***Offical Class of 2019 ED Results ONLY***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
81

<p>[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**</p>

<p>College of Arts and Sciences</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2020 (superscored from three sittings) (R: 670 M: 700 W: 650)
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: Literature (740) Math I (680)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Literature (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Micro, AP Macro, AP French, AP Calc AB, some english electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): some local awards for my sport </p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Varsity Squash four years, captain in senior year
-JV Tennis and JV Lacrosse freshman year
-Co-founder of Asian Affinity club</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: hostess at high end restaurant
Volunteer/Community service: taught squash in an urban program in DC
Summer Activities: camps
Essays: Common App was probably 9/10, talked about finding my identity and showed a lot of my passion for my sport
Teacher Recommendation: didn’t read any of them so I’m estimating
English teacher: 9/10 english is my strongest subject and my teacher of two years has seen me grow and knows my passion to become a writer
History teacher: 8/10 probably not too bad, she knows I work my butt off
Counselor Rec: didn’t read. only known her for three months so 6/10?
Additional Rec:
Interview: very relaxed, think I made a good impression
Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: English
State (if domestic applicant): Virginia
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 100K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): athletic recruit, first generation college</p>

<p>Reflection: I got recruited for sports but if you show a lot of passion and determination in your essays you’ll definitely make a good impression on admissions. I worked very, very hard and I think I conveyed that pretty well in my common app essay. </p>

<p>Strengths: good essays and teacher recs
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: commitment to my sport
Weaknesses: uggh test scores, GPA, lack of major awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: only applied to Cornell
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application:</p>

82

<p>Pick one:
Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective: College of Arts and Sciences</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): None
ACT (breakdown): 33: Math 34 English 32 Science 32 Reading 3
SAT II: Math 2 (770) Biology (750) US History (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology 5 US History 5 World History 4 Statistics 5 Psychology 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Environmental Science, AP Spanish, AP Chemistry, Concert Band, and World Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Ap Scholar with Distinction, MSHSL ExCEL Award (Junior) (Excellence in Community, Education, and Leadership ), MSHSL Triple A Award (Arts, Academics, and Athletics) 2nd Place State 2013.</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Cross Country (Captain Senior), Track and Field (Captain Senior), Church President (Senior), Church Choir Section Leader (Senior), Band (Nothing!!!), Science Trip (T.A./Group Leader) Counselor. Habitat for Humanity Club (Administrator)
Job/Work Experience: Frozen Yogurt (7 months)
Volunteer/Community service: 500 hours of community service. Church and Habitat.
Summer Activities: Running 500 miles, Hang out with Friends, Service,
Essays: Normal
Teacher Recommendation: Alright
Counselor Rec: Great
Additional Rec: Good
Interview: Good
Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major: biology
State (if domestic applicant): MN
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Very White
Gender: Male… maybe change
Income Bracket: 200K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): More decent runner 16:57 5K 4:44 Mille. </p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Not Strong, GPA, E.C., and Awards.
Weaknesses: Lots. Girls, Money, McDonalds, Girls again
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: U of M
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application:</p>

83

<p>** Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (700W/700R/740M)
SAT II: Math 2(800), Chemistry(730)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.4 (3.7 W)(ew)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): around 10-20% I believe
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chem(4), AP Calc(5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Studio Art, AP Physics, American Gov, British Lit, Spanish 3
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSQT(only top 5% though so doesn’t mean much)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 250+ hours as a Camp Counselor(sort of) at a local Environmental Nature Center
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring
Volunteer/Community service: Various Environmental programs, drawings for my school’s home tour
Summer Activities: LCAD summer art programs
Essays: Common App(9/10), Cornell Essay(6.5/10)
Teacher Recommendation: Math Teacher(7/10), English Teacher(9/10)
Counselor Rec: Hard to tell got a new counselor this year, did go in and talk to her a few times though(~7/10)</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Architecture
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Fairly large(~400 kids per grade), In the news several times recently(not for good things)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Mid-High</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: A fair bit about dealing with my sister having brain cancer and grand mal seizures. I showed how I can adapt to situations thrown at me and take care of them myself. Grandparents and dad left, mom at hospital with my sister constantly, I took care of my brother.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Very driven toward improving the environment.
Weaknesses: Grades
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Terrible GPA (Slightly excused due to me dealing with home issues)
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: We shall see.
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Sister with brain cancer and grand mal seizures. Dealing with that.</p>

