I’ve gotten the impression that it does. It doesn’t even consider extracurriculars in its first review which isn’t exactly “holistic”, and its next steps mostly mention academic competence and whether they are a good fit for Cornell.
No.
1 Like
Who says they don’t consider ?
Check the common data set section c9. It’s listed as very important, the highest level.
Penn, for example, ranks it a rung lower.
I think you are mistaken.
None of us are AOs, we don’t know why schools accept who they do but given published info I think you are wrong.
Why are you asking ? Do you lack extra curriculars and are hoping to get in or are you loaded up and feel it won’t help you?
3 Likes
Here’s the link to the common data set: http://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CDS_2021-2022_V5.pdf
As noted, it’s under section C9
ECs are very important.
2 Likes
Extracurriculars - depending on what they are - go into showing how and why you are a “fit”
Please cite a source for your claim.
ALL Ivy colleges care about ECs. Not sure if you’re confusing Cornell with some other college, but lest you get the idea that Cornell is somehow easy to get into, remember that it still rejects 90% of applicants.
Maybe he’s confused with Cornell College where ECs are simply ‘considered.’
The body of the question explains why
No see the specific details in the body of my question
1 Like
Since everyone is acting like I’m confusing something instead of intelligently taking my question as a sign that they likely must be confused if they, well, are
Quotes from this article:
[if you have insufficient grades] “Even if you are an outstanding student who’s a great fit for Cornell and have wonderful extracurricular activities … there’s not much I can say about you.”
[in the next step they will look at] “whether the student will be a good fit for Cornell and their intended programs — not just whether they are prepared for the rigorous curriculum, but also if they have certain traits and qualities that will allow them to make the most of Cornell”
Also saw answer by an admissions officer where they said the bottom line is you need to be academically competent and refused to answer how looking at extenuating circumstances affecting the semantic indication of grades in addition to the transcript would not enable them to make judgements of academic competence
Also saw an answer by someone with insight (not an applicant) who said that unusual extracurricular achievement sans grades won’t get you into Cornell as much as into other Ivies
If you google Cornell admissions process you will find the relevant article which I have also linked to in a reply to the question
I’m not getting the same take away from this article. I’m reading that grades are the first benchmark. If you don’t have the academics, no amount of ECs are going to get you over the first hurdle. That is the same at all highly selective schools.
IMO, the most important piece of insight from this article (which is from 2018 so the admission landscape has already significantly changed) is that the application is reviewed by the specific college. Fit is absolutely crucial at Cornell. Each of the colleges has a very different focus and educational mission. What ECs and essays can highlight is that fit. Being able to articulate “why Cornell” is essential.
3 Likes
You are quoting 3rd parties.
I would rather look at what the school itself says. They have far more great applicants than they can admit. So would they take someone who offers less ?
I’d go by the common data set and the school’s own words.
Now you’ll say in the article they are quoting Cornell staff and they say first is an academic review but note they move 80% on.
They know they are not going to accept a 3.0 99% of the time so they are simply culling an extra large stack into something more meaningful.
Back to your question - why are you asking. ?
Per the common data set which they fill in, they’re most important.
Albert- ALL “highly rejective” colleges have an academic bar-- and if you aren’t over it, you aren’t getting in. Period, full stop.
The bar is lower for a recruited athlete. There is modest evidence that if you are world class in your field (the next Yo-yo Ma, an olympic caliber athlete in a non-recruited sport, an Oscar winning actor) that the academic bar may be lowered to “recruited athlete” level. Modest evidence, since most of the recent examples of students who fall into those EC categories also had the goods academically.
There are many, many HS kids who assume “I’m in our county youth orchestra” with "Cornell or Princeton won’t care about my many D’s in math. There are many, many HS kids who think “I’m a talented fiber artist so Brown won’t care that I haven’t taken a foreign language or any lab science since everyone knows Brown is the artsy Ivy”.
None of these things are true. If you don’t have the academic chops, your EC’s are not likely to matter. And this isn’t just for Cornell or the Ivy League- this goes for all the “highly rejective” colleges as well. It doesn’t help MIT to admit anyone who can’t pass the core (which is hard- even music and poli sci majors have to take the same physics, chem and math as the engineers).
And the opposite is ALSO true. There are a handful of “academic admits” (really just a handful) that have nothing else besides stellar academics. And even most of the academic admits have something else unusual- it may not be what kids consider an EC (taking care of a disabled family member for example; being the full time translator for a grandparent who doesn’t speak English) which is in ADDITION to being at the top of the charts academically.
EC’s matter. Academics matter. That’s why it’s important to have a range of colleges on your list!
7 Likes