Cornell RD Class of 2021 RESULTS

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

I didn’t see this anywhere else, so this thread is dedicated to 2021 RD results.

Please use the following format while posting the results. Please discuss on the other RD threads, and use this one only for results.

Please replace the “[a” below with just “[” before posting.

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred [/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

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

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

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

Reflection

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

General Comments :

2

**Decision: Accepted **

**Objective: **

SAT I (Old): 620 Reading, 650 Math, 560 Writing (1830 Total)
Sat I (New): 670 Math, 610 Reading (1280 Total)
ACT: 33 Reading, 32 English, 32 Science, 31 Math (32 Composite)
SAT II: None
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (95 out of 100)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3 out of 203
AP (place score in parenthesis): BIO (3), USH (3), LANG (3), PSYCH (4). This year: US Gov, Calc, Lit, Physics 1+2
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: 5 APs (One is Independent Study, Physics 2)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

**Subjective: **

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Club participant, film club, little participation in Student Council.
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Blood Drive
Summer Activities: None
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I would give it a 7/10, it was about making computers accessible to the world.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Haven’t read them

Teacher #1: My Physics teacher
Teacher #2: My Psychology/History teacher
Counselor Rec: Barely knew her
Interview: None

**Other: **

Applied for Financial Aid: HEOP Program, yes.
Intended Major and College: College of Engineering, Computer Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Arabic)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~$12,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m poor, and I’m the first generation to attend college in the US. Also, my school is terrible and doesn’t make a lot of great students.

**Reflection: **

Strengths: I can adapt well to changes, and I’m sort of a Jack-of-All-Trades.

Weaknesses: I’m not super great at anything, and I’m uncontrollably modest.

Why do I think I was accepted: My essay and recommendations, probably. Also my improvement from a 1830 to 1280 to 32. I’m probably missing something that made me shine, because, like I said. my weakness is being modest.

Where else was I accepted: Waitlisted for University of Virginia, rejected from Vanderbilt University, accepted into Stony Brook University.

**General Comments: **

If you’re a Junior or younger reading this, don’t sweat about what college you go to anyway. That’s what I think, even as I got accepted and will attend Cornell. I spent a lot of my time stressing myself by reading what people say on this website, where they will tell you that you have no chance at top colleges for small reasons, like no leadership (my situation), low grades, and no achievements (also, me). Colleges don’t make you smarter, they just make you look smarter, so don’t think because you can only get into a state school that you’re not as intelligent as someone from Harvard.

3

Decision: accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35 math, 34 on other three multiple choice sections, 32 essay)
SAT II: 780 E bio, 740 math I
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), US Government (5), Spanish Language (5), Biology (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: dual enrollment calculus, physics, psychology, and English for first semester; graduated in December and working as an outdoor educator for spring semester
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): speech and debate, track, Spanish national honors society
Job/Work Experience: camp counselor and outdoor educator at a YMCA camp
Volunteer/Community service: tutoring at school, volunteering at camp
Summer Activities: working as a camp counselor
Essays (rating 1-10, details): My common app essay was probably an 8. I wrote about my experience at camp because I went there as a kid and now I get to influence kids in the same position that I was in. I don’t remember my other essay lol

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP Gov teacher. I participated a lot in class and got a really good grade, so I would assume hers was really good and it was probably a 9.
Teacher Rec #2: AP Bio teacher. I did well in the class but was pretty quiet until the end of the year. I didn’t really have a connection like I did with my gov teacher, so hers was probably a 6 or 7.
Counselor Rec: 10
Additional Rec: My boss wrote one and it was most likely an 8.
Interview: Didn’t have one.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: Biological science in CALS
State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Parents were both grad students at Cornell so I have some legacy, but that’s really it

Reflection

Strengths: I am devoted to one thing (camp) which I think reflects well. I also had good scores and grades.
Weaknesses: I don’t think I am very well rounded in my extra curriculars.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Good grades and scores, very caring and aware of other people, legacy
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at Vermont, Pitt, Oberlin, CU Boulder, Ohio University, and Lewis & Clark. Rejected by Harvard.

