Cornell U ED or Stanford EA?

Applying to College
1

<p>Stanford's my first choice, and Cornell is my close second. I don't think I'm a strong contender in Stanford, but I think I have somewhat of a fighting chance with Cornell ED. Which one should I go with? </p>

<p>Here are my stats:
SAT- 2180 (720 V, 740 M, 720 W)
ACT- 35 (36 E, 35 M, 35 R, 33 S)
3.92 UW GPA
8 AP tests with all 5s except one (taking 6 APs next year)
rank of about 30/600
SATII: MathIIC (760) World History (800) Chinese (800)
Chemistry (690)</p>

<p>Good recs, working on the essays (hopefully good), meh ECs (only important stuff is self studying Chinese/History for the least couple of years, 200+ hourse in local library and 150+ hours of research).</p>

2

<p>if one's EA and one's ED, then both. You're allowed to do that because you don't need to go through with EA if accepted.</p>

3

<p>What Gleech says will not work since Stanford is SCEA and will not permit you to do ED apps or other EA apps if you apply there early. If Stanford is your first choice, apply there early. You have as good a chance there as the average applicant so it's definitely worth a shot.</p>

4

<p>No, Stanford EA specifically forces you not to do any other early admission/decision application.</p>

5

<p>If you're Chinese the one EC is lame. You have a much better shot at Cornell.</p>

6

<p>Yeah, I see nothing significant that would get him to Stanford.</p>

7

<p>i'd say cornell ED</p>

8

<p>Cornell .</p>

9

<p>This may be a classic case of one in the hand is better than two in the bush. I think Cornell ED would give you a solid shot, while Stanford SCEA would still give you a very small chance.</p>

10

<p>If you like Stanford better, then you should apply SCEA there. You'd be regretting it for the rest of your life if you applied ED to Cornell, and ended up having to go there when you could have gotten into Stanford, and now aren't even allowed to apply there. You could get into Stanford SCEA if you write a really good essay, have strong recs, and play up the research as your EC.</p>

<p>I think you could get into Cornell as a regular decision applicant anyways, so Stanford makes more sense.</p>

11

<p>I think I'm gonna regret it all my life if I fail to get into both Cornell/Stanford while applying to Stanford SCEA, so it's a lose-lose situation.... ;_;</p>

12

<p>ray... cornell is the way to go. i dont think you will ever regret using the odds in your favor. its a decision on strategy.</p>

13

<p>I was in the same situation. Applied to Yale EA, rejected. Applied to Cornell RD, rejected. Probably should have applied to Cornell ED. So yeah, go with Cornell.</p>

14

<p>If you wouldn't mind being obligated to go to Cornell without knowing if you would have made Stanford, do Cornell ED.</p>

<p>If you're paranoid of being rejected from Cornell RD and Stanford, go SCEA Stanford.</p>

15

<p>You're not exactly going all or nothing here. Both are great schools.</p>

<p>Cornell won't let you down.</p>

16

<p>just know cornell isnt exactly a sure thing, it gets a rep for being the lower tier ivy, but it really isnt, its a solid school with strong applicants too.</p>

17

<p>Yes, strong applicants but surely not as strong as Stanford's. I'm also in the same situation, but with only one of the said schools. Perhaps this is the time when you come to realize that you must love one of your matches/safeties, and just go for it.</p>

18

<p>I know it's not a sure thing, just that I have a better chance. I HOPE I have a better chance...</p>

19

<p>Well, of course Cornell isn't a sure shot, but chances there are noticably better than at Stanford. I'm applying to both myself.</p>

20

<p>You shouldn't concern yourself with chances so much. With stats like those, you ARE going to end up at a good school. I'm sorry if it's not an ivy, but you shouldn't be so stuck on that in the first place, and Stanford is your true goal, no? So you should aim for your true goal.</p>

<p>Besides, I DO think you'll get into Stanford SCEA. Your have 2 SATII's at 800. You have an ACT of 35, which is equivalent to about a 2320. AND the 75th percentile for ACT at Stanford is a 31...your UW GPA is in the top range. You have done volunteer work and research, two things they'll find very admirable. With good recs and a solid essay, you should be able to get in.</p>

<p>So yes, apply SCEA to Stanford. And if you don't get in, you should get in to Cornell RD. Your SAT and ACT scores are above the 75th percentile. Your GPA is top level, putting you at the front of the applicant pool. And the acceptance rate for Cornell RD is HIGHER than the acceptance rate for Stanford SCEA by at least 7% if not 10-13%, so you definitely wouldn't be screwed.</p>

<p>But if for some reason you don't get in to Cornell, you WILL get into a place like University of Michigan. I don't know if you're considering applying there, but you only have to send in your ACT score. You don't even have to send in your SAT Reasoning, let alone your Subject Test scores. But if you did send in either of those, you would be above the 80th percentile of applicants. And don't tell me that University of Michigan isn't a good school or some crap like that...aside from being in the top 30 for US News (which really means nothing), employers recruit directly from there. You'd have a shot at their honors program if you are still this concerned about prestige.</p>

<p>So no, you won't fail at life if you don't get into Cornell nor Stanford.</p>

<p>I'm going to be honest with you...I'm sick and tired of seeing obviously smart people NOT USING THEIR BRAINS when it comes to the admissions process. EC's are only a minimal aspect of the admissions process, like extra frosting on the cake. They like it, but things like an essay can make up for it.</p>

<p>I can garuantee you, you'll get into one of those 3 schools. And U of M has rolling admissions, so if you were to apply in September, you would be accepted to a college by November. If you don't want to apply to U of M, it doesn't really make a difference...you could get into ANY state school with those scores, except maybe UCB and UCLA if you are currently out of state. But even then, I think you would have a good chance at getting into either of those.</p>

<p>I've wasted too many words on this...I apologize for venting. But, apply SCEA to Stanford, RD to Cornell, then whatever other schools you want, and a Tier 1 state school (your state if it is a Tier 1). You'll be going to college then, garuanteed.</p>