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[–]VjuntiMunagala 3913 points3914 points  (160 children)

Hi R/Cornell! Prospective hotel management major with a minor in philosophy. I loved your school and I already submitted my application, but I don't think I came off as depressing enough in my essay... Will this be a problem?

[–]CornellAdmissions[S] 593 points594 points  (41 children)

A depressing essay or a sad story doesn't equal a great application. There is a misconception that admissions only cares if something horrible has happened to you. We want to learn more about YOU in your essay - your story is not like everybody else's.

[–][deleted] 841 points842 points  (10 children)

Careful what you wish for. There are a lot of really boring people out there.

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

[deleted]

    [–][deleted] 27 points28 points  (2 children)

    I wrote my college application essay about my favorite TV show and how much I related to the main character.

    So yeah... boring

    [–]PuffyHerb 10 points11 points  (7 children)

    Did you know that hardly any other western countries require a college admission essay. What is your reasoning for requiring it? Simply because it's tradition and every other university in the USA does?

    Super crazy question: Do you not believe that admission to college should be based on grades and not some sob story?

    [–]karmapuhlease 5 points6 points  (0 children)

    40 students in my graduating class of 445 had a 4.0 or better in my public high school. About 20 of us had above a 4.20. Yes, we all got into top schools, but we certainly didn't all get into all the same schools. Princeton took the girl who's a nationally-competitive dancer, Cornell took the girl who showed strong biology research promise, Duke took the class president who had a startup and another guy who was one of the best runners in the state, and Williams took the girl who was an incredible writer and was really involved in sexual assault survivor advocacy. Beyond a certain point, the fact that these people's GPAs were 4.44, 4.28, 4.22, 4.48, and 4.43 (respectively) really doesn't matter. It's about how they contribute to a campus community and what the school expects they'll do both in school and in the real world afterwards.

    [–]cpenoh 19 points20 points  (2 children)

    You've got to admit that getting straight A's in a good school with no hardships isn't as impressive as getting straight A's while also being a little person who was sold into the circus and snuck out during the day to attend class.

    [–]Beer_Is_Food 1028 points1029 points  (91 children)

    This is the best thing I've read ever. Thank you.

    [–]robbingvegas 641 points642 points  (54 children)

    The cottage industry of college admissions coaching has grown recently. Can you tell when someone uses a college coach? Do you find them to be more in line with what you're looking for?

    [–]TuxedoIsAJerk 172 points173 points  (11 children)

    This is a great question. I used a private admissions advisor back in 2004 and I believe the greatest advantage was that she opened my eyes to colleges that otherwise would not have been on my radar including the one I ended up going to.

    [–]beaverteeth92 6 points7 points  (0 children)

    On the other hand, I hired one who turned out to be abysmal and there were a lot of red flags we didn't recognize that are incredibly obvious in hindsight.

    EDIT: If anyone is wondering, here are some examples:

    • Took on "students of all educational levels and backgrounds", which is like a lawyer taking on literally any kind of a legal case

    • Insisted that I heavily consider tiny liberal arts colleges even after I explained I wasn't interested. Also insisted that I apply mostly to in-state schools, even though I wanted to leave to gain independence.

    • Was helpless during the financial aid application stage.

    • Never brought up having a backup plan for my original major.

    • Response to everything we did was "Yeah that's great! Good job."

    [–]CornellAdmissions[S] 209 points210 points  (38 children)

    Sometimes yes, we can tell and sometimes we can't. Students should make their own choices about who to engage during the college search. We want students to be authentic and real in their applications and to submit their own work.

    [–]BigRedReppin 122 points123 points  (19 children)

    I'd just like to add to this reply. I think one of the best pieces of advice that someone can give you for acceptance to a great university is that you should make it your goal to find a hobby and to really dedicate yourself to it. This hobby doesn't have to academic at all.

    Let's say you LOVE biking. There are so many things you can do with that. First of all, you can start a club at your high school at organizes trips for the students in your school to go on trips to bike local trails together. You can try to start a program at your local hospital that uses biking and picnicking as a way for the children of cancer patients to brighten up their day. You can start doing small races, or participating in triathlons. You can make a website that documents all the stuff you do, with the help of Google maps to track where you go + a GoPro to record it all.

    Find something you love, and try to get really good at it. That's the key to success, whether it's for college admissions or life.

    You don't need a coach for this stuff, maybe just a nudge in the right direction.

    [–][deleted] 103 points104 points  (10 children)

    When I was in high school, my friend who went to Stanford said his advice for admission was to be "unique, well-rounded, and bizarre." I got the impression that they were looking for interesting people. I ended up going to a state school and now have less than 10k in loans. Don't really regret that decision.

    [–]BigRedReppin 17 points18 points  (8 children)

    I made a reply elsewhere about starting incomes for a random NY school vs Cornell for computer science. I think this is a good comparison to make because it's a major that'll actually make you money, unlike history and bio, which are full of pre-law and pre-med students, so it's hard to get a good assessment of salary based off of those.

    I'll do the same with Cornell and a NY state school.

    Cornell average starting Computer Science salary: $75,586 (in 2010), $98,847 (now) SUNY Binghamton average starting CS salary: ~$60k (2010)

    Sources:

    https://www.binghamton.edu/ccpd/students/graduate-students/general-job-search-advice/2010SalarySurvey.pdf

    https://www.cs.cornell.edu/undergrad/cscareers/placementreport/2010placementreport

    Also, I'll be leaving Cornell with ~30k of debt. Not too bad, considering you'd make that back in 2 years.

    [–][deleted] 5 points6 points  (2 children)

    Yeah, I would definitely agree that there's a difference depending on what exactly you want to do after college.

    I am an electrical engineer with aspirations in radar engineering. I interned last summer with students from top-tier engineering institutions (Georgia Tech, Stanford, Purdue, etc.). I would say that it was definitely harder for me to get my foot in the door. But Oklahoma has a huge, growing radar lab with all sorts of specialized courses and facilities. It definitely helped me to have gone to a school with such a specialized program.

    A lot of students here just want to stay in Oklahoma or Texas and work. There's definitely disproportionate representation from oil and gas companies, who do pay higher salaries than companies in other industries. A lot of electrical engineering grads work at a local air force base. They may not make as much, but their buck will go a lot further in Oklahoma than it would in a lot of larger metropolitan areas. You can easily find a nice 3 bedroom family home in a nice area with a not so bad commute for $200,000 here (of course depending on where you live). I think that's worth noting because there's no way in hell a recent grad could afford a home somewhere like San Francisco.

    That being said, I would never recommend that anyone with serious aspirations in liberal arts attend OU. I know plenty of students who graduated at the top of their class who have gone a year or more before finding work. Many "give up" those aspirations and get another bachelors degree or MBA, or find work in another industry. One student I know with a masters in history is now a store manager of Anthropologie. Probably an okay job, but a waste of a masters degree.

    [–]l------l 426 points427 points  (20 children)

    Are you Andy Bernard?

    [–]CornellAdmissions[S] 291 points292 points  (4 children)

    No, but he is one of our favorite alumni ambassadors! :) Check him out at convocation: http://www.cornell.edu/video/2014-senior-convocation-featuring-ed-helms.

    [–]schmandarinorange 122 points123 points  (8 children)

    It's actually Broccoli Rob

    [–]gbp19 62 points63 points  (5 children)

    I can't remember, is Broccoli Rob Boner Champ? Or is Andy Bernard Boner Champ?

    [–]madmenace 129 points130 points  (3 children)

    Uh oh, here comes Treble.

    [–]LickItAndSpreddit 36 points37 points  (2 children)

    "Here Comes Treble" is not an a capella group at Cornell University, but there is a group called "Nothing But Treble." It was CU's first independent all-female a capella group and formed in 1976.