General Comments: Congrats to everyone!! Very honored to be accepted to an Ivy :slight_smile:

4

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

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (790 Math 730 R/W)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: 800 Math II 800 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (freshman~senior): 3.93
Unweighted GPA (sophomore~senior) : 4.0
Weighted Current GPA: 4.5
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Micro (5) AP Macro (5) Chemistry (5) World History (5) Human Geo (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lang, AP
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

-Econ club (president)
-School retreat (leader)
-School Newspaper (editor)
-Admissions ambassador
-Speech competition finalist 2 years

Job/Work Experience: Restaurant (2 years), Internship
Volunteer/Community service: Library volunteer, charity ambassador

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major and College: College of Business
School Type: Independent
Ethnicity: Asian
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: work experience helped!

General Comments : I did NOT expect to get in at all but never give up and never lose hope!

5

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

SAT I (breakdown): 1560 (800 math, 760 reading/writing)
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 720 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):Probably like a 3.85-3.9 but my school only shows weighted which is a 4.48
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): No rank. Around top 5% I’d guess
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5), Calc AB (5), Psych (5), Physics 1 (3), Micro (5), Enviro (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Marco, AP Calc BC, AP Gov Pol, AP Prob Stat, Honors Lit, Honors Abnormal Psychology, Spanish 5
Awards: NHS

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lots of Theater all four years, lead role in some shows. Karate for over 7 years, Adult Black Belt. Juggling for 6 years, very good and hold a world record. Write poetry, working on a children’s poetry book. Co-founded my HS Improv comedy Club.
Job/Work Experience:Worked as assistant instructor at my Karate School for 2 years and was promoted last summer to Head Instructor (3 years of experience there). Landscaping work over the summer. Teach juggling at summer camps.
Volunteer/Community service: Teaching juggling to underprivilagd and sick children through an organization I’m a part of. Tutor other students for free.
Summer Activities: Work in the 3 jobs listed above. Nothing too exciting here.

Essays: Common App one I’m still not a fan of. Maybe a 6.5/10 because it at least showed my personality well.
Cornell Essay I surprisingly enjoyed a lot. 8.5/10
Teacher Recommendation:Two very good letters from my Sophomore Math teacher and Junior AP Psych teacher. I knew them both quite well and still visit them often to chat and stuff.
Counselor Rec: Should be pretty good aswell. Most students at my HS of 3,000 kids don’t get to know their couselors really at all, but I made an effort and we had a pretty nice relationship.
Additional Rec: One from a very good friend. She let me read it and it was excessivly sweet and nice.
Interview: Went well. Nothing exciting.

State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Intended major(s): Psych
School Type: Large Suburban Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Personality, Cornell Essay, interesting extracurriculars, no superficial material done just for the sake of colleges, LORs
Weaknesses: AP Physics score, No major awards or programs. Freshman year grades were less than stellar.
Other results: Accepted- Cornell, TCNJ, WashU St Louis, Bucknell (Presidential Fellows), Case Western… Rejected-Brown and Princeton… Waitlisted- Dartmouth

General Comments: Truly honored to be accepted! Hope everyone finds happiness with where they end up :slight_smile:

6

Rejected, Guaranteed Transfer

ACT: 32 Composite
Unweighted GPA: 3.93
Rank: 11/550 (10th most diverse in the US, largest in west MI)
AP: World (4), Lang (5), Chem (3), Calc BC (4), Psych (4), Lit, Stats, Comp Sci, Macro, Bio
Senior Year Course Load: All AP (the above with no scores) except Band and required Civics credit

Extracurriculars: Marching Band - 4 yr, 2 yr section leader
Concert Band - 4 yr, 2 yr top ensemble, Solo and Ensemble Div 1 at Districts and States
Vietnamese Catholic Youth Group - 4 yr, performances (skits, dances), training, camps, traveling
Cross Country - 2 yr, varsity letter
Graphic Design Club - 2 yr, started online platform, organized events, and several printed designs
Volunteer/Community service: NHS Lead Tutor
Essays: Great. One of my essays I thought was super funny, talking about how I started coding on Neopets in elementary school. Commonapp one was about donating my hair

Recs: I only felt good about the rec from my cross country coach (I worked very hard and got a bunch of recognition, despite being very mediocre). I’m shy, so I’m sure my band and Calc teacher rec were lackluster, especially since my band teacher submitted his very close to the deadline on the day of a concert lol

Intended Major: Some type of IT major
State: MI
School Type: Large Public, low to average performance school
Ethnicity: Vietnamese
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 100k + (only recently though lol)

Strengths: interesting mix of stuff?
Weaknesses: recs (only 1 academic teacher lolololol), average ACT, no SAT subject tests, not enough focus in activities, time spent
Why you think you were rejcted: I applied on a whim over Christmas break after getting a decent ACT score I didn’t expect much. Also see weaknesses. Didn’t expect much
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: U of M is the only important school I got accepted into, which is where I’m probably going to anyways so I’m fine with the rejection. Waitlisted at Brown

7

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1490 (740 CR+W, 750 M)
ACT (breakdown): 32 (34 E, 32 M, 30 R, 30 S) w/ 28 essay
SAT II: 720 US History, 700 Bio E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97 W: 4.44
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/301
AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish Language (4), Statistics (5), APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, APES, AP English Literature, AP Spanish Literature, Law, Gym/Health
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Eagle Scout, All-State Academic for Cross Country, AP Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boy Scouts (Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Guide; past 11 years), Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (Student Leader, Student Director; 10-12), Neurosurgeon Shadowing (12); National Honor Society (10-12), Mathematics Club (Captain; 11-12), Cross Country (9-12), Indoor Track (9-12), Outdoor Track (9-12), Student Government (11-12), Student Executive Board (10-12)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: 500+ hours with RYLA, Boy Scouts, NHS, ARC tutoring, Special Olympics, CVS charities, etc.
Summer Activities: Cross Country Camp and AP work I guess
Essays: 8/10 - (Common App) about how catching turtles at my lake house has fostered the determination I apply to my academic and extracurricular life today; 9/10 - (Supplement) how Boy Scouts and family illness inspired me to enter the medical field and how my goals are most in line with HumEc and the Human Development major
Teacher Recommendation: 10/10 11th Grade English Teacher - Wrote one that also pointed out my struggles but how I grew from them and my success in the class (well-written but also genuine); 8/10 11th Grade AP Stats/Pre-Calc Teacher - She is the absolute cutest and definitely wrote from her heart. I had her for two classes and she is also the head of the math club, so her opinion carries a lot of weight in my app
Counselor Rec: 7/10 - she likes me, but she has to write over 100 per year so it might not have stood out (she did say she’d write about my inability to fit AP Psych/Physics into my schedule)
Additional Rec: 7/10 - from a counselor at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program that talked about my involvement and contributions to society
Interview: N/A
Other: N/A

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yup
Intended Major: Human Development at HumEc; Pre-Med Track
State (if domestic applicant): Rhode Island
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Prefer not to Answer
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:
Strengths: GPA, rank, supplement essay, and Eagle Scout
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Passionate Pre-Med
Weaknesses: Low SAT II’s (thought we had to send ALL to Cornell, so I sent quite a few 600s on accident)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: see strengths
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
accepted: Boston College, Northeastern, University of Miami, Hobart and William Smith, and a bunch of safeties
waitlisted: Dartmouth
rejected: Harvard, Yale
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: My essay… turtle hunting is definitely “out there” haha (and no, I don’t kill the turtles, I let them go after a couple minutes)

8

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 ACT
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
AP (place score in parenthesis): 18 including this year
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Calc, AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Gov, AP Art History, AP Macro, General Paper
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): UF Investment Finalist, Harvard Book, National AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4-H, SECME, Coding Club, Visual Arts
Job/Work Experience: Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: 4-H events, Hope for Haiti Drive
Summer Activities: Being a teenager
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9? Artsy, mildly funny, and honest
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9/9/7/9 - They were all my dogs, and they showed different sides of my personality
Teacher Rec #1: 9, club coordinator and biology teacher
Teacher Rec #2: 9, english teacher
Counselor Rec: 7, it seemed well-written but not as introspective as others
Additional Rec: 9, physics teacher and coding club sponsor
Interview: 10, I learned a lot about Cornell over the phone!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: Environmental Engineering at CALS
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Chinese-Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Artist

Reflection: Cornell University saw something in me that few other schools saw. Hopefully it all works out and I can attend.

