<p>the major i want is offered in both and comparing the reqs, I'll be perfectly fine where ever I go (considering i get in haha)</p>
<p>im guessing CALS is easier to get into?</p>
<p>Honestly it matters more which college you think you will fit best in. A major part of Cornell admissions is fit, not just test scores and such. Ask yourself where do you want to be and why, whichever you have the better reasons for is where you should apply since Cornell rejects plenty of perfect or nearly perfect applications every year in each college. </p>
<p>While CALS is easier to get into based on acceptance rate, both colleges look for fit. If you’re clearly just applying because you think you’ll have a better chance of getting in, they’ll notice. You do have the option of applying to a first choice college and a second choice college. The admission office rarely uses the second choice option at all, but it is available. If admissions reads your application for the first choice college and decides you aren’t a good fit for that college but may be a good fit for the university, they will forward your application to the second choice college. They only do this about 1% of the time, however.</p>
<p>When I applied, I did Arts and Sciences as my first choice and CALS as my second. I knew CALS was easier to get into so I put it just as a backup, but now that I am really seeing the difference between the two, I am so thankful that I got into Arts and Sciences. The structure of both schools is so different, and honestly CALS would not have been the right place for me at all and I would have been much better off going to a different university than going to CALS. That is just my personal preference; for many other people, CALS is probably the best place for them while Arts and Sciences would be awful for them. Really research both before deciding which one to apply to. </p>
<p>yeah, CALS is a better fit for me (my intended major is offered in both schools but CALS seems better for my goals)</p>
<p>Here’s the real difference between the two: in CALS you apply by major and are admitted/rejected on your fit for CALS and for your major. In arts and sciences, it’s more about general fit then major selection</p>
<p>I’m not sure where the idea that CALS is easier to get into comes from. Looking at the respective acceptance rates, both schools have about a 15% acceptance rate. In fact, in 2013, A&S was a tiny bit higher than CALS.</p>
<p><a href=“Undergraduate admissions - Institutional Research & Planning”>http://irp.dpb.cornell.edu/tableau_visual/admissions</a> </p>
<p>CALS is much much much easier to get into (trust me). If you need more info. on that, feel free to message me. </p>
<p>Interested in finding out more about how you know ahead of time which school is the right fit for you. My D is interested in CALS as 1st choice but could do CAS. How do you know? Thanks!</p>
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<p>Your anecdote of which is easier to get into is just that - an anecdote that doesn’t reflect broader data points, so a personal message to you wouldn’t get someone very far. It may have been easier for you to get in because it’s a better fit for your background. </p>
<p>CALS is also much more of a school for specified interests, like Architecture. It’s technically easier to get into the Architecture program based on the admit rate because the number of people who apply are much more limited due to the credentials required just to apply. Applying to CAS really only requires any high school diploma.</p>
<p>CALS, while not to the extreme of Architecture, has a similar limited audience for many of its programs (obviously not Communication or Biology, but the specific sciences such as Animal Science and Horticulture). The criteria for entry for any such major-specific program may not be as heavily based on raw test scores as much as experience. </p>
<p>The admit rates of both CALS and CAS are almost identical and go back and forth regarding which is slightly more selective any given year, though that broad number is only scratching the surface, of course. No doubt from a purely academic perspective CAS students are stronger in a conventional academic sense.</p>
<p>@ConfusedMominMA Hey so I answered someone else’s question about knowing which college is the right fit, so I’m just going to put my response to them right here and hope it helps you (and anyone else) too:</p>
<p>I will be attending CAS and my best friend will be attending CALS. We are both similar people in a way that has allowed us to stay best friends for so long, but we both learn very differently, so I think that we are both good case studies for who would fit in best at each college.</p>
<p>As far as CALS go, it is very science-oriented and very hands-on. You are required to take a number of specific classes (e.g. chemistry, biology, etc.) If you know exactly what you want to do or at least what field you want to continue in, CALS is a good option. It provides you with a lot of structure and direction. My friend’s first-semester schedule (for an agricultural science major) was entirely chosen for her except for her physical education and freshman writing seminar. I believe she is taking three science classes directly related to her major and labs to accompany all of them.</p>
