ED Chances

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>Hey, I'm a current HS junior who plans on applying to Cornell CAS ED next year to major in chemistry. I'm wondering if I have a decent shot at all of being admitted. I'm worried because I feel like I don't have anything that really sets me apart.</p>

<p>White male from a public high school in South Dakota
UW GPA: 4.0 W GPA: 4.1525 (I might get my first B this semester, but my UW GPA should be a 3.9 at the very least by the time I graduate, most likely a 3.95 or so).
Class Rank (weighted): 3 out of 500 some</p>

<p>ACT: 30.25 :/ (retaking in June, hoping for 32)
SAT I: Taking in May
SAT II: Taking next fall</p>

<p>AP Classes (my school doesn't have honors courses): Sophomore - AP Bio, AP human geo
Junior - AP Calc, AP chem, AP lang and comp, APUSH
Senior - AP macroecon, AP gov, APES, AP physics, AP lit and comp, AP Spanish
Pretty much the most rigorous schedule available</p>

<p>Honors: Math student of the year - Freshman
Numerous debate awards
Honor roll stuff</p>

<p>EC: Tennis
Policy debate (spent quite a bit of time on this, like at least 15 hours every week, sometimes up to about 25 hours in a week, all outside of school. How could I demonstrate how much time I spent on it?)
Student congress
Extemporaneous speaking
Chemistry club - secretary
Math club
Spanish club
Key club
NHS
National Spanish Honorary Society
Boys State </p>

<p>Volunteer: Very little. Only about 50 hours total. How much does this hurt me?</p>

<p>Work experience: 3 years at the tennis center of a local country club.</p>

<p>Other: I have a brother who's currently enrolled in CALS.</p>

<p>Let me know if there's anything I'm forgetting.</p>

2

<p>Besides your brother, do you have any relatives who graduated from Cornell? This hook, along with your solid performance and being from SD, is going to help you get in.</p>

3

<p>I’m a senior from a public high school in South Dakota, and I was admitted to Cornell’s class of 2015. However, I think the SD hook helped me very little, as I was rejected from as many top schools as I got into.</p>

<p>It’s tough, because our area does not offer us very many opportunities in terms of national and international programs/competetions. So, try to make an effort to stand out in your school and community - which is what I did. I really went above and beyond in involving myself in every aspect of our school and community, held leadership positions in many clubs, racked up about 400 volunteer hours total, and basically took advantage of any opportunity our dinky little school offered.</p>

<p>Our school also offered only 4 AP classes, so you’re in better shape than I was schedule-wise. Its great that you have an extremely rigorous class load - especially if you’re engineering. Your GPA also looks good too!</p>

<p>To heighten your chances, I’d take your ACT again, aim for 33+. Also, aim for 700+ on your SAT IIs. Try to get more volunteer work, and also see if there are any engineering/science programs you can do this summer. If not, take some college classes at the local community college and earn good grades in those. You can have the college send the transcripts to Cornell, which is what I did, and I think that helped. Also, run for office in some of your clubs - the more leadership experience, the better.</p>

<p>Sorry if I was harsh, but I didn’t realize how cutthroat this college application process was and there’s so much I wish I could have done now. You seem like a qualified applicant, but just see if there’s anything you can go above and beyond with. Good luck, and hope this helped! (:</p>

4

<p>How did you do on the AP exams?</p>

5

<p>Unfortunately, I do not have any relatives to also attend Cornell. Just my brother.</p>

<p>And for AP exams, I got a 4 on bio and a 3 on human geography. I’m expecting 4’s and 5’s on my AP exams this year.</p>

6

<p>@GN0714</p>

<p>I’d love to get a 33 or higher on the ACT, but my first goal is just to get a 32. As for SAT II, I plan on taking Math II and chem. Any others that you would recommend me taking? Also, do you know of any possible science programs that are available in SD? Also, I plan on going into chemistry, not engineering.</p>

<p>Thanks for the help!</p>

7

<p>@premed -To be honest, I’m surprised I got in, considering that I took 0 AP exams! Our school didn’t allow us to take our APs until senior year, and between college apps and extracurriculars, I had no time to even think about possibly studying for the AP exam.
Our AP’s were also dual credit though, meaning colleges would automatically give us the credit when we matriculate - this applied only for South Dakota schools though.</p>

<p>@panic - Set your goals high! I aimed for a 36, and ended up with a 34. Even if you don’t achieve what you want, you almost always end up a little under the belt. (: Also, where in SD are you? I live in the tri-state area, with Iowa and Nebraska being within a 5 mile radius. I know a lot of my friends did an Engineering program at Iowa State University, and Northwestern College in Orange City, IA has an awesome Neuroscience program. Check South Dakota State University and University of South Dakota - I’m sure they’ve got some things you can do!</p>

8

<p>^^ I know they may not be Chemistry programs, but I think if you show a concentrated intersest in science, your chemistry passion will make sense anyways! </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

9

<p>I got in ED with no APs
my opinion, don’t worry that much about the test scores - they seem to be considered less and less by top schools. focus on your strong points.</p>

10

<p>No pun intended, but don’t panic your grades and test scores are fine. Yes, even your ACT score lol Cornell cares less about SATs and ACTs than how you do in school. If you stand out in your community and rock your college essays, you’ll get in. My grades are nowhere near as good as yours and I didn’t take as many APs, but I had an incredibly creative and distinguished application and I got in ED as well as the other schools I applied to early.</p>

<p>And really, I had like 50-100 volunteer hours which is nothing compared to a lot of people, but I don’t think they cared.</p>