<p>If not, what qualities attract them most? Thx... And if yes, how much do I need to get for SAT and TOEFL? (maybe plus SAT 2 and some AP scores)</p>
<p>I am an international student from China who wants to apply for this university in 2013. I hope you guys can give me a little advice. I will appreciate your comments. Thx again.</p>
<p>When reading the Cornell forum it is easy to understand why you might be confused about what Cornell is looking for in applicants. When you read about some students getting accepted with lower scores there are reasons they are attractive to schools like Cornell or other Ivy league and like schools. Cornell is putting a class together when they admit students so that includes some of the best and brightest students in the world as well as students athletes, minority students, student leaders, and disadvantaged students who have not had the advantages of wealth to boost their ECs, SAT scores, or expensive travel abroad programs. This might sound more confusing to an international student but it isn’t as confusing as what you have read in this forum. Cornell wants to see students who have high board scores and GPA in the most demanding course work available to them. That does not mean that they will seriously look at a student who has not taken AP or IB classes rather it means that they expect students to be self starters who have demonstrated that they have done more than the average 17 or 18 year old. </p>
<p>I could only tell you what I know as a parent as two Cornellians and soon to be three. All of my sons attended a high ranking Magnet highschool and graduated with top grades while also attending our local community college. They all graduated with honors from the CC with AA or AS degrees a couple weeks before they graduated from highschool. They were all student leaders involved in great charitable organizations, won some interesting competitions, and all held jobs during their summers off. There are several other things that each of them were involved in and I honestly could not tell you that what one had was more important in admissions than what another one was doing. I think it was the combination of things that each of them had that made them interesting to Cornell. My son who attended MIT as an undergrad has chosen to attend Cornell for grad school. He is looking forward to life on the hill and he will continue with our family tradition of being a Cornellian. </p>
<p>To answer your question regarding scores I could only respond by saying you want the highest GPA and course rigor that you are able to achieve. This will not be enough to get you into Cornell however, so be sure to pursue the things you are really interested in that might relate to your future major or academic interests. I hope the information I have provided will help you and I wish you all the best in seeking admission to Cornell University.</p>
<p>Cornell is “obsessed” with high achieving candidates. Yes, you will see people with relatively low GPAs/SATs get in on this forum, but that’s more the exception than the rule. From my experience, Cornell tends to weigh GPA significantly more than SAT, but realize high GPA and high test scores are closely correlated. So you’ll see more people with 4.0’s and a 1950SAT than 3.5’s and 2300SAT admitted. But most people will be in the 3.8+/2100+SAT range.</p>
<p>If I were to rank what Cornell (or any top school) is obsessed with, my ranking would go:
<p>In short, yes. At least it would seem that way from my perspective, considering the people I know who were accepted and the results threads of years gone by. </p>
<p>Off course if you are a URM disregard everything I have just said. You’re in if you have 2100+ and 3.8+.</p>
<p>Mikeyc is right. But course rigor is pointless if you have flunked all your courses.</p>
<p>How’s it possible for a 4.0 student to get a 1950 on the SAT? Grade inflation much?</p>
<p>Extreme grad inflation lol. I would say, as long as you are not a URM SAT<2000= very low chance, 2000-2100=low chance, 2100-2200=average chance (not good/not bad), 2200-2300=high.chance, and 2300-2400= very high chance, unless your gpa is not good</p>
<p>Cornell admissions is usually pretty knowledgable about what a school’s GPA means and if it’s inflated. The 4.0GPA and the 1950SAT I think are possible with people who don’t prepare for the SAT, or don’t prepare properly. Preparing for the SAT is largely an individual task, whereas in school for classes, teachers will guide you on how to prepare. Students that have trouble taking the initiative without that guidance can get stuck on the SAT.</p>
<p>Well shouldn’t it be the student’s job in the first place to take the initiative and make sure he adequately prepares for the SAT? Expensive SAT classes aren’t necessary if one wants to do well – the Blue Book is more than enough to get an excellent score. IMO students shouldn’t be let off for not doing well on something that they had every opportunity to prepare for. Anyway, those are just my 2 cents</p>
<p>My point wasn’t that they didn’t prepare, but they didn’t know how to prepare properly. Studying for the SAT is different from normal high school tests and not everyone is equipped with the cognizance of their own abilities and how to best study for it.</p>
<p>Also remember Cornell doesn’t look at writing. You want a combined of like 1350+ for a decent shot</p>
<p>Knowing previous acceptances from my school, extracurriculars actually carries a pretty big impact. I know kids who didn’t have the greatest of scores or GPA, but their extracurriculars and character shone so much that they got accepted.</p>
<p>OMG… I’m soo thrilled to see these excellent replies. Reaaaally thx to all of you. I believe my goals are much clear. Really really thank you. </p>
<p>I am a 2% kid in my school. Maybe I’ve got a higher chance. … lol… At least I hope so.</p>
<p>just be interesting and you’ll have a shot, do something cool over summer and have something to write about and a clear reason for why you want to go to cornell</p>
<p>Al rite. Thx a lot. I’ll definitely find something really fun to do. Hah…</p>
<p>@nerdyasiankid: the top two kids in my class have 1950s or so on the SAT and close to 4.0 UW GPAs. I don’t think my school has grade inflation, and they’re both smart kids, but not everyone is a brilliant test taker, and I know that CR brought both of them down.</p>
<p>Cornell is has of the least SAT - orientated admissions boards among top schools.</p>
<p>how important is EC, essays, and interviews (for architecture school) at cornell?</p>
<p>^Your art portfolio is hugely important. I’m guessing ecs and essays are both fairly important. Interview should not be that important at all.</p>
<p>^thanks for the information! but the cornell website keeps on stressing that the interviews “carry significant weight”. maybe it’s just the way they want us to think…</p>
<p>^Ah sorry my mistake. Then, the process may be different for AAP students than for other colleges. If they say so, then the interview does matter. However, ECs and essays should still be more important than the interview - that is fairly standard across all college admissions.</p>