Cornell ED Class of 2022 Results

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
21

[asize=4]Decision: Accepted [/size]

Dyson School AEM

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 34 C (36E 32M 34R 33S) 35 SS (36E 34M 36R 33S)
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/198
AP (place score in parenthesis): US (5), Lang (4), Physics, Physics II, Bio, Lit, Gov, Calc AB
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Gov, AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Physics II, Newspaper, Spanish 5, Student tutor
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lacrosse (Captain), Scholar’s Bowl (Captain), NHS (President), Spanish Honor Society (VP), Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief), FBLA (President), Tailgating Club (Treasurer and Grill Master)
Job/Work Experience: Founder and president of startup company, sponsored fisherman, caddy at Golf Course
Volunteer/Community service: 400+ hours
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 9/10 great essay that talked about my interests and how they connected to my personality.
Cornell Supplement: 10/10 talked about my unique interest and how Dyson is the perfect place and the fact Cornell has been my dream school for a tremendous amount of time.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Pre-calc teacher that I was close with. Never read it but he said he spend the most time out of any rec he’d written and it was the best rec ever.
Teacher Rec #2: Gifted teacher that I was also very close with. Never read it but I would think it was great.
Counselor Rec: Said she talked about the obscure things in my app, like tailgating club, and how I was a major leader/influence in the school, not just some brainiac that studied every day. Again, I never read this.
Additional Rec:
Interview: wasn’t given one

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major and College: AEM Dyson
State (if domestic applicant): Kansas (midwest represent!)
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >500k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): geographic diversity and extreme passion for agribusiness

Reflection
I have literally wanted to go to Cornell since 7th grade and have done everything possible to make that dream a reality. My school had never sent a student to the Ivy League and was clueless on the process of selective admissions. This truly is a dream come true and I look forward to my upcoming years in Ithaca!

Strengths: Test scores, GPA, ECs, passion for Cornell and major
Weaknesses: white male, applying to most selective undergrad college in the nation (2.9% last year!!!)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I am from Kansas and extremely passionate for my major and Cornell, and my application showed that. Also, I had above average stats to back up the subjective portion of the application and potentially turn the tide.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: applied ED
General Comments : Go Big Red! A dream come true!

22

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I: 1530 (one sitting) 800 english, 730 math
ACT: didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/425
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5), Psych (5), US Gov (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc combined AB/BC, AP Physics 1, AP World History, AP Lang, Honors English 12, Honors Nutrition, gym credit

Extracurriculars:
-equestrian, leasing a horse and taking riding lessons
-baking, art, sewing and design
Job/Work Experience:
-barn staff, taking care of horses and helping younger kids
-opened and managed a successful online business selling handmade pet accessories for a few years
-taking care of all kinds of animals
Volunteer/Community service:
-previously volunteered at a therapeutic riding center
-previously volunteered at SPCA
Summer Activities:
-work/volunteer at horse camp for kids, helping with horse handling and riding lessons
-did CTY summer camp at Johns Hopkins in like eighth grade
Essays:
common app essay: iffy topic, didn’t spend a ton of time on it
supplement: I thought it was pretty strong
Recommendations:
Teacher Rec #1: definitely great
Teacher Rec #2: probably good
Counselor Rec: probably good
Interview: CAAAN informational meeting

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major and College: CALS Animal Science
State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large public high school, not many people even apply to ivies
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 100,000ish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m graduating a year early from high school? That might actually have hurt me tbh since I only had grades and extracurriculars for freshman/sophomore year. If I had the full four years of high school I would have had more APs and ECs, plus might have taken the SAT again to raise my math score.

Reflection

Strengths: high test score, high GPA and class rank, rigorous course load, ECs very focused on my area of interest (animals), good fit for the program
Weaknesses: only two years of high school classes, no big hooks, not a ton of ECs, not super great at self-promotion
Why you think you were rejected: They have to reject a lot of qualified people and I guess I just wasn’t one of the lucky few.

General Comments: If you were rejected, don’t feel bad about yourself. Your worth can’t be defined by some admissions officer’s mostly arbitrary choice. You’ll do great things wherever you go, and in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t make much difference what name you can put on your college experience. Whatever happens, it’ll work out in the end!