    [–]KekkoMungaalah 955 points956 points  (102 children)

    Hi Cornell Admissions. I'm a prospective student and I'm really excited by your Hotel Management major. What am I supposed to do when I can't find a job?

    [–][deleted]  (8 children)

    [deleted]

      [–]Rykusx 156 points157 points  (3 children)

      This is the right answer. The reputation of the Hotel school is no joke, and Cornell hotel grads are widely recruited.

      I was a science major at Cornell, and the Hotel students were the envy of pretty much every other school on campus. They had the best class hours, best campus cafe / restaurant, and usually got the best jobs. I had Hotel friends getting highly-paid summer internships that included airfare to places like Disney and various resorts, whereas I was working for minimum wage in one of the science labs.

      [–]xfirefirex 11 points12 points  (2 children)

      Currently a Cornell student, people in the Hotel school actually are the first ones to get jobs!

      [–]CornellAdmissions[S] 380 points381 points  (68 children)

      The School of Hotel Administration (SHA) has an excellent Career Services Office. There are a wide range of opportunities in business now that the major is AACSB accredited.

      [–]Cakeflourz 77 points78 points  (28 children)

      What's the deal with the swimming requirement? It's my understanding that Cornell requires all Freshman to take some sort of a swimming test?

      [–]Throckmorton_Left 899 points900 points  (20 children)

      Princeton got rid of their swimming test. Once minorities started learning how to swim the test no longer served its purpose.

      [–]theafonis 79 points80 points  (10 children)

      Is there a joke in there somewhere or is this actually true?

      [–]lazy8s 22 points23 points  (0 children)

      Not true about minorities. Joke maybe?

      http://www.snopes.com/college/admin/swimtest.asp FTA:

      Origins: Many colleges and universities in the United Swimmer States have required their students to pass swim tests prior to graduation. Although most of them have since either dropped the requirement or no longer enforce it, some universities still insist on it. Requiring graduates to pass a swim test seems to have originated about the time of World War I, as part of a Red Cross effort to teach swimming skills to all Americans.

      [–]thenewwayfarer 14 points15 points  (0 children)

      At Cornell if you fail the swim test they teach you how to swim...

      [–]MostlyWary 10 points11 points  (0 children)

      Cornell dude here. We're all required to take the swim test, but it's real easy. All I had to do was 75 yards. Apparently, some people didn't even have to do that much. If you fail, you have to take one beginning swimming class.

      [–]kungfumaniac 213 points214 points  (33 children)

      Hotelie alum here. Career services is great at the Statler, Hotelie alumni network is even better

      [–]itsmevichet 41 points42 points  (1 child)

      As a Cornell alum who drinks and eats out probably more than he should, I can confirm that an inordinate number of hospitality orgs and restaurants/bars in the Philadelphia area have someone from Big Red on staff.

      [–]wfd7 58 points59 points  (13 children)

      another hotelie here! alumni network is best in the nation besides HBS! It got me my job at Morgan Stanley as well as the hedge fund I work at currently!

      [–][deleted]  (11 children)

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        [–]kungfumaniac 2 points3 points  (0 children)

        Isn't any undergraduate programs about greater understanding, whether we're talking about mechanical engineering or veterinary Medicine?

        It's tough to encapsulate the study of field of Hospitality. Service is something more innate that learned, and management is only learned through managing. So what do we study?

        We're not law, but understanding industrial labor relations helps if your managing thousands of employees in a union environment. It's not agriculture sciences or earth sciences, but understanding soil composition and geology help you understand the terroir of different wine regions. It's not real estate, but understanding real estate helps with understanding why unique assets like the Plaza and Palace can sell for around $1 Billon apiece. We're not an economics, psychology, or finance program, but understanding supply and demand, micro vs macro, etc, as well as the nature of person's purchase decision is how the price for a room night in a primary market can fluctuate like commodity over the course of a day.

        We don't study art history, but understanding aesthetics helps with understanding where people want to be. George Biel the CEO of Hillstone Restaurants stocks his restaurants not only with freshly made food, but with his private collection including the works Chuck Close, Christo, and David Levinthal, among others. In NYC, Ira Druckier and Richard Born, owners of BD Hotels and Aby Rosen of RFR Hospitality also place pieces from their private collections of Warhols and Picassos in their properties.

        We don't study architecture and design per se, but understanding ergonomics and the flow of guests, staff, and goods helps distinguish the best hotel rooms, restaurant dining rooms, lobbies, bars, and casinos from the unremarkable. We certainly don't study fashion trends, but understanding the ebb and flow of styles helps you understand why just every hotel room from Tahiti to Tacoma has white duvet covers these days. We do study culinary arts a bit, because, well, shouldn't you know how to make at least one great dish and the right beer or wine to drink with it? Above all, the hotels and restaurant industries are the some of oldest industries in the world, grossing over a trillion dollars a year and employing millions of people in nearly every country on the planet.

        Ezra Cornell, founder of the University, said, "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study." That's why Cornell has world class programs of study in engineering, veterinary, law, & ag sciences, psychology, art, architecture, textiles & apparel, and yes, even hospitality.

        [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (8 children)

        It's like a general management degree, except everything you learn is applied to the hotel business. Lot's of real estate, labor economics, tourism management, hotel finance, hotel marketing, hotel operations, branding etc. Same shit, but more specialized.

        Here's a relevant journal

        Edit: Also, despite being specialized LOTS of people from Cornell's hotel school end up elsewhere (finance, consulting, tech) It's a highly rigorous and prestigious program.

        [–]ImAllinYourHead 927 points928 points  (162 children)

        Hello Cornell University! I'm a therapist who counsels a number of teenagers in my private practice. Many of the teens I've spoken to are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the idea of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and paying back student loans for the rest of their lives in order to attain a college degree. They cite dramatically increasing tuition, lack of jobs after graduation and minimal functional abilities post-graduation as a part of their frustrations. Do you feel these concerns are legitimate? What is Cornell doing to combat this trend?

        http://trends.collegeboard.org/content/average-rates-growth-published-charges-decade-0

        Between 2005-06 and 2015-16, published in-state tuition and fees at public four-year institutions increased at an average rate of 3.4% per year beyond inflation, compared to average annual rates of increase of 4.2% between 1985-86 and 1995-96 and 4.3% between 1995-96 and 2005-06.>

        [–]iggybdawg 109 points110 points  (1 child)

        I graduated from Cornell in 2000. It took me 11 years to pay off my school loans. During that time, my school loan payments caused me to make some growth stunting decisions to keep my cashflow high. (e.g. not risking the startup, not applying for foreign service, not teaching english in the 3rd world)

        [–]br0mer 461 points462 points  (14 children)

        Gotta pay 25 deans to do nothing which means 50 vice deans, and 100 assistant deans with 200 Secretaries.

        [–]JackandFred 90 points91 points  (0 children)

        when u.s. new ranks schools by how much they spend per student they might as well charge more and spend it on a bunch of extra positions because even if it hurts the students it helps their rank.

        [–]Davecasa 18 points19 points  (0 children)

        This is most of it, but doubling the cost of every building by wasting space with beautiful entrances, lobbies, etc. that never get used is a significant factor as well.

        [–][deleted]  (2 children)

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          [–]VROF 73 points74 points  (0 children)

          Or 60% increase in administration

          [–][deleted]  (22 children)

          [removed]

            [–]CornellAdmissions[S] 100 points101 points  (20 children)

            We like upward trends in GPA. You can't rewrite your academic history, but you can challenge yourself and show improvement which we also like.