84

<p>@Cali2019…Surprised by the result. If Cornell is still your first choice I would suggest calling admissions and letting them know you were accepted to both MIT and Caltech. I have heard of Ivies taking a second look and reversing their decisions when they have a student with acceptances from other Ivies or Ivy equals (i.e. MIT/Caltech/Stanford). The Ivy I attended did this on more than one occasion (albeit a long time ago). You certainly have awesome choices! Good luck to you.</p>

85

<p>Pick one:
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**</p>

<p>College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): Math: 670 Reading: 780 Writing: 650
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: US History: 730
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/507
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo (5) Euro (4) US History (5) Bio (4) Spanish Lang (5) English Lang & Comp (5) Statistics (3) Chemistry (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Microecon/ AP Gov’t, AP Environments Science, AP Physics 1, AP Psych, AB Calculus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing impressive that I can think of at the moment. Senate recognition for science Bowl, district recognitions.</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varstiy Tennis 4 years (captain 4th), Varsity Swimming 2 years, Interact Club (VP 2 years) Science Olympiad 4 years (State Finalist 2 years) Science Bowl 3 years (captain 1 year, national competitor 1 year), Junior Statesmen of America 3 years (secretary 2 years), National Honors society, California Scholarship Federation
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Local Hospital Volunteer (1 yr), Elementary Science Olympiad Volunteer (3 years) Math Olympiad Volunteer (3 years) Girls Camp Volunteer (2 years)
Summer Activities: Science Olympiad Coach (elementary level, 1 year)
Essays: Wrote my common app essay about competing in the National Science Bowl and how that helped me discover my love of science and learning, wrote my CALS essay about my lifelong love of food and how I eventually combined my love of science with my love of food. Also mentioned my mixed heritage, mum’s job and how that also shaped my unique food upbringing
Teacher Recommendation: Two. One stunning recommendation from my AP English Lang. teacher who I developed a close relationship with Junior year. The second was from my bio teacher and varsity swim coach. I never saw that exact letter, but he gave me a print out of a later version that I was going to send to another school (but didn’t because it was so full of errors). So it is very highly probable the second letter was probably not something I would’ve sent in had I seen it before hand.
Counselor Rec: I think he wrote me one? Was it mandatory? I can’t remember. Anyways, the one I saw was average.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A
Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Food Science
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Mixed (white and Hispanic (Mexican)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 100,000-110,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My love of science, and cooking. How I really just wanted to learn and improve myself.
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: The combination of my extracurriculars and my essay both showing how perfectly suited I am for the major of my choice. I chose a major I knew I loved, and this natural love for what I was hoping to study really shone through in the aforementioned areas. But seriously, my “why Food Science” essay was so good. Being of mixed heritage probably helped too.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I applied to other schools w/ food science. Texas A&M (accepted). Cal Poly Slo, UC Davis, U of Florida… haven’t heard back from those, and I don’t care anymore. Cornell was my no. 1 :slight_smile:
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Allowing my personality to shine through, so the reader felt he or she knew me.</p>

86

<p>Objective:Architecture
ACCEPTED</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown):1530 Mat520 CR500 wr510
ACT (breakdown):didn’t send
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:APES, APLC, Culinary, Am. Govt
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Most Improved Bio, AVID Writeoff finalist</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Film Club(president and founder), MESA, Art Club, MathCon
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:Medical Center Volunteer 400+, Bus Transit Mobility Worker, Tutor
Summer Activities:
Essays:good
Teacher Recommendation:calc 10/10
Counselor Rec:7/10 he made grammatical errors
Additional Rec:11/10
Interview:3 hr interview
Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?:yes
Intended Major:architecture
State (if domestic applicant):ca
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:public
Ethnicity:Mexican
Gender:female
Income Bracket:<60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):first generation, Mexican,female, single parent, working</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:optimism
Weaknesses:scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:because I am awesome
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:Azusa pacific, CSUMB, CSU Channel Islands, Sonoma State(accepted) Stanford, Pepperdine, UCSB(pending)
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application:sibilings</p>

