Do I have ANY chance of getting in here?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>Hello, </p>

<p>Here are a few details about me -</p>

<p>Nationality: Indian
Gender: Male</p>

<p>I went through a CBSE high school. While not as internationally recognized as the IB or not as supposedly tough as the ICSE board, CBSE is supposed to be quite demanding and intense.</p>

<p>Sophomore Year - 95.4% (English: 91, overall school topper)</p>

<p>Junior Year - 78.4% (Rigor of course increased DRASTICALLY. A dip in the scores in this year is par for the course in Indian education systems) [Please see the PS to this post]</p>

<p>Senior Year - 87.4% (Topped the high school in English: 95)</p>

<p>SAT Reasoning Test - 2280/2400 (CR: 770, M: 780, W: 730)</p>

<p>SAT II - English Lit: 760, Math Level 2: 790</p>

<p>TOEFL iBT - 120/120</p>

<p>I already graduated from high school in May 2011 and hope to enroll in colleges from the Fall 2012 session. Right now, I'm taking a gap year. I moved out of my parents' house, came to a new city and started living alone. Basically, my parents were always hesitant about sending me to a far-away country to live by myself at the age of 18 itself. This was sort of acid test to prove my independence to them. Now, while living alone, I am volunteering at a nearby orphanage for street kids. I teach them, play with them and hang out with them. Should have 50 hours by application time.</p>

<p>I am also writing for AOL India. I don't have to go to office or anything like that. I sit at home, write articles and submit it to them. The articles are posted on their site and I get a stipend + byline credit.</p>

<p>Here are some other ECs I could put in my application. These are the ones I had in high school:</p>

<ol>
<li>INDIVIDUAL: Four first prizes in intra-city debate/extempore/speech competitions. </li>
<li>TEAM: Two first prizes in debate competitions (one was Rotary Club's intra-city, one was inter-city)</li>
<li>OLYMPIADS: Ranked 4th Worldwide in International Olympiad of the English Language. Ranked 274th in the country in National Cyber Olympiad.</li>
</ol>

<p>I wish to major in English, by the way. With a planned minor/emphasis/concentration is either Creative Writing/Communications or Film (depending on what the college has, among other factors)</p>

<p>So, please tell me my chances. How much will they be affected if I apply Early Decision/Action? How much will it affect my chances if I ask for need-based aid? (I won't ask for it if the acceptance rate reduces drastically).</p>

<p>PS - I know my Junior Year grades will raise eyebrows. But, in the Indian education system, it's par for the course for Junior Year grades to be much lower than Sophomore Year (because the school holds the exam in the former, whereas the board holds it in the latter) and the rigor of my workload increased DRASTICALLY. That still doesn't excuse my low score, I know.</p>

<p>But the thing is, I'm going to address this in my Common App essay. Junior Year started with a death in the family and a fracture in my right (and dominant) hand. Both these things had a huge impact on me. I was meek and indecisive and ended up studying subjects picked by my parents and, surprise, I was neither passionate about them nor talented in them. I'm going to write my essay on how all these things debilitated my performance a great deal and brought me down. But they also taught me life lessons (even if it was the hard way) and how they helped me grow as an individual. And that's how I'm going to find a spot to explain my uptick in Senior Year scores.</p>

2

<p>You have really good chances. Probably one of the best chance threads I have seen for Cornell 2016.</p>

3

<p>Seems solid to me if your claims about GPA are true. If the school isn’t as internationally recognized and Cornell admissions isn’t as familiar with the school, you’ll probably need a good recommendation from a guidance counselor (or equivalent).</p>

4

<p>I’m sorry but people who do not understand international systems should not post here; the American AP system is considered a joke by most IB diploma and Indian students.</p>

5

<p>AP’s are generally more familiar to colleges in the US so there is an advantage to AP there. That might not be as significant at a place like Cornell which has a lot of IB students, but it still matters. While I’ve heard IB is harder, I’ve also heard AP is more representative of an intro college course. This study did a pretty comprehensive look at how much AP scores matter: <a href=“Publications | Center for Studies in Higher Education”>Publications | Center for Studies in Higher Education; although the regression does seem to be missing IB scores.</p>

6

<p>It isn’t as I understand it, IB diploma candidates are commended further on their course rigor than AP students (unless said AP student has taken an amazing number of APs). IB is a far more comprehensive program and includes TOK, CAS, and an Extended Essay (Each of which are honestly a pain in the ass). Taking a few IB subjects is well and good, but the IB diploma is in a league of its own.</p>

<p>In the case if the Indian system, it tends to be more difficult than AP and IB.</p>

<p>However, you are right AP still plays an extremely important role in the admission process for anyone who has taken them.</p>

7

<p>Come on, TOK’s actually pretty interesting.
Besides, if you actually do EC’s, then CAS is no big deal. All you have to do is write some stupid reflections. IB really isn’t that bad at all</p>

8

<p>Hey guys, I appreciate the value of discussion but it seems you’re going off on a tangent - one that’s not even quite close to what I am asking. Can we please keep the replies on-topic?</p>

<p>By the way, thanks to noragon for saying I have really strong chances. Made my day :-)</p>

9

<p>I’d say your chances are decent, maybe a little on the low side, but if you can write a truly compelling and informative essay, your chances will increase(: You may wish to note why your grades drop on your application, too. Somehow. </p>

<p>Chance me?(: I know I have some high reaches here, just bear with me…
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1211013”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1211013&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;