<p>This thread is the revised early decision thread that I created because the other thread was very messy. Please ONLY post information in the following format. The purpose of this thread is not to chat with your forum buddies, but rather to compile a list of accepts/rejects so as to further benefit future cornell prospies. </p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 730 M, 730 R
[</em>] SAT IIs: 790 Chem, 720 mathII
[<em>] GPA: 3.6, but strong upswing jr year
[</em>] Rank: 76/1101
[<em>] Other stats: 5 AP classes, all 5s
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: Great, wrote about my job at a restaurant, and how I learned spanish
[<em>] Teacher Recs: Great, both of my recs were very very good
[</em>] Counselor Rec: dunno, good I assume
[<em>] Hook (if any): I took an organic chemistry class this year and got an A in it, also I am doing research with the professor
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: IL burb's
[<em>] School Type: large public
[</em>] Ethnicity: white
[li] Gender: male[/li][/ul]Other Factors: I think what set me apart was my research and the Ochem class
*General Comments: good luck next year *</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2120, 650 CR, 720 M, 750 W (I also took it in March 08 1890 total haha)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 770 Chemistry, 740 Mathematics II, 600 Lit
[<em>] GPA: 3.87 unweighted
[</em>] Rank: School does not rank.
[<em>] Other stats: 5 on AP Chemistry, Taking AP Calc, Econ, and Us Gov't; Also took Abnormal Psychology and Introduction to Philosophy: Morals & Politics at the local community college (A in both classes) I'm a psych major
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: My teachers really liked it, it was personal and heartfelt, about my struggle to maintain my self-esteem despite my injury and my senior year career as captain of the varsity volleyball team who sits on the bench with crutches; my supplement sucked.
[<em>] Teacher Recs: One was beautiful, the other I didn't read
[</em>] Counselor Rec: She said among all her letters she particularly enjoyed writing mine, I didn't get to read it though
[<em>] Hook (if any): Varsity Volleyball Captain (competitively playing since the 7th grade, also play club power during the off season), Head Editor (Photography) for yearbook
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: CA, USA
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Unidentified, but I'm Chinese
[li] Gender: Female[/li][/ul]Other Factors: General Comments: Hey guys, guess what. I did a total of 8 hours of community service. So PLEASE, don't think you have to load up on those just to impress colleges. Pursue your passions. (:</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 590 CR 750 M 530 W <-- LOLZ I Know 1340/1870
[</em>] SAT IIs: 660 Math II 650 US History 620 Physics
[<em>] GPA: 4.04 Weighted (Weird System, Can't get 4.8)
[</em>] Rank: 2nd of 592 Students in a Magnet/Public School
[<em>] Other stats: 7 AP Classes Two 3's One 4 and Three College Courses
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: Wrote two, one personal statement, one college interest essay. The Interest Essay had to do with my fondness for the weather and my soon to be major in Meteorology. I mentioned how I liked snow, LOL. The other Personal Statement declared how I changed as a person after an accident, lucky me.
[<em>] Teacher Recs: Three-Four, One was from my Principal who was also my Calc BC Teacher, One was from my English 1 teacher (to cover my English lacking), and one from a Canadian Professor who taught at a local college in Environmental Sciences and Sustainability. His essay may of helped. Interview was great. Gave the person enough information to put on the rec. I was the not that nervous and we talked for three hours.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Lol, Standard to Average
[<em>] Hook (if any): First Generation I Guess, InnerCity person, Be in a couple of EC's for a long time.
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: Penn.
[<em>] School Type: I'm in Magnet but that's just 1/8th of my public school
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian American
[li] Gender: Dude[/li][/ul]Other Factors: Was a Student Aide for six years, Was a Teen Critic for Adult Literature General Comments: Dreams can happen. If you really work at it and fight for your position, and show that you are dedicated in any way, numbers won't really matter (SATs) that much. For example, don't have a GPA so low in Freshman year and hope you can cover it up by Senior Year.
And to others who read this who wants to RD or be the next ED for 2014, don't be afraid to present yourself on this forum after seeing how many people have such high stats. As long as you look unique and have a showing of dedication, you have a chance anywhere.
