For those of you who are intent on attending to Cornell, you'll need to get accepted first. My high school guidance counselor came across a very interesting pamphlet prepared by a Cornell graduate that gave some excellent advice on what exactly to say and do on the application. I would like to share some of these tips with you so that you have a better shot at getting into Cornell.

I will divide this article into general tips and essay tips. First, the following guidelines will help everyone applying to Cornell:

General Guidelines for all applicants
1) Don't make things up. Be sincere and honest.

2) Prepare your application yourself - ask for advice but use your own ideas.

3) Give the selection committee a reason to want you in the class - most people have something, if communicated well, which can be a good reason for admission.

4) Communicate effectively - it requires hard work and a critical eye. The application process really has two elements:
a) Substance: what you say and what you list can make a critical difference
b) Presentation: how you say things is also important (you don't want to raise questions about your literacy and you need to prepare a neat and legible application)

5) Explain completely and clearly all of your important achievements. Prioritize your activities on a separate piece of paper and list them in their order of importance to you. Responsibilities, sports, music, jobs, leadership, committee memberships, research work, and even summer work can be a source of accomplishments. If you think the admissions committee will be questioning of a certain activity, explain it somewhere in your application (perhaps in the optional essay).

6) Don't submit unusual materials just to be remembered, such as food or other gifts for the admissions officers.

7) Read your application over before you submit it, on a different day than you prepared your essays. It is impossible to read your own work and catch every little mistake right after you wrote something; this is a little flaw just about everyone has but it can be fixed if you reread your work at another time!

Essay guidelines / food for thought
This advice is specific to each college

Arts and Sciences: Faculty members make up the admission committee and read your application. When they read your essay, make them want to have you in their class. They want to see an open-minded student who can convey an idea

Agriculture and Life Sciences: Explain why you chose your major. Your advisor(s) when you get to Cornell will have a copy of your essay. Both your first and second choice for a major must make sense. If you are trying to major in biology in the agriculture school, you must explain why you chose the ag. school as opposed to the arts school. The committee does not want the impression that you are simply interested in going to medical school, rather, you need to find something else in the agriculture school that justifies you being in the ag. biology major.

ILR: Explain why you chose ILR instead of Arts and Sciences. Work force issues usually are good essay topics. Don't simply discuss why you want to eventually get into law school.

Hotel School: Pick a personal, not a general theme. Present your career goals, and show some knowledge of some aspect of the hotel industry.

Human Ecology: You must make all essays relate to each other. Make sure to answer the questions. Instead of saying "I really like to help people" explain how you can help people.

Engineering: You might want to pick an event or activity in your life and explain why it was important to you.

Architecture: Show a genuine interest in the field.



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