87

<p>Decision: Accepted </p>

<p>Objective: ILR</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2080 Reading: 740, Math: 680, Writing: 660
ACT (breakdown):didn’t send
SAT II: didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/534
AP (place score in parenthesis): haven’t sent but mostly 4s
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Government, AP Statistics, AP English IV, AP Calculus AB, AP Psychology, AP Environmental Science, Speech
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Achievement Scholarship </p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Student Government (4 years)(Student Body President), Texas Association of Student Councils (VP), Theatre (Stage Manager), National Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: I volunteered in the local church thrift store for 5 years, worked in the local food bank 2 times a month. I had a lot of community service through student government 200+ hours
Summer Activities: A lot of travel out of the country
Essays: Common App: 7/10. ILR Supplement 9/10. I talked about specific courses, and clubs that I would join at Cornell.
Teacher Recommendation: Pretty good. My English IV teacher talked about my critical thinking and analytical skills I would say it was a 10/10.The one from my pre-cal teacher was pretty generic, it was basically my resume. 6/10
Counselor Rec: Don’t know. She’s new this year but I feel like it would be positive.
Additional Rec: I got one from my student government advisor. I have known her for 4 years so she knows me really well
Interview: Didn’t have one
Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major:ILR
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large public 2500+
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM </p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: GPA, rank, essays
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: ILR is all about fit. I tried to tailor my application to the program
Weaknesses: SAT, EC weren’t very ILR specific
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I have a unique interest for ILR in that I want to work in the sports field
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: Tulane, University of Texas. withdrew from the rest
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: I’m not sure. I just hoped I showed my personality well. </p>

<p>I’m so excited and I can’t wait to join the Class of 2019!</p>

88

<p>@turqluv‌ how is it possible you got accepted to Cornell AAP if the same morning that you posted this you had also posted that you ‘planned on applying to Cornell’ ----- i sense a troIl</p>

89

<p>Pick one:
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**</p>

<p>Objective: College of Arts and Sciences</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2110 (700 Reading, 720 Math, 690 Writing)
ACT (breakdown): 30 (Didn’t Submit)
SAT II: U.S History (760), Chemistry (710)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A but I know I’m top 20 for sure out of 767.
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry (4), APUSH (5), Stats (5), Calc AB (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): SL Spanish (6)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Pyhsics SL, IB Spanish HL, IB Biology HL, IB Math HL, IB Lit HL, IB Euro HL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Sailing Team, Coffeehouse (Head Board Member- I’m responsible for planing and organizing 3 concerts a year for students at my high school), Backpack Tutoring (Leader- I help Lead a program that sends kids from my high school to tutor at-risk elementary students in downtown Minneapolis), Science Olympiad, Teens Taking Action (a volunteering club that does a ton of fundraising and grows food in a community garden for ICA food shelf). ICA food shelf volunteering.
Job/Work Experience: Cherry Berry Frozen Yogurt Shop (June 2014 - present), Project Soar (program that puts on events for adults with disabilities) (June 2014- August 2014), Lake Minnetonka Sailing School Coach for Adult Sailing
Volunteer/Community service: ^
Summer Activities: ^
Essays: Common app essay was probably 9/10, Supplemental essay probably 9/10
Teacher Recommendation: One of my teachers said she wanted to adopt me (she wasn’t kidding) so probably pretty damn good. The other teacher nominated me for a student recognition award so that one was probably pretty damn good too. I never read them though because I waived my right to.
Counselor Rec: Decent Probably
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Alright. I talked on the phone with him for 45 minutes, but he was in a moving car with crappy cell reception so I kept on having to ask him to repeat himself so that was kind of annoying. He seemed pretty impressed with me though so Idk.
Other Nope</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major:Biochemistry or Bio-statistics (I want to go into public health or become an epidemiologist)
State (if domestic applicant): Minnesota
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Cut Throat Large Suburban School
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <100,000K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Essays, Rec Letters, Diverse Extra Circulars
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I’m really into music and I’m in two bands and I wrote about how tight I am with them and how music is my life.
Weaknesses: Test Scores, GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think they dug my Common App Essay and Supplemental essay and the Rec Letters
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: The fact that I’m a musician, a sailor, and that I want to become an epidemiologist. I have very diverse interests and I’m really good at getting myself across to people through my writing.</p>

90

<p>Reading this thread is making me anxious</p>

91

Hi

92

Oops, ignore the comment above.

