I’m looking to study business in college. My first choice is UPenn and my second is Cornell. I plan on applying ED to UPenn, but the problem is that Wharton is so hard to get into. Some people have suggested that I apply early to Cornell’s Dyson School early instead because it’s probably a little bit easier to get into. However, I know that Dyson is also extremely competitive; I was told its admit rate was 7% last year. Some people then suggest that I apply to another college at Cornell, such as the ILR school because: (1) you can also go into business from ILR, and (2) it’s not terribly difficult to transfer into Dyson from within Cornell.
Here are my major application pieces:
GPA- 98 weighted, 96 unweighted
SAT- 2150 (800 math, 680 reading, 670 writing)
ACT- 34 (36 math, 34 science, 33 english, 32 reading)
SAT II- 750 bio, awaiting math 1 and 2 scores
High school courses (counting senior year)- 8 honors classes, 8 AP classes, 2 “college” classes (run through local colleges)
AP Scores- World History, Statistics, and English Language- 5, US History- 4
Major ECs/volunteering/jobs- Varsity Volleyball (2 yr captain), Math team (captain), Stock Market Club, 2 Summer Internships at Law Firm, volunteer at church, math tutor, basketball camp counselor
Academic Honors- National Honor Society, AP Scholar with honor, w!se Financial Literacy Scholar
Rank- (my school doesn’t rank) but I should be in top 10% at a highly ranked NY public school
Do I have a fighting chance to get into Wharton? Or should I apply ED to Dyson? Or even ILR?
Any suggestions on this, other colleges I should consider, or any of my application pieces would be greatly appreciated.
Honestly I would go Dyson. It’s a great business school too and will likely present you with the same opportunities as wharton would once you graduate.
I would up going ED to Wharton and I didn’t get in. But thank you for being the only one to respond. Even though I didn’t get in, I think it was the right choice. Your response helped me to discover where I really wanted to apply, so now I can know that I gave it my best shot and didn’t settle. Hope all goes well for you if you’re an applicant as well.
@Lambo14 Sorry to hear about that, at least you gave it your best shot. Did you decide what to aim for next? Whether to apply to an easier school and transfer to business or to apply directly is certainly a debate to be had. The insider approach is savvy, and a lot of HS students don’t know about it.
@dblazer I’m actually having a discussion about that right now. My chances of getting into ILR are definitely greater than my chances of getting into Dyson. I’m still not sure what I should do. I love Cornell, so I really want to get in, but at the same time, I like the business program that is offered. I could transfer out of ILR after a year, but that’s still a whole year of something that isn’t my particular interest, and possibly more if I’m not able to transfer into the business program. Any thoughts on what I should do?
@Lambo14 It is a tough one, since there are points to be made for each side and im not sure I can really help haha. What other schools are you applying to and how would you rate them compared to Cornell?
@dblazer Cornell is definitely my next favorite. Besides Cornell, I’m applying to Dartmouth, Wake Forest, Duke, UNC, Richmond, Georgetown and a few safeties. Still not sure about ILR vs. Dyson, but I’m leaning ILR.
@Lambo14 if you’re that high on Cornell, then it may be best to play it safe and go with ILR, since Dyson is so competitive. After all, it’s not like Dartmouth/Duke have business schools and you should be in decent shape for UNC/Georgetown undergrad business schools anyways.