23

**Decision: Accepted College of Arts & Sciences **

To protect my identity I will alter several things here, but it won’t change the general idea

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1430
ACT (breakdown): 34 Superscored (35W, 34M, 33R, 33S), 33 composite
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7 UW 4.2 W…yikes
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ??? top 20th? VERY competitive large public
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH: 5, Eng Lang: 5, Euro 5, CS 4, Chem 4, Calc AB 4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics, AP Eng Lit, AP Psych, AP Stats, AP French
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National French Silver x2, AP scholar, local stuff, no national merit lol

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS, Interact Club(secratery), Student government(class rep), quiz bowl, band where I play the trumpet, JV volleyball
Job/Work Experience: nope
Volunteer/Community service: 60 hours at a christian organization(i’m not christian lol), 30 hours at a retirement home
Summer Activities: volunteering, self-studying for ACT, SAT, and tons of videogames
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 10/10: Very, very good. I think its what got me in. I didn’t talk about accomplishments, just a personal story about myself.
Supplement: 7/10: Wrote it the day it was due, but I fully expressed my feelings and interests in several subjects.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8/10: quiz bowler and writes rec letters for many students
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10: really smart teacher, I got a B in her class but I progressed very well
Counselor Rec: ?/10: He still doesn’t know my name even after working with him many times. He gives us a template where we basically write the essay. He does attend a hundred or more students. However, he did remember one project I did with him for interact club and I told to mention that many times.
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: CAS, undecided
State (if domestic applicant): WV
Country (if international applicant): USA!!! l
School Type: huge public
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: male
Income Bracket: middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: ACT although it was avg for cornell… I’ve heard Cornell secretly superscores the ACT but I dont know how true this is. Common App Essay was great.
Weaknesses: GPA GPA GPA and not an upward trend. I took the most rigorous course schedule(all APs and honors) and I became depressed junior year and grades fell. I got back up but got mostly Bs, but solid AP test scores.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m looking at the people rejected and I have no idea how I got in. It’s not all about stats but your rec letters and ESSAYS. You may be a math/science person but learn how to write great essays that show yourself!
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Pitt

General Comments :
If you’re a junior looking at this like I did last year, reading this helps in no way possible except an ego boost/depression. There are so many factors that you never know.

Good luck to everyone, and if you got rejected I know you will have a great life at another college, don’t dwell on this rejection

24

Decision: Deferred

Major: Architecture

Gender: Male
Race: Caucasian (European American)
Income bracket: Over 60k annually
School type: Private, top 10 in California
Hooks: Built a school in Africa (literally)
Bonus: Legacy

UW GPA: 3.55 (Struggling with emotional problems sophomore year)
W GPA: 3.85

ACT Superscore: 31 (32 reading, 29 science, 30 Math, and 33 English)
ACT Nonsuperscore: 30

No class Rank

Honors Classes (No offered APs or Dual Enrollment):

Sophomore year: Algebra 2/trig honors,
Junior Year: English 3 Honors, U.S. History Honors, Honors Biology,
Senior Year: Honors Physics, Chinese 4 Honors, English 4 Honors, Enrolled in online college English class at CCSF (Honors), Advanced Architecture studies

ECS:
Varsity lacrosse started all 4 years (co-captain as upperclassman)
Club lacrosse team 10th and 11th grade competes in national tournaments
JV and Varsity soccer 4 years (co-captain for JV)
7 week architecture summer internship
BBYO (Jewish leadership organization)

Volunteer Work:
Serving food at a homeless shelter
Packing food for hungry and homeless in the Bay Area
Afterschool tutoring for under-resourced middle school kids

Awards:
(High school does not give academic awards until graduation for seniors)
MIP lacrosse freshman year
All-league lacrosse junior year
All-league lacrosse 1st team senior year (hopefully)
Senegal-School design winner sophomore year

Common app essay: 9/10
Cornell essay: 9/10

Recommendation #1: Amazing 10/10
Recommendation #2: Great 9/10
Recommendation #3: Decent 7/10
Combined counselor + boss rec: Great 9/10

Interview: Good 8.5/10
Portfolio: Good 8.5/10

Strengths: My story and experience with architecture are strong, along with ECs and Recs. AAP legacy also doesn’t hurt. Very challenging course load, taking literally the hardest non-honors courses available because they were what I was interested in.

Weaknesses: Obviously my GPA and ACT scores were my biggest issues. Sophomore year was difficult for emotional reasons and I had never really taken standardized tests going into high school. I am proud of the extremely difficult classes I took in high school, but I regret not having a higher GPA.

