I currently go to a CC and want to transfer to cornell for comp sci. For the Fall I got a 3.7 GPA and plan on getting a 3.7 or above for the spring. Can I transfer to cornell after 1 year of cc even though my SAT and GPA weren’t on par in the 50% range?
All you can do is apply and see what happens. Computer science is a very employable degree either way, so there’s no need to go anywhere prestigious. Wherever you get a job, you’re going to get a market-rate entry level job adjusted to the cost of living…no more, no less. If the employer goes any higher on the salary, they can attract an experienced professional to do the job. You don’t want to go into extra debt either. There is zero benefit to doing that.
I’m no admissions expert, however I have had (not recent) experience with students struggling their way through Cornell.
From that vantage point, if I were you I would be less concerned about whether you can get in, and more concerned about whether you can get out. As I understand it the CS major, shared with both Arts &Sciences and engineering, has a lot of top students in it. The people who were near the tops in SAT and GPA while you were in the 50% range. You are doing much better in CC but not with the same level of competition in the classroom. Maybe your current performance more reflects what you are capable of, and you will be fine. Maybe not. You have to decide whether to take that risk.