Decision: Accepted

Objective: College of Arts and Sciences

SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (740W/770M/630R)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Math IIC, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/416
AP (place score in parenthesis): AB/BC Calculus 5’s, Physics B 5, Stats 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): Physics SL 5, SL Math 7
Senior Year Course Load: IB HL Math, IB HL Further Math, IB HL Biology, IB HL Literature, IB HL 20th Century, IB SL Japanese, TOK/IB Art
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AMC/AIME, 1st in nation at MAO Math Convention, 80+ awards from math competitions, Principal’s Award, AP Scholar, National Merits Letter of Commendation, Invited to ARML every year but only attended once in freshmen year.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Team 6 years (started at HS one since 7th grade), NHS 4 years, Tennis 2 years, Science Olympiad 1 year. Not that great.
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Approximately 400+ hours from volunteering at 2 local middle schools for tutoring their math team. Did it for 3 years.
Summer Activities: EPGY (or whatever it’s called these days) at Stanford and CATALYST Academy at Cornell.
Essays: Common App - Wrote about my bed (I know it’s generic, but it worked. smile: ) CAS Essay - Very focused on Cornell and my passion for math/physics.
Teacher Recommendation: I have no idea.
Counselor Rec: Same goes here.
Additional Rec: Mhmm. My mentor at UPenn wrote it so, IDK
Interview: N/A
Other: I’M AN INTERNATIONAL ASIAN MALE. NEVER GIVE UP YOUR HOPES FOR THOSE WHO ARE READING THIS. I DON’T KNOW HOW I GOT ACCEPTED, BUT AT LEAST TRY.

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mathematics and Physics
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): South Korea
School Type: Average Public School
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Enough
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I have showed my passion in mathematics, so show your passion.

Reflection

Strengths: Summer Activity at Cornell, Volunteer, Extracurriculars for placing in math team, GPA.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I love math and will love it more at Cornell. Same goes for physics.
Weaknesses: SAT I’s, extracurriculars since I only focused on math team.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I probably got lucky.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Not even a shot at CalTech.
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Summer Activity at Cornell probably helped me a lot. Try going for some research opportunities/intern/camps if possible. Great boosting. Hope all you had some good advice from this. Also, international asian males, I repeat: don’t give up. I don’t know how the admissions officer choose students, but anyone is given the same chances.

93

@PanDaniel‌ you came all the way to the USA FROM SOUTH KOREA FOR ACTIVITIES AT STANFORD AND CORNELL?!?!??!?!

94

Pick one:
Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35E, 34M, 33R, 36S)
SAT II: Math 2 (750), Bio M (780), Chem (790)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 (cumulative fresh-junior year)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), Biology (4), AP English Lang (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Stats, AP World History, AP English Lit, Hon Orchestra, Spanish 4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: a bunch of random stuff, service trips, weekly & monthly projects
Summer Activities: n/a for the most part
Essays: n/a
Teacher Recommendation: probably good I don’t get to read them
Counselor Rec: probably good I don’t get to read them
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: I thought it went pretty badly but maybe not. We ended up talking about dumplings so I don’t know if it was racist or if he was genuinely interested in where I get my dumplings.
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Biology (CAS)
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Boarding school
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: F
Income Bracket: up there
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I’m hardworking and even if I may not have the greatest start, my progress is always positive
Weaknesses: lack of extracurriculars, not that smart
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I thought I would get rejected, especially considering the other competition at my school (other applicants were smarter and legacies)
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: n/a
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: ???

95

@thegrant I was born in South Korea, but I lived half of my life in Washington. So during my high school career, I applied to summer camps and I happened to attend Cornell and Stanford.

96

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Cornell College of Engineering

SAT I (breakdown): 2090
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II: 720 Bio M, 780 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 19th
AP (): 4 AP History, 4 AP Chemistry, 4 AP English
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Physics, AP French, AP Bio, Biochem, Russian, English, Research
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Mass state science fair 3rd place, New York Summer Music Festival Student recital award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Science Honor Society (president), French Honor Society (VP), New England Conservatory Prep piano student, Boston Children’s Hospital volunteer, Research student investigating CCD in bees
Job/Work Experience: piano teacher
Volunteer/Community service: Organized fundraiser for Boston Children’s,
Summer Activities: NYSMF, Outside the Box music festival,
Essays: CA- about how I have gained perspective in science and music fusing creative thinking from both. Cornell one- about research projects with bees that I do
Teacher Recommendation: Pretty good ones saying that I was passionate and motivated
Counselor Rec: “”
Interview: none
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes (tons of it)
Intended Major: Biological Engineering and Environmental Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public High School (but one in a well off neighborhood though)
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ?
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy (brother)

Reflection

Strengths: two interests that I have a long history with during my whole life- music and science.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I tried to present myself as someone that is intrigued by learning new things. I also showed interest in taking advantage of all the programs they have there. I have a long term goal of being a researcher.
Weaknesses: weak scores/grades perhaps
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I really am not sure
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I just applied here
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: I conducted my own research with honey bees going to farms and collecting data. I made my own plan and I did something that most high schoolers don’t do.