25

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (780CR, 730M)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0, 4.25W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): DNR
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry (4), APUSH (5), WHAP (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP AB Calc, AP Euro, AP Lit, AP Physics I, Spanish IV
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
National Merit Commended Scholar
(some spanish awards)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Cross Country JV/V (4 years)
Ambassador Society (officer)
Yearbook Editor
German Exchange program

Job/Work Experience:
worked as a barista last summer
interned at a video production company

Volunteer/Community service:
tutor underpriviledged youth 3hrs/week
youth summer camp volunteer (2015)

Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Wrote about an internship and tied it into my love of film (10/10, I was proud of it at least)
Supplemental: (8.5/10) Described my interests and wrote about why I wanted to pursue them at Cornell, the only downfall may be that it was a little too stiff.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:(9/10) Chemistry teacher who I had a good relationship with.
Teacher Rec #2: (9/10) Spanish teacher who liked me and I always hear writes good recs, though I’ve never read mine.
Counselor Rec: (9.5/10) We have a good relationship, she knows me well, and have spent a lot of time with her working on college the past few years!
Additional Rec:
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: CAS History
State (if domestic applicant): Tennessee
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
I didn’t think I had any hooks other than pretty good grades and scores!

Reflection

Strengths: I think the best part of my application was my common app essay, I really tried to show who I was and showcase my humor. I just wrote about what I really wanted to write about, and I tried not to worry about what I was “supposed” to do.
Weaknesses: No major hooks
Why you think you were accepted: I think I was probably accepted as a combination of my scores and essays.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted St. Andrews (Scotland), never heard back from Villanova, BC, Fordham, and Northeastern

General Comments : I’M SO EXCITED TO BE A CORNELLIAN! For anyone reading this in the future, I just hope this goes to show you that you don’t have to have invented something or started your own business or have some incredible event happen to you to get into a good college. A lot of times hard work and dedication just pays off, and I’m so so lucky it did. I can’t wait to see the rest of you who got in next fall.
And for those of you who got deferred or rejected, don’t lose hope; you all will do incredible things in the future, and the college you go to will not define you.

26

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

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1580, (780 wr, 800 math)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 Math Level II, 760 Biology M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB 4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: (AT at my school means college level course)
AT Senior English
Psychology - FALL
Anthropology - SPRING
Spanish 4 Honors
Greek (7:30 AM class)
Statistics - FALL
AT Statistics 2 - SPRING
AT Discrete Math - FALL
Environmental Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Head of two clubs (Math and human rights clubs), service league representative
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at school library all four years
Summer Activities: Summer research on material science during junior summer, volunteer experience in Tanzania during Sophmore summer
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 6

Teacher Rec #1: 6
Teacher Rec #2: 7
Counselor Rec: 9
Additional Rec: 10
Interview: 8

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: Material Science and Engineering
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): China (go to school in the U.S.)
School Type: private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: N/A
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college

Reflection

Strengths: female in engineering, research, SAT, service experience
Weaknesses: teacher recs, GPA, honors and awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have a really good SAT and have great research experience in my intended area of study, also have pretty strong supplements and personal statement
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A

General Comments : N/A

27

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 35 composite, 35 english, 33 math, 35 reading, 36 science
SAT II: 790 French w/ listening
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.77 unweighted, 4.27 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): 4 french, 5 APUSH, 4 Chemistry, 4 English, 3 World
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Statistics, AP English IV, AP Physics I, Philosophy, Psychology (College course), Independent Study (Food Science), World Religions, PE/Health
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Letter of Commendation, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Food magazine (editor-in-chief; business manager), Basketball (3 year varsity), Environmental Awareness non-profit initiative (co-founder; board member), LLC (founder and co-owner),
Job/Work Experience: Basketball camp counselor and coach (4 years), weekend manager at local jewelry store, cashier/server at pizza restaurant
Volunteer/Community service: tutor and “reading buddy” to underprivileged kids, volunteer at local Arts Council
Summer Activities: off-season basketball, working as a Basketball counselor/coach, working at restaurants/stores,
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP English III (junior)/Philosophy (senior) teacher
Teacher Rec #2: Precalculus Accelerated teacher (junior year)
Counselor Rec: school counselor, very friendly with him
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major and College: CALS Food Science
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Mixed race
Gender: F
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): mixed race

Reflection

Strengths: high test scores, strong essays, specific reasons for why I was interested in Cornell, took 3 semesters of University classes concurrently with high-school classes (2 French at an Ivy league, 1 psychology at local community college)
Weaknesses: a couple of B-grades
Why you think you were accepted: very focused interest (shown through my essays & supported by personal history)-- showed demonstrated and genuine passion for a focused & specific program; made reasons for why Cornell very detailed and explained why they were the right fit for me and why I was the right fit for them
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: n/a

28

Decision: Accepted to College of Agriculture and Life Sciences WOoooH!

Major: International Agriculture and Rural Development
Objective:
ACT (breakdown): (35S, 29M, 30R, 34E), 32 Composite
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87, no weights for my school.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10% Will be slightly higher by end of year.
AP: No AP’s, No IB’s, But many college dual enrollment courses, all taken at the Community College:
Calculus I
English 101
English 102
General Biology I
Nutrition and Wellness
General Chemistry I
etc.

