College Admissions Questions & Answers: GPA, SATs, Cornell Engineering

This question came in via email, by a rising high school junior. Hopefully this question about college admissions can help others. The question goes as follows:

Hey Sohan,

I am going to be a junior in high school. After reading your blog, i felt like you were an great source to answer my question. My high school, being one of the toughest, and largest public schools in the state offers very challenging courses. These courses look good on my resume but they have had an impact on my GPA. I moved during my freshman year, so the transition was tough and as a result my freshman grades consisted of a few b's. Luckily im still in the top 8% of my class. As for SAT, im very determined and i'm studying every day for at least 2 hours, so far my highest score has been a 2200 but i usually score in the high 2100's. As for Extra Curricular activities, i am president and captain of the debate team at my school, and plan to make this my selling point along with working for an open source computer society that makes programs for disabled people. That being said, i'm looking at computer/electrical engineering as a major or something along the lines, and i will most definitely apply early. That being said, as you can tell my GPA will not look good on application, in fact it might be a cause to reject my application. But my question to you is

1.) do you think i have a fighting chance at engineering at cornell, i mean its an ivy-league and most of the people must be valedictorians,

2.) really what type of an SAT score do you think i need to make up for the GPA, or lack thereof

3.) do you think it would be a strategic move to apply early considering my application

I know you're not the admissions counselor, but they are rather political and I have already asked them. I hope this doesn't take away from you're time, and i sincerely appreciate you're help. Admissions is a stressful time (even though im 1 year early) and its people like you who make this less stressful and can offer key advice

Thanks

P.S. I hope this doesn't make me seem like some pesky high schooler who gets stressed out about everything, because i've heard this before


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Hey,

Haha, not too long ago I was a "pesky high schooler that was stressed about everything," so no worries.

If you only got a few B's freshman year, then it doesn't sound like your GPA is hurting as much as you describe it. If your school is one of the most competitive in the area, then the fact that you took harder courses will only help you. Also, given your description of your school, it sounds like your guidance counselors should be adept and able to vouch for you on your application (if you still feel like your GPA doesn't get to where it wants to be). (Your guidance counselor has to write you a letter of recommendation for college apps).

As for your SAT score, I personally got 2250 (only took it once, though). My friends at school have ranged from 2000-2300, so if you can get 2200+ you will be solid. How are you prepping for the SAT? Are you studying from a book or taking a class? I didn't do any of the princeton review classes, because they mostly just try to force you to take practice tests and study. However, if you already have the drive and self-discipline to study on your own, then just getting a book is best. Do as many of the practice tests from that big blue SAT book as you can, and perhaps take a look at the book: "Barron's SAT 2400." That book has had much success for me and a few of my friends.

Your extracurriculars seem good, especially the programming for the disabled. That will be a huge selling point when applying to engineering schools, imo.

Cornell Engineering is the top engineering program among the ivy league schools, but not in the nation. However, I don't think that it's out of your reach at all. A kid at my school just got in this year with stats similar to what yours will be. And you may have a misconception about Cornell, because its ntoed as "the easiest ivy to get into, but the hardest to graduate from." There aren't that many valedictorians, but just a lot of bright, hardworking kids. Honestly, I feel the other ivies like Harvard and Yale get all the valedictorians haha. That;s not to say there aren't extremely smart kids at Cornell - trust me, I feel humbled every day.

Keep working at those SATs, don't forget to take your SAT II's, and keep taking the hardest classes at your school. If you still feel like your GPA is too low, then there are places on the applications where you can give "additional info." There, you can include why your freshman year grades were low; they should be pretty understanding. I'm just saying that this is always an option, though it could be conceived as making an excuse. The main point here is: don't worry so much about your past GPA, because it can be accommodated for.

Finally, if Cornell is your reach school, then apply early decision to the engineering school. Your chances increase a lot. I do suggest that you apply somewhere early action and/or early decision, though.

If you have any more questions / need any clarifications, feel free to email me.

-Sohan

GPA, Application Help, and Cornell: Answers to YOUR Questions

Dear Sohan,
Hi! I am a Grade 12 student in China. Since here we are in the different education system, I wonder what does GPA(unweighted) 4.0 means. Does that mean an applicant should have almost full mark in every exam? or 95 out of 100 is 4.0?

Well, now for me is sort of struggling for deadlines...
My essays are not well prepared yet, and I wonder how I can stand out in those competitive pools...Perhaps my biggest problem is I had done a lot of work at school but don't know how to write down them well appropriately. Seeing your blog really helps me and gives me more confidence!
I planned to apply for enrollment of Cornell, could you say something about it? The spirit of Cornell and its symbol animal?
btw, what does "Advisor to the Superintendent"(I saw that in your blog) mean?