Strengths: Writing and honesty
Weaknesses: Race and fairly average academics
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was direct in my Cornell supplement and artsy in my personal statement. I struck a balance.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

Accepted - Cornell (CALS); Johns Hopkins (College); University of Virginia (College); University of California, Berkeley; University of Florida; Fordham; FIU

Wait listed - Harvard, Yale, Princeton (College), Columbia (College), Dartmouth, Brown, UPenn (Wharton), Rice, U-Chicago

Rejected - Tulane (What the?), FSU (What the???), Duke (Oh well)

General Comments : This college game is a gamble. You win some you lose some. Keep your hope ups and make sure you have a lot of options to apply to. You never know what is going to happen. I got waitlisted at almost 1/2 the schools I applied! Remember to be proud of wherever you are accepted!

9

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 760 math 770 CR
ACT (breakdown): 36 English, 36 reading, 34 science, 34 math
SAT II: 800 on chem and math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/500ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry, calculus, English, apush, all 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: biology, physics, compsci, lit, all ap
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Some local chemistry award, NMF, and eagle scout

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience: home depot
Volunteer/Community service: NHS, boy scouts, over 150 hours
Summer Activities: a lot
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I was actually surprised at how good my essays were. I was just very genuine and honest about why I wanted to go to Cornell, and made sure to show off my personality.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Both were really good, from physics and English teachers

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview: nah

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Ye
Intended Major and College: LAS physics
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: test scores, essays, recommendations
Weaknesses: not really exciting or unique person
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have good test scores, and my essays were pretty good.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted UIUC, Michigan state (full ride), CORNELL
Waitlist at UChicago and princeton
General Comments :

One of my friends got into princeton, but was rejected from Cornell. Just goes to show that you should apply to more than a few colleges, you never know where you’ll get in.

10

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

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2260 one sitting, 2310 super score (800 M, 710 R, 800 W)
ACT (breakdown): 35 composite, (36 Writing, 35 R, 35 M, 34 Science – I think, don’t remember)
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 780 Physics, 770 USH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank but counselor estimated top 1-5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Stats, USH, Biology, Lang & Composition, Calc AB (5); European History, Physics C: Mechanics (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Ap Gov/Honors Econ (one semester each), AP Calc BC, AP Psychology, AP Literature and Composition, AP Comp Sci, AP Chemistry
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing major. AP scholar, National merit commended, some school awards like top AMC scores, honor roll

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Dance Team for 4 years, piano for 11 years, violin for 6 years, youth symphony for 4 years, Students to students for 4 years, SafeRides (board member, it’s a community service program) for 3 years
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: about 200 hours, mostly from students to students and saferides mentioned above
Summer Activities: WTP (MIT program ~ 10% acceptance rate) and that’s about it
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app statement was fairly strong maybe an 8, I honestly didn’t think my Cornell essay was great, but reread and I’d give it a 7 or 8
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: math teacher, she’s taught me since sophomore year, probably like 8-10
Teacher Rec #2: APUSH teacher, weren’t close at all but he’s known to writes great recs, probably 7-8
Counselor Rec: got a new counselor this year, probably a 6-7
Additional Rec: from WTP advisors, probably like an 8
Interview: not even a real interview, I went in with another interviewee and it lasted a total of 15 minutes. He asked 2-3 questions total for each of us

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major and College: College of Engineering, Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: not entirely sure, but > 250k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): girl in STEM

Reflection

Strengths: I was really passionate in my essays and showed how I want to use computer science to research mental illnesses, strong scores
Weaknesses: Almost no hooks, no major awards, not a lot of leadership, no work experience, tbh pretty average Asian
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I guess they liked how passionate I am about using engineering for my dreams and not just in the usual “make money, get famous, work for Google” kind of way?
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to UC Davis, UCSD, UCSB, UC Irvine, UCLA, and UC Berkeley all for computer science
Rejected from MIT, Dartmouth, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia waitlisted at CMU Dietrich but rejected at their CS and school of science,

General Comments : I got lucky this year espeically with UCs, especially Berkeley EECS. College decisions are a crapshoot. However, I am very excited for Cornell it seems like it will be my future home and its computer science is renowned.