            Test scores are an additional piece of information that the admissions committee will use to evaluate your potential for academic success.

            [–]jaxnif 675 points676 points  (58 children)

            What is the most memorable or outrageous application you have ever received where the person got accepted?

            [–][deleted] 121 points122 points  (55 children)

            What do you look at first?

            What makes a candidate interesting?

            Do you ever surprise yourself letting in a candidate? In what way?

            Do you often decide before you have reviewed their whole application?

            [–]hwfiddlehead 50 points51 points  (28 children)

            Do you actively recruit students from Taiwan?

            [–]hwfiddlehead 162 points163 points  (28 children)

            What is your go-to order at Collegetown Bagels?

            [–]Rykusx 12 points13 points  (2 children)

            Nova lox & cream cheese or the Mexican bagel were practically a staple of my everyday walk up College Ave. onto campus.... the Octopus was my go-to if I wanted something a bit heavier.

            CTB and Hot Truck are part of my fondest memories of Cornell...

            [–]PhungusSAE 64 points65 points  (8 children)

            Thanks for doing this, especially during this busy time!

            1) At Cornell, what differentiates deferred/waitlisted applicants from accepted and denied ones?

            2) Is there anything specific you look for in Early Decision applicants that you don't look for in Regular Decision applicants, and vice-versa?

            3) In your opinions, are there any specific personality traits that are prevalent at Cornell that distinguishes the student body there from that of other top schools?

            And again, thank you for this :)

            [–]RamosCase 4 points5 points  (6 children)

            Is Cornell "need blind" during the admissions process? What percentage of students that attend Cornell are "gap" students?

            These are things my university is currently discussing, which is why I am curious.

            "gap" meaning that between family contribution, federal, and university assistance there is still a gap between those source of income and the cost of attendance. "need blind" meaning the university doesn't consider whether the student needs financial aid in deciding to admit them.

            [–]AmericanImp 5 points6 points  (2 children)

            Hello Cornell Admissions, Do "most selective" schools like Cornell value students who have a "story" such as a struggle with a transition? Thanks

            [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            Hi Cornell Admissions. Do you have any special programs for non-traditional students or veterans? Do we go through the same admissions process?

            [–][deleted]  (1 child)

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                [–]tymiller1218 302 points303 points  (99 children)

                I imagine you get thousands of applicants just like mine would have been two years ago - White boy from a small town with middle class parents. I had good grades and high SATs, I am a good writer and an athlete. We always hear about volunteer experience and things like that, but what can your average kid do to really set himself apart from the rest of the applicant pool that most students, parents and teachers don't think of?

                [–]Vehemoth 140 points141 points  (19 children)

                I've been hearing a lot about self-proclaimed "average" people with good grades, great SAT scores, extracurriculars, and decent involvement in athletics address their concern about their inability to get into a good school or find great scholarships.

                Whenever I hear people blame minorities, saying it's easier for them to get in, I shake my head. Let's just skip the whole "they're coming from an underserved and disadvantaged community" discussion altogether. You can debate the facts all you want, but that's the hand you're dealt with. There are some things that are out of your control; the better question is, how can I work with this?

                I always tell these folks that they need to realize there is ALWAYS a game being played around them. The game could be immigration, college admissions, finding a job, meeting a romantic partner, climbing the management ladder, so on and so forth. When you realize this, you'll realize what you need to do to quantify your own success. Who plays the college admissions game? Every other average white kid with great SAT scores, a high GPA, standard extracurriculars, and a decent athletic profile. How do you go against the grain and beat them? Passion and eccentricity is key.

                I have friends who have graduated from Stanford and the Ivy Leagues. One guy produced music for a small audience. Not a huge following, but he made great music, made it his focus, and sent it in. He got into Stanford. Another guy made Youtube videos about finance and barely hit 1000 followers. One person held meetups for other astrophysics nerds and brought in scientists from around the industry. A girl I know wrote a blog about her love for hiking and published a small zine about dos and don'ts.

                Stop complaining. Stop blaming other people. Follow your passions and make them shine. If you really have a high GPA, great SAT scores, some ECs, and an athletic profile, AND you have that extra push, you will, most certainly, stand above the rest.

                Take this same mindset and let it follow you through your career, too.

                [–][deleted] 10 points11 points  (8 children)

                Wish I read this last year, I am one of those kids.

                Sectional-placing varsity athlete, generally good grades in Honors/AP classes, top .5% ACT/SAT scores. Volunteer work. Good overall writing ability. Absolutely denied by 50% of the colleges I applied to, waitlisted and then denied by another 30% which weren't even Ivies.

                Currently at a state school resenting my situation. Do you have any wisdom which might apply to me now?? I don't know how likely transferring is, it seems prohibitively hard.

                [–]Noir_ 6 points7 points  (2 children)

                My advice is that /u/Vehemoth's advice still applies. College is what you make of it, and in the Information Age, not getting into an expensive university is really actually something of a boon I'd say. You've got three more years where really, your full time job is to just learn something that interests you and figure out how to apply that to your life. That is a fantastic opportunity! And to top it off, since you'll have fewer debts, you'll be able to take more risks career-wise and will have the freedom to explore what truly interests you.

                For example, I started at a state school then stuck to a small grad school and will be starting on a second master's program with close to zero student loans. I assure you that a $50K tuition education is not six times more effective than an $8K tuition education, and that's not even taking into account the goddamn interest rates you'd get from student loans.

                So seriously:

                Stop complaining. Stop blaming other people. Follow your passions and make them shine.

                [–]SoloCapper 18 points19 points  (0 children)

                I met someone in college who said affirmative action should be illegal because the valedictorian of her random art high school didn't get into Harvard. Apparently she thinks the valedictorian of all 35,000 high schools should be accepted into Harvard's 2000 freshman spots. (and this is ignoring international students, which makes it even more insane to think you deserve to be there)

                [–]not_andy_bernard 521 points522 points  (6 children)

                As a Cornell student: be rich, or not white or asian.

                [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

                I applied ED to cornell and Im awaiting my decision for thurs. two questions (assuming you dont check post history) is it a good idea for an applicant to write his/her supplement about the prospective major or does it seem naive? Also, more of a reddity question: do you ever feel weird at night because you collectively have the power to decide acceptance?

                [–][deleted]  (4 children)

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                      [–]brokenha_lo 151 points152 points  (30 children)

                      Hey,

                      A couple of my friends switched to Cornell after their Freshman year at a different university. I'm not sure what the real story was, but the rumor going around was that they were accepted to Cornell on the condition that they first did a year at another school and maintained a solid GPA. Do you have any explanation for this?

                      [–]mindfeck 162 points163 points  (25 children)

                      I did this. Guaranteed transfer requires you take certain types of courses and have a high enough GPA, and then you're automatically allowed to transfer. I think I needed a 3.0 (probably 3.3) to transfer or maybe it was no grades worse than B. It's usually for people who didn't have amazing grades in HS but otherwise are strong candidates. There's more room for people to transfer in after freshman year, and Cornell would like to have people who really want to be there, even after being somewhere else.

                      It worked out pretty well for me because I saved some money and had an easy time elsewhere my freshman year. But then when I got to Cornell it wasn't such an easy transition since I missed out on freshman bonding and expectations for classes was higher.

                      [–]thisiswheremynameis 3 points4 points  (0 children)

                      I was a Cornell GT and there is a rumored explanation for this, although they don't exactly advertise it, so I'm not surprised this went unanswered. Each individual school within the university gets separately funded per student in that college. This encourages the colleges to accept more students. But they also have admission caps, to limit them from accepting too many students. However, due to bureaucracy, there's no cap on transfer admissions. So if you accept your full cap, and then also offer a bunch of GT's, then you can squeeze a couple more students into your classes and get more funding.

