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How I got into Cornell (and other top schools): My stats + extracurriculars I put on the common app


I just want to preface by saying that I had very normal stats. I DIDN'T get over a 1400 on my SAT, I DIDN'T get straight A's but I tried to challenge myself and I did things because I wanted to do them. Ultimately, although good stats can, and do, help I'm posting this because I want to show others to not be discouraged by the numbers. If I could do it so can you. 


It's been a long and difficult journey to get here but after so many years I think I can say it might have been worth it. I think that during my application I definitely could have used more information so if this is able to help anyone I'm glad. In total I applied to 21 schools. I was accepted into 11 and waitlisted at 2.  I do not recommend doing this because it was a lot of work but if you want options go for it.


I was accepted into: 

  • UC Davis

  • UC Santa Barbara (UCSB)

  • UC Berkeley (Cal)

  • UC Irvine

  • Barnard college, Columbia University 

  • Mount Holyoke college

  • Smith college

  • Bryn Mawr College

    • With a merit scholarship 

  • Haverford College

    • With a regional scholarship 

  •  Cornell University (Where I'm committed to attend fall 2020)

  • UPR- Mayaguez

I was waitlisted at:

  • University of chicago (Uchicago) 

  • Amherst college

I was rejected from:

  • UCLA

  • USC

  • Stanford

  • Swarthmore college

  • Princeton

  • Columbia

  • Dartmouth 

  • Harvard


Transcript:

  • My weighted GPA was a 4.16 and unweighted it was around a 3.7 but this can be misleading because as you can see I did have Bs, 10 of them actually.

Test Scores:


I took the SAT 3 times and the ACT twice. I did not take the SAT subject tests but I would encourage you to look into them because depending on the school you might need them to be able to apply. You might also want to look into whether or not those schools need the writing portion and if it needs to be taken in the same sitting as the rest of the test you submit (which was the case for the UC Schools). I also took 8 APs ( 2 sophomore year, 3 junior, 4 senior year)

  • SAT super score- 1320

    • March 2019: 1250

      • Reading/writing - 650

      • Math - 600

      • essay- 6, 5, 6

      • I did not study for this test and was it worth it? No. It's better to take your time and practice.

    • June: 1310

      • Reading/writing - 680

      • Math - 630

    • October: 1310

      • Reading/writing - 670

      • Math - 640

      • Essay- 6,4,6

  • ACT super score- 31

    • October 2019: 29

      • English- 33

      • Math- 25

      • Reading- 34

      • Science- 24

      • Writing- 7

    • December: 28

      • English- 26

      • Math- 22

      • Reading- 34

      • Science- 31

      • Writing:- 7

    • I definitely recommend taking both tests because honestly for me the ACT was way easier BUT it was fast and I couldn't finish some sections. 

  • AP Tests 

    • 2018

      • European history: 5 

      • Seminar: 3 

    • 2019

      • English Language and Composition: 5

      • Spanish Language and Culture: 5

      • Research: 3


I think you can see by my stats that they weren't anything extraordinary but I was happy with them and they were able to get me into top schools. I definitely wasn't a good test taker and so I think what sold me were my essays, a future blog post. 


Extracurriculars: 


I listed 9 activities in total but I think the way I put them on the application was unique because it actually allowed me to put more than 9 activities.  I'll copy paste below exactly what I put on the common app. 


  • Family responsibilities: Taking care of my 9 year old brother under 

    • I care for brother when my parents are at work. When my mother travels my responsibilities increase. I also care for our senior dog with heart disease

  • Environmental: Recycling Project/Env. Sci Club President, vice 

    • Works with the international ecoescuela committee. Responsible for upkeeping the sustainability projects in our school.

  • Internship: InterGastro Clinic El Salvador

    • I shadowed Dr. C. Zavaleta, his partners & visiting doctors at the most advanced clinic for endoscopic technology in El Salvador.

  • Art: Ceramics and Dance

    • Typically dance ballet 4h/week (Also trained in a summer bootcamp) & practice ceramics 5h/week at La Liga De Arte under Prof. De Castro of the UPR.

  • Other: Library Club (have been treasurer and rep)

    • Responsibilities include organizing activities, shelving, helping students with questions or concerns, helping with book recommendations.

  • Community service: Various organizations (2 most imp. to me listed)

    • Teaching assistant at Oceanica (a museum focused on STEM education) & the American Cancer Society in their pediatric tutoring program.

  • Debate/speech: Model UN and Model OAS

    • Participated in various compositions around the island for MUN. For MOAS traveled twice to DC to discus resolutions that may be implemented in the OAS

  • Academic: National Honor Society & French Honor Society(rep)

    • For the FHS most of the work focuses on foreign languages week and immersion activities. For the NHS we focus on fundraising and providing tutoring.

  • Athletics/club/volleyball: Team managers club

    • Duties include record keeping of all types, first aid and CPR, resolving any issues that arise & general aid in the development & formation of teams

I definitely did more than just what I listed on the common app but you can't write a lot on the application so you need to prioritize. What I did in my application was categorize and then combine similar activities. Maybe you can talk about the rest of your stuff in the essays or   interviews but for this you have a word limit. 


Alright, that's everything! I hope this helps and if you have any questions feel free to comment or dm me @the_frizzy_haired_girl on instagram. 
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