
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: deferred probably again because of my weak math ACT and lack of AP courses
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Cornell was the only reach i applied to lmao

General Comments : i was super disappointed when i was deferred as i’ve wanted to go to Cornell since I was a kid, but i have gone on some visits to in-state schools that I really like and i think i’ll be ok when i probably get rejected in April sent in a deferral letter and some artwork in another attempt to catch their attention, but who knows if it’ll actually work. Anyway, good luck/congrats to the rest of y’all!

[kgooner]

[asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred [/color][/size]

CAS - Econ

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1540- 770 math, 770 reading/writing
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 Math II 720 USH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis): currently In Diploma
Senior Year Course Load: IB Bio HL, IB 20th Century History, IB World Religions, IB American Lit, IB Physics HL, IB Theory of Knowledge
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
NM Commended Scholar (lol)
Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Club Soccer - top 50 in nation, won several state and regional tournaments (Captain)
Student ambassador at Holocaust Memorial Center - studying genocide which is what I want to fight as a hr attorney
Varsity High School Soccer - Conference Champions (Captain)
DECA (7th in area but nothing more lol)
Mock Trial Defense Attorney (District champs, regional finalists)
Job/Work Experience: Soccer Coach (15 hours/week), Personal math/writing tutor (5 hours/week)
Interned at local real estate firm
Volunteer/Community service:
Didn’t even address on common app. wasn’t worth mentioning
Summer Activities: Soccer, work
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app - 8/10. Wrote about sitting in the middle seat of an airplane, related that to my internship and why I wanted to study econ
Supplemental - 10/10. I chose econ because I saw it as a stepping stone to being able to truly achieve social change as a human rights lawyer
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: History/Religion teacher, 15/10. He thinks I am the most brilliant student he has, loves to hear from me in class discussions and we both support the same soccer team so that’s a plus. Told me if I don’t get in it’s my fault haha.
Teacher Rec #2: Math teacher, 7/10. Not really close to any of my STEM teachers unfortunately, but I was a junior in her class of seniors taking IB Calc which is the hardest level of math our school offers. She was able to see my academic struggle but i doubt it amounted to much.
Counselor Rec: 5/10. Never met with her (lmao). Big public school means that they send out mass/generic recs.
Additional Rec: Submitted one RD but guess that doesn’t matter for this thread
Interview: Didn’t do one ED round (which probably was a huge mistake). Took the opportunity the second time and it went brilliantly, but too late for this thread huh?

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: You bet
Intended Major: Econ
State (if domestic applicant): WA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Kind of competitive public
Ethnicity/gender: Asian male (oops)
Income Bracket: <70k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection:
Kind of sad lol. Figured this was as good as a chance I’d get to go Ivy.
Strengths: Essay, SAT I, concentrated xcs that directly relate to what I want to do in life, not the typical asian nerd. Thought I came across as a genuine person
Weaknesses: No interview, USH SAT II, no outstanding xcs, no awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No interview
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments :
Ah well. Congrats to all who got in and good luck to all still in the game. Go big red!

[whyareyouhere]

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective: CAS

SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (750 Math 760 English)
ACT (breakdown): 34(35 English, 35 Math 33 Reading 34 Science)
SAT II: 800 MATH II, 700 PHYSICS
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): idk my school does 100 scale so like 98-99ish
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): WHAP(4), APUSH(5), AP CHEM(4), AP PHYSICS 1(whoops lol), AP LANG(4) but i didnt send APs
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP CALC BC, AP LIT, AP FRENCH LANG, AP BIO, AP MACRO
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
National Honor Society
Mu Alpha Theta(Math Honor Society)
State Science Honor Society(national wasn’t available at available at my school)
Women in science award

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Art Club (9-12)
Book Club(9-12)
Key Club(11-12)
Math tutoring
Physics Olympics Participant
Job/Work Experience:
Summer job in retail
Volunteer/Community service:
Math tutoring, other stuff in my community
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Ehhhh like an 9 maybe. My amazing AP lang teacher helped me with it and it was pretty well written
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: My AP Physics teacher absolutely loved me, let me read his letter and it was pretty good so 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: My Precalc teacher. Ummmmm idk. She liked me and I did super well in her class but she was really impersonal so probably 8/10
Counselor Rec: Don’t really know her lol 6/10
Additional Rec:
Interview: I got this super talkative guy who wouldn’t stop talking like i think i got maybe four sentences in. It was like three hours of him talking about his children so idk how good it could’ve been if he didn’t let me talk.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yupyupyup i am broooke lol
Intended Major: Mathematics
State (if domestic applicant):NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian(Pakistani), Arab(Egyptian, Lebanese) which counts as white but i emphasized it anyway
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen, Muslim, Arab, Woman in STEM

Reflection:

Strengths: Idk my essay was solid, my teacher recs were good, my grades were alright
Weaknesses:My ec’s RIP
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I really didn’t expect this man. Probably just cause Cornell needed some Muslims for representation???
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments : I really can’t believe I actually got in??? I’m really excited for next fall. Congrats to all others who got in!!!

[Kajitsu]

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]

Objective: CAS

SAT I (breakdown): Old SAT 2240 (770 writing, 760 reading, 710 math)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 760 US History 720 Biology M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Psych, AP US Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Cross Country Track(10-11)
Won several regional awards in 10th grade for scientific research done to benefit local community

Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: 150 hours at a park
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App: Mentioned a year-long project that allowed me to grow personally. I started off with an anecdote then delved deeply into my thought process in problem-solving 10/10

Supplement: Mentioned my passion for scientific research and connected it with what I seek to accomplish specifically at Cornell 10/10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Science teacher: We built an extremely strong connection throughout the course of 2 years 10/10
English teacher: We were not close but I worked hard and got good grades in her class 6/10
Counselor Rec: Talked to her literally 2 times in 3 years 5/10
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Excellent interview that lasted a little over 40 minutes. Interviewer really liked me and told me she would write me a great recommendation.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: Competitive Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <50,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Solid SAT I scores, was able to make a strong connection between my educational goals and Cornell in essays
Weaknesses: SAT 2 Bio, few ECs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
I was extremely fortunate lol. I believe that my strong essays played an extremely significant role in my acceptance.

General Comments :
Congrats to everyone who got in and good luck to all RD applicants!

Just a tip to future applicants: Don’t underestimate the importance of your essays, especially the supplement. Show Cornell why exactly you want to go there; this can really set you apart from so many other applicants.

[SMcOsk]

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2270, Math: 800 CR: 800, Writing: 670
ACT (breakdown): 35: 36® 36 (W) 33 (M) 35 (S)
SAT II: Biology - 690 Math II - 750 Literature - 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/450ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): Euro (5) EnviSci (5) Bio (5) USGov (4) EngLang (5) BCCalc(4/5) USHist (5) Macro (4) Micro (5) CompSci (4) Psych (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: APHUG, APWH, APCompGov, APArtHistory, AP English Lit, AP Stats, AP Physics, Jazz Ensemble
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None really… NMSF, Boy’s State, Presidential Scholar’s Candidate, Eagle Scout

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS President, Quiz Bowl Captain, Political Science Club (founder) Varsity Tennis, Varsity Swim
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard at a couple different pools, Volunteer EMT
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer EMT, some odd volunteer ops here and there
Summer Activities: Boy’s State, Volunteer EMT, swim team
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Why Cornell? - 7/10- Probably not my best, but I wrote on specific teachers and programs that I was interested in.
Common App - 8/10 - Wrote on my grandmother’s and mother’s influence (both Chilean immigrants)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10, loves me, was quite proud of his essay
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10, liked me a lot, sophomore year AP Bio teacher
Counselor Rec: Glowing, more likely than not
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep
Intended Major: Bio-ish
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic/White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Half Hispanic likely didn’t hurt.

Reflection

Strengths: Courseload, Scores, showed I was a real person and not a set of stats
Weaknesses: Personal essays were weak imo
Why you think you were accepted: I don’t know what they look for
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Hopkins, UVA, W&M, W&L (Rejected from Johnson Scholarship, though) CNU, HSC, Bridgewater

General Comments :

They let me know through an email a week or so ago inviting me to a diversity dinner. Best of luck all!