Hey, I was just wondering if anyone could give me some insight on my chances at Cornell next year(I’m a Junior). I know that there are a lot of subjective parts of the college admission process, but I just want to have an idea if I would be competitive for Cornell solely based on stats.
SAT I: 2230/2400 and 1540/1600 (800 math, 740 reading, and 690 writing 10 essay). I also got a 221 on my PSAT so I’ll probably be at least a semifinalist (Pennsylvania)
Unweighted GPA: Based on my school its a 3.96 but I got 3 B+'s so I think that’s wrong. I tried to convert it to a normal scale and I got something like 3.81
Weighted GPA: My school has a weird system so its like 4.97. On a system based out of 5, I think I have a 4.3 or 4.4
Class Rank: I wasn’t looking into competitive colleges as a freshman and sophomore so my class rank was 39/558 at the beginning of the this school year. It is now 19/558 after one semester and it will likely go up.
AP Classes: Due to scheduling errors, I was not able to take AP Chemistry this year but I was able to take AP Statistics. Next year I hope to take AP Chem AB, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Micro, AP physics AB, and AP physics BC. My school has 4 classes one semester and 4 new ones the next semester.
EC’s: I know these are subjective so I will just list them.
-Robotics Club (FTC) since 10th grade. Co-Captain this year and most likely Captain next year
-Anchor Club (Community Service) no position
- Peer Tutoring in Math since 10th grade
I’m very committed to Robotics Club and Tutoring so don’t criticize me for not having a lot of EC’s
I’m definitely more math, science, and engineering oriented as compared to English and the humanities, but I still want to take English classes. What do you think my chances would be for early decision and regular decision? Is it harder to get into the college of engineering or the college of arts and sciences?
I forgot. I’m taking the math 2 and physics subject tests in June.
ECs are weak, I understand you’re committed but you are being compared to the best students in the country.
ED: Reach, you have a chance but you’ll likely be deferred
RD: High Reach
Just my opinion.
@jamesjunkers Thank you for your response. I guess my ECs are below average for Cornell. I didn’t mention these because they aren’t school related but I have played recreational soccer for 8 years (I wasn’t interested in playing at high school) and I have had a summer job for two years at a children’s amusement park (30-40 hours a week). I am also in NHS but all of these aren’t extraordinary ECs.
I mean you have a shot? A great one? No. But barely anyone has a great shot. If Cornell is your #1, apply ED and see what happens. If you get in, great. If not, just remember that this is literally one of the best schools in the world.
Does anybody else have some helpful criticism? I want to know some other weak spots in my profile so I can try to improve them.
No criticisms. Just get to know Cornell and write good essays that are interesting and enthusiastic for Cornell. Of course ED gives everyone a better shot. Both engineering and CAS are hard to get into; not sure which is harder, but learn about the programs and pick the best fit for you.
While there aren’t a ton of EC’s there, I’m sure it’s not too much of a disadvantage; you say you’re heavily involved in robotics and tutoring, and it’ll show in your application how involved you are because you list how many hours per week you put in for each EC on the Common App (if that’s how you’ll apply). Make sure to put in the soccer and work, EC’s don’t have to be school-related. That’s why they’re EC’s. Otherwise they would be left to guess what you do over the summer or if you do anything athletic. And I think they prefer not to guess.
I’d say “weak” spots would be the lack of… more. Perhaps you just didn’t include it in your info on the original post, but you have good SATs, good GPA (and improvement over time), good class rank, hard classes, and a few EC’s that you’re passionate about. Not bad by any means, but you didn’t mention any awards, recognition, etc., other than NMSF. I’d say you fit in stats-wise, but when over 40,000 students apply, there are TONS of kids who just fit in like that. Those who get accepted go further than the rest of the pack academically and in their extracurricular activities. I just didn’t get that vibe from reading your info. I agree with @jamesjunkers in saying of course you have a chance, but it’s not a remarkable chance. The subjective things you didn’t talk about are probably what would get you in (letters of rec, essays, etc.).
I’m kind of confused on your AP courses you mentioned though. What do Physics “AB” and “BC” cover? Why take Calc AB and BC simultaneously if BC already covers all of AB’s topics?
@Renomamma @evanian15 Thank you for replying so quickly. I think my letters of rec. will be good because I’m pretty close with my math teacher, physics teacher, and guidance counselor. I haven’t won any major awards like Intel, Siemens, or USAMO but I have gotten some little awards for leadership and academics from my school and the local Rotary club. As for ECs, I’m very involved with Robotics and my friend and I basically built the entire thing ourselves and we had multiple all nighters. Finally, my school has block scheduling so we have 4 classes one semester and 4 new classes the next semester. AP physics AB is mechanics and AP physics BC is electricity and magnetism. I’m taking both AP calculus classes because BC calc is an extension of AB calc. I would take AB calc and physics in the fall and then BC calc and physics in the spring.
Well, I certainly think you have a decent chance. Make sure to include everything in your application. It helps to write good essays if you have visited and toured campus also. And your college list should include several schools you would be happy to attend. Because college acceptances can’t really be predicted. Best of luck to you. You sound like a nice person who has worked hard and deserves good things 
Thanks for the clarification with the AP classes; I see something other than the names listed on the College Board site and always have a little trouble guessing what the actual class is.
Given your elaboration, you’ve probably got better chances than I said before. Maybe I’m just a pessimist. Good luck!
I don’t think your lack of ECs is a big deal because Common App gives you a space to fill out how many hours you spend on each activity. If you spend a lot of time on robotics, etc. you should be fine.
Well, I think you have a decent chance of getting into Cornell. If you write good essays that portray your passion, responsibility and ability and have recommendations that reflect that I see no reason why you don’t have a good shot. Depending on your ethnicity your chances may be increased: women, latinos and blacks are the least represented in this field so being a part of these demographics will boost your chances significantly.
I would personally suggest you don’t take on anything you can’t handle your senior year, because it seems you’re aiming for a heavy coarse load. I have a pretty light load this year (AP Chem being my only AP class and dropping AP Calculus for regular calc) and I still managed to be accepted. Also please consider taking the ACT with writing, I did a lot better on it than the SAT with less effort and preparation.
If you involve yourself in some more EC’s, you definitely have a great shot at admissions. I had a similar gpa and lower SAT scores and I was still accepted,
I stress the importance of essays. Do not underestimate the power of well-written essays. I had a spectacular essay that probably swayed me into admission.
While it’s courageous of you to take all those AP classes, make sure you can receive good grades in them. I took 5 AP classes this year, and I had all A’s to send in on my midyear report.
It’s the small features that sway an applicant to admission, imo. Essays, Recs, EC’s, and mid-year reports.
Good luck on your application journey!