Senior Year Course Load: General Biology I and II, General Chemistry I and II, Honors Government and Economics,
Major Awards: Really

Subjective:

Extracurriculars:
NHS Officer (as of this year)
Over 100hrs volunteer work
Youth Usherboard Leader at Church (Since 8th Grade)
Placed on the Community College’s Dean List (district wide)
1st place in high school science fair freshman year.
Job/Work Experience: 6mo-1yr in Fast Food Industry, and already a Manager in Training.
Volunteer/Community service: 60 hours at a christian organization(i’m not christian lol), 30 hours at a retirement home
Summer Activities: Work Work Work…

Essays:
Common App: 8/10: It was simply an essay about my life, not too good, but not a bad one.
Supplement: 9/10: Wrote very well, and from the heart, but I’m not one for rereading papers, only spell check is good enough for me. I’m pretty sure it was a stellar hit though, as I am majoring in Rural Development, I talked about the necessity to provide food for third world countries.

Teacher Rec #1: 8/10: quiz bowler and writes rec letters for many students
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10: really smart teacher, I got a B in her class but I progressed very well
Counselor Rec: ?/10: He still doesn’t know my name even after working with him many times. He gives us a template where we basically write the essay. He does attend a hundred or more students. However, he did remember one project I did with him for interact club and I told to mention that many times.
Additional Rec: My Boss and Good Friend, the General Manager of my restaurant.
Interview: A Regional Alum, who is from what I’ve seen a pretty important businesswoman in our area.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: CALS, International Agriculture and Rural Development
State (if domestic applicant): AZ
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Small Online (Only 200 in graduating class)
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: male
Income Bracket: middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, and First Generation College (my parents went but never graduated). It probably helped that I wanted to come from all the way across the country in the middle of nowhere.

Reflection

Strengths: ACT was average for Cornell, but pretty high for minorities. Stellar GPA with a stagnant yet upward trend (start strong and finish strong). Many dual enrollment classes means I’ve already been in the college atmosphere.
Weaknesses: 1 AP Class, and no exam to show for it. I wish I had done more extra-curriculars as well.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: (Unknown, applied for FAMU and U of Florida as well).
General Comments :
It really helps if you speak from your heart about that passionate subject you love. And make sure that the rest of your application profile lines up with that passion.
Good luck to everyone, and if you got rejected I know you will have a great life at another college, don’t dwell on this rejection.

(Copied and edited to fit my circumstances from another user).

29

ERROR: In Editing I forgot to change the recommendation letter stats:

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 My College English Professor, so perfect essay, and from the heart because I knew her well and brought her treats ;).
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10: College Biology Teacher, but she wasn’t native to America, so her English grammar wasn’t perfect, but she wrote a lot, and Cornell was always her dream school.
Counselor Rec: 2/10: My Guidance Counselor was someone behind a computer, she didn’t really know me too well, and wrote a template rec.
Additional Rec: My Boss and Good Friend, the General Manager of my restaurant.(Well-roundedness)
Interview: A Regional Alum, who is from what I’ve seen a pretty important businesswoman in our area.

30

[asize=4]Decision: Accepted [/size]
School of engineering
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1480 (690RW 800M)
ACT (breakdown): 29 didn’t send
SAT II: 800 math2 740 physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): I guess around 3.95
Weighted 4.64
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/34
AP (place score in parenthesis): Ap calc bc, physics, Chinese, stats, all 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: honor bio, honor multivariable calc, ap chem, AP Gov, English12
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
None! Just AMC 10&12 school winner
Math department award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Chinese traditional instrument
3 yr of varsity basketball
100+ hr volunteer
UCSC science internship
Job/Work Experience:
No
Volunteer/Community service:
Museum and a non-profit donation organization
Summer Activities:
UCSC summer internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details): common app 7/10, talking about having a breakdown during the summer. How I realize keeping all the emotions piling up isn’t a way to toughness
Cornell sup 9/10 talking about how I use engineering to help people and wish to do so in my college life

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10/10math teacher!!! I love him. I am always the top scorer in his class
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10history teacher
We are not really familiar with each other but he seems to think I am hardworking and smart
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview: great haha my cat came by and sat on my lap during the interview!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: nope, international student
Intended Major and College: CS
State (if domestic applicant): CA, but international student
Country (if international applicant): China
School Type: small private high school
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: idk
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college, woman in engineering

Reflection
I guess I got in bc I appear to be supportive and sweet in the essays. I can’t think of any other reasons!!!

