<p>just kidding man, calm down, and learn to open up to other schools. </p>
<p>Have you given any consideration to Indiana?</p>
<p>that honestly wasnt funny....and yes, many ppl have told me about indiana....but no, i dont want it. Your list really isnt for me at all. Im not going to Iowa, lol, sorry but no. I already have my list established, all i need is to narrow down, not add schools.</p>
<p>OK. Here was my original list: (from Feb-March 2005)</p>
<p>-Cornell ED
-NYU
-BU
-Brandeis
-Rochester
-JHU
-Brown
-Tufts
-Georgetown (elim)
-Amherst (elim)
-Williams (elim)
-Swarthmore (elim)
-Colgate
-Vassar
-Drexel (elim)
-Dickinson (elim)
-Fordham (elim)
-Columbia (elim)
-UPenn (elim)
-UConn (elim)
-U of Pittsburgh (elim)
-Lehigh
-Union
-George Washington (elim)
-American (elim)
-U of Sciences in Philly (elim)
-SUNY Geneseo (elim)
-SUNY Bing
-SUNY Buff (elim)
-SUNY Stony
-Penn State (elim)
-Northeastern (Elim)
-RIT (elim)
-University of Hartford (elim)</p>
<p>Why'd you eliminate Columbia? it would be a better choice than NYU.</p>
<p>OK, basically..in my HS in NYC....only on average TWO people get into Columbia every year, because thats all they take from us. They dont want too many of the same people. Therefore, it would be a waste to apply since so many ppl will apply at my school that many of them have much higher averages (96+) and higher SATs (1400+). Plus, i dont like it anyway. I spoke to many Columbians who arent happy there. The neighborhood is horrible too. Ive been there.</p>
<p>Before you were sidetracked with the NYC comments--see my questions?</p>
<p>Dogs: "A good way to narrow it down is to consider how you feel about an urban campus. Some kids thrive in that type of setting while others require the typical wooded fenced in environmnet. Lehigh reminds me of Cornell, has mountian biking and skiing/ boarding, but no city life at ALL. Lots of drinking. While NYU and BU are city schools and attract kids that want an urban lifestyle/learning/college life. What works for you? JHU is Baltimore. Does that city appeal to you? Brown has a different culture than many on your list. What do you like about Brown vs., say, Syracuse?"</p>
<p>I did read your comment before the NYC fiasco, lol, and I agree with you but i didnt think it needed a reply, lol, sorry. Alright, well my opinion of this is that you are right. I will probably end up eliminating Lehigh and Vassar (plus Colgate of course). My college counselor keeps telling me how good Union College is. Its ranking isnt great...around 32 i believe on LAC US news, but hey, thats the same as Brandeis on the Universities rankings so Union is good. I really do not know what type of campus i specifically want. I think deep down, i want something more of a Cornell-type, but really, a city type wouldnt be bad either. I dont think i want to take schools off cus they are in a city or something; however, i do take off for academic vigor/level/prestige, distance from NYC, social aspects such as the basic demographics. </p>
<p>Syracuse, I hear, the people arent great (rich, white(lol, i always say that even though im white and proud of it hehe) but i just dont like that type of atmosphere.) Also, Brown...well, its similar to Cornell, kind of, deep down, not at all, im just making myself feel better lol. Living in NYC, and wanting Cornell, i must apply to NYU if i dont get into Cornell. Its almost a must. I cant pass off that opportunity. The last 15 are hard for me to decide what to eliminate (except Colgate, Vassar).</p>
<p>I set up an appointment with my college counselor, after the April 1st meeting I had which greatly helped me narrow down; I made it for June 3rd. By then, she will help me prepare for Cornell's ED during the summer and narrow down my 13 private + 2 public to around 7 private + 1 public. </p>
<p>My inclination, or where my heart is guiding me, tells me that Colgate and Vassar are definately off. Then potential targets are Tufts, Brown, Lehigh and Union.</p>
<p>If you live in NYC, and are looking for a different setting, then that can help cut it down somewhat. I think Lehigh and Cornell have similar social profiles, more frat atmosphere and very different student bodies --very different than the atmoshere at Brown. Rochester and Syracuse are similar to me for various reasons. I like Tufts and BU (you could probably get into their Honors or Univ. Professors Program) Both are a quick train ride to NYC and the air fares are ridiculously low these days out of Boston and Providence. (Brown)</p>
<p>Dogs, thanks for that. That really helps me. </p>
<p>My list is categorized between Reach, Possible, and Safety:</p>
<h1>Reach</h1>
<p>-Cornell ED
-NYU
-Tufts University
-Brown University
-Johns Hopkins University</p>
<h1>Possible</h1>
<p>-University of Rochester
-Boston University
-Brandeis University
-Lehigh University
-Colgate University
-Vassar College
-Union College</p>
<h1>Safety</h1>
<p>-Syracuse University
-SUNY Binghamton
-SUNY Stony Brook </p>
<p>Dogs and others, can you categorize for me what you would make out as my list of Reach, Possible and Safety? </p>
<p>These guidelines must apply: Total of 7 private schools maximum (excluding SUNY's)</p>
<p>I thought you already eliminated Colgate and Vasser???</p>
<p>Caveat time---I prefer not to offer direct recommendation type ranking lists because so many factors can come into play and we all have various biases here. Here are some questions to ponder that may help figure out your "fit". I think NYU, while an outstanding school, will not offer you enough of a unique experience being a New Yorker. Is the frat drinking atmosphere at Cornell/Lehigh appealing to you? I am still trying to figure that one out since I see Brown (and Vasser) as a more intellectually social environment and that is on your list too. </p>
<p>Does Ithaca or Bethlehem appeal to you or will it seem third rate compared to NYC? Is Jewish life important (hence, Brandeis)? I believe the male-female ratio at JHU is skewed. How important is that to you?</p>
<p>Is money a factor? If so, do you qualify for financial aid or is a merit scholarship a consideration? Several schools on your list are generous with merit aid for candidates with your stas like Lehigh, SU, Brandeis, BU but I do not believe its available from schools like Vas. or Brown.</p>
<p>There are also schools within schools that may feel right for you like Engineering at Tufts or Lehigh or the Honors, University Professors, or Comm Programs at BU, or Syracuse for Communications.</p>
<p>Although you can only apply to 7, keep in mind that as you visit various schools over the coming months some may automatically get eliminated based on the "feel" you get on these visits. Who knows--you could even visit a school more appealing to you than Cornell. Anything can happen. Stay open minded.</p>
<p>Lastly, without your actual stats its hard to know which is a reach or sure bet. What are your SATs and your GPA? Any ECs?</p>
<p>My Stats:</p>
<p>-3.9 GPA (94.0 cumulative unweighted)
-SAT's - unknown at the moment, taking them in June (what should be my goal for Cornell, and other schools that i listed?)
-Im taking 2 APs now (US Hist/Bio) and 2 SAT IIs in May (US Hist/Bio)
-Taking AP English, AP Physics B, and AP Euro next year
-Im in Spanish Honors for 3 years, and Pre-Calc Honors for a year</p>
<p>Extracurriculars
-President/Founder of Young Democrats chapter at my school
-Chairman of Transp/Mass Comm Committee at NYC Model Congress
-Editor/Sci Advisor of school's Biology Journal (publication)
-Did 100 hrs of hospital volunteer work
-Worked at a lab conducting research on estrogen-induced lupus; worked with doctors; after i left the lab, i got a recommendation letter from the doctor saying that my research has "potential discoveries"
-Currently researching epilepsy at a research hospital; going to publish a journal dissertation to be submitted to several competitions like Intel Science and Siemens-Westinghouse
-Conducted a cancer fundraising campaign at school
-Member of Arista and Archon
-Member of Amnesty International</p>
<p>Ok, lets see to answer all your comments over there. Ithaca is fine for me. Many NYC kids go to Cornell...they r fine. Bethlehem too. When it comes to frat scene, i actually hear that cornell is a very intellectual/research environment; not a frat party type. Merit-based scholarships would be great, but my income is pretty low...like under 30,000 so i would definately qualify for lots of finan aid. It would be nice to have the m-f ratio pretty even like at Cornell. The jewish aspect is fine, maybe overdoing it wont be good, but im jewish, lol....i dont want a big jewish scene though, like praying or something. But its not bad. Maybe that would be too much though. Im planning to go into something medicine related, so no engineering or communications. </p>
<p>And yes, i did technically eliminate colgate in my head though, i dont want to do it on paper yet. I need to consult with my counselor. I dont want my final list to be made so early on u know...too fast isnt good either. BTW, r u a senior? if you are, where are you going?</p>
<p>If you are actually looking for a school similar to Cornell, listen to these people's suggestions and think about it realistically: how is Union College anything like Cornell? I guess it is strong in the areas that Cornell is strong in, but as far as contributing to the field of academia, it simply doesn't compare to Cornell. Vassar, Union=NOTHING LIKE Cornell. Very good schools, but they are small LACs, not big, diverse universities like Cornell.
I know you're not in the mood to add more schools to your list, but McGill University in Montreal is actually similar to Cornell, and about as prestigious. Located in Montreal (awesome city, mr NYC!), very diverse, not at all snobby or exclusive like HYP, and:
--Strong in Biology (like Cornell)
--Excellent engineering (like Cornell)
--In the humanities, strongest in pre-law and international relations (like Cornell)
--"Every student, every study"--McGill has a faculty of arts (English, linguistics, history, international relations, French, etc...), sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc...), engineering, dentistry, education, music, religion, nursing, and social work.
--Montreal is liberal...of course, it's also waaay bigger than Ithaca
--One thing Cornell and McGill DEFINETELY have in common: ITS COLD IN ITHACA AND MONTREAL!!!
McGill was the second university (after Johns Hopkins) to establish a medical school, has the best music school in Canada, and has been the insitution of higher education of choice for almost every Canadian prime minister. McGill has the highest population of international students of any university in the entire world, and has a very reasonable cost. They also pay no attention to legacy status on the application and don't even ask for race, so don't expect them to be pretentious like the upper Ivies.
I'm biased, being an '09 McGiller, but I think McGill has way more in common with Cornell than Union or Vassar.</p>
<p>Its kinda weird to go to school in Canada...you know...but ill look into it. Thanks. Vassar is definately going soon...union...maybe/probably.</p>
<p>Hey Bklyn -</p>
<p>Given your penchant for medical research extracurs., Rochester is a good match. Similar climate as Cornell, open curriculum like Brown. Good luck with your search!</p>
<p>OK--I can't stay away. You have too much in common with my d who is also a Bklyn to Cornell kid (via Long Island). Actually since I last gave you my opinion, you have narrowed your list down considerably. My d also applied to a # of the schools you are considering including Brown- U of R and BU. We visited but she decided not to apply to Tufts or JHU as she didn't like them as much as the other schools. I am going to suggest you pick 5 core schools-- i.e Cornell-NYU-Univ. of Rochester (I really like U of R) --Boston and maybe Syracuse or Lehigh. I think you should base your other two choices on your SAT results. If you do really well, then look at your reach list. If your SAT's are not as high as you hope, then look more at the safety or match list. I am assuming that you will apply to Bing. and Stony Brook (safeties) so that you will have some nice choices next year. One last bit of advice from a Brooklyn-Jewish-Mom: Don't spend too much time on the website, and study for your SAT. That's the best way to get into Cornell. Good luck.</p>
<p>lol, im a brooklyn jewish kid hehe. Thanks! I am applying to Bing and Stony. But for Cornell, i heard SAT is definately NOT the "best" way to get in. I work in a research lab remember? Im in Intel Science Talent Search, and i do a lot of medical research outside of schools with doctors. Im pretty confident that even if i get a 1300 or something, my ec's and 5 AP's (which at my school is very tough to near impossible), and 3.9 GPA, and just my strong desire to go to Cornell and ED, i highly doubt that my research concerning the not so important factor of SAT for cornell is wrong. But yes, studying needs to be done, but like one advisor told me, "dont kill yourself over it." (she was talking about Cornell)</p>
Hi Bklyn2Cornell, I’m currently a high school senior and applied ED to Cornell for the exact same reasons you listed in the comments. I am actually very similar to you (want the same things in a college, am vice president of the model congress club at my school, member of the young democrats club, have conducted extensive research in an embryology lab, and am very interested in receiving a strong liberal arts education). I was rejected the other day and have honestly been really struggling with the news. I truly believed I would get in; my grades met the standards and I truly believe that Cornell’s philosophy is identical to my own. I really don’t know what to do now. Every other college pales in comparison to Cornell in my opinion. Do you suggest that I try and transfer after a year at another college? I am just very shocked that I was denied-- my mom attended the school about 30 years ago and everyone felt that I had a very strong chance of getting accepted. Do you have any advice for me?
@Bklyn2Cornell if you are also potentially looking to other ivies, Penn is the Ivy most similar to Cornell.