11

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

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (740, 800, 800)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): school doesn’t do GPA, but I won’t say I’m in the top 10th percentile of my school
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: The most rigorous possible
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): A national scholarship given to outstanding humanities student, 1st place in a national english competition…that’s it haha

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): president of a community service chapter in my school (became president of the national exco of this organisation this year --> submitted this as an update); chess (member of national junior squad); organised my own chess competition; bunch of writing stuff (no leadership here though); football (really a character builder, but no awards no leadership experience); helped organise an international conference
Job/Work Experience:Harper’s Bazaar, and at two well-known publications in my country
Volunteer/Community service: Have been volunteering at the same place throughout high school (4 years)
Summer Activities: Facilitator at an international conference (related to my community service chapter), studied for exams, wrote a research paper…
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7.5? Some people loved it, some people were lukewarm. I personally didn’t like it all that much.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: He likes me I feel. But he’s very hard to read. Highly experienced. 8/10
Teacher Rec #2: Also likes me, and I do well in his class (usually ranks in the top 10 in a 1000-strong cohort). But I’m not the most enthusiastic or diligent student…He is also highly experienced 8/10
Counselor Rec: Lukewarm towards me. 6/10
Additional Rec: -
Interview: Didn’t have one

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: CAS, Sociology
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): A country in southeast asia
School Type: Top in the country
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: not sure, but comfortable lifestyle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): asian who does humanities (?)

Reflection

Strengths: scores, work experience
Weaknesses: grades (?), Leadership
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments :

12

**Decision: Waitlisted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1580 (790 Reading and Writing, 790 Math, 22 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): 35 Composite (36 English, 35 Math, 33 Reading, 36 Science, 33 Writing)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Biology M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 W, 4.85 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology (5), US History (5), BC Calc (5), Lang and Comp (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Lit, AP Gov, AP French, AP Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing extremely major… National Merit Commended, AP Scholar with Distinction, Harvard Book Award, French Honor Society, National Honor Society, and a bunch of school academic awards.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Varsity Tennis (Captain)
  • National Honor Society (Officer)
  • Asian Culture Club (President)
  • Math Team
  • Biology lab aide

Job/Work Experience:

  • Intern at biomedical company
  • Teacher assistant at local language school (won award for best teacher assistant)

Volunteer/Community service:

  • Invention/Science Camp (Camp Counselor)
  • Volunteer at local hospital
  • Volunteer at town library

Summer Activities:

  • Internship at biomedical company
  • Summer program at Brown
  • Invention/Science Camp (Camp Counselor)
  • Hiking/traveling with family

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

  • Common App: 8/10, Wrote about finding balance between being an individual and contributing to a community
  • Supplements: 8/10, Worked hard on these, but were kinda average I guess

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: AP Bio teacher 9/10, did well in class, work as lab aide
Teacher Rec #2: AP Lang teacher 9/10, did well in class, connected with teacher
Counselor Rec: 8/10 didn’t know super well, but she definitely likes me a lot
Additional Rec: none
Interview: 9/10 Went well! The interviewer said I was the most prepared and knowledgeable about Brown out of all the interviews she had done so far

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biology and Society
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public, small but high-ranking in Massachusetts, competitive atmosphere with many legacy students
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): lol nope

Reflection:
Strengths: Grades, test scores, teacher recs
Weaknesses: Interview, Asian, interested in biology (very popular major), many strong legacy applicants from my school
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Average essays
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Duke, Vanderbilt, UVA, and McGill; wait listed at Harvard, UPenn, and Cornell; Rejected at Columbia and Princeton

General Comments: Congrats to all those accepted! You have worked so hard for this - enjoy yourself now!! For all those who didn’t receive the good news you were hoping for, please remember that college admissions is such a crapshoot and that some random admissions officer’s decision does not reflect who you are as a person. :smiley:

13

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

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2270
Reading 800 Math 740 Writing 730
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Math SL (6) Biology HL (6) Physics SL (6) Mandarin SL (7) English SL (6) Geo HL (6)
Senior Year Course Load: Same as above IB courses
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • NPO (Founder and President)
  • Youth Parliament (Minister)
  • School Store (Manager)
  • YWCA Program (Youth Mentor)
  • Acoustic Band (Lead singer)
    Job/Work Experience:
  • Tim Hortons
  • Rock Band (Paid performances)
    Volunteer/Community service:
  • Senior Centre Performance
    Summer Activities:
  • Work and Study
    Essays (rating 1-10, details):
    (7/10) it was not outstanding. Just safe.
    Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
    Teacher Rec #1: 10
    Teacher Rec #2: 10
    Counselor Rec: 10
    Additional Rec: 10
    Interview: 10