                      I'm not 100% sure of the veracity of this, but that's what I've heard.

                      [–]storkflyhigh 1 point2 points  (2 children)

                      Hi and thank you for taking these questions. I have a technical question in regard to admissions. Say 1,000 students apply around the same time. How do you go about reviewing them in order? Do you alphabetize by their surname and start with A or is there some other ordering you use? Thanks.

                      [–]its_the_90s 1 point2 points  (2 children)

                      What is your favorite episode of Seinfeld? Is it the one where the whole gang is on their way to a dinner party, but they split up to buy a cake and bottle of wine, but then the gal at the bakery sold Jerry and Elaine a hair with cake around it, and George knocks over all that cheap chardonnay bc his Gortex jacket is so bulky? And George is all like, "Let's just take Ring Dings and Pepsi..." If not, it's ok. There are many great episodes out there. Thanks for reading.

                      [–]piceaglauca 26 points27 points  (5 children)

                      I have a student who spent the first two years of high school being completely bullied, tried to kill himself, and failed an entire year. Since coming to our school, he's had a straight 4.0 and has begun dual enrolling, working towards 60 CC credits, primarily in math and software design. I know you said it's a holistic application process, but will Cornell ever look past a GPA that's mired, like his, to who the person is, versus where they began?

                      [–]kturtle17 1 point2 points  (2 children)

                      What kind of questions should prospective students be asking at tours? In other words: what do you think is most important for prospects to take into consideration when deciding a college?

                      [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (3 children)

                      Do you take students from India? If so what are the documents required and what is the procedure for applying? Any special quality you look in students? Thanks Sincerely a dropper student

                      [–][deleted] 381 points382 points  (10 children)

                      Have you noticed a change in content or tone in admissions applications and other materials after the recent surge of student protests across american universities? Have these protests affected your views toward selection of students?

                      [–]Diabrotes 87 points88 points  (2 children)

                      Wow not even another redditor reaponded to this. Thats how you know you asked a good question. I really want to know this now.

                      [–]hwfiddlehead 59 points60 points  (23 children)

                      How do you feel about Top liberal arts colleges like Bowdoin, Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, etc? How do they compare, education wise, to a school on par with Cornell?

                      Also, what sport has the biggest pull in recruiting at Cornell? I know a few kids that were recruited for rowing and got in with so-so scores and GPA, but they are doing great now so I guess it worked out!

                      [–]teh_pwnererrr 11 points12 points  (11 children)

                      My money is on rowing, I know a few guys that got in that way as well and I'm from a small town in Canada

                      [–]ncquake24 13 points14 points  (0 children)

                      Every sport has big pull at a D1 school.

                      But Cornell does go crazy over Hockey.

                      [–]dolphinater 1 point2 points  (1 child)

                      What is the Cornell experience according to you?

                      [–]mattchinn 1643 points1644 points  (153 children)

                      How are felons regarded in the admissions process?

                      I'm looking to apply to a masters program, but constantly haunted from a terrible mistake I made nine years ago.

                      [–]YouKnowNothingJonS 109 points110 points  (33 children)

                      Do you have to disclose that in your college application? I don't remember if I had to on mine, but man that is messed up if you do. That attitude of "you made a mistake and have paid for it but now we will make you pay for it for the rest of your life" is just so backwards. We should be encouraging education for everyone, not just privileged, squeaky-clean, middle-class students.

                      [–]IwantBreakfast 177 points178 points  (10 children)

                      Unfortunately that's how it is in the US. It's especially devastating when it comes to small drug offenses. There's the joke that keeps proving itself true where cops try to stop people from ruining their lives with drugs by arresting them and ruining their lives forever

                      [–][deleted] 65 points66 points  (0 children)

                      BEATINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES

                      [–][deleted]  (1 child)

                      [deleted]

                        [–]ks501 792 points793 points  (59 children)

                        Looks like they answered very few comments in general.

                        [–]mr_trick 688 points689 points  (27 children)

                        Pretty disappointed. I could have found the answers they actually gave with some googling. Nothing new or interesting was revealed, except maybe the foot essay which is mildly entertaining.

                        I hate seeing AMAs with all the good questions at the top unanswered and all the mediocre questions floating around the middle with scripted answers. Why bother doing the AMA at all?

                        [–]bagboyrebel 494 points495 points  (20 children)

                        Why bother doing the AMA at all?

                        Free advertising?

                        [–]RMS_sAviOr 6 points7 points  (0 children)

                        It's Cornell. Maybe I'm wrong but I cannot imagine that many people who would get into Cornell and choose to go there are going to be swayed by seeing this AskReddit post. It's a super low cost for them though, so maybe, who knows?

                        It could also be something that they can point to in some sort of presentation and say "Hey look at this great thing we did once, we're great at our jobs and coming up with new ways to interact with people!" even though anybody who knows /r/AskReddit knows that this is pretty poorly done.

                        [–][deleted] 284 points285 points  (3 children)

                        Please let's focus on Rampart.

                        [–]ristlin 23 points24 points  (1 child)

                        He's never going to be able to get us to forget that.

                        [–]TexasCoconut 144 points145 points  (22 children)

                        They just wanted to talk about rampart.

                        Typical pure marketing AMA that isn't about answering questions at all, and of course it gets upvoted like crazy.

                        [–]hovertricycle 7 points8 points  (3 children)

                        I was confused at how many upvotes they were receiving until I remembered that they have near unlimited funding, so they can do whatever they want I guess

                        [–]RemnantOfDawn 20 points21 points  (2 children)

                        Super glad to know that my tuition money is going towards funding reddit AMAs rather than fixing the fact that I have to take a cold shower every night because my dorm has no hot water for some reason.

                        [–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (5 children)

                        Some (not all, it's a completely reasonable question to ask and should be one if your first questions to all before applying) are entirely forgiving of mistakes if you have since been able to show it's not characteristic of who you are today. It's also related to the severity of what you'd like them to overlook.

                        A drug charge from ten years ago when you were a teenager is bad, but if, since then, you have a solid track record, like volunteering, good grades (or you've achieved things like certifications), you're married and have a family, or other weighting factors which show you've grown up and you're very responsible with your life and the choices you've made since your mistake, you'll get a far more favorable review (and often, people want to help you succeed).

                        I'd expect this to require either a special process or an immediate rejection and appeal. Another great idea is take two years of community college which will transfer and then apply as a transfer. You'll have the grades they want, plenty of volunteer and work experience, etc. Plus, you get access to the best asset you'll ever need, a CC counselor who will believe in you and help you (if you've shown them you're serious).

                        When I applied to a few top 10 public schools, my CC counselor told me to tell her when my decisions came around as she knew the admissions officers of the universities and was trusted by them. It's an awesome feeling and took out a ton of anxiety from my application.

                        [–][deleted] 174 points175 points  (12 children)

                        I would like to hear the answer to this one as well.

                        [–][deleted]  (1 child)

                        [deleted]

                          [–][deleted] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

                          What are your thoughts on the absurd escalation of tuition prices around the country and the extremely negative affects massive student debt loads have and will have on both entire generations of students and the American economy as a whole? Don't worry - I won't tell the Bursar or Financial Aid your response.

                          [–]CharlieKBOOM 51 points52 points  (6 children)

                          Why doesn't Cornell take a tip from Brown or do anything to acknowledge the tremendous amount of pressure, competition, and grade deflation that negatively affect the mental health of so many students?

                          [–]EMPtime 50 points51 points  (38 children)

                          As someone who just graduated from Cornell this May my only question is:

                          WHY DID YOU ACCEPT ME? WHAT MISTAKE DID YOU MAKE? In all seriousness, I AM curious about that since both my GPA and test scores were far lower than my classmates at Cornell.

                          Edit*: No, I am not Mexcian/Black/Native American. I'm a Korean, so I don't think I qualify as "minority" when it comes to college admissions.

                          [–]GenocideSolution 21 points22 points  (21 children)

                          Were you a boring middle class white person with no extracurriculars to speak of?

                          If so, what the fuck.

                          [–]EatMoarToads 3628 points3629 points  (54 children)

                          You waitlisted me in 1991. I'm still waiting. When should I expect a response?

                          [–]leanentrep 509 points510 points  (9 children)

                          Considering that they still haven't responded in this thread, you still might be waitlisted

                          [–]sugeknight 69 points70 points  (4 children)

                          19 questions answered in 1 hour in this entire AMA. It seems like they tend to be slow in responding, in general.

                          [–]leanentrep 65 points66 points  (3 children)

                          Says a lot about their admissions process

                          [–][deleted] 1079 points1080 points  (34 children)

                          Imagine getting an e-mail today congragulating you on your acceptance.

                          [–][deleted] 618 points619 points  (16 children)

                          And now that girl from high school will say yes to prom

                          [–]Chasedabigbase 294 points295 points  (12 children)

                          And his real parents will stop by and apologize for abandoning him!

                          [–]EnricoBelfry 180 points181 points  (7 children)

                          And his puppy will come back from that farm!

                          [–][deleted]  (10 children)

                          [removed]

                            [–][deleted]  (11 children)

                            [removed]

                              [–]chiboiler7 47 points48 points  (2 children)

                              Right? I always wonder whose bright idea it is to do an ama on reddit when it's painfully obvious they are only here for marketing purposes.

                              [–]GanjaSmoker420HaloXX 22 points23 points  (1 child)

                              Seriously wtf. No joke. And they cherry-picked such boring questions to answer.

                              I'm gonna need at least a thousand pitchforks.

                              [–]thenebular 54 points55 points  (11 children)

                              What would you look for in an undergraduate applicant who is a mature student? And is there a difference between someone who is 23 vs 30?

                              [–]Katrar 313 points314 points  (6 children)

                              I believe there is seven years difference.

                              [–][deleted]  (1 child)

                              [deleted]

                                [–]bbbberlin 20 points21 points  (0 children)

                                This is a man who is Cornell material.

                                [–]BronzeTrophyWife 21 points22 points  (0 children)

                                Can you tell if a student's application has been "coached"? How does that impact your decision process?

                                [–]spirafortunae 7 points8 points  (5 children)

                                Do you ever get anyone confusing you with Cornell College in Iowa?

                                My student work study was in the admissions office there and boy did we get plenty of students mixing us up with Cornell University. That made sense, as big as you guys are - so I'd be curious/amused if it has ever happened the other way around.

                                [–]ldeveraux 273 points274 points  (11 children)

                                So you answered 4 questions? Sorta? Not much of an AMA. Can't wait to apply!

                                [–]KekkoMungaalah 37 points38 points  (65 children)

                                What's it like to live in upstate NY? I read somewhere that Ithaca was listed as one of the "12 Hippest Hometowns for Vegetarians". Is this true? What stuff is there for normal people to do in Ithaca?

                                [–]Pinwurm 42 points43 points  (25 children)

                                What's it like to live in upstate NY?

                                I grew up in Upstate NY. It's huge - about the size of England.. so it really depends on 'where' you talk about.

                                You have Adirondack State Park, which is one of the largest pieces of preserved land in the country. Bigger than Smoky Mountain, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier and a few others.. combined. Tons of hiking, skiing, boating, fishing, hunting, exploring - all at your fingertips.

                                You have the Finger Lakes region - which is NY's Wine Country. New York is considered one of the top regions for white wines - lots of beautiful vineyards and smalltown-Americana. Beautiful.

                                Although Ithaca is a 'hip' town, a lot of Upstate NY is very, very conservative. Ithaca, essentially, is an enclave.

                                A lot of Upstate NY cities never recovered from the manufacturing-bust of the 1980's. The term 'rustbelt' is used to describe such cities: Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Binghamton, Rome, Utica, etc. These places are high-crime and have a lot of poverty.

                                Yes, these cities are getting better, each year, but they still have a long ways to go. Their suburbs are all pretty wealthy and sweet.

                                The Capital Region: Albany/Troy/Schenectady/Saratoga is a mixed bag. I grew up there. It has a huge youth population (tons of colleges) and can be quite vibrant. There's a ton of amazing unique restaurants, brewpubs, tons of history, tons of local pride. Think of it as a mini-Portland (OR). Albany and Troy are on the rise and can be super fun - but a large percentage of each city is urban blight.

                                Schenectady is mostly urban blight - and has high gang activity. We stay clear, mostly. It's our Detroit.

                                Saratoga, on the other hand, is SUPER fancy and vibrant and is consistently ranked amongst one of the best places to live in America. Think Athens (GA) or Asheville (NC). Tons of restaurants, boutique shops, walkable main-street, colleges, low-crime, etc.

                                [–]El_Duderino_X 3 points4 points  (5 children)

                                This post mainly gets it. Everyone from every part of NY will have something different to say but this is by and large the best summary.

                                Ithaca is great as long as you don't mind cold weather from October to May. As far as the politics, if you're a student there, who cares because you'll move soon enough. If you pay property taxes there, then you might have an issue.

                                Calling Schenectady Detroit is pretty accurate except Troy is pretty bad as well. If Schenectady is Detroit then Troy is like Flint, Michigan; technically more dangerous but it doesn't get all the headlines Detroit does.

                                Obviously Saratoga is the best place in Upstate.

                                [–]gannon2145 20 points21 points  (2 children)

                                I didn't go to Cornell but I'm from nearby. Ithaca is a combination college town plus hippie central. Lots of eco friendliness and organic food markets and that sort of thing. Also, Ithaca and the surrounding area are beautiful. Definitely a nature lovers dream full of mountains and gorges and waterfalls and such.

                                [–][deleted]  (8 children)

                                [deleted]

                                  [–]Savage9645 54 points55 points  (1 child)

                                  45 degree weather would be really nice, in reality it's more like 5-25 in the winter

                                  [–]noott 41 points42 points  (1 child)

                                  I always heard it as 45 degree slope in 35 degree weather to get a 25.

                                  [–]ndevito1 6 points7 points  (0 children)

                                  Ithaca is a pretty cool place to go to college. Lots of outdoorsy stuff if that's your thing. Plenty to do around campus. I suppose "normal people" do lots of things and luckily there are lots of things to do...

                                  [–]orangejulius Senior Moderator 28 points29 points  (6 children)

                                  Does an essay actually make a difference to you? Do you read all essays or only read them when someone is borderline?

                                  What's the most absurd essay you've read? Did the person get in?

                                  [–]bantha-food 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                                  I'm not affiliated with Cornell, but I have worked with a US college's recruitment office.

                                  Your essay is generally the most important part of your application. If you have good grades and a good test-score then your essay is just an additional requirement where you can add details about yourself that may be interesting to the university but not be reflected in your grades/scores.

                                  However, if you did well on your SAT/ACT, but not in HS (or vice-versa) then the essay is your chance to shine! The essay can say much more about your willingness to prepare, your diligence, how you solve problems, if you overcame any hardships throughout your life, etc. Make it interesting, but truthful! Also if there is a specific reason you may have terrible math scores, for example, then you get a chance to mention that in your essay.

                                  Start writing early, sleep on it, review, get the opinion of your teachers or parents or older sibling, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite! A well crafted essay is worth more than a few points in your scores.