Side note --> DO NOT DUPLICATE COLLEGE INTEREST ESSAYS and switch the names even if they sound sooooooooooo similar. It might be insulting to them, and I got lucky that they didn't send it to my second choice or even look at it. So remember that.</p>
<p>Decision: Deferred - International applying for Agriculture and Life Science</p>
<p>Stats:</p>
<pre><code>* SAT: 2190 (680 CR, 780 M, 730 W)
* SAT IIs: 800 Math IIC, 800 Biology E, 710 Chemistry, 800 Chinese with Listening
* GPA: N/A
* Rank: Top 3% (/300)
* Other stats: AP Biology - 5, AP Chinese Language and Culture - 5, AP Calculus AB - 5
Piano for 10 years and co-founded a non-profit organization promoting music awareness and appreciation among children in poverty.
Swimming for 10 years - founded swim team at my school and devoted a lot of time on it.
Top social studies/IB Mandarin awards. Fermat contest and Euclid contest awards.
School district swimming awards (x6).
And Kiwanis music festival award.
Essays: 1 minor mistake, but superb! Talking about my childhood.
Teacher Recs: Presumably great! One of them was extremely specific. I loved that recommendation!!
Counselor Rec: Presumably great!
Hook (if any): None.
</code></pre>
<p>Location/Person:</p>
<pre><code>* State or Country: BC, Canada
* School Type: Large Public
* Ethnicity: Asian - Taiwanese-Canadian
* Gender: Male
</code></pre>
<p>Other Factors: Internationals applying for A&LS, excellent interview with a PhD from Cornell
General Comments: I am extremely happy that I got deferred and not rejected. I still LOVE Cornell!!! Go Big Red!!!!!!</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2210 (720 CR, 750 M, 740 W)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 740 Math I, 760 Biology-E
[<em>] GPA: ~3.7 unweighted; ~4.0 weighted
[</em>] Rank: not given (just barely outside top 10% last I checked, so 20% I guess)
[<em>] APs: Biology - 5, English Language & Composition - 5, World History - 5
[</em>] Other stats: total of 8 AP classes by graduation + several honors courses
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Essays: Common App one was "very powerful!" and well written according to my English teacher (but unfortunately it had one or two typos I didn't catch) and dealt mainly with my relationship with my mom. My supplement essay was pretty well constructed but it felt just the slightest bit hollow to me...
[</em>] Teacher Recs: great; one was very specific to her class, while the other was more general, and both were enthusiastic and highly supportive overall with strong recommendation
[<em>] Counselor Rec: pretty good; went over my family's emotional and financial struggles that hindered me during school, and how I was able to overcome them later on in the year (and on the AP exams)
[</em>] Hook (if any): dunno if this counted, but 1st gen. born in America to go to college
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: Ohio
[</em>] School Type: Public; decent school that sends a somewhat small number of students to top schools each year, though it'll be much higher for us ('09)
[<em>] Ethnicity:Korean-American
[</em>] Gender: male
[/ul]Other Factors:
I was a National Merit Semifinalist and won some other notable awards; I had somewhat lackluster EC's due to not being able to get rides (single parent) or pay for activities. I also stated that I believed my junior year grades, which were by far the worst, did not accurately represent my abilities, and were caused in part by tremendous stress due to family problems.</p>
<p>General Comments:
It's such an odd feeling, having one's hopes and dreams shattered... I really do love learning, and I've dreamed of having a prestigious education by amazing professors for many years. It's truly unfortunate, but then, when one door closes another one opens, I suppose. As for me, I'm probably off to the Ohio State University for the next four years.</p>
<p>But anyway, for all of those who were accepted, I sincerely congratulate each of you from the bottom of my heart. You all truly deserved it! I hope each of you looks forward to the next four amazing years of your life as you go off to college, and I hope you always remember what a great opportunity you have as you go through both hard and enjoyable times. Thank you, everyone who was with me on this board for the short time I've been a member, for helping me with my anxiety and giving me courage. I never really expected to make it into an Ivy League school, but I'll never forget this moment of my life. It's amazing how much you can learn from such a disappointing outcome. Thank you all, and congratulations!!</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 1360/2160
[</em>] SAT IIs: 710 Lit, 730 Math II, 800 Korean
[<em>] GPA: 3.65 uw, 4.4 w
[</em>] Rank: no rank (i'm guessing around top 20%..)
[<em>] Other stats: 221 psat, AP scores: 2, 3, 4
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: well i thought they were extraordinarily good, but the decision suggests otherwise
[<em>] Teacher Recs: probably sucked; all my good teachers got laid off last year at the last minute becuz our school is poor as hell.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: probably sucks as well; counselor barely knows me and probably bs'ed a lot of things.
[<em>] Hook (if any): asian male! hooray!!
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: CA
[<em>] School Type: large public school that ranks within the top 200 public high schools each year.
[</em>] Ethnicity: Korean.
[li] Gender: Male[/li][/ul] Other Factors: I participated in a few of those leadership forum things, which i think were good ways to waste a couple grands. I participated in athletics, which I got an award for. I have several awards, including a few in scientific research and mathematics competitions. Not to mention the many pointless clubs under my belt. General Comments: i honestly contemplated suicide upon reading the deferral letter. then i took a nap.
in all honesty tho, this rejection/ deferral ordeal stings a lot more than I would have thought. but life goes on, and i will continue to love cornell's big red d.... uh yea. at least, until february when the rolling decision rolls along..</p>
<p>[ b]Stats:[ /b][ list]
[ *] SAT: 2150 (650 CR 800 M 700W 10E)
[ *] SAT IIs: 760 MathII / 740 Chem
[ *] GPA: 3.9/4.0
[ *] Rank: 2/40
[ *] Other stats:
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[ /b][ list]
[ *] Essays: Ok... i would rate mine 7/10
[ *] Teacher Recs: very good i hope
[ *] Counselor Rec: very very good
[ *] Hook (if any): none
[ /list][ b]Location/Person:[ /b][ list]
[ *] State or Country: Canada
[ *] School Type: Very small Private
[ *] Ethnicity: Korean-Canadian
[ *] Gender: Female
[ /list][ b]Other Factors: ordinary Ecs.... nothing spectacular[ /b]
[ b]General Comments: I guess i screwed up with my essays.. But they could've given me Deferred at least eh? i guess cornell was not fitting with me well [ /b]</p>
<p>^ if you look in the brackets, there spaces within the brackets in front of all of the thinggys. Take the spaces out and ur pose will be formatted</p>
<p>*Decision: ACCEPTED CAS Bio and Society Major *</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT:2100
[</em>] SAT IIs: 760-Biology, 640-Lit, 590-Math II, 580-French
[<em>] GPA: 3.9 unweighted, 4.2 ish weighted
[</em>] Rank: top 10%
[<em>] Other stats: AP Calculus AB-5, AP English Lit-4, AP Biology-4
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: decent I suppose
[<em>] Teacher Recs: also should be pretty good
[</em>] Counselor Rec: good
[<em>] Hook (if any): double legacy, went to Cornell Summer College in 2008, got supplemental recs from my professor there and my TA
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: Northern California
[<em>] School Type: Large public
[</em>] Ethnicity: declined to state, but white
[li] Gender: female[/li][/ul]Other Factors: had an alumni interview, grandpa head of some committee of some sort, NHS, 150+ hrs community service, president of a club, leader of community service projects, varsity track, avid photographer General Comments: dreams can come true! My story is proof that good SAT scores don't necessarily get you in</p>
<p>CONGRATS EVERYONE WHO GOT ACCEPTED! SEE YOU NEXT FALL!!!</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 800 CR 740 M 690 W
[</em>] SAT IIs: 790 USH 780 Math II 670 Chem
[<em>] GPA:3.75 UW GPA
[</em>] Rank: School doesnt rank
[<em>] Other stats:
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: My common app essay was very unique about my familys international background and how it affected me growing up. My Cornell supplement was well done but nothing extraordinary.
[<em>] Teacher Recs: 1 was amazing (my teacher added the 24 page research I wrote for him in Honors history to his curriculum). The other was good
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Good, not great.
[<em>] Hook (if any): Legacy
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: New York, NY
[<em>] School Type: Private Jewish Day School. Very competitive. Last year 13 ivys out of a class of about 60.
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[li] Gender: Male[/li][/ul]Other Factors: Good extra curriculars but nothing amazing. General Comments: Happy to be done.</p>
<p>sorry i'm posting again
*Decision: Rejected (Engineering) *</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2150 (650 CR 800 M 700W 10E)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 760 MathII / 740 Chem
[<em>] GPA: 3.9/4.0
[</em>] Rank: 2/40
[<em>] Other stats:
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: Ok... i would rate mine 7/10
[<em>] Teacher Recs: very good i hope
[</em>] Counselor Rec: very very good
[<em>] Hook (if any): none
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: Canada
[<em>] School Type: Very small Private
[</em>] Ethnicity: Korean-Canadian
[li] Gender: Female[/li][/ul]Other Factors: ordinary Ecs.... nothing spectacular
*General Comments: I guess i screwed up with my essays.. But they could've given me Deferred at least eh? i guess cornell was not fitting with me well *</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2090 (670 CR, 770 M, 650 W)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 770 MathII, 750 Physics
[<em>] GPA: ~88 (it isn't as bad as you think. at my school it's literally impossible for people to have 95+ averages. dont know if it's our grading system or something.. but seriously, no gets 95+ averages here. it's just not possible.
[</em>] Rank: school doesn't rank
[<em>] Other stats: 4 on AP CS A (10th grade), 5 on AP Calc AB, taking AP stats, and physics B as classes this year, and self-studying for comp. gov., music theory, and calc BC.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: I thought it was pretty good. I talked about how my experiences living in Israel have shaped my views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
[<em>] Teacher Recs: I didn't see them, but i would think they would be excellent.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Again, I didn't see it, but i would think it would be excellent.
[<em>] Hook (if any): hardcore legacy (2 grandparents, 4 great-grandparents, many other extended family members), lived in Israel half my life (i have american citizenship though, so i did not apply as an international.
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: Israel
[<em>] School Type: Private, American International School
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[li] Gender: Male[/li][/ul]Other Factors: captain of 2 varsity sports. MUN for 4 years, including flying to conferences overseas, receiving an honorable mention award, and being the webmaster of my school's conference General Comments: i really don't know why i was rejected. I would've thought my extreme legacy would make up for my slightly lower grades.. oh well.</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 1600/2320
[</em>] SAT IIs: Chem: 750 US History: 740 Math II: 750
[<em>] GPA: 4.31
[</em>] Rank: 9/247
[<em>] Other stats: attended NBTC internship at cornell this summer =)
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: decent but nothing novel-worthy
[<em>] Teacher Recs: great
[</em>] Counselor Rec: generic/good
[<em>] Hook (if any): none
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: New Jersey
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Chinese
[li] Gender: Female[/li][/ul]Other Factors: General Comments:</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted - College of Engineering</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] ACT: 32
[</em>] SAT IIs: Chemistry: 740 Math II: 720
[<em>] GPA: 3.75 uw
[</em>] Rank: 10/304
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Essays: Both excellent
[</em>] Teacher Recs: very good
[<em>] Counselor Rec: very good
[</em>] Hook (if any): Recruited athlete, small legacy but no big deal
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: Massachusetts
[</em>] School Type: Suburban Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[/ul]Other Factors: Spent a few years overseas attending an International IB School. I had some amazing opportunities there that definitely helped me look much more appealing. General Comments: Congrats to ED Class of 2013!</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 710 CR 710 W 800 M
[</em>] SAT IIs: 730 Chem 730 Math II
[<em>] GPA: 93
[</em>] Rank: Doesn't rank
[<em>] Other stats:
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: Pretty good
[<em>] Teacher Recs: One bad, one generic
[</em>] Counselor Rec: generic
[<em>] Hook (if any): none
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: Canada
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Korean
[li] Gender: Female[/li][/ul]Other Factors: General Comments: IM EXCITEDDD!</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 1390/2140 (700 R, 690 M, 750 W)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 750 Bio-M, 750 Math I
[<em>] GPA: 3.6, strong upward trend in both grades and class difficulty since freshman year
[</em>] Rank: doesn't rank
[<em>] Other stats: I go to a really tough private school, but "so does everyone" apparently.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: Pretty good
[<em>] Teacher Recs: I surmise they were excellent
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Explained extenuating circumstances for 9th/10th grade about my sick mom and how I was more focused on her than school.
[<em>] Hook (if any): Legacy
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: FL
[<em>] School Type: private
[</em>] Ethnicity: white
[li] Gender: female[/li][/ul]Other Factors: but I'm a redhead! General Comments: congrats all you accepted! you'll be getting at least 3 kids from my school alone! one in HumEc, one in CAS, and one in CALS AEM!</p>
<p>I'm sorry, but there is really no rhyme or reason for a lot of these rejections, especially the number of students with high Critical Reading SAT scores... the 25/75 for CR in Arts is 650/740, so I would think anything 720+ CR for ED would be golden.</p>
<p>But maybe SAT scores don't matter anymore.</p>
<p>And maybe the top 10 percent figure is distorting things a bit, as now looking back I realize I was in the top 1.5 percent of my graduating class with decently above average SAT scores.</p>
<p>So do we need to be a bit more discerning (e.g. top 2 percent, top 5 percent, etc.)?</p>
<p>P.S. And legacies being rejected outright?! Oh gosh. What is Cornell doing?</p>
<p>P.P.S. Maybe it would help to indicate what programs in CAS/CALS/HumEc you all indicated your interest in. I suppose I could understand biology or anything with a pre-business bent.</p>