Strengths: GPA, class load, essays
Weaknesses: SAT
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I seemed to be well-rounded instead of being a robert! I showed a lot of emotion and kindness in my essays!

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
This is my first and probably the last acceptance going to withdraw other apps!
Applied for UCs & UIUC
General Comments :

31

**Decision: Deferred **

Major: Animal science, CALS

SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take any
ACT (breakdown): C 32 | E 33 M 35 R 28 S 33
ACT superscore: C 34 | E 34 M 35 R 33 S 34
SAT II: Math 790 Korean 800

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.73
Weighted GPA : 3.95
Very strong upward curve from 3.5 freshman year to 4.3 junior year

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology-4 Calc BC-5 AB subscore-5 Lang-3 Chem-3
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP stat AP lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Presidential Volunteer Service Award silver, AP scholar with honor

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
- Health and Bioscience Academy (Treasurer (11), President(12))
- Internship in animal hospital 280+ hours and 6 months- was offered job didn’t meet age requirement
- ROP program
- Colorguard for 9th, 10th, and 11th grade
- Winterguard for 9th and 10th grade
- School orchestra cello
Job/Work Experience:
- Optometric technician assistant- 10hr/week
- Retail job- 10hr/week
Volunteer/Community service:
- Animal shelter volunteer for 4 years (Junior volunteer leader)
- Open hart kitchen volunteer
- Cello volunteer
Summer Activities: work and volunteer
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app- 7/10; I thought it was pretty cliche even though I was pretty satisfied with how it turned out.
Supplement- 10/10 honestly spent months doing supplement and I absolutely loved it. I wrote about my internship and how it opened up the “real world” of veterinary medicine vs what I thought it would be.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 known her for 3 years and I am president of club shes advising
Teacher Rec #2: 7/10 don’t really know her super well
Counselor Rec: 8/10
Additional Rec: Veterinarian I worked for during internship - 10/10
Interview: CAAAN- went well, showed interest and asked questions

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major and College: Animal Sciences, CALS
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large, competitive public high school
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 250k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation immigrant

Reflection

Strengths: Very career-focused extracurricular activities. I knew what I wanted to be since middle school so instead of trying to take as many extracurriculars as possible, I was able to commit and dedicate to few activities related to veterinary medicine like animal shelter volunteer and the internship.
Weaknesses: my GPA, lack of awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: GPA and common app essay probably
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Colorado state (Accepted), waiting on ohio state, purdue, and UCs

General Comments :

32

**Decision: Accepted **

College of Arts and Science

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 35C (36R 36E 33M 35S)
SAT II: Math I (590 YIKESSS), U.S. History (690)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World (3, didn’t send), AP U.S. (3, didn’t send), AP English Lit (4), AP Calc AB (senior), AP Bio (senior)
IB (place score in parenthesis): no IB
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Calc AB, English elective, French, Econ, Religion
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NONE LOL

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Bio Club (Pres.)
-Campus Ministry
-Alliance Against Human Trafficking Club
-IEA Team
-Outdoor Track: 2 years sprinter / 2 years manager (after injury)
(I’m forgetting something, I had 10 but my commonapp won’t load)

Job/Work Experience:
-Hostess
-Camp Counselor

Volunteer/Community service:
-100 hours of NOT REQUIRED service at a cancer hospital

Summer Activities:
-See job/work experience AND
-2 workshops at a well-renowned lab

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App 9/10 (pretty solid, wrote about camp experience, but it was very literary and creative), Supplement 8.5/10 (also pretty solid, but I started second-guessing this one SO HARD in the hours leading up to the decision!)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): waived FERPA rights, but I go to a small school so my recommenders (teachers and counselors) know me EXTREMELY well and were able to explain my injury

Teacher Rec #1: waived FERPA
Teacher Rec #2: waived FERPA
Counselor Rec: waived FERPA
Additional Rec: none
Interview: CAS doesn’t offer admissions interviews, did NOT get a CAAAN interview (I was soooo worried about this, but I was accepted anyway! I am living proof that this doesn’t matter!)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes (probably won’t get it though)
Intended Major and College: CAS Undeclared
State (if domestic applicant): NY (technically not instate though since I didn’t apply to the contact colleges
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: > $250,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): LEGACY.

Reflection

Strengths: ACT score, GPA was decent
Weaknesses: SAT II’S LOL. I thought for sure that these would be the death of me.
Why you think you were accepted: I was really, really proud of my essays. I managed to get a 35 on my ACT (as you can tell by my SAT II’s, I am pretty much the worst test taker you’ll ever meet. But hey! With a little work (ok, I worked my arse off ALL summer) you can do ANYTHING!!
Where else were you accepted: Cornell is the first school I’ve heard back from!!

