Silkroad Online Forums

Hey, I'm going to 11th grade, and I want to go to Cornell University, pretty much have my heart set on it, and joining the AEM (Applied Economics and Management Program).
As of now, I have a few hours of community service, officer in 2 prestigious clubs at my school, have the most rigorous course possible at my school, an unweighted GPA of 7.8/8, which is about 9/8 weighted. I have terrific grades on SAT IIs as well (Math and Science)
I really want to get into the program, but it is very selective, what could I do this year and the beginning of senior year + next summer that would boost my chances, asides from high grades on SATs.

does your school offer AP Economics? do you live around new york city? because i think you can find some good internships for business in Manhattan. BUT you have to apply early and have a good resume.

yeah im taking 2/3 AP economics classes senior year. and next summer i forgot to say im applying for the cornell summer program

Write them a letter.

Don't be scared to do Extra Curriculars, Universities really do want Well rounded students, who are awesome in Studies, but have something more to them.

PLAY SPORTS!!!!!!!!!

our school has really good sports teams, and i wouldnt make the team ahaha. yeah my chess/debate is what I really want the college to see as I travel around teh country for those.
shomari, what do you mean?

wait dude I heard the cornell summer program is expensive like around $3000? I not so sure because it also depends on what your taking there.

i want to take the business class there lol
called "The Business World" or something

If you have found a true passion/like for something, write a letter explaining how that passion could be developed and how much you would have to give if they are prepared to help you. Because the being the smartest person isn't necessarily knowing a lot.

my friend's in cornell undergrad right now. it's actually pretty simple to get in

get a decent sat score, like 2100+, or 33+ on ACT

extracurricular activities, sports especially they look highly on. my friend played basketball for 2 years.

good grades, 3.7+ unweighted
or
top 5% in your graduating class

rock your admissions letter

dude, you can always make a team, I gurantee it.

somthing like bowling

but if your good enough tryout for bball/football or sports you like
it doesnt hurt

hmm a 3.9 GPA, it'll be tough to get it, weighted they don't look at btw, even though u take advance classes, they seem to only look at unweighted for official but meh, good luck

colleges in general like leadership and a couple of extracurriculars that you are devoted to. Having a unique extracurricular is eye-catching and a plus.

And chance threads for good schools, especially ivy league schools are hard to accurately predict because at such high levels of GPA and extracurricular work so many people are the same. Its unpredictable and inaccurate so the only thing that you can do is work hard and make sure to really show that you got a passion for cornell.

ok thanks all.
any suggestions what to do? I am writing a letter to CALS admissions, and my SATs I think are going to be great, because I have great math + science SAT Scores now.
and gaige, my unweighted is like a 99 lol, but weighted it almost gets to 112.5, and my school publishes the weighted one so idk
also, ive gotten a 100 or 99 on every single state exam, which is cool because cornell looks at those exams (new york state exams)
i hope chess counts as a sport, because im the best in my school. also I travel around the country for debate, i wish that counted as a sport lol (maybe it does?)
Im vice president of chess club (president next year, not old enough), and captain of the debate team. also this year im working with a huge community organization called island harvest, which is a really good program.

or you can just be like dwight

I hate when people say " yeah I did research at Cornell"
Like congra-tu-Fu-cking-lations.

Go to a state college or something else

well cornell has a deal for new york residents, and it looks like a great place. so why are you saying go to a state school lol

vietxboy911 wrote:or you can just be like dwight

That's exactly what I thought of when he said Cornell.

what a coincidence, I saw that episode today, ahh dwight... Btw
OT: You should also consider other colleges for business, like University of Illinois and Carnegie Mellon(I think), just because it is a Ivy League, doesn't mean it's the best school for economics

And I believe you have the option of interviewing, so good luck on that

well, i love the campus, and i heard so many good things about it. staying northeast as well.
i heard a 31% acceptance rate with ED

Can you afford the tuition?
Right now I'm just enjoying 11th grade and letting life lead me

Squirt wrote:Can you afford the tuition?
Right now I'm just enjoying 11th grade and letting life lead me

yeah for NY residents cornell offers half price in 3 of their undergrad schools

Squirt wrote:Can you afford the tuition?
Right now I'm just enjoying 11th grade and letting life lead me

There is always financial aid and plenty of loans. As well as scholarships.

