Question about AEM major

Colleges & Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>So there are two students that go to the same school...</p>

<p>Student #1:
-in the "business department" of the school. The schools is college-like in that you apply to a department within the school and you are stuck with it all through high school.
- full IB diploma student (forced due to department to take all IBs junior and senior year)
- really likes business (whole family works in finance) and has joined a few clubs and won some competitions on business
- freshmen and sophomore requirements were not too rigorous but (as mentioned) junior and senior ones are
- getting one rec from a business teacher</p>

<p>Student #2:
-in the "science department" of the school.
-took AP Calc BC, AP Phys, IB Lit junior year and AP Multi Calc, AP Microecon, AP Chem, IB Lit (it's a 2 year course)
-discovered end of sophomore/early junior year that she loves business so she made an effort to join business clubs and attend (although unable to win) some business competitions
- has taken many electives and projects that are business - related (esp. finance)
- has had rigorous science requirements freshmen-junior year (like having to take bio,phys,chem,ap chem junior year and bio,phys,chem sophomore year and phys,chem freshman year
- stresses how much she loves business, why she loves it, and how she started becoming interested in it in her application essay</p>

<p>Both students:
- assume identical GPAs (although courseload for business kid may seem tougher)
- assume identical scores ACTs, SATs, SAT IIs, etc.
- assume identical ECs (even though the business kid won more awards)
- cornell is top school for both and both are probably applying ED</p>

<p>School:
- very rigorous
- sends many kids to ivies
- sends about 20 kids to cornell every year
- when sending the school profile to the college a student applies to, the school also sends a profile of the department the student is in. For science, the average GPA and average SAT are substantially higher than that for business. So the students may have the same scores but it looks less impressive on a science kid because science kids tend to do better.
- does not rank or weigh</p>

<p>SO... both students apply to AEM major in CALS in Cornell. Any idea who has a better chance? Do they both have the same chance? (Btw I am one of these students and the other is my friend).</p>

<p>I know this is long. Thanks so much for reading it lol.</p>

2

<p>I’d say you both have the same chance.
As long as you can come across your love for business despite being interested in science, you should be fine.</p>

<p>AEM still looks for rigor in your studies, and good analytical and technical skills.</p>

3

<p>thanks. anyone else?</p>

4

<p>We didn’t have any business department at my school, so I was by default the latter, and although I didn’t apply to AEM, I got into a number of other business schools, including some arguably harder to get into than AEM (Wharton). So the second type of student can do well. </p>

<p>I think on paper they’re equal; what will separate them is how they tie in what they’ve done to business. I would argue that potentially the second student has the upper hand.</p>

5

<p>Thanks. I was just concerned that AEM (and schools like Wharton especially) would put a much greater weight on experience than mere interest.</p>