General Comments : I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS!!! I AM THRILLED. I have never in my life cried happy tears until today. What a huge relief. WOAH.

To all my deferred and rejected friends: life will go on!! this is not the end for a single one of you. a certain level of intellect and determination is required to even apply to Cornell. Do not lose hope!

33

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 31 composite, 25 math, 28 science, 36 english, 35 reading, 9 writing
SAT II: 710 lit, 740 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 20%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 AP Human Geography
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP CSA, AP Econ, AP Gov, English, Precalc, Astrophysics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): California Scholarship Federation…?

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Yearbook (managing editor)
Job/Work Experience:
Sales Associate at clothing store
Volunteer/Community service:
4 years of charity league (secretary)
Summer Activities:
Cornell Summer 4 years
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: APUSH teacher
Teacher Rec #2: Cornell summer college professor
Counselor Rec: barely know him
Additional Rec:
Interview: great interview with a trustee

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major and College: Gov, A&S
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 750+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments :

34

Decision - Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1560 (800 math, 760 eng)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 math 1 and math 2, 780 chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (weighted - 4.825/5)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 8%
AP (place score in parenthesis): (5) chem (5) stats (4) lang
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: AP BC Calc, AP lit, AP Physics 1, AP psych, AP French, Honors Math Modeling
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2nd in GYI International stock competition, 4 Honors Socieities, Awarded best in Web Design in school, Won 3rd in Science Bowl

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Summer Internship
Business club (VP)
Volunteer team leader at local farm
multiple math and science clubs/team

  • won awards in these
    Varsity track and field
    Volunteering at hospital/library

Job/Work Experience: Tutoring students (paid)
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteering at hospitals and libraries
Summer Activities:Summer internship and online CS course
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7/10 - personal i spoke about my internship experience. It was written well but not very personal

Sup - 9/10 I really spoke from the heart about how engineering fits with my future of helping society

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Math teacher - 10/10. Had her for two years and was always the top student in her AP class
Science - 9/10 was a top student, and really showed her my passion
Counselor - 8/10
Extra Rec from internship prof - 10/10

Interview: CAAAN Informal interview - interviewer was 45 minutes late

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major and College: Chemical Engineering - CoE
State (if domestic applicant): Mass
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NA

Reflection

Strengths: GPA and Test scores are strong strengths of mine. My awards are beneficial as well. My rec letters were well chosen. My course load shows a strong academic student as well
Weaknesses: ESSAYS. My personal statement is probably what made my application drop.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My persona statement was lacking. Other than that, I do not know why I was deferred and am feeling a little depressed about it. It’ll get better though
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments : I wish they told you why your application is deferred, but at least there is still hope. Congrats to those of you who are accepted, and for the rejected, I’m sure you can get in to a very good school elsewhere.

35

Accepted
College HE PAM
700 reading 780 math
100 weighted gpa
Varsity swimmer
DA internship
Political campaign
Other public policy ecs
5 Great rec letters

36

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

HumEc

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 34 composite (36 English, 35 Reading, 34 Science, 30 Math)
SAT II: didn’t send any
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 (My high school grades on a 4.6 scale. More than 1/4 of students in my grade had a above a 4.0, and my school does not weight our GPAs. I would say that my GPA is a little bit on the lower side compared to my peers.)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio (4), AP World History (4), AP Statistics (3), AP US History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Senior Mentor (teach a class daily to freshman, highly selective program), Authentic Science Research, Honors Calculus, AP Computer Science Principles, AP European History, Honors Spanish V, English 12
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honors, Nominated for Prudential Spirit of Community Award, Submitted to Regeneron Science Talent Search, Participant at WESEF