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major and College: SHA
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: Public IB
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Reference Letters, EC, SAT I Reading mark, and luck
Weaknesses: IB Mark not above 40
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my ECs are very management and business central. There was a girl from my school and program with the same credentials as me who got into SHA.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: UC Berkeley, UCLA, Washington St.L, Emory, Vanderbilt
Waitlisted: NYU Stern, Middlebury (why?), Duke
Rejected: Columbia, Dartmouth and Yale
General Comments :
I’m just really happy to get in

14

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

  • SAT I (breakdown): 770 M, 750 CR+W, 20 Essay
  • ACT (breakdown): 36 Composite, 35 English, 36 Math, 36 Reading, 36 Science,
  • SAT II: 800 Math II, 760 Chem, 760 Physics
  • Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98 UW, 4.61 W (scaling is subjective per school so don’t take this too seriously)
  • Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4th out of 230
  • AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chem (5), AP Physics 1 (4), AP World (5), AP US History (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Calc AB Subscore (5)
  • IB (place score in parenthesis): None
  • Senior Year Course Load: AP US Government, AP Literature and Composition, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, AP Physics 2, AP Biology, Multivariate Calculus, Linear Algebra
  • Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
    • Academic awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Scholarship Program Letter of Commendation, Excellence in Mathematics and the Natural Sciences from the Society of Women Engineers (CT Section), Presidential Scholars Semifinalist.
    • Dance awards: Dance Teachers Club of CT Scholarship Winner (2010, 2012, 2013, 2015), DMA National Jr. Mr. Dance Most Talented Non-Finalist (2012), DMA Jr. Mr. Dance of CT (2012), Sophisticated Production’s Highest Scoring Solo (age 15 and under) (2013), DMA Teen Mr. Dance of CT (2014), DMA Tap Class Audition Scholarship 1st Place Recipient (2016), Numerous First Overall Solo and Group Awards (2010 – Present).

Subjective:

  • Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
    • Competitive Dancer (Senior Competition Captain) Tap: 10 Years, Ballet: 9 Years, Jazz: 9 Years, Hip-Hop: 7 Years, Contemporary/Modern: 7 Years
    • Nutcracker Ballet (I've played the role of Prince and Cavalier these past 3 years) (9, 10, 11, 12)
    • National Honor Society (Tutoring coordinator/tutor) (11, 12)
    • French Honor Society (Executive Officer) (10, 11, 12)
    • Seaperch (11, 12)
    • Math League (9, 10, 11, 12)
    • Varsity Tennis (4 singles, 3 doubles) (10, 11, 12)
    • Offered to produce music for small fashion lines
  • Job/Work Experience: None
  • Volunteer/Community service:
    • Assistant Dance Teacher Ages 9-14
    • Nutcracker Ballet Student Rehearsal Assistant
    • NHS Tutor, all subjects
    • Writing Center Tutor
    • Math Center Tutor
  • Summer Activities:
    • 4 Weeks of Dance Intensives/National Competitions
    • Helped build a dance studio/gym in my basement
    • Dance training
    • College Tours
    • Tennis
  • Essays (rating 1-10, details):
    • Common Application Essay Rating: 9?? I had my AP Lit teacher read it over, as well as a few friends. They all said it sounded really personal and unique while being memorable, but I couldn't judge myself accurately.
    • Cornell Supplement: 7-8
  • Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
    • Teacher Rec #1: AP Calc/Multivariate/Linear Teacher, Math Team Coach
  • I assume it would be very good as he knows my intense schedule in and out of school, my work ethic, my sense of humor, and my sociability.
    • Teacher Rec #2: AP Chem Teacher Same as Rec 1, with the addition of my love and curiosity of the natural sciences plus my drive and independence in the classroom.
    • Counselor Rec: Unknown, but she used to attend my dance studio? So maybe that helped. This was also her first year, so personal details may have been rough.
  • Additional Rec: None.
  • Interview: Boring

Other:

  • Applied for Financial Aid?: None.
  • Intended Major: Physics
  • State (if domestic applicant): Connecticut
  • Country (if international applicant): NA
  • School Type: Public
  • Ethnicity: White
  • Gender: Male
  • Income Bracket: Upper middle class
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Male dancer?
  • Strengths: Test scores, extracurriculars, strong commitment to dance, national dance awards, rigorous course schedule, 3 independent studies in physics (shows initiative),
  • Weaknesses: supplement, interview
  • Why you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted: Dance major, test scores, strong essay, unique,

General Comments: Probably going to end up at YPC

Other schools you applied to and their decisions:
Accepted: Williams, Swarthmore, Middlebury, Muhlenburg, William and Mary, Duke (likely letter), Columbia (likely letter), Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Cornell, NYU, Wesleyan, Amherst

Waitlisted: Tufts, Brown, Dartmouth, Stanford

Rejected: Harvard

15

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

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Did not submit
ACT (breakdown): 30 Composite, 24 M 33 R 32 E 29 S
SAT II: Did not take
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/133
AP (place score in parenthesis): World (5) US (4) Lang (4) Physics 1 (3) Taking Lit, Bio, Euro and Gov this year as well. Multiple “Honors Courses”
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Taking AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Euro, AP Gov, Elementary Calculus, Spanish V and Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Marine Corps Award, Society of the Mayflower, couple other little ones, awarded for best scores in grade on multiple NYS Regents ( Perhaps not major)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lots. Key Club, Class Treasurer twice, Student council VP, Science Club, NHS, Varsity Soccer and Tennis (captained), FBLA
Job/Work Experience: Two internships, one competitive with then 300 hours at a Zoo ( first HS student to get it), other noncompetitive at local veterinarians. Work part time seasonally as well.
Volunteer/Community service: NHS, money raises for numerous community causes through Student Council as well
Summer Activities: Interning, Working
Essays: Common app was solid, talked about interning and relevant experience to major selection
Teacher Recommendation: Pretty good, I was happy with them
Counselor Rec: Did not see, and my counselor is the least helpful guy you’ll ever meet so I’ll assume mediocre
Additional Rec: From Vet at Zoo, Friggen fantastic

Interview: Did interview, nailed that sucker. Although the interviewer called me by the wrong name, funny story. I didn’t want to correct him, so I emailed him afterwards. He was very apologetic.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yup
Intended Major: Ag Sciences
State (if domestic applicant):NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Small rural public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Around 100k combined for this years FAFSA, will shoot down to 0K for next year though due to parents leaving jobs to start small business
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Low-ish income? I got fee waivers? Rural area? None really.

Reflection:

Strengths: Great internship experience, really a good recommendation from the Vet I interned for, very heavy course load, especially senior year, combined with a good GPA ( 4.0 UW ). Also very extracurricularly involved and showed interest in Bates, good interview.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My experiences finding a field I enjoyed and thriving in it.
Weaknesses: Lower ACT, no hooks,
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See strengths
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted Bates, Denison, St. Lawrence, Ithaca, Geneseo, wait listed at Dickinson (???), accepted at Bucknell and Cornell CALS

General Comments: I would advise all prospective applicants to take the other results in this thread with a grain of salt. Remember, you are looking at a very particular subset of people here. Plenty of applicants get in without 36 ACTs and 2400 SATs. In fact, I would even argue sometimes super high test scores without the corresponding GPA could work against you. Just have a passion for something, make sure you link it back to Cornell, and be a well rounded, intelligent, likable person. That’s much more important then taking your SAT for the fifth time. Also, the 25th-75th percentile of ACTs at Cornell CALS is 28-33. Don’t give up hope! https://www.suny.edu/campuses/cornell-als/

16

Congrats to you! I’m curious to hear about any aid you received from Cornell? My son’s stats are very similar to yours…Eagle scout, 1520 SAT, 31 ACT, white male, swimming, no hooks. I see you didn’t report income level, ours is over $100k. If you received any aid would you post it please? @Bwcoleman222

17

@mmjceagle Cornell is 100% need match school, if you use their calculator, you’ll get a very close (if not exact) estimate of what they’ll off you. For our family they met our EFC as set by the FAFSA…Cornell does not give specifc merit scholarships