Admissions

Be yourself from the very first day. Cornell has enough students that you will blend in whether partying every day of the week is your thing or playing board games and having laundry parties is your Friday night plan of choice. Walk in knowing that there are many students smarter than you, but you also can compete with the best. Not to mention, you want smarter kids such that you will feel empowered to work your hardest to get the success you deserve.

Cornell looks for students who have made the best effort, given their circumstances, to investigate the field of study they are interested in. Show that in your essay for the Common App supplement, and you'll surely impress whomever reads your application. The rest is pretty much the same as what any highly selective college would expect: good grades, challenging high school classes, and strong commitment to an extracurricular activity.

It's really hard to get in. You really need to have some assets that make you stand out from everyone else. They have an 18% acceptance rate, which is relatively high for an Ivy, but you don't expect it to be that low until you've been denied. However, I know so many people who applied to all of these big name schools - lots of Ivies and such - and then they didn't get into any! I knew one girl who was really academically sound and had a great resume and both of her parents had gone to Northwestern and she ended up not getting in there! It just goes to show you that you can't expect anything. And then she made the mistake of only having back-up schools after that, so she got stuck going to OSU - not that I have anything against OSU, because it really is a great place, but compared to an Ivy or a big name school, it was a big let down. So my advice would be to make sure you apply to an intermediate school you're sure you'll get into and you'd be perfectly fine with going there. It's not insanely difficult to get into, and it's not a back-up. Like if I hadn't gotten into Cornell, I would've gone to Case Western Reserve or University of Rochester before I would've had to resort to my back-ups. And I would've been so fine with going to Case - that was actually my first choice for the longest time. But then Cornell came into play and I just couldn't pass up that opportunity. All I'm saying is be realistic and don't put yourself into a position where you could get screwed over for college.

Include very Cornell-specific things in your essay. When the admissions officers read your essays, they want to know that you've done your research and Cornell has opportunities that you could not get anywhere else. The essay is extremely important! I didn't have a perfect GPA or test scores but I was accepted because I wrote a great essay. Also, don't discourage yourself! Cornell may be an Ivy League school, but everyone has a chance of getting in.

Once you do get here, here are some helpful tips:
1. Learn the bus schedules! You're going to want to take the bus once it starts snowing.
2. Bring lots of warm clothing. Seriously.
3. You probably don't need an unlimited meal plan so don't splurge on it because it is more expensive!

Cornell likes well-rounded people. It's important to have strong academics, but show that you have interests and are passionate about something. I would definitely recommend visiting the campus, as it gave me a great impression of what the community of people there is like.

Don't go into the school with one set idea in mind as to what you want to study. So many students change their minds within the first year as to what they want to do.

During orientation week, say hello to as many people as possible (it's not weird then), sign up for some club at Clubfest because that is a great way to meet people, and leave your door open in your hall, because it is really awesome to make friends with the people in your dorm because you can hang out whenever you want.

As far as getting in here, just do your best in school and promote yourself to the best of your abilities on your aplication.

Make sure to truly assess who you are and what you want from your education before sending in your applications! In my experience I applied to 11 schools, and ended up realizing that I should have put quality over quantity. Narrow down your choices to a few schools, and in all of your applications, especially Cornell's, make sure you make yourself stand out. How are you different than all of the other prospective students? In your essays write about what you are passionate about - this will help you in the writing process and make you stand out to the reviewing committee.

1) Make sure you have some longstanding extracurricular activities (nonacademic ones especially) to put on your application it really sets you apart from the crowd. During the 5 years I spent there I never met anyone who didn't do an extracurricular activity during high school

2) If you have the opportunity to do so, visit the campus. It is really important that you know where you are going to be spending 75% of the next 4-5 years of your life. Whatever college you choose should make you feel at home.

3) When writing you college application essay speak about something you're passionate about, speak truthfully, and from your heart it will catch administrators' attention.

4) Go into your freshman year expecting the worst as far as academic rigor, this way you will not be caught off-guard. Do not underestimate the difficulty of your classes

Definitely visit. For me it was a long way coming from NC, but you can only get so much from online and reading sites like these. I was pretty sure I wanted to go to Cornell before visiting, but it wasn't my first choice. After visiting it moved right to the top - and it wasn't even close. Also, while visiting, don't just do the info session and tour. Line up an appointment with a professor or dean in your major. Come prepared with questions so you're not wasting their time. I did this and it really helped me when I was crafting my supplemental essay on my application. I was able to name names and locations. The admissions committee can tell when you've been on campus and really investigated versus just skimming a few websites and writing a generic response. It's worth the time and effort - so go to Ithaca as soon as possible.