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Mock Trial member for three years; captain for two
-JV/Varsity Track 9th-11th grade
-Senior Mentor (create lesson plans daily, teach 50 minute class to 24 freshman)
-Authentic Science Research student, conducted three-year long study on disparities between gender and STEM
Job/Work Experience: I work part-time at a smoothie/salad store in my town. I have also worked as an intern at the Yale Child Study Center for a week or so each of the past two summers.
Volunteer/Community service:
-J-Teen Leadership (large teen-led community service initiative) member for four years; Special Needs Chair for one year (oversee all events regarding special needs children and their families) and Membership/Recruitment this year (recruited a significantly higher number of kids than years past, included this in my application)
-Buddies Not Bullies Trainer for four years (visit various middle schools and present slideshow and activities about how to prevent bullying in your community)
-Volunteer monthly at residential home for special needs children monthly since 7th grade
Summer Activities: I was a summer camp counselor for the majority of summer 2017, and worked in the kitchen at the same summer camp for summers 2015 and 2016. Also, as stated earlier, I interned at the Yale CSC shadowing researchers in clinical trials of young children with anxiety disorders.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10/10. I was featured in a Netflix Documentary about how pornography culture affects teenagers, and used this to relate my extra curricular experience to my interest in public policy and policy analysis. My other essay was about my experiences in Authentic Science Research and my
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 (My teacher that chose me to be a Senior Mentor.)
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10 (my AP Computer Science Principles teacher who has also been my Mock Trial coach for many years.)
Counselor Rec: 6/10 (I don’t have a great relationship with my counselor, mainly because she manages many students at my school.)
Additional Rec: 10/10 (My mentor for the Authentic Science Research program; he is a medical professor at Yale University and we have been working together for three years.)
Additional Rec: 10/10 (My youth group advisor who worked with me on the Netflix Documentary.)

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major and College: Human Ecology, Policy Analysis and Management
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection: I honestly did not think I was going to get in. A ton of kids from my school applied, and I did not think that they would take more than one of us to HumEc. The other girl who applied to HumEc is very qualified and I knew that she would get in, but they took both of us! It was a great surprise and I’m really excited to begin the next schoolyear with a familiar face.

Strengths:
Weaknesses: Not sending SAT IIs (I know they are optional, but I think that many applicants do send scores)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think that I showed a lot of qualifications for the PAM major, and I really emphasized how much I have studied in high school regarding public policy.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I was accepted to Binghamton. I have applied to many other schools but I’ll be pulling those applications soon.

General Comments : Everyone who was accepted should be proud, you’ve all worked your butts off and you’ve made it! To everyone who was deferred or rejected- I’m sure that all of you are extremely qualified, intelligent students who’ve worked their butts off as well, and sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw. Everybody ends up where it’s right for them, so let’s all make the most out of this experience!!

37

**Decision: Rejected **

College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 R, W, S 34 Math)
SAT II: 790 Math 2 730 bio
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A, weighted GPA: 4.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~ Top 10-12%?
AP (place score in parenthesis): Comp Sci (5), Calc AB (5), Lang (5), Macroeconomics (5), U.S history (5), Gov (4), Physics 1 (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP lit, latin, stat, psych, and calc BC
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing special

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Founded Girls Who Code club
Leadership positions in 2 other (fundraising) clubs
~A few other extracurriculars involving CS (an app, summer stuff, etc.) and other things

Job/Work Experience: just a food job and tutoring
Volunteer/Community service: library
Summer Activities: nothing special
Essays (rating 1-10, details): too subjective to rate? I really liked my Cornell essay and I still do but I guess it didn’t resonate with them
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Don’t know, but probably pretty average

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: Computer Science in CAS
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: idk
Weaknesses: idk
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: no “it” factor? idk, honestly
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet

General Comments :
I tried to portray myself as honestly and uniquely as I could. I did have a small beam of hope inside of me that maybe I had a decent chance but as per usual, it’s a game that not everyone wins. You just never know what they’re looking for. Of course I was very disappointed, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right ? Anyways, there’s my two cents. Surprisingly positive for a cynical person like me, but I gotta take this L like a champ
I hope this is a helpful reference for all future applicants

Congrats to those accepted!!! I’m happy for ya’ll
And to those rejected/deferred - fate has you in good hands :slight_smile:

38

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

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1410, 610 R/W, 800 M
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Math 2(800), Chem(800), Physics(800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB(5), Chem(5), Macro(5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Theology IV, AP Calc BC, Spanish IV, English IV, AP Physics C, Intro comp sci, Discrete math honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Honor Society, Science National Honor society, Math League Varsity(state)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math League(obtained varsity as a junior), Physics club(Head lecturer and Officer), VEX Robotics, Dance School(Assistant Teacher), Track and field(9th-10th grade), Theater(9th-10th grade)
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Kumon (~100hrs) Residential Health Center (~100hrs)
Summer Activities: NJIT Research Internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8-9, Common App - Talked about how I overcame my challenges that indirectly stated why my english was my weak side. Supplement - Went deep, down to professor’s research papers, in terms of why I want to go into cornell
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Physics teacher - talked about my work ethic and my problem solving abilities
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher - talked about my good sense of quirkiness
Counselor Rec: Talked about my good sense of friendly character
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: Physics, CAS
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hindu
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Friendly personality, perfect scores in ap and sat II scores (and the math section of sat I) and strong grades in difficult stem classes, which shows I’m ready for physics coursework
Weaknesses: Weaker grades and regular coursework in non-stem classes such as History and English
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Rejected, probably because of that C+ in US history 1 honors in 10th grade, and I didn’t maximize my potential for physics, in terms of extracurricular activities.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: [May update soon]

General Comments: I was expecting a deferral realistically. I just have some confusion because I have strong grades/difficulty in stem classes but the opposite in other non-stem classes, and my sat I scores show that too. I showcased my passion for physics, yet I think admissions still look as non-stem areas and got red flags from this.

