<p>hey,</p>
<p>i applied to cornell's ilr school ED
sitting at around a 88% average (3.83 gpa)
SAT I: 1340 on 1600 scale, 2000 on 2400 scale
SAT II: writing in November Math I, II, and Lit.
solid academic timetable with APs (Psychology, Comp. Gov Pol, Econ, English, European History)
from canada, NOT applying for financial aid</p>
<p>EC:
Student leadership since grade 10, senior prefect
Peer Councilor
Volunteer Rugby coach
provincially and nationally ranked rugby player (member of junior national team)
solid amount of work experience in the summer</p>
<p>i know there perhaps not the strongest credentials, BUT... my brother and father are alum from Cornell, and iv been to the ilr school to visit and talk with reps from there.</p>
<p>what are my chances?</p>
<p>Alumni connections do help…but outside of that:</p>
<p>1) which teachers wrote your reference letters? (wat subjects do they teach)? Are they good letters?
2) You need to improve your SAT =/ 2000 is like…mehh
3) ILR wants people interested in social sciences. do ur extracurriculars show it? it’s more than just the classroom</p>
<p>and also, do u know anyone else who’s applying? Are their stats great?</p>
<p>2 reference letters from gov pol ap teacher and european history ap teacher…from what i hear, both are probably the best teachers to get reference letter from my school (cuz they write so well). they also know me well and like me 
. also a supplementary letter from sports coach. i havnt read the letters but they should be pretty solid. i will defiantly have a strong councilor report… he help me through some tough family issues last year. </p>
<p>yea i know… SAT isnt bad, but it dosnt stand out.</p>
<p>i guess that my ECs dont necessarily show interests in social sciences, but that is what im interested in, and i have shown that within the classroom setting. im a pretty serious athlete, and training takes up a lot of time which would otherwise be for different ECs. will admissions ppl take into account that i am a nationally ranked athlete?!?</p>
<p>from my school, my councilor said that there are at least 2 other kids who are applying to the ILR school, and if i had to venture a guess, they probs have better academic credentials, BUT, i think i have better reference letters and a stronger essay… if that counts for anything…</p>
<p>MayI ask what is your “stronger” essay? or is that too personal? A strong essay does really help</p>
<p>The athlete thing will defs help, but again from experience, Cornell is really about “fit”. Having social sciences in the classroom AND ECs is a double thumbs up!</p>
<p>common app essay talks about dealing with adversity, and how during high school i had to deal with a whole bunch of family issues (divorce, addiction… ect). talks about personal growth, self-realization… its personal enough to send a strong message but not soooo personal that it comes across as a “cry-me-a-river” essay.</p>
<p>SOOO… having said all this, what do u think me chances are?</p>
<p>i would say a bit above average, unless ur essays r absolutely amazing. writing about family issues is a really generic topic. a lot of kids (A LOT) write on that, so ur essay better be really, really, REALLY good</p>
<p>alumni connections and athlete thing do help. if u had some social science stuff OUTSIDE of the classroom, THEN i would say u have a decent good chance. ILR is about fit, and (sry to bring the bad news), it’s not exactly a college for recruited athlete.</p>
<p>you’ll need some good letters of rec, solid essays, and a bit of luck, but since you can’t change any of that now, i think that you’ll still have a pretty good chance since cornell’s IRL school has a way high acceptance rate</p>
<p>^ i agree with the part on essays. I’ve seen wayyyyy too many kids write about family issues. it’s becoming the application-essay-Bible. but if ur essay is good, then i would say ya, u got a decent shot…although ur essay is a tad bit on the low side. So far the ILR kids all have like…2150+/1450+</p>
<p>really depends on ur essay</p>
<p>hmmmm interesting… yea i know lots of ppl write about family stuff, but i chose to write about it especially because it had an impact on my grades last year… dropped like 4%, but back on track for my senior year.</p>
<p>i hope they like my essay… :S</p>
<p>anyone else have any thoughts?</p>
<p>I think that overall if your essays are solid, then you have a pretty decent shot. I mean, for anyone applying to an ivy it’s a gamble… that being said, I don’t think you’ll be one they immediately see as unqualified, but someone they consider. </p>
<p>Also, you can’t necessarily avoid being generic with the common app personal statements… since everyone has to choose from the same five prompts to write about, though I guess you could choose to do a prompt of your own, not listed.</p>