97

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 610M/790W/760R
ACT (breakdown): 30 (25M/25S/35W/35R)
SAT II: none
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/10
AP (place score in parenthesis): USH: 4, ES:4, Bio:2
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, Honors Physics/Genetics, local community college Sustainable Ag course
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nope!

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Ultimate (captain), basketball, Master Gardener program, 4H, trombone in band, part of two choirs
Job/Work Experience: full time summer work at a landscaping business with part time garden work for past several years
Volunteer/Community service: two weeks every year with sustainable engineering projects in Nicaragua
Summer Activities: work work work
Essays: Common app about how I fulfill my admiration of expertise through growing indoor container citrus, CALS supplemental about my love for the specialized aspects of my landscaping job
Teacher Recommendation: Horticulture teacher, English teacher, and guidance counselor
Counselor Rec: decent
Additional Rec: none
Interview: Alumni interview, went well.
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes, and appealed aid package with success
Intended Major: International Agriculture and Rural Development
State (if domestic applicant): Maine
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 80k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): strong and focused interest in area of study

Reflection
Overall, the hard facts of my application were nothing standout: I’ve taken zero formal AP courses other than Calc this year, haven’t done any academic programs and my standardized test scores weren’t special. I think a lot of my draw was my strong and sincere interest in rural agriculture, and my reflections on how this has come from my rural ubringing.

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: strong focus! This wasn’t something I had to work for. I think it’s rare to see an applicant so invested in agricultural sciences who is from a family with no farming background, so that probably made me unique.
Weaknesses: mediocre grades, no APs, no summer academics, poor math and science all around
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: (accepted) my strong interest in the major I applied for and background in it
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted: UMaine, UMA, Purdue, UVM
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: common app essay and the amount of independent work I have done in my proposed course of study.

98

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1990 (680M / 720R / 590W)
ACT (breakdown): None
SAT II: 800 Physics, 770 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 AB Calc, 5 Physics B
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ, BC Calc, Physics C, AP Spanish Lang.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Soccer, Running, 3D Printer building
Job/Work Experience: Sold custom 3D printed parts
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer work at several trail races that benefited the PA Clearwater Conservancy
Summer Activities: Traveling to England for soccer tour
Essays: The CommonApp essay was a little weak, but I thought the other essay was well done.
Teacher Recommendation: My teachers said they wrote lots of good things
Counselor Rec: Don’t know my counselor very well but she said, she wrote positive things.
Additional Rec: From my soccer coach - again, was probably a positive rec.
Interview: Went well - talked for about 45 minutes with the Alum. I had a few questions that she didn’t really know how to answer.
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Pennsylvania
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 75,000 - 100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Subject tests, AP tests and course load. I also thought my Cornell-specific essay was a strength.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My 3D printing - I have built several and even designed my own. It’s something that I spend a lot of time doing
Weaknesses: SAT, first essay. I guess my application as a whole was a bit too generic.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: To generic, low SAT scores and a very average Common App Essay.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at PSU, waiting to hear from Carnegie Mellon and CU Boulder.
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: My 3D printing.

99

Decision: Accepted

Objective: College of Engineering
ACT (composite): 35
SAT Math : 790
SAT CR : 780
SAT W : 790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AB/BC Calculus 5’s, Physics B 5, APUSH 3, AP LANG 5

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS 4 years, Tennis 2 years, Track 1 year, Science Olympiad 1 year. Not that great.
Job/Work Experience: Engineering Internship at WeatherTech
Volunteer/Community service: Approximately 400+ hours from volunteering at 2 local middle schools for tutoring their math team. Did it for 2 and a half years.
Essays: Common App - Wrote about a swimming pool (lame, but did the job) CAS Essay - Very focused on Cornell and my passion for engineering

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
School Type: Average Public School
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 65,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I have showed my passion in engineering through essays

100

I don’t think it is unrealistic for you to get it. You sound like an amazing person and student. Don’t be too hard on yourself, Cornell would be lucky to have you!!