Cornell RD Class of 2023 Discussion Thread

Ok then, @getmeintopenn back to its not a chance me thread. It’s fruitless trying to predict what ad coms may decide.

@hannah1789 The true cornell interviews are only for select majors. Check their website out for which ones. I dont have the link on hand, but its easy to find the page.

My son got an email like this too. What does it mean? They provided the admission representatives contact info and 2022 class profile. Do you need to contact the admission representatives?

@archaea For what exactly? ITs only for 2-3 select majors that cornell contacts you (interviews only). Any other question/check should be directed to the general/regional email.

@TheGuy1 Soory. I was responding to @pacificnwgal 's post regarding the legacy letter. Do the kids really need to do anything in respond to this legacy letter?

My thoughts on the bizarre legacy letter that just went out -

Maybe this is just me being cynical, but I think this letter was just Cornell throwing a bone to its legacy applicants. Cornell has recently been known to be less likely to accept students based on legacy status than other schools of its caliber if those students don’t apply ED. Earlier this year, I went to a Cornell lecture where an A&S AdCom stood up and said she hated accepting legacy applicants because of the inequality inherent in the legacy system (not a paraphrase, that actually happened). With this in mind, I think this letter is Cornell’s way of showing preferential treatment to legacy students without actually boosting those applicants’ chances of admission. Cornell doesn’t want to piss off its alumni, but it also doesn’t want to have to accept lesser-qualified applicants based on their family connections. This also explains the weird third paragraph where the letter explains Cornell’s basis for admission — they want to remind legacy applicants that the school is extremely competitive and soften the blow when they (potentially) get rejected. I’m sure that at a school that doesn’t accept many legacies RD, the Cornell admissions office gets a good amount of angry legacy parents calling its office after decisions go out.

As far as the “we’re here if you have any questions part,” I think that just plays into the false-preference aspect of the letter. No contacts are provided that aren’t already available to all applicants. So, while contacting a rep won’t hurt your chances, doing so would likely not help your chances of admission either.

Sorry for my rambling here. To all other legacy applicants like myself, keep your heads up. Legacy status may not help you all that much, but it can’t hurt. Plus, if you end up getting in, you’ll know that it was because of your qualification rather than your connections. Best of luck to everyone!

@hoodlumviews True, but Ivies are known to value legacy status (if not, being the only chain of schools doing so) during admissions.

@archaea Sorry for the miscommunication. I mean you could respond if you want to convey something important/showing gratitude. It doesnt hurt in any way at the least.

I thought I had read before that UPenn also only gives legacy preference in ED?

That is true. UPenn states that legacy is for ED

Early Apps do get more preference if they’re legacies. It’s only logical. Regular Apps if legacies, get almost no advantage in that regard. Again, Ivies value legacy status way more than other schools.

Hey, didn’t see the email for my Cornell account and just realized that I missed the Feb 15 deadline for financial aid application. I assumed it was March like most of the other colleges I am applying to. Cornell’s website mentions that the deadline is to ensure that you receive your financial aid results in time, but does it have any other effect besides a delay?

@crazycrabman Not really. They’ll take longer in processing if at all. Thats it though.

My son is triple legacy - mom, grandparents. He has scored 99% on all his board tests, AP scholar (all 5s on 5APs) and has a 4.58 GPA from a top high school in the state. I was very surprised that his ED was deferred to RD. Plus we have visited Cornell which is not easy to get to from where we live. I thought he would definitely get in ED. Now, after reading everything, I’m not sure that he is getting in RD. Not sure if they care about legacy anymore unless you are serious donors.

Do they consider legacy even for RD if he started as ED?

@robocop21 Logically they do, as long as an ‘early interest’ in terms of app was shown. They do factor that in since the app is being reconsidered.

To be honest, top colleges dont care about demonstrated interest, which includes traveling to the campus, since they understand not everyone has the chance to do so (sorry).

If you want concrete proof on this (and what aspects of the app are weighed in to what level), (along with data from a specific admit year regarding pretty much any admission factor) I’d suggest looking through Cornell’s CDS (latest one).

I havent looked at it lately, but I guess a simple google search will lead you to it? Thanks!

@robocop21 Which college did your son apply to?

@robocop21 - Since your son applied ED, that indicates Cornell was his top choice. I think that will still be considered in the RD round.

While legacy is a nudge, it certainly isn’t a guarantee. We know lots of multigenerational legacy students that were waitlisted. Some accepted to Yale, Princeton, Duke, etc…so certainly not lacking in the academics.

I do hope your son will get good news when RD decisions are released!

For an interesting and enlightening look at the admissions numbers by college, google “Cornell University Factbook Undergraduate Admissions”. (Sorry, direct links not allowed). In particular, look at the graph that shows applicant numbers, acceptances, entering, and yield from 1980 (entering Fall) to 2018. The data can be viewed by individual colleges or combined.

As an example, for male students applying to the College of Engineering for Fall 2018, the acceptance rate was 580/9417 = 6.2%! For female students applying to the College of Engineering for Fall 2018, the acceptance rate was 414/3817 = 18.2% (almost three times that of males in the same class).

It is very clear that the College of Engineering has an initiative to increase the number of women in the college. The crossover point was Fall 2017 when the number of women enrolling exceeded the number of men enrolling (and has stayed that way for Fall 2018). The “likely letters” addressed to women applying to the College of Engineering is assuredly relating to improving the Yield numbers for women in COE as they were in the upper 30% in the 1990’s and are now at 60% for Fall 2018.

@billchu2 The female acceptance rate is higher only due to the lesser number of female applicants to begin with and the need to balance the class in a good ratio (by the adcom). There is no special consideration, and yet, there are lesser females accepted than males (according to numbers). This just suggests that all apps are holistically reviewed for fit. There may be a slight play there, but it hardly matters since its other factors (excluding gender) that helps an app get in.

Sorry. Made a typo on my previous write-up. Post #137.

Should read:

As an example, for male students applying to the College of Engineering for Fall 2018, the acceptance rate was 580/9417 = 6.2%! For female students applying to the College of Engineering for Fall 2018, the acceptance rate was 694/3817 = 18.2% (almost three times that of males in the same class).

I’m surprised nobody caught my faulty math! The numbers say that for an equally qualified male and female applicant, the female applicant is almost three times more likely to be accepted. This is clearly an effort by COE to reach equal numbers of M/F in the College. The e-mails I receive as an alum of Cornell COE clearly highlight this initiative. I find this fantastic!