I'm way too self confident =)

<p>Somewhere around a 3.0/3.1 GPA</p>

<p>2020 SAT
650 W 670 M 700 CR</p>

<p>I took Math 2, but didnt study at all for it, so i'm stuck with a pathetic 640.</p>

<p>All GT/AP classes since 9th grade. Currently taking 6 APs out of 6 classes.</p>

<p>Relatively good AP test scores from last previous years (mostly 4's and 5's).</p>

<p>Published a novel in 2003 (really, still available in places such as amazon or barnes and noble)
Played piano for 12 years
Played tennis for 5 years
Taught tennis for 2, including summer camp and private lessons.</p>

<p>And I was a russian immigrant in the early 90s.</p>

<p>I am undecided. My essays were pretty good, i think. They will most certainly stand out; and i think i made the undecided thing work pretty well for me. If anyone wants to see, i'll send the main essay I used.</p>

<p>Anyway, yeah, my numbers suck. But hey, numbers are just that: numbers. :)</p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

<p>Bad scores + no unique EC's= rejection. Sorry</p>

<p>I'm curious, could you link me to your book? I ask also because it could prove a decent differentiating factor if it's really good. SATs aren't that bad, but GPA is unfortunately on the low side. But this shouldn't stop you from applying, you could have a shot.</p>

<p>well 12yrs of piano, 5yrs of tennis and a written novel counts as unique EC right? i cant believe wat else can be a "unique" EC</p>

<p>bad gpa, low scores, cornell doesnt really like it when you are "undecided". good luck, but i dont think you have a shot at all</p>

<p>I would not go as far to say flat out rejection. Cornell takes a holistic approach in a way that other ivys do not. if they see potential and like you , they will admit you.</p>

<p>Apply and see.
No sense in having every other equally insecure applicant toss pennies at you.</p>

<p>well of course i've applied already; deadlines are long past.</p>

<p>i just wanted to see how crazy I am for doing so :)</p>

<p>Do you hunt communists or are you a hunter who's a communist?</p>

<p>marshies: im already in</p>

<p>Out of curiosity, what's the title of your novel?</p>

<p>Your G.P.A is horribly low. True, it is partly balanced by the AP load...but it's still horrible. On the other hand, your SAT is actually not too bad when compared with the Cornell University average. </p>

<p>Piano and tennis are good EC's, but, for a school like Cornell, you really need a lot more than that. Other sports? Jobs? Community service? Clubs? Church? </p>

<p>Colleges look for diversity. Being a Russian immigrant could be an advantage.</p>

<p>If this was all you had, I would probably have had to admit that you had almost no chance. However, the scales can obviously tip in your favor with your essays and your book.</p>

<p>Your book is crucial here. If you wrote a book and got it published, that's humongous. </p>

<p>I want to see your main essay. Can you just post it on here?</p>

<p>Deadlines are all passed, so sure. :) I'll show you two actually, one as the main common app essay (topic of choice) and the other as why i chose my major (though its about being undecided).</p>

<p>They are different, especially the first. Risky, but different.</p>

<p>Topic of Choice Essay:

[quote]
In this essay, I will write about why I look forward to college. This sentence makes a generalization about the constraints High School puts on the learning environment. This next sentence segues from that statement, to a more specific one. Finally, the last one contains my thesis.</p>

<p>The first reason is freedom. I will have the freedom to make my own decisions. Rather than follow what is imposed on me by parents, I will be able to plot my own route through this portion of my life. In conclusion, I will have the newfound freedom to explore life on my own.</p>

<p>The second reason is freedom. I will have the freedom to learn what I choose to learn, and not what is set in front of me. I will explore my interests, and be able to go in any direction I choose. I will learn what I want to learn: what will truly be of use to me in my future career. In conclusion, I will have the newfound freedom to choose the direction I wish to take my education in.</p>

<p>But the real reason is far bigger, far more important than these. It does not require that horrible archaic five paragraph essay structure either.</p>

<p>It is freedom.</p>

<p>It is not the simple ideas described above; it is the ultimate freedom: being an individual.</p>

<p>For years, we are told how to learn. We are given graphic organizers to record our learning in the "correct" form. We are told how to format our essays; how to style every single paragraph. Everything must be exactly how others want it.</p>

<p>I understand that this is necessary in the early years. One needs an example to understand an abstract concept, and we, as newcomers to the learning world, had to start somewhere. But I do not need to fill in a chart about why "war is bad" when I am a senior in high school. It is not the same. </p>

