<p>Sorry for the glitzy gimmick but I couldn't resist.</p>
<p>My question is this: I applied ED primary choice to HumEc and alternate to CALS, but I really don't want to go to CALS at all, only HumEc.
Does applying to CALS alternate hurt my chances of getting into HumEc ED?
This is really worrying me, so I'd love some answers!</p>
<p>Applied to HumEc HBHS and CALS Biological Sciences, even tho HBHS interests me much, much more.</p>
<p>I doubt that applying alternate to CALS will hurt your chances at HumEc. The office of admissions at HumEc gets your application first and they get to decide first if they want you. It's only if they decide to reject you that your application is moved to the office of CALS for review.</p>
<p>Thanks bestwhit. Any others? I'm just afraid that the HumEc admissions officers will see the CALS alternate and think that I have less interest in HumEc and therefore am less of a good fit/match with their school.</p>
<p>Let's hope they don't decide to reject me, haha.</p>
<p>Haha, aww no they see that HumEc is your first choice. That shows that you would rather be there than anywhere else, so I don't think that could be a detriment at all :).</p>
<p>I hope not, thanks bestwhit :)</p>
<p>Anyone else have some opinions?
(not that yours aren't great, bestwhit, but I'd like to hear a bunch of people's opinions before coming to a conclusion)</p>
<p>(no offense taken :P)</p>
<p>No. It only helps you. They see your primary interest is in HBHS, but they also see that you really want to go to Cornell.</p>
<p>Alright, thanks Cayuga.
My dad was talking to a colleague of his who knows a professor at HumEc (and, QUITE incidentally, has a daughter applying to HumEc ED <em>I wonder why</em>) and the professor said that applying to an alternate college is actually not good for your app to HumEc.
False?</p>
<p>Frankly, that is ridiculous. The program is only one year old and nobody in admissions knows one way or another what type of systematic effect it may have across the schools. The admissions committee judges you as an applicant, and if they decide that they do not have enough room in their class for you but you are still a strong applicant and have overlapping interests with another college, you will be sent over to that college.</p>
<p>Quite honestly, it only applies to such a small percentage of applicants and almost entirely for RD. I think less than 100 kids were admitted based on their secondary choice college last year.</p>
<p>The whispers going around campus is that it is actually used for candidates for where they may be a political interest in accepting the student... say a high profile donor or the like.</p>
<p>if I might ask, if you don't really want to be in CALS at all, then why did you even bother getting the secondary app ready? isn't that a bit of a waste of time?</p>
<p>^ and a waste of another applicant's spot</p>
<p>I agree that what the professor said was ridiculous, Cayuga. I applied to CALS as my alternate because Biological Sciences is interesting and Cornell is my first choice, but I prefer HBHS.
There are no spots for applicants, anyone who wants to can apply to Cornell.
So, essentially, the alternate college option doesn't hurt or help?</p>
<p>"but I really don't want to go to CALS at all"</p>
<p>^if someone with that attitude about CALS is admitted, it is a waste of a spot</p>
<p>"There are no spots for applicants, anyone who wants to can apply to Cornell."</p>
<p>^yes, anyone can apply. but only those who are qualified AND want to go to their respective undergrad college should be admitted. I hope you get into Hum.Ec. since you want to be there... I'm a GT, ppl who are in my position along with those from the waitlist are rather partial to applicants that are applying to schools they don't want to be at.</p>
<p>"The whispers going around campus is that it is actually used for candidates for where they may be a political interest in accepting the student... say a high profile donor or the like."</p>
<p>I do know a student accepted to his secondary school - and there was absolutely NO political reasons for it.</p>
<p>^yeah, I heard of one too. There is nothing wrong with students being accepted to secondary schools. Afterall, that is why it is on the application. But I believe they need to want to be at that school. Hopefully and usually, admissions can tell when a student truly wants to be there and when he/she does not.</p>
<p>It's not like I dislike CALS, I wouldn't mind going there, but I truly love Human Ecology.
grantortue, don't judge people (me) who you don't know the true opinions of.
Grats on the GT, but it is unnecessary to add yet more tension to these forums. There's plenty already to go around.
Let's all be friends.
:P</p>
<p>
[quote]
The whispers going around campus is that it is actually used for candidates for where they may be a political interest in accepting the student... say a high profile donor or the like."
[/quote]
Cayuga... I am a loyal admirer of your posts, but I am surprised that you would post a tale like that on this board. I have sat in on many sessions/meetings with the associate provost for admissions and enrollment and this has never come up. Primary/alternate decision is merely a vehicle for finding a place for the most qualified applicants.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I am a loyal admirer of your posts, but I am surprised that you would post a tale like that on this board. I have sat in on many sessions/meetings with the associate provost for admissions and enrollment and this has never come up. Primary/alternate decision is merely a vehicle for finding a place for the most qualified applicants.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The actual story I heard was that a trustee had a friend whose child was rejected. The trustee subsequently proposed the idea to Hunter Rawlings, who acquiesced, and suggested that admissions implement the idea. Many who I have talked to in admissions do not like the policy because they feel that most students who enroll in their secondary choice school will simply apply for an internal transfer their freshman year.</p>
<p>The story may be untrue, but the general sense I have gotten from adcoms in several colleges is that they aren't the biggest fan of the policy.</p>
<p>Frankly, I'm a little bit torn on the idea. I can see how it definitely works for students interested in say chemistry or chemical engineering, or government or policy analysis. At the end of the day it's really only affecting less than 1 out of every 200 applicants, so it isn't the biggest deal. And there are definitely more important admissions issues facing the University, like the need to better differentiate PAM, ILR, and AEM.</p>
<p>I wish I could add something substantive to the conversation, but I cannot without compromising confidentiality. I can tell you that what you heard is not true. The university felt it was losing some of it's most qualified applicants by only allowing them to apply to one college.</p>
<p>Fair enough. I can only relay what I hear from connections I have with employees in admissions. Their assertions may be baseless. I was only reporting 'whispers' on an anonymous forum, and you obviously have a much more formal, consultative role with the University. I know you don't believe in PMing, but feel free to PM me if you feel you must absolutely clear the air.</p>
<p>I think we can agree that the policy does allow the University to accept more qualified applicants, which is a good thing, but it is still a rather marginal program -- only 135 students were accepted out of 33,000 applicants last year. I would be curious to hear if you have heard anything as to the the yield for the secondary school acceptances. </p>
<p>Best.</p>