Pick one:
Decision: Accepted
Objective: CAS
SAT I (breakdown): did not take
ACT (breakdown): took two tests and got 33 on both, 34 superscore
SAT II: 720 US History, 690 Math II, 760 Math I
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4), AP Stat (5), AP English Lang (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: BC Calc, AP Lit, AP Chem, AP Psych, a fourth year of French (non-AP)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Diller Teen Fellows International Leadership Program, Interact Junior Rotary Club (Vice President), JV Girls Lacrosse, JV Girls Soccer, Student Government (Vice President)
Job/Work Experience: Receptionist at a hair salon, hostess at a restaurant, rec soccer referee, babysitter
Volunteer/Community service: J-SERVE (committee member), Teacher’s Assistant at Synagogue, 20+ hours of volunteering a year for interact
Summer Activities: Ran a week long camp in Israel for underprivileged Ethiopian teenagers, summer internship program Senior Institute of Teens in Service
Essays: I thought they were good and I guess Cornell did too. I wrote my common app about my experience visiting the Western Wall in Israel and the feelings of overwhelming peace and acceptance there. I wrote my specific CAS essay about being undecided and how I know Cornell can help shape my loose intellectual interests into true passions.
Teacher Recommendation: Good I think? I had my AP English teacher and my Honors Physics teacher (who went to Cornell undergrad) write them
Counselor Rec: Good I think, there’s really no way to know. My guidance counselor likes me because I am proactive so I can only assume it is good.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: didn’t have one
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Mathematics
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy
Reflection
Strengths: I’m well-rounded; I did not have a crazy high GPA or an off the charts ACT score but my grades and scores were competitive while also doing many extracurriculars with leadership positions, volunteering, and having a job.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I definitely played up the legacy factor in my Cornell specific essay. I also talked about the Diller program which is highly selective and gave me a lot of volunteer experience and fueled my passion for Judaism and Israel.
Weaknesses: My SAT IIs could definitely have been higher
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I am well-rounded and I really think the legacy helped
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted with Presidential Scholarship to Northeastern, Deferred from University of Michigan
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: honestly not sure, probably the Diller program
Anyway, I’m sorry you got rejected, you look like a solid applicant as far as I can tell, and I’m sure you will be successful at any college you go to as long as you keep working hard.