Squirt wrote:Can you afford the tuition?
Right now I'm just enjoying 11th grade and letting life lead me

QFT. I do know I will attend University, but I don't have this all planned out.

Oh and whats SATs? (Maybe an Canadian Equivalent to? )

Assuming you can get the grades you're after, make sure you can get some recomendation letters from subject specific teachers, and write a personal statement explaining why you want to go there and why you are passionate or w/e and why you would be a good addition to the course.
If you can nail those two, thats an added bonus that certainly helps.

I got into Cornell. *I didn't go, but I was accepted* (like 2 yrs ago if that counts) If you give us so little information there's really nothing specific we can do to help you. Post your resume and your current test scores (act/sat if you've taken it, previous scores even if you do not plan to keep it, and current APs) so we can actually help you instead of posting the same generic advice you see everywhere else on the internet. If you haven't written your resume yet what the **** are you waiting for?

Btw, how does an eight point scale translate to a 4 point scale? 7.8/8 = 3.9/4 GPA?

im not sure SM-Count, because my school generally does out of 8, then goes to out of 100. and yeah i was just wondering things i could do, extra curriculars that look good other than mine. in my SAT diagnostic i took in 10th grade i got a 1970, which i was very happy with. so i am studying a lot, taking 4 APs this year (most I can take as a junior), and senior year probably 7 APs.
i have a portfolio, but I am planning on writing the transcript with my guidance counselor after i take my SATs. I am not sure if I should take ACTs as well because I have good SAT II grades (780s).

Most bang for your buck (in order):
1. Awards. Win shit, doesn't really matter what (sure, related to your major helps, but don't be picky). Colleges want the best people from every region, show your better than your competition by winning competitions.
2. Community service, I don't know why but several people who have no right getting into top 15 schools by their grades got in and the only thing I could find in common was their community service records (100+ hours). Yeah, you're not gonna get 100 hours but it's apparently pretty damn important.
3. Dedication, 4 clubs for 4 years >>> 10 clubs for 2 yrs. Ofc you can't really do anything about that now, just don't quit anything.
4. Teaching/work experience, influence over newer classes or work experience (none paid internships count). Again, sets you apart from the rest of the crowd showing you can take care of yourself/mentor others.
5. Resume/CV, write everything you did, everything you've won in a sexy fashion. (i.e. not just a 2 page word document with bullets. yes, your resume should speak for itself, but makeup always helps) I think this is a lot more important than the essay tbh.

A couple of words on the generic info you get:
1. Test scores are not that important. I've known many people who have bad test scores (32 act/2000 sat) and still get into top schools. That being said, a great score (35+, 2350+) will obviously be an asset, just don't kill yourself over an average score.
2. ACT is important. I don't know if SAT does this yet but ACT lets you only send the score you want without the history of previous scores. (When I took the SAT, everytime you took the test is recorded when you send your final score whereas ACT they only see one score so you can pretend you only took it once) So again, if you think you can achieve a great score, take the ACT. (plus it's about 10x easier to get a 35+ than getting a 2350+ on the SAT) If you don't think/don't want to put in the effort to get that amazing score, then yeah, don't bother with ACT. ACT and SATIIs have nothing to do with each other.
3. College essays, not that important. Everyone says they are, everyone says they're the only thing you can control or it gives colleges a perspective on your individuality opposed to just being a GPA and a test score. Sure, all of that is true, but the vast majority of people will never get accepted/rejected because of an essay. Don't write the essay as if you're trying to get in to a school.

ok thanks. im planning on joining a couple of clubs this year as well, and doing a community service thing for about 3 hours a week. im also tutoring kids in school in math/chemistry. i just dont know what competitions to win, i mean, i win chess tournaments all the time, as well as debate tournaments, and this year im entering science and math competitions.

also on my first diagnostic ACT i got like a 33 which was pretty good. i can definitely study up for it, and do the writing right?