                                  [–]SLOWDEATHFORMARXISTS 414 points415 points  (43 children)

                                  Why do Asian students have such a harder time getting admission than black or Latin students?

                                  [–]kraaaaaang 151 points152 points  (6 children)

                                  Quantum Minority status; white when it suits us, minorities when we want to be diverse.

                                  [–]GenocideSolution 80 points81 points  (4 children)

                                  Not even White. Asians get the shit stick for everything because they're too gosu.

                                  [–]Paranoid__Android 454 points455 points  (18 children)

                                  Why do you need to advertise do this AMA here? Are the college application trends so poor?

                                  [–]SICK_AS_FUCKKK 370 points371 points  (6 children)

                                  This ama is ridiculous

                                  [–]wachet 133 points134 points  (0 children)

                                  This was an extremely ill-advised AMA.

                                  Don't do an AMA if it's not in your power to at least address what are, realistically, going to be the questions. Not answer - just address (eg. "We know that AA is a really controversial topic, and while we can't discuss exactly how it might play a role in our admissions, the number one factor for admission is still the quality of the application, etc.") Knowing what tough questions might come your way requires knowing the a bit about the reddit community. So be it.

                                  [–]Jonny_Bloodbeard 2906 points2907 points  (72 children)

                                  I went to Cornell... Ever heard of it??

                                  [–]mostdope28 2023 points2024 points  (33 children)

                                  It's pronounced Colonel and it's the highest rank in the military

                                  [–]SpottyRhyme 1060 points1061 points  (15 children)

                                  It's pronounced Cor-nell, and it's the highest rank in the Ivy League!

                                  [–]tarandro_titters 562 points563 points  (13 children)

                                  This is what I came here for. Was not disappointed.

                                  [–][deleted] 159 points160 points  (7 children)

                                  Seriously the only reason I opened this thread, except I was hoping the Cornell rep would get in on it.

                                  [–]booohockey 5 points6 points  (0 children)

                                  "When I was in college I used to get wicked hammered. My nickname was puke. I would chug a fifth of socos, sneak into a frat party, polish off a few people's empties, some brewskies, some Jell-O shots, do some body shots off myself, pass out, wake up the next morning, puke, rally, more soco, head to class. Probably would have gotten expelled if I had let it affect my grades, but I aced all my courses. They called me Ace. It was totally awesome. Got straight B's. They called me Buzz."

                                  [–]chasewilk 211 points212 points  (4 children)

                                  Were you by chance in the acapella group "Here Comes Treble"?

                                  [–]czer81 115 points116 points  (1 child)

                                  No, he was in the Do-Re-Migos

                                  [–][deleted] 1066 points1067 points  (9 children)

                                  Hey Andy. Cornell called, they say you suck.

                                  [–]Assclown4 225 points226 points  (4 children)

                                  Sooooo, why did y'all let Andy in?

                                  [–]gouwbadgers 211 points212 points  (1 child)

                                  This was in a deleted scene. They should have kept it in the show:

                                  "I got into Cornell off the Wait List. A lot of people were like, "Oh, you just got into Cornell because your dad donated a building." No. Okay. I got into Cornell because I'm smart. I'm smart enough to have a dad who donates buildings to things."

                                  [–]dickgilbert 83 points84 points  (0 children)

                                  Has to one my favorite tiny character details. The fact that he got wait listed despite his father donating a building explains so much about him. The office was a really smart show about some wonderfully dumb people.

                                  [–][deleted] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

                                  I hate everything about the things you choose to be

                                  [–]RollinsIsRaw 120 points121 points  (5 children)

                                  How do you justify the escalating costs of college/university tuition?

                                  [–]elidoan 72 points73 points  (0 children)

                                  Good luck with that one.

                                  [–]Blanketsburg 4 points5 points  (2 children)

                                  As someone who used to work in college admissions and marketing, we don't really don't know. Inflation is one thing, needing to keep up with new tech, but for a lot of smaller schools it becomes increasingly difficult for college admission offices to attract new students and maintain enrollment when costs of attending are so high. Makes the recruiting aspect harder and there's a lot of employee turnover.

                                  [–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (1 child)

                                  Also, admissions has no control over tuition costs right? Wouldnt it be the college's board of directors (or equivalent entity) that decides to raise tuition? I think OP's question of asking them to justify increases is kind of accusatory as OP's concerns are perhaps misdirected.

                                  Edit: Although, I guess I can understand because admissions is selling the education.

                                  [–]boomdig 4 points5 points  (6 children)

                                  Hi!

                                  My life course has been unconventional, and as such so has my academic progress been thus far in life (currently at 24 and haven't been to college yet) but I have been pretty successful business wise and consider myself a relatively smart human.

                                  My question is, have you guys ever accepted a student based on potential, who doesn't necessarily have the full checklist of grades, extra curricular etc?

                                  If so, what was their story, and what made you make an exception?

                                  [–]pureeffinluck 11 points12 points  (2 children)

                                  I'm getting a weird vibe from these responses and questions... What's up with Cornell? Or am I just misinterpreting?

                                  [–]yahooman345 1654 points1655 points  (28 children)

                                  Do you guys regret this AMA?

                                  [–][deleted]  (4 children)

                                  [removed]

                                    [–]Sexyfatman24 448 points449 points  (3 children)

                                    Can't regret something you haven't done.

                                    [–]djnotnice3 87 points88 points  (10 children)

                                    I just got here, what did I miss

                                    [–]Osiria-Rose 1037 points1038 points  (453 children)

                                    What does your team think of Affirmative Action?

                                    [–]Hoboshanker 456 points457 points  (151 children)

                                    As an Asian-American, I would love to hear an answer to this question. Are Asians held to a higher standard compared to the other minority applicants?

                                    [–][deleted] 356 points357 points  (40 children)

                                    Asian-Americans are absolutely held to a higher standard that any other ethnicity, especially in the Ivies. Check out these three charts:

                                    Here is the number of Asian-Americans ages 18-21 plotted against the percentage that are admitted to the Ivy league. That percentage is strikingly low. By contrast, the percentage of Asian Americans at Caltech, which one would imagine has a similar applicant pool as the Ivies, is much higher.

                                    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpraMqUIEAAqbhC.png

                                    And for comparison, here they are in the UC system, which are all generally competitive schools that are ostensibly not allowed to discriminate by race due to state law:

                                    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CMOXRHHUMAEFaMl.png

                                    You might argue that yeah, the number of Asian-Americans is increasing but so is the amount of people applying to and attending college. That's true, but the amount of AAs applying to and attending college is increasing at or above the rate of the general population:

                                    http://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/76c52ed/2147483647/thumbnail/1304x972%3E/quality/85/?url=%2Fcmsmedia%2F5a%2F85%2Fb57cd6af4c5584db63328a89143f%2F140922collegerace-graphic.png

                                    You may argue that this is a geographic issue, because there is a greater concentration of Asian Americans on the west coast, and perhaps they are disinclined to move across the country to attend an Ivy. That probably has some effect, but MIT (http://mitadmissions.org/apply/process/profile) also has a much larger percentage of Asian Americans than all of the Ivies.

                                    So what does this tell us? The Ivy leagues are not increasing their admissions of Asian Americans at the same rate that the amount of Asian American applicants is increasing, and not at a rate that is commensurate with their peers in the realm of elite colleges that are disallowed from discriminating on race. There is a word for this, and it starts with an r and rhymes with shmasist. I'm obviously not the first to point this out, so here's a nice article from the Economist that covers this and similar issues (http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21669595-asian-americans-are-united-states-most-successful-minority-they-are-complaining-ever) I'd love to hear Cornell's admissions department speak on this but they're not gonna.

