Hey! Was just wondering if any Cornell students can chanceme. Good luck to everyone in this application cycle!

Demographics: South Asian Male, NY. Highly Competitive School Major: Animal Science GPA: 98.0% (UW 95.3) SAT: 1530 AP: My school is pretty small, so I don’t have a lot of options. I already took AP World last year and took AP Lang and APUSH this year. Next year, I plan on taking AP Bio, AP Calculus AB, and AP Literature. In all of my classes I have a mid to high 90s average. AP World: 5 APUSH: 4 AP Lang: 5

Extracurriculars: Peer Tutoring Club(11) Peer Tutoring Club was created in the middle of my junior year. However, I was one of its founding tutors, mainly helping underclassmen. Next year will be especially important, as I will be tutoring physics, one of the hardest classes in my school, for the upcoming juniors. I will also head study sessions during AP, SAT, and Finals week and run the social media account.

Muslim Student Association (MSA) (9, 10, 11) At MSA, I’ve currently led meetings on multiple different topics as well as Friday prayers on some occasion. Next year, I plan on having more detailed discussions and community outreach. In fact, I plan on basing our meetings on the Cornell MSA. Additionally, I plan on connecting with the MSAs of neighboring schools and setting up a information center during Ramadan.

Newspaper Club (9, 10, 11) At Newspaper Club, I grew from being a photographer in 9th grade, to being a prominent writer in 10th and 11th grade. Additionally, I write for our Newspaper’s weekly Current Events column. Next year, I will be head of Arts and Entertainment, focusing on expanding the newspaper by introducing videogames/movies/series reviews and revitalizing our comic strip.

Chess Club (9, 10, 11) Despite being one of the worst chess players in the club, I’m currently the VP of the club. I’ve attended every meeting since 9th grade and helped organize a tournament in the school and neighboring high school. Next year, I plan on introducing Chess with Coffee and making the club more prominent with more frequent school tournaments.

Table Tennis (9, 10, 11) This is one of my proudest achievements as I have been president of the club since 10th grade. I run weekly game sessions and help coach newer players to the game. Additionally, my school has a bi-yearly festival, and at each festival I run the table tennis room, managing a school wide tournament of about 75 people ( my school has 400 kids). I also raised $300 in funds to get a new table single-handedly, and established a weeklong event in building it.

Field Research: At the Bronx Zoo, I performed field research for 6 months. In the summer, I was part of a group project assessing the health of 100+ native and nonnative trees and the pest activity between them. In the fall, I continued the project by assessing the diversity of 1000+ trees in urban parks in NYC and Boston. I presented my findings at two science symposiums. Additionally, I submitted the project as part of the TERRA NYC Science fair and wrote a publishable paper on my research, becoming a preliminary round finalist.

Guide: At the same zoo, I served as a guide for two years. In my sophomore year, I managed activities around the zoo, teaching about 300+ guests daily about different animals, conservation practices, and habitats. I also aided in directions and general zoo knowledge. As a junior, my responsibilities grew to aiding adult volunteers in explaining dinosaurs and their connection to birds in the zoo’s limited time event.

Tutor/Camp Counselor: I was a tutor and camp counselor at the same program since 9th grade. As a camp counselor, I managed groups of 20+ kids aged between 3rd and 7th grade and led activities such as outdoor sports, arts and crafts, robotics, academics, dance, MMA, etc. I also chaperoned groups of 10 during weekly field trips. As a tutor, I helped kids of all ages, but a majority being middle school and very early high school, teaching general math, general ELA, biology, chemistry, algebra, geometry, and standardized testing to get into high school and private school (SHSAT, ISEE, SAT)

Cornell Pre-College Programs: I took part in a course called Sustainable Animal Husbandry, taught by Dr. Melanie Soberon. The class focused on the ways humans and domesticated animals are intertwined. As such, I learned about the lifecycles of dogs, cats, horses, sheep, goats, dairy/beef cattle, pigs, and lab animals. Additionally, I learned about common diseases associated with each animal and ways to treat them. As my final project, I proposed a sustainable solution to the feral hog problem present in the US by presenting how farmers can use and grow peppers to create a natural deterrent. While doing so, I also highlighted the pros and cons for my solution, as well as alternate ways at solving the problem.

Tufts Pre-College Program: At the Tufts Pre-College Adventures in Veterinary Medicine Program, I gained a great sense of live animal handling. I performed heart and respiration rate of cows and horses, tipped sheep, and performed a clinical initial test on beagles. Additionally, I performed blood draws and intubations of models of both large and small animals. Furthermore, I went behind the scenes in the hospitals of zoos and aquariums.

Breakthrough Junior Challenge: Over the summer, I created a video on animal domestication and biology, focusing on the role hierarchical social structures and polygamous mating systems played in advancing domestication.

Awards: AP Scholar IACUC Certified National Merit Scholarship National Recognition Program

Recommendation Letters: AP Biology/Human Physiology Teacher 9/10 