<p>Arts and Sciences, on the other hand, gives you a lot of room and freedom to choose what you want to study. I find it sort of similar to a LAC in many ways. Arts and Sciences contains the most majors, and it is relatively easy to completely change paths and major in something completely different. There are still distribution and breadth requirements in Arts and Sciences, but they are much more vague (for example: a history class, a foreign language, any science class, any math class, etc.) Arts and Sciences is great if you are looking for freedom in what classes you take, liked the feel of LACs, or simply have no idea what you want to major in (it’s still great if you know exactly what you want to major in, too; you still have flexibility over your schedule). I am going in completely undecided. I don’t even know whether I want to go in a more science or humanities direction. My first-semester schedule contains Hebrew, astronomy, psychology (plus a seminar), a freshman writing seminar, and a PE class (swing dance).</p>
<p>I hope that helped a little. Please let me know if you have any questions, if I left anything out, if you want me to elaborate, or if you want to know where I think you would perhaps fit in. Good luck!</p>
<p>for the fit it was all about the visit to me</p>
<p>i talked with professors as well and explained to them my goals and personality traits</p>
<p>they really said i would like cals and explained how so i was psyched instantly</p>
<p>@Ranza123 Thanks for your help. My daughter’s 1st choice is CALS for AEM with a Finance concentration. She does like structure and knows what she wants so it sounds like CALS would be the right fit for her.</p>
<p>@ramosramosramos Thanks for your thoughts! We have visited Cornell once but not much was going on that day. Keep checking the schedule but so far no visits listed yet for the fall. She needs to get back there and do more in-depth visiting.</p>
<p>summer visits are great because the professors who are actively doing research (almost all) are really friendly about meeting up during a visit. just email ahead</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Careful with AEM. You apply directly to the major and it has an acceptance rate of 8-9%.</p>
<p>If youre going for business/economics then the AEM major you apply directly to through CALS and has a very very low acceptance rate. I applied to that major last year and was rejected ED, and my recommendation is that you apply to CAS instead, due to the high acceptance rate with an Economics degree. Here is my stats if you would like to see them.
SAT I (breakdown): Did not Send
ACT: 32 (E28, M33, R31, S35)
SAT II: Math 1: 750 Math 2: 700
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 15/538
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human (4), World (2), Bio (1), English Lang (3), Macro (2), Env Science (4), US Hist (2), Statistics (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Art History, AP English Literature, AP Psychology, AP US Gov, Teacher Assistant 1, Administrative Office Tech, AP Calc AB, Student Government
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Anne Frank Humanitarian Award, AP Scholar</p>
<p>Subjective:</p>
<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government (Student Body President, Student Body Treasurer), Class Council (Vice-President, Treasurer), Relay for Life Club (Founder/President), National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Varsity Soccer, Varsity Tennis
Job/Work Experience: Walgreens, Mathnasium (Math Tutor)
Volunteer/Community service: RCMA(250+ Hours)- Helping improve the lives and education of migrant workers and their families. Barefoot Hope(20 Hours)- Feeding the homeless of Tampa. Relay for Life(40 Hours)-Money to benefit the American Cancer Society.
Summer Activities: Worked at Walgreens, took MAC 1105 at local community college, as well as a honors virtual school class.
Essays: CA- Student Body President changed by outlook on leadership and success. CALS- Working with migrant children of RCMA inspired my future. Very Strong Essays
Teacher Recommendation: Very close teacher, excellent recommendation.
Counselor Rec: Very good
Additional Rec: Past SGA Sponsor, best letter I have ever had the privilege to read.
Interview: Over 2 hours, still in touch today. Best interview of my life.
Other: In touch with recruiter</p>
<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Applied Economics and Management(AEM) through CALS
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Large Public (2400 Students)
Ethnicity: White/Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A</p>
<p>Reflection</p>
<p>Strengths: Leadership, Community Service, Rank, Testing
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Giving back to community.
Weaknesses: Unweighted GPA, Major Selection (8% AR for AEM Major)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I was rejected because of my major selection, AEM, because it has an acceptance rate of only 8%. Also my unweighted GPA drastically hurt my application.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:Accepted- UF Honors, College of William and Mary, Fordham, FSU, USF. Waitlisted-UVa. Rejected- Cornell, UPenn, Dartmouth
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Community Service- Working with migrant workers.</p>