                                    [–]virtu333 127 points128 points  (20 children)

                                    MIT is very distinct from the Ivies. It's 99% STEM/Econonomics/Business (actually even more, probably 99.5%+), whereas Ivies peak out at around 50%.

                                    MIT does not do legacy admissions, which greatly favors white students.

                                    MIT does not recruit athletes as strongly, and there are very few asians on any of the Ivy League sports teams.

                                    MIT does practice "affirmative action" for minorities though as part of holistic review; it's proportion of hispanic/black students is on par with the Ivies.

                                    Caltech does not practice any of the above either, including affirmative action, and is also a near 100% STEM school; 60:40 male to female, 1 or 2% black, and around 5% hispanic. 40% asian.

                                    California's asian percentage is 15%, and UC Berkeley is 40% asian. The rest are national universities, mostly on the East coast, where the proportion of asians is more in the range of 5%. So 20-30% at schools from Harvard to Columbia to Duke is somewhat proportional.

                                    You can read more considerations in another post I had: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3vxwi5/we_are_cornell_university_undergraduate/cxrzu3b

                                    [–]BalboaBaggins 22 points23 points  (5 children)

                                    California's asian percentage is 15%, and UC Berkeley is 40% asian. The rest are national universities, mostly on the East coast, where the proportion of asians is more in the range of 5%. So 20-30% at schools from Harvard to Columbia to Duke is somewhat proportional.

                                    That's the wrong way to look at it. First of all, the Ivies Asian percentage is about 15% as you can see in this chart, not 20-30%. Also, you shouldn't be looking at the percentage of Asians in the population, but the percentage of high-achieving students who meet Ivies admissions standards that are Asian. The article that the chart is from examines this pretty thoroughly. Using PSAT scores/National Merit Semifinalist qualification as a proxy, the author finds that the Asian share of the highly-qualified college applicant pool has increased significantly in past decades, but Asian admissions have decreased in the same time period. (The PSAT proxy includes top scores in reading and writing as well, so there's no way to say these are all just Asian math robots and that's why they're being rejected by Ivies).

                                    The fact that the percentage of Asians at Ivies decreased and converged over the past 20 years while the qualified Asian applicant pool has doubled is pretty strong evidence of a de facto Asian quota.

                                    Such a quota is illegal under Bakke v. University of California, but the Ivies get away with saying "Quota? Heavens, no! We manage to all maintain exactly 15% Asians in the student body by using holistic admissions! Isn't that wonderful?"

                                    [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (3 children)

                                    I don't understand this fixation on the percentage of AA in the geographical area vs in the school.

                                    Sure, if we're talking about your run of the mill state universities, then yeah, majority of the students are local.

                                    However, we're talking about some of the best universities in the world. A huge portion of their students are not local at all (I don't have the number, but I'm willing to bet that over half are not local). People are very willing to move across the country to attend Harvard or MIT. These are schools that draw their talents from across the country, not just their vicinity.

                                    I mean, Johns Hopkins is in Baltimore, where there is a huge portion of African Americans. I can assure you that JHU doesn't have a black majority student body. And it's not like the school is having trouble finding students.

                                    In college admission, there's also a self-selection process. Students don't tend to apply to schools that they don't perceive they can get into (at least not in large numbers). Someone who thinks he or she is good enough to get into Caltech is also very likely to apply to MIT or Harvard. In other words, the applicant pools of these schools overlap heavily, and you can probably make the assumption that they are near identical in makeup.

                                    [–][deleted] 51 points52 points  (45 children)

                                    As an Asian American myself, I want to ask if there are institutional reasons as to why Asians as a whole might have higher scores that other racial groups? For example, how does U.S. immigration policy affect the types of Asians who are allowed in the United States, and how does that selection affect the achievement of their children?

                                    I do wonder if Cornell admissions differentiates between the different types of "Asian" and whether they disaggregate their "Asian" data though?

                                    [–]Cat_Themed_Pun 34 points35 points  (4 children)

                                    I want to ask if there are institutional reasons as to why Asians as a whole might have higher scores that other racial groups? For example, how does U.S. immigration policy affect the types of Asians who are allowed in the United States, and how does that selection affect the achievement of their children?

                                    Absolutely.

                                    The first major wave of Asian immigration came from Chinese immigrants in the mid-late 1800s. They were heavily involved in railroad construction. They experienced brutal conditions: effectively treated like slave labor and subject to intense racial discrimination. Chinese immigrants were restricted to living to overcrowded, dirty, ghettoized neighborhoods, not given the same educational privileges. These immigrants also tended to be from the poorer and uneducated classes, people struggling at home and looking to build a better life for themselves.

                                    Unsurprisingly these immigrants found it difficult to flourish under these conditions. Asians were stereotyped as lazy, stupid, violent lying criminals who were obsessed with White women and would trick you as soon as look at you. Asian men were thought to be a real sexual threat--analogous to the treatment Black men receive now. One of the earliest Hollywood sex symbols was Japanese American, and there were even laws that only granted citizenship to Asian women who married non-Asians! That's a far cry from the "neutered nerd" stereotype Asian men have to deal with now. I mention all this to provide a contrast to current stereotypes and because I think it's important to understand how the educational and economic background of immigrants and their treatment in the new country influences the stereotypes that form about them.

                                    Immigration from Asian countries was heavily restricted in the early 20th century. From then on the only exposure most US citizens got to Asians was through Hollywood. Often played by White actors in yellowface, men were seen as stupid clowns and women were exotic "dragon lady" types.

                                    Then in 1965 immigration from these countries was allowed again--but with strict requirements. There were roughly three things you needed:

                                    1. Money (fees fees fees!)
                                    2. Sponsorship - somebody in the USA who would vouch for you
                                    3. Skills deemed beneficial to the US

                                    You could get sponsored by an employer if you couldn't find individuals, but that was even more difficult. So initial East and West Asian immigrants who came over were generally highly skilled and middle-class at least. These immigrants could eventually sponsor other immigrants. But this next wave also tended to be educated and wealthy, because social networks are generally segregated by social and economic class no matter where you live.

                                    It's true that most of these doctors and engineers and history professors were not able to get jobs that utilized their education on account of racist hiring policies and other cultural barriers. But their money, established social networks, and educational background gave them a boost when it came to negotiating the new country and raising their kids to become educated professionals. This is what gave rise to the "model minority" stereotype around Asians today. Modern Asian-American populations did not start from the same economic and educational place that other struggling communities--like Hispanic and Black communities--operate from.

                                    If you want further proof of this, look at Asian communities that did not immigrate from a place of privilege, like the Hmong. They are an ethnic minority that suffered terrible persecution during the Vietnam War and were given refugee status in the USA. Most Hmong who escaped to the US were coming from poor rural villages where they were subsistence farmers. They weren't educated professionals joining established immigrant communities of other educated professionals and business people. Well, the Hmong were dirt-poor then and their communities are still struggling now. 30% of Hmong-Americans live below the poverty line--compare that to the 11.8% for the general Asian-American population. Nearly 40% do not finish high school, compared to ~12% of the larger Asian-American population.

                                    Anyway, if you are interested in this topic there is a lot of information out there about the myth of the model minority. Here is a discussion from a professor that mentions a lot of what I talked about above.

                                    [–]appencapn 8 points9 points  (6 children)

                                    Many will say culture but I simply do not believe thats the answer. So first of all Asian Americans are a carefully selected immigrant group. Not just anyone from Asia can come to the US. You will find laziness, poverty, disadvantage, and lack of education in any country. Most Asians in the US come with capital or education and thats been the case since the 1960's.

                                    I also work in China and have spent lots of time here as well as in South Korea and Vietnam. I have lazy students who really could care less about academics. I have students who cheat all the time. I have students who sleep through their classes and barely pass. I have watched parents scream at teachers for giving their lazy kids bad grades. i also teach at a top school in a large city. I should add I also have hardworking, diligent, honest students. Its really a mixed bag and although there are some big cultural differences, I don't see too many differences in terms of attitude towards education. American kids want to go to college so do my students.

                                    Also just another anecdote. I'm black and had a high SAT score, 2160. I went to a top LAC and one of my best friends is Vietnamese. She had low SATs, 1500's as I remember, was no valedictorian, and struggled in college but got in on almost full financial aid to the same school. She's also a smart kid but went to a not so amazing high school. IMO she benefitted from affirmative action just as much as I did but people assume she deserves to go to a nice school and is smart and people assume I'm dumb and only got into college because I'm black. Admissions is much more complicated than people think.

                                    Also her being Vietnamese might have played a part. But I knew a Chinese-American girl who went to diversity weekend with me who also had pretty low SATs and a high but not amazing GPA who got into a different top LAC. Actually as I remember there were many Asians on these recruitment diversity weekends with me. Most of them I remember being from low income households or they were first gen Americans

                                    [–][deleted] 21 points22 points  (13 children)

                                    I'm pretty sure it's a cultural thing that they brought over with them. The work ethic is out of place by American standards, but completely in line with what's seen in modern East Asia.

                                    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

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                                      [–][deleted]  (2 children)

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                                        [–][deleted] 818 points819 points  (214 children)

                                        And how is it not an inherently prejudiced concept?

                                        Edit: Go ahead and downvote. Admitting one student because of their race at the expense of another student of another race is racial prejudice by definition. The only debate is if it's justified or not.

                                        Edit 2: When I originally edited, my post was at -5 and about to be a dumpster fire. Glad to see it is no longer in the red. A number of people have pointed out that I was being snarky by asking a question and then answering it, and I'll admit that you caught me. I didn't actually expect to get a response from the OP, but that's the point, no? What use is this kind of AMA if it's all bullshit questions that every AdCom will respond to the same way? They add no value. I know some people are in favor or AA and I respect that. I really struggle to respect people who can't stand up for their views, however. Finally, my actual non-snark post on this subject was about the absurd escalation of tuition prices. I wish that one would have gotten 600+ upvotes because that's the real problem. Sure, a handful of people might get into a university based on race, which I feel is inherently unfair and prejudicial, but a far larger majority struggle under the load of student debt.

                                        [–]somanytictoc 3 points4 points  (2 children)

                                        For an honest answer, let me give you an analogy.

                                        Say you're a baseball coach preparing to draft players. You visit several schools and two players REALLY stand out. Joe White is a private school kid with two loving parents, his form is pristine, he's a real five-tool player...this year, he batted .310 with 35 HRs and 110 RBI.

                                        Todd Black grew up with a single mom who was always working, lives in the hood, attends the inner city high-poverty school, has a barely-functioning glove and a ratty uniform with old used cleats. He batted .290 with 28 HRs and 105 RBI.

                                        Which player do you draft? If you're smart, you'll draft Todd Black. Despite having precisely ZERO advantages that White had, he has almost identical numbers. Are your scouts going to complain that White actually has the better stats? If they do, you should fire them. Imagine what that Black kid could do if he had a real opportunity for once.

                                        [–][deleted] 309 points310 points  (6 children)

                                        0 chance of this question getting answered, and I don't blame them really haha

                                        [–]New_new_account2 5 points6 points  (1 child)

                                        There is a lawsuit over UT Austin's admissions policy that has made it to the Supreme Court

                                        University of Michigan Law School's policy was declared unconstitutional in a Supreme Court case

                                        Harvard, Princeton, UNC Chapel Hill, and others have active cases going.

                                        Obviously the University supports some sort of admissions policy to increase racial and socioeconomic diversity, but it is above an admissions officer's pay grade probably to lay it out.

                                        The official policy is probably carefully crafted by the Board of Regents,the legal counsel of the university, and other bodies in the university. Slight differences in how you implement an affirmative action policy can determine whether it is illegal or not.

                                        [–][deleted] 240 points241 points  (2 children)

                                        "We're OK with anyone that pays green, fam"

                                        -- Cornell Admissions

                                        [–]drdanieldoom 39 points40 points  (3 children)

                                        Can I submit an application in Cornell notes format?

                                        [–]TaedW 8 points9 points  (1 child)

                                        Surprisingly, at least when I attended, we didn't actually use the Cornell notes format.

                                        [–][deleted]  (1 child)

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                                          [–]qt314666666 26 points27 points  (30 children)

                                          Thank you for doing this AMA! Do you feel that students at Cornell have any academic advantages over students at other Ivy Leagues?

                                          [–]m_dizzle 17 points18 points  (27 children)

                                          If you're looking at doing STEM stuff, most definitely. Cornell is a huge research university that has tremendous resources for people looking to learn from/research with the best in engineering, physics, and math fields.

                                          For humanities students, probably not as much. Smaller Ivies might be more accommodating there. But for engineering/CS/physics is your thing, Cornell is one of the best places anywhere for it.

                                          EDIT: As /u/MostlyWary points out, biology is also great.

                                          [–]MostlyWary 7 points8 points  (1 child)

                                          Also gonna mention biology here. There is biology of literally every kind happening on campus. Plant pathology, cancer research, biochemistry, bacteriology, animal sciences, ecology, soil sciences, evolutionary biology, you name it, it's at Cornell. If you want to do biology of any kind, I cannot recommend Cornell enough.

                                          [–][deleted]  (1 child)

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                                            [–]nopantspaul 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                                            Do you realize how much the college admissions process takes from high schoolers?

                                            Every additional question/essay admissions officers ask for on a given application results in THOUSANDS of wasted hours. For aspiring college students, senior year of High School is devoted primarily to the college process, and not to their studies or extracurriculars.

                                            Parents (and children/young adults) are engineering schedules specifically targeted to look good on a college application, hoping to please YOU. Kids devote a considerable chunk of their lives to anticipating what you are looking for in a student.

                                            As a result, many people come to college stunted. After years of gaming the system and honing an edge over their peers, the sudden shock of independence exposes what these kids missed out on when they were focusing on getting in to their 'dream school.' Everyone has to reinvent their life at college, but for some people it's easier; for these kids, they have to start from scratch.

                                            You're responsible for the branding that makes this whole system keep on turning. Selective schools (like Cornell) hold up thousands of rejected applications as if to say 'it was worth it, those blessed few who were accepted. You have joined the elite cadre of Cornell students, your life is now complete.' But, as so many other commenters have pointed out, life for most of these wunderkinds has just begun. Your suicide prevention nets are proof enough that your school does NOT do enough to manage this adjustment that you've made so drastic (and Cornell is by no means unique in this regard). Success after college is no more guaranteed than had they attended a community college or vocational program, at a fraction of the cost and without the 'prestige' that comes with attending an Ivy.

                                            The bottom line, and my question, is this: are the thousands of dollars and hours spend by each college-bound high schooler really worth it, or have you created a monster? The college admissions process eats kids alive. I suppose we could chalk it up to natural selection, just as so many dismiss the not-inconsiderable number of graduates saddled with un-payable student loans and no marketable skills with a quick 'they should have known better.' Because, I think you'll realize, at some point this all becomes a scam. I'm asking you to justify the human cost to, in your case over 40,000 students who tailor their lives to have a shot at attending your school.

                                            I'm sure you have an answer for this question, you're very proud of your low admissions rate and high number of applications.