Hi, I might be applying to Cornell next year for computer science at the school of engineering. The thing is as a Canadian student who is limited on funding, I was wondering if I should even bother applying considering the competitiveness of this university. Currently my overall GPA is 3.75 (4.0 scale), and I am ranked in the top 10% of my class of 200. I have taken all of the most difficult courses at my school. My new SAT score is 1400 along with a 780 in math II and 750 in physics. If this helps, these are some of the things that I do outside of the classroom setting:
-lead programmer for my robotics team
-top scorer in math competitions at my school
-debate team participant
-grade representative on student council
-math tutor for a grade 4 and grade 8 student
-computer science club founder
-current intern at a tech company
-trivia club participant
-self taught myself java and c++ as well as basic programming for neural nets
If you think that my application is competitive, what do you think my chances are if I apply early or regular, if you don’t think that I am competitive, what other universities do you think that I would be competitive for?
Thanks
Can you afford it? You wouldn’t get much FA, if any, as a Canadian.
I don’t know if you are competitive at Cornell, but also apply at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.
It’s definitely worth trying, but as an international student, if funding might be an issue, do NOT apply ED. Cornell’s FA for international students is dreadful, and you should only consider it as an option among other schools, and measure the aid packages between all of them.
I am hoping that I would be able to afford it. My family is of low income, so I would have to rely on private funding and scholarships.
Ok thanks. My guidance counselor also advised me to apply to MIT and other STEM schools of the same caliber. Luckily I was able to find a party that will be willing to pay the application fees for next year. I still will be applying to schools like U of T, Waterloo and UBC as a backup.
https://finaid.cornell.edu/sites/finaid.cornell.edu/files/International%20FinAid%20FAQs.pdf
If you are low-income and you get into Cornell, they will meet your demonstrated need 100%.
Be aware that it will be significantly harder for you to get in because Cornell is need-aware for international students.
Basically, there is a small pool of FA funding, and only the best applicants will be admitted. If the FA pool runs out, even if Cornell wants to admit you, they won’t be able to.
I’m not sure where the whole rumor about FA being “dreadful” to international students started. They WILL meet 100% of your FA need, but only if you get accepted.
Also of note is that Cornell will match your FA from other Ivy League schools as well as Stanford, MIT, and Duke.
Your application is very good but again, you are competing with other brilliant international students for limited funds. Your 1400 SAT score will definitely hurt you. Good luck with your college apps!