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Dear Reader,

I am glad that you've taken interest in my blog! A unweighted GPA (grade point average) of 4.0 varies in meaning from school to school. Generally, this is considered an "A" average, which could even entail a 93 / 100. Therefore, the number itself is somewhat meaningless in college applications. Along with the application, you need to send colleges your transcript (which your school might take care of). The transcript is where "GPA," or basically your grades, matter. This is where colleges will see how well you performed in classes. Colleges also take into account how difficult your classes are. So if you have a llower GPA (or grades) in harder classes, it won't be a big deal. In short, a 4.0 GPA means that you have at least 93 out of 100, but this is just a term we use to compare peoples' relative grades.

I know exactly how you feel. It's difficult to represent how hard you've worked in the past 4 years by just a few words on an application. I would suggest just brainstorming everything you've done - no matter how significant or small - on a piece of paper and go from there. Think about all your extracurricular activities, any special clubs or teams you've joined, and special achievements you've earned. Then rank them in order of importance to you. This is the best way to start when trying to summarize all that you've accomplished so far.

Do you know which school at Cornell you'd like to apply to (Engineering, Hotel Administration, Arts & Sciences, Human Ecology, etc.)? Do you know what your intended major is? Don't worry; it's perfectly fine if you don't.

People say that Cornell is one of the easiest Ivy League colleges to get into, but one of the hardest to graduate. I think this statement defines Cornell. Here, we work together to make it through difficult exams and problem sets, and this sense of community carries over all over campus. We have a lot of pride in Cornell and each of our fellow students, and we always try to help each other out. The symbol animal is a bear.

About "Advisor to the Superintendent": My friend down the hall wrote this blog. It means that he served as an assistant to the Superintendent of Schools, or a high authority figure within the school district. He didn't perform very well on the SAT, but was still admitted into top tier schools (he choose Cornell because of financial aid) because he was heavily involved in the community and showed leadership in his extracurricular activities.

I'd love to answer any more questions you have. Also, would you mind if I posted your questions and my response in my blog? I feel this information would help a lot of other students as well. I will keep your identity anonymous.

Sincerely,
Sohan

Back to The College Guide - Admissions Advice

Extracurricular Activities: How to prepare yourself for college beyond your academic life

Hey there, it's John again. There are several things colleges look for in their applicants besides GPA and test scores. One thing that may set you far above the other applicants is the extent to which you are involved. I just want to tell you a little bit about the types of Extracurricular Activities I recommend and provide some examples of the types of groups I was involved in during high school. I will separate this into two categories: Extracurricular groups and volunteer work.

EXTRACURRICULAR GROUPS: These groups include academic clubs (Quiz Bowl, Math Club, Science Olympiads, etc.), sports teams (football, basketball, etc.), service oriented clubs (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.), and religious oriented groups (Youth Groups, missionary groups, etc.). If you can obtain high level positions in these organizations, they will help advance your chances of success in the admissions process. The more variety you can fill yourself with, the more you will stand out in the application process. For example, someone who has a high GPA and is only involved in academic clubs will be no better off than someone with a relatively high GPA that is involved in academic clubs, sports teams, and service oriented clubs.

Some of the clubs and positions I served in during high school include Boy Scouts - Assistant Scoutmaster; Student Government - President; Beta Club - President; Quiz Bowl; Tennis Team; Soccer Team; Drama Club; Crossfire Youth Group; Advisor to the Superintendent. These are just some examples of the types of groups I recommend. This list represents a good variety of the aforementioned types of groups.

VOLUNTEER WORK: This is something that colleges pay special attention to even though it is an uncommon occurrence on applications. When filling out your applications for college, be sure to include ALL of your prior volunteer service. This can be service through religious affiliated groups, service oriented groups, or just volunteer projects that you design. If you have not yet done any service, it is not too late. Just get out there today, think about what your community needs, and act soon! Volunteer work can be as simple as collecting food for your local food pantry or as in depth as repairing homes.

Some of the volunteer work I included in my college applications include: Planning food drives for the local food pantries, going on mission trips to other states and helping repair dilapidated homes, holding voter registration drives in local high schools to register students for the upcoming elections, and erecting a flag pole, dedication site, and handicap accessible sidewalk in my local park for my Eagle Scout service project. These different types of service amount for over 300 hours and helped me get accepted into Cornell University.

These are just some suggestions of the types of activities you should get involved with while you still have the chance. My SAT score was well below average for the colleges and universities I applied to, yet I was still accepted. If not for these various groups and multiple service activities, I probably would not have gained admittance into certain prestigious universities.