What are my chances to be accepted into Cornell CALS? Other questions within

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I just finished my Junior Year in HS, school is top 40 in IL
Academics:
GPA: 4.3 weighted out of 5.0, 3.67 unweighted
ACT: 35 english, 35 math, 34 reading, 36 science. 35 Composite
SAT with essay: 2060/2400 and 1440/1600

Math: Honors Geometry, Honors Alg 2, Honors Pre Calc, AP Calc AB (I dropped out of BC after 1 semester), AP Statistics
English: Honors English 1-3, AP literature
Social Studies: US History, Special topics Decades, AP Government, Special topics Military History, World Cultures, Humanities 1&2
Science: Honors Chemistry, Honors Molecular Biology, AP Physics 1, AP Biology, Anatomy and Physiology
Electives: 3 years of Advanced Orchestra, Consumer Economics
Physical Education: All 7 semesters + Health, Gym class leader for freshman
Foreign Language: Latin 1,2 Honors Latin 3,4
^Some of these are classes that I’m going to be taking my senior year, but the chances that i fail any of them are extremely slim.
My freshman and Sophomore year GPA are a bit on the low side (~4.1), but I’ve picked it up since (4.3 and 4.6 for Junior year) and I’ll be able to get a 4.8 my first semester senior year if I keep up the same work ethic.

Extra curricular:
Piano IMEA testing for 9 years/10 levels.
Youth Symphony Orchestra which is an audition group, 3 years
Rotary club member, i have about 25 hours total volunteer. I’ll try to get to 100 by the time I apply-I do have a whole summer
Mu Alpha Theta, Math Honors Society Member
National Honors Society member
Probable National Merit Semifinalist and maybe finalist
World United Amateur Powerlifting 1x Champion, American Amateur Powerlifting Federation National Qualifier
Wrestling for what will be 4 years, 3rd place conference

More Questions:
What are some volunteer options that will make me more fit for CALS? I’m leaning toward a major in food science and most of my hours are from FMSC and helping out at random city events. And would a job help my ECs?
What are some internship opportunities in IL that might fit CALS?
Should I apply for Early Decision? Cornell is my top pick but it is a bit of a reach.
I have very good relationships with my English teacher (whom I’ve had for 2 years), Latin teacher (3 years), Orchestra director (3 years), and Math teacher (2 years). Who should I ask for a recommendation letter? Does the teacher’s subject play a big part too? (e.g. would a Bio teacher’s rec letter look better than a English teacher’s rec letter for Cornell CALS)
My 2060 SAT is old style, and I performed a lot better on the new style SAT. Should I retake the SAT or is 35 ACT enough?

2

Hey, another food science major! You don’t see a lot of us around here :slight_smile: Based on my admittedly limited knowledge, I’d say you have a fairly good chance at admission. Cornell in particular is known for the weight it puts on “fit” in admissions, so it’s difficult to say without essays + references. You could have perfect stats but still be rejected if they think you are better suited for chemical engineering than you are for food science.

As far as volunteer/internship options go, I’d recommend focusing in on one or two relevant activities you genuinely care about, and really focusing on them. At this point, it’s pretty risky to start taking on a bunch of new activities since the admissions board wants to see dedication over a period of time. Jobs, internships, and research experience are all great ways to show initiative in a specific area as well as gain experience, but if your volunteer activities really align with what you plan to do in college (and you have the hours to show for it) I’m sure it’ll reflect on you just as well. According to Cornell, a job is viewed just like any other extracurricular, so if it’s just some customer service or admin job it probably won’t help you a whole lot.

I’m applying to CALS ED since it’s by far my top choice, and if your first choice I highly recommend that you do as well (especially if you’re a legacy applicant). Your chances more than double(!) from ~14.5% to ~32.7%, and it’s another opportunity to show the school that you have done the research and Cornell is the best possible place for you to be.

I really have no idea how much the teacher’s subject area plays into admissions, but I’d venture a guess that they want to know that you A) Are competent and are willing to invest the time to achieve things in your area of interest, and, B) That you are a decent human being who feels passionately about said area of interest. They do require two rec letters, so I’d recommend having one from a math/science/engineering teacher, and one from whichever teacher you feel will write the best letter- I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a letter from an English teacher, but it might raise a few eyebrows if you’re applying for a science degree and only have recs from an English and a Latin teacher. Aside from that, they probably want to see the different sides of your personality, so one one from a math teacher and one from an English teacher might actually help your application.

Your test scores look good- your first SAT is definitely on the low side and the second is about average for Cornell, but you should be just fine with that ACT score. See you in Ithaca :wink: