<p>And second (sorry for the double post) let me ask a more serious question.</p>
<p>I currently attend a CC in Louisiana. My dad was military so we’ve moved around my entire life, and as such I don’t have much of a relationship with my extended family. I got accepted to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the MCB major. Now, UIUC is only about a two hour drive from most of my extended family, so that would be nice to be able to spend some time with them. More important, recently I found out that my dad wasn’t my dad, and my biological father lives in the area that my grandparents do. My half-sister is actually a student at UIUC right now. So part of me really wants to go to UIUC solely for the purpose of being able to spend some time with my bio father and sister…I don’t have a relationship worth noting with either of my parents so I figure that would be pretty nice too. It also helps that I am accepted at the school, so it’s a definite fall back plan. </p>
<p>But now the door to Cornell has possibly been opened…I have no family in the area, which isn’t a bad thing per se, but it would be kind of different. I’m premed, wanting to become a year-round missionary doctor, so part of me feels like going to Cornell, if I’m accepted, would be a good starting point for that (more prestigious undergrad may lead to a more prestigious med school, which may lead to a better residency, and so on…). So basically, what all do you think I should do? I’m definitely praying about it and I kind of feel like actually getting accepted to Cornell would be an obvious sign to go there, if that’s what happens. Here’s a pros and cons list:</p>
<p>UIUC Pros:
Near family
Familiar area (lived in Illinois before)
Already accepted
Biological father and half-sister</p>
<p>Cornell Pros:
More prestige
Time away from family may be nice
Northern weather (can’t be the snow!)
Better chance of financial aid</p>
<p>So again, anyone have any wise advice to teach this young green transfer student? Although it ultimately comes down to whatever the Lord shows me, I kind of would like to hear outside opinion as well…maybe steer me in His path.</p>
<p>I am pre-med too, and I have done A LOT of research on this. Going to Cornell alone will not help your chances for a more prestigious medical school; it may actually hurt your chances since it is a harder school and your GPA will suffer accordingly. Having a 3.9 from UIUC will be better than a 3.7 from Cornell nearly everywhere (not to mention that if your GPA ends up below like a 3.5, you may just be screened out of top medical schools automatically). Medical schools only slightly care about your Undergrad’s prestige; it is a small factor, while GPA is a very large factor. Now if you feel you can maintain a 3.7+ at Cornell, then you shouldn’t have a problem getting into medical school…but beware that biological sciences is a tough major. Many people mistakenly think that going to a more prestigious undergrad helps to get into a more prestigious medical school; that’s not necessarily true, since it is a self selecting process and people who were motivated to get into a top undergrad will be driven and motivated to get into a top medical school too. Furthermore, higher ranked institutions may have more resources for pre-med students, which may also help. But far more important is the student’s drive and motivation, and how those lead to good grades.</p>
<p>Now I don’t mean to scare you or anything, but I am being honest, and again I am just an educated opinion. I am pre-med too, and if accepted to Cornell, I will worry about the difficulty of courses and their impact on my GPA…but I am willing to take on the challenge and risk. Hopefully I get the chance!</p>
<p>Edit: You should actually try to visit the campuses if accepted to see which one you like more. All your pros and cons are good, but you really want to look at the schools themselves and see what they offer.</p>
<p>Is the application status checklist still updated after the March 1st deadline? It hasn’t been updated for me since then… Is this the same for anyone else?</p>
<p>Submitted Commonapp - 2/21/2012
Created AppID - 2/25/2012
Received Acceptance Email from CALS - 5/2/2012
Received Mail Acceptance - about a week later
Received Mail Packet - About a week after that</p>
<p>@georgethecow - you have some time to reflect on the possibilities here. I too am pursuing medical school and have done extensive research on the matter. I would think your state residency should play a role in this as well. I moved to SC a few years ago and that move has/will allow me to take some risks I never would have as a CA resident. If you’re a Louisiana resident I would say take your chances as competition will not be as severe in medical school applications. You have 2 state schools which are easier to gain admission to…Illinois not so much. </p>
<p>I am anticipating a drop in my GPA should I move on next fall…part of my plan has been to nearly complete my pre-med requirements so that my science GPA will be minimally impacted by the tougher competition in classes. Should I not do so well in Physics 2 this coming fall the damage will be minimal. Just be aware of what you may be getting into…I have heard Cornell intro-science classes are brutal outside of the auto-tutorial Physics that I need:)</p>
<p>@Cornell33, the site hasn’t been updated for me either since March 2, which is weird because before the deadline they consistently updated every weekday. They are probably swamped with papers. </p>
<p>@Ftypeman, I spoke to a processing rep, and she said that applications are sent for review mid march if they have everything except to the midterm report. So try to get it in ASAP, but you will still be reviewed.</p>
<p>This may be a dumb question but what if you are taking more than 5 classes? On the midterm report from the Commonapp it gives you five slots for the instructors to fill in but I have 6 classes. Anybody know what you do? thanks</p>
<p>Heres some information I got after speaking to an admission rep and Ian for ILR.</p>
<p>I had all my documents but was missing my instructor’s evaluation. I asked if I should just send everything else without it, however was told it was okay to wait for the evaluation which would pass the march deadline and sent in everything together then. Hope that helps for anyone.</p>
<p>I will be sending in midterms. I have all As but one course is a C. Really, I have a b in the course now but the prof refuses to include anything but one test in the midterm report. What should I do? I have a GT and can’t have this C, which is really a B!</p>
<p>What…why does the professor refuse to include anything else? It’s midterm grades for the course, not just exam grades. Did you explain that to him?</p>
<p>SMRSMR -
Yes, I explained two times and she just said that is how she does it. I can’t get too angry because she still has power over my grade for the rest of the year. She won’t explain in grade report, says its not ethical, whatever that means. Im watching my chances go out the window and I guess I can only blame myself for not doing better (BTW, with the curve on that “C” exam, she said I have an A-, but won’t write that either. The class mostly had Fs on that exam!)</p>
<p>@Wongshei, don’t worry for now, it will take a long time for them to show up, and they will contact you if anything is missing. Just have backup copies of your materials ready to be sent out asap. You can contact them too if you want.</p>
<p>@Zachary, I am sorry but that is complete BS! She is ruining your chances. If you got a C on that exam and it would be curved to A-, why don’t you tell her to put your class rank in the comments…as in “top 10% of scores” or something. If she still does not budge, explain to Cornell for sure; I am not sure if they take the midterm grade for a pre-requisite as the final score, so you may not be in full blown trouble (contact Cornell to make sure). What a weird sense of “ethics” she has, knowing full well the implications it may have on your future.</p>
<p>thats really weird, for my professor… She said she wont sign it till after the next test when there is more grades to evaluate me by. Fair enough for me. I think your best option is to explain to cornell your situation and let them know the grade you should be getting in that class based on what you have scored so far.</p>