39

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 680+800M
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 both MathII and Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 91.7/100, 10th 95, 11th 96 (I moved to U.S in 2016 April)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP calc 5, AP Physics both 5, AP Psy 4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, AP Gov ,AP Bio, AP Eco
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
NY State Math League Team Winner 3rd place division B
Monroe County Math league top 10
NHS member

Subjective:

Extracurriculars : programming club(WENT TO CORNELL for contest)
math club, diversity club
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:decorating library
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):personally 10, but who knows. My English teacher help me revised it 4 times, major changes included. She said it was impressive, but again, who knows.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): personally 10, but who knows.

Teacher Rec #1: AP Calc teacher
Teacher Rec #2: English
Counselor Rec: my counselor
Additional Rec:no
Interview: no

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: YES
Intended Major and College: CS in Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public high school
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: prefer not to talk about
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college, immigrants within 2 years

Reflection:

Strengths:gpa
Weaknesses:sat, activities and big contests
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I go to Cornell for contest and listened to one of their professor’s speech, which helped my essay.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Applied to UCB and UCLA, but results unknown.

General Comments : My high school has 2-4 students go to Cornell last year. If you are a NYer, much easier to Cornell.
NOTICE : I believe 3 or 4 colleges in Cornell are state-sponsored. Engineering is not, CALS maybe.

40

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 670 Reading, 690 Math one try
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):25/356
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (3), US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Math SL (6)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, IB Literature HL, IB Psychology SL, IB French SL, IB History of the Americas HL, IB Chemistry HL, Theory of Knowledge 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN 9, 10, 11, 12 (President); Varsity Tennis 9, 10, 11, 12 (Captain), Math League 9, 10, 11, 12 (Captain), Welcome Crew 9, 10, 11, 12; Kyokushin Karate age 9-age 17 (Blackbelt and instructor)
Job/Work Experience: Barista (11, 12), Lifeguard (11, 12)
Volunteer/Community service: Founded Treats for Troops, over 250+ volunteer hours, started a dojo with my brother to offer free karate classes to at-risk kids
Summer Activities: Online community college classes in business law and economics, research for my extended essay in conjunction with a large private university on biostatistics and their application in hospital planning.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App essay was a 7, it was written well and I talked about teaching myself how to play the piano, but I don’t think it showed enough of who I am. I wrote my supp the night it was due, and to be quite frank, I was uninterested in Cornell by that point and it clearly showed. There was a typo or two, but I don’t believe that’s what led to my decision.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: IB advisor and TOK teacher, was about an 8/10. He knows me well and was once an English teacher so he could write pretty well about my abilities and my time in the IB DP.
Teacher Rec #2: Written by my trig teacher from tenth grade who is also the district’s athletic coordinator. I know him well and got a 100 on the state final, so he had some good stuff to write about. I’d give his a 6 or 7.
Counselor Rec: Decent, but probably not great. He knows me well enough because I’ve scheduled a few meetings to go over college stuff, but I come from a big public school where most kids only meet with their counselor twice before they graduate.
Additional Rec:
Interview: None

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: Biometry and Statistics
State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $100+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: IB Diploma program, breadth and depth of EC’s, volunteering
Weaknesses: SAT score, coming from NYS, essays
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Sometimes, it just isn’t the right fit. Cornell is ALL about fit and what you can do for their school. I knew going in that I most likely didn’t fit into CALS, but they had the major I wanted. Truthfully, I fell in love with Lehigh University and I couldn’t articulate my passion for Cornell while knowing how I felt about another school. Cornell is a great school, but I knew it wasn’t the one for me. I applied because a few months ago I thought I would definitely be calling Ithaca home, but things change and you grow up and realized that maybe you need something different. My supplement essay was pretty much a joke, but I’m still glad that I tried.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at The College of Saint Rose and Clarkson University. Still applying to U of Rochester, Lehigh University, Case Western University, SUNY Binghamton, UMass Amherst and Northeastern.

General Comments : Please don’t spend too much looking at results pages! A candidate can be accepted one year and rejected the next. A college will choose you because you are the right fit, and eventually you will find the right place to spend the next four years of your life at. Trust the process (: