With the Cornell deadline approaching on January 2nd, I’m wondering if it’s worth it for me to apply or not. I have a 4.0 UW GPA (4.5 W) and a 32 ACT and have already applied to selective schools such as Vanderbilt, UC Berkeley, and WUSTL, among others. I was deferred ED from Duke and accepted to Tulane for their Honors program, so I’m wondering if I might have a chance at Cornell. I know the odds are slim, and I’ve been priding myself on not buying into the Ivy League hype, as I have applied to any Ivies to this point. I just don’t know if I’ll regret not applying to an Ivy League school in the future. Would I be missing out by not applying to Cornell? I know they also offer a 2-year transfer option to a select group of applicants, which I am also intrigued by.
Any input would be greatly appreciated. I have the next 24 hours to make a decision before I would put together my supplement.
Side Note: I’m not from New York, so I wouldn’t qualify for in-state tuition or admissions processes (I’m from Oregon).
Do it. Honestly. Your gonna regret not doing it. Your grades are great and just cause u didnt make it for Duke doesnt mean a rejection from Cornell. Trust me. These are a different set of eyes on ur application. And I speak from personal experience lmao I was a questbridge finalist and didnt match w ANY of my qb schools which were a bunch of ivies (I didnt really care because I was in love w Cornell and Cornell isnt a QB school). Basically, due to Questbridge I could not apply to any other colleges ED because the deadline passed. The only option was to change one of my application for the Match schools (which rejected me) to ED. Now, even my college counselor said it was very unlikely that I would get in to Columbia ED since they technically already rejected me. I just changed my application to ED because I was stuck; didnt know what to do. I was upset too bc I didnt apply Cornell ED. But then, I got it. Yes. I got into Columbia HEOP. And honestly, this RD is not binding so if the financial aid is crap then leave it. Cornell meets full-need anyways so whatever you need they’ll give it. I would be willing to help you with your supplement I wrote one for Cornell before the Columbia thing so I can help you out. My email is sumranyc@gmail.com if you want to share a google doc w me. Hope everything goes well!!
BTW: My SAT scores are a 1320 and my ACT is a 22 (I didnt send the ACT scores obviously)
Im just tryna let u know that it definitely CAN happen for u
honestly, why not? worst case scenario: you’re rejected. college applications are (for most people) a once in a lifetime opportunity. it’s better to look back and say you tried vs. you wish you had!
Seems to me you’re already “buying into the Ivy League hype” by considering applying to Cornell 48 hours before the deadline just because you’re worried you’ll regret not applying to an Ivy League school. If you think Cornell is a good fit based on qualities other than its Ivy League status, apply. If not, please don’t.
I wrote one for Cornell before the Columbia thing so I can help you out. My email is