Hello, everyone. I tried this on the Cornell forum and people said I should also consider Harvard. I know it is very difficult to get in, so I was wondering if it would be worth it to apply.
Prospective Physics Major
GPA :3.85 UW; 4.5 W
SAT: 2350
ACT: 35
EC’s:
Research Science Institute at MIT
Assistant Researcher at University for 1 summer
Presented Papers at Numerous Physics + Engineering Conferences
Stanford Online High School (Astronomy)
Worked at Private Research Company (Internship)
Regional and State Science Expo Winner
Published Papers in Numerous Online Journals
Nationally Ranked in Public Forum Debate (top 100 in country)
Created Investing Club at School (25 members)
Over $5000 made on stock market
Trilingual
Mu Alpha Theta Tutoring
13 APs
I also focused all of my potential essays on one major topic and field of interest (if this helps my chances)
You seem like a wonderful applicant, as are most students who will ultimately be rejected. As Harvard and Cornell receive more qualified applications than they have seats in their freshman class, Admissions uses a student’s teacher recommendations, guidance counselor’s Secondary School Report (SSR), essays and Interview Report to choose one high performing student over another. They look for wonderful scholars of “good character” – that’s an old fashioned word meaning the way you develop your inner qualities, intellectual passion, maturity, social conscience, concern for community, tolerance, inclusiveness and love of learning. Unfortunately, none of those qualities can be gleaned from laundry list of stats and EC’s.
My advice: While your SAT/ACT scores certainly show you know HOW to do the work, your GPA indicates that you haven’t always worked up to your potential – unless of course your 3.85 GPA indicates that you are ranked in the top 1% of your high school’s graduating class. As such, IMHO your application would appear on the surface to be a mixed-bag and could go either way – that’s true for both Cornell and Harvard. So, you should pick the college you like best and apply there early, and then apply to the other in the RD round.
Freshman year I screwed up and got a 3.7 but every year after that I got a 3.85 or above. Junior year (this year) I have a 3.93. My recs are very good (from what I have heard). Econ+Physics Teacher. I hope this gives a little more insight into my potential application, as I just want to find out if it is worth applying to any of these top-tier schools.
While it is admirable to have an upward trajectory, when you apply to Harvard and Cornell you will be competing with the best-of-the-best students from across the country and around the world. Your direct competition will be students who didn’t screw up freshman year and are applying with a 4.0 GPA with recommendations from their teachers that say things like . .
. . . if your teachers are writing such stuff about you as well, then you stand a good chance.
Is it worth applying to Harvard or Cornell? Of course it is, as the lottery expression goes “You can’t win it, if you’re not in it!” Sometimes you just have to roll the dice and see what happens. Best of luck to you!
You have a phenomenal profile and, if you present yourself effectively, have a very good shot of acceptance at any major university. However, I would not advise for you to write all of your essays about your major. Colleges like Harvard are evaluating you both as a student and as an individual. Your ECs and classes will make your passion for a given subject abundantly clear, so while you should feel free to elaborate on that passion in your essays make sure to take some time to focus on your personality, background, and identity. Both my common app essay and my Harvard supplement had nothing to do with any of my ECs or academic interests and I believe they were one of the main reasons for my admission. Best of luck!