<p>Well after finding out that the best stand-test scores are 23 ACT and 1500 SAT i am giving up on Cornell. Tell me 2 reasons why I should not give up! You know I am desperate, I would not post this. <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/1162591-cornell-me.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/1162591-cornell-me.html</a></p>
<p>I can’t think of a reason for you to not give up given the information in your other thread. Those scores shouldn’t be accepted by CU.</p>
<p>I know… :(</p>
<p>If you have the money, then apply. I don’t think you will get in but at least you won’t live your life wondering. If money is tight, then don’t bother. </p>
<p>Don’t worry, getting into an Ivy League college isn’t the end of the world. There are plenty of other great colleges. One of them will be the right one for you.</p>
<p>:/ Cornell may be unrealistic for you, tbh.</p>
<p>Are you interested in LAC’s at all? there are a lot of tremendous LAC’s that are test optional. You’d have a great shot at even some of the top LAC’s.</p>
<p>Looking over your stats from your other thread, and recognizing you want to do physics, I think you’ll probably be overmatched at Cornell, and thus unnecessarily stressed academically. I don’t know your score breakdown, but I’m going to guess your math was below 700 on the SAT, given your total score. Further, your GPA of 93% while in range, is still a bit low, and you’re barely top 10% of your class. Were your math/science grades at least 95-97? Or more accurately, are you one of the top math/science students in your class (meaning at most, there are only a few individuals better than you at those subjects)? Then you might be okay at Cornell. Physics is one of the most intense majors at Cornell, and you’ll be relying on a curve to pass the classes. If you’re going to be at the bottom of that curve, you will be getting C’s, D’s, and F’s. And your competition in those classes will be people with 750-800 SAT math scores, as well as 5’s on their AP maths and sciences. The physics major at Cornell doesn’t attract your “average top” student in math/science.</p>
<p>You clearly have aspirations of doing physics at a top school. I think I’ve seen enough to question your ability to succeed. Not saying you wouldn’t, but based on the stats, I’d be questioning it. I think you might be happier at an “average” school, where you’ll have a bigger opportunity to excel/set yourself apart. If you do end up excelling at that school, then I would transfer. The thing about going for physics is you will (almost) always be taking classes with top science/math students, no matter where you are.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to sound harsh. Clearly by being top 10% of your class, you’ve had pretty solid academic success, but not so much that I’m sure that will translate to an elite university.</p>
<p>Mikey…if the OP’s total (three sections) SAT score is 1500 my guess is that his M score is around 500…a far cry from 700. he needs to seriously reconsider majoring in math / science and definitely look at state schools.</p>
<p>That was my guess as well, but I wanted to point out a minimum standard to be competitive at a top school.</p>
<p>Creacher – as you know, I’m a big supporter of yours. I’m sorry your scores didn’t improve.</p>
<p>Short answer – I pretty much agree with Mikeyc</p>
<p>Longer answer – It is much to your credit that you are being realistic about your chances of acceptance to Cornell. Every student needs an honest self appraisal, and to develop a realistic list.</p>
<p>One of the reasons the SAT is used is that colleges view it as an indication of whether the student is capable of doing the work at the school at the present time. (Please note this is completely different from the question of whether the student has the native intellegence, many very bright people do not have the skills necessary for any number of reasons).</p>
<p>For example, I believe that an MIT admissions officer stated that they feel any student who scores 700 on each section is capable of doing the work. Harvard has stated something similar at info sessions. In point of fact, if pressed, the ad officers will concede that someone with SATs over 600-650 on each section an probably do the work (and many ‘hooked’ candidates fall below the 700 threshhold). Cornell is most likely comparable, or in any event not significantly less rigorous than these institutions.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, your scores are significantly below this standard. So, the first question I think you need to ask is whether you could do the work at Cornell if you were to be admitted. I think you need to talk to your GC about this, but unless there is some specific reason why your standardized scores are not representative, you may decide that the answer is no, in which case you do not want to apply to Cornell.</p>
<p>If there is some reason why your scores don’t represent your ability to do the work at Cornell , I don’t know whether your background and foreign birth is enough, which is one reason I recommend speaking to a GC, then this is a matter for your GC, and possibly other professional to bring to Cornell’s attention. (I’m thinking of some kind of cognitive matter or a learning disability that manifests itself on standardized tests – though there may be others that I’m not thinking about). </p>
<p>So, here’s the bottom line – there are two downsides to your applying to Cornell. </p>
<p>The first – time to fill out the application and cost of applying. This is minor If Cornell is your dream, I would say apply, even if your realistic chance of acceptance is slim.</p>
<p>The second – do you think you can succeed at Cornell. Unless you can answer this question yes, I don’t think you should apply.</p>
<p>Good luck with whatever you decide.</p>
<p>With 23 ACT, I don’t think you stand a chance at getting into Cornell… it is highly unlikely. (even if you are a recruited sports athlete, with this score, you probably won’t get in)</p>
<p>That said, please be aware that Cornell is not the only great school that will offer a great, quality education. I would do a careful search of possible schools to attend and apply to lots of schools and see what happens. Honestly, you should be focusing on applying to schools at which you have realistic shot at getting in. Good luck.</p>
<p>Don’t let college admissions dictate your self-worth and don’t define yourself by where you go to college. </p>
<p>Apply if you want and hope for a clerical error. Then pick someplace more appropriate and work hard to do your best there. </p>
<p>If the score is a surprise to you, you might want to get it hand scored. It’s possible that you just slipped a space on your answer sheet and hand scoring can usually pick that up.</p>
<p>To be blunt, a 23 ACT and 1500 SAT will not cut it for Cornell, even early decision. It is simply too low. But not attending Cornell isn’t nearly the end of the world. If you work very hard at a state school and achieve a high GPA, then Cornell may be an option for you for graduate school. Remember: Undergraduate school matters extremely little compared to graduate school when applying for a job.</p>
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<p>Bad news here is that elite graduate schools are harder to get in compared to elite undergraduate schools. Top law schools, MBA programs, and medical schools are more competitive to get in than undergrad. In fact, most people at Cornell will not make a cut at a top 10 law school or medical school, even if they try to.</p>
<p>Creacher, if I were you, this is what I would do: you are pretty bright. You are in the top ten percent of your class. You have what it takes to get a better score on the SAT. I would say, you should probably take the SAT one more time. However, this time, you should switch up your study method. Be creative with the way you memorize words on your word lists. Get really amped and involved in the reading passages. Buy a College Board book and take practice test after practice test after practice test. The key of the SAT for Crit is to get inside the mind of the test-maker and once you have taken many practice tests, you can begin to feel what the right answer is. Overall, most importantly, just relax on test day, and believe in yourself. You can get whatever score you want if you study in the best way that suits your learning style and believe in yourself. You definitely can do better. Believe.</p>
<p>Well On my SAT II I got a 750 math1, 580 us hist and a 510 on chem so I dont think that is going to pull it for me :(</p>