<p>Some boundaries must exist. In more structured courses, Chemistry for instance, it is very important to abide by formulas. Calculus obviously has little room for creativity, unless you're stuck playing with trig identities. I have no problem following formulae when necessary.</p>

<p>But I do have a problem with being told how to learn. </p>

<p>Not everyone benefits from taking precise Cornell notes. Not everyone learns the purpose of historical events by making a collage. What everyone does have is their own way of taking in information, and in college, I will be free to explore them-- to learn what I choose in my own way. I will not be forced to fill in graphic organizers. I will not be told to make flash cards overnight and study them. I won't be babied into education. </p>

<p>I will learn how I learn best.</p>

<p>I will take risks, such as this essay.</p>

<p>I will not fear "doing it wrong." </p>

<p>I will take in a college education in the most efficient way I have:
My own.</p>

<p>And this I very much look forward to.
<a href="sidenote:%20I%20was%20gonna%20edit%20cornell%20notes%20out%20of%20there%20for%20cornell,%20but%20i%20completely%20forgot%20=P">/quote</a></p>

<p>Undecided Essay:

[quote]
What will I be doing in five years?</p>

<p>Maybe it will be time for graduate school. I've always had an interest in medicine: particularly psychology. Clinical psychology would be interesting, but perhaps general research would be even better. There are so many discoveries yet to be made with this human mind of ours, and what better than to be one of the people making them?</p>

<p>Writing is nice too; I can't ignore that. A freelance job for a newspaper or magazine could be cool. Being a journalist would give me opportunities to explore all sorts of stories and issues behind the scenes; something average people may never see. The topics I could cover are practically unlimited.</p>

<p>I love the ability to make anything my mind conjures up through computer programming. Already fluent in several programming languages, I may go into gaming like my brother, windows software like my father, or perhaps just make something of my own. The possibilities are just about endless.</p>

<p>But what of that exhilerating feeling when I solve that physics problem after 30 straight minutes of work? There are so many fields I may apply that to, but astrophysics in particular stands out. I've always wondered what lay beyond this tiny little earth. How does this universe stay together? How did it come to be? What is it's ultimate fate? Perhaps I will be beginning to research all this myself.</p>

<p>Who knows? I'd be lying if I said I did.</p>

<p>But I do know this: throughout high school, I have discovered so many interesting ideas just begging to be explored further. I may have only scratched the surface during those four years, but in college, I will be able to dig much deeper. Utilizing Johns Hopkin's wide variety of majors and academic resources, I will explore every topic I have even the slightest interest in. I will have neither a pre-chosen major, nor the closedmindedness that sometimes comes with it.</p>

<p>I will come to my decision the right way. I don't know what my final choices will be, or even when I will make the decision. But come graduation, I will have found something that I know I will enjoy doing. Above all, this is most important.</p>

<p>Just like the hidden power of the human brain, the imagination of a writer or programmer, or the incredible scope of our universe, my opportunities in society are practically unlimited. Each and every one is open to me.</p>

<p>To be honest, I'm pretty excited.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>thanks again :)</p>

<p>hope that school in Baltimore likes the second essay, cause it doesn't play well in Ithaca...</p>

<p>I only used the first one for UMD :)</p>

<p>But I do know this: throughout high school, I have discovered so many interesting ideas just begging to be explored further. I may have only scratched the surface during those four years, but in college, I will be able to dig much deeper. Utilizing <strong><em>Johns Hopkin's</em></strong> wide variety of majors and academic resources, I will explore every topic I have even the slightest interest in. I will have neither a pre-chosen major, nor the closedmindedness that sometimes comes with it.</p>

<p>Don't worry, it was changed for every college. Hopkins just happened to be the last one i sent, so my version is like that.</p>

<p>Oh, you meant hopkins rather than UMD.. same thing =P I used the second only for the big ones since they all want to know. Yeah, its not really what they ask for, but that's all i got.</p>

<p>To be brutally honest, maybe even to the point of being mean (I'm sorry) I really didn't like your essays as I was reading them. No offense, but I don't think those are going to help your application that much.</p>

<p>I don't like your essay much. Hmm... I don't like much about the tone...</p>

<p>I think it's a reject.</p>

<p>I don't see what's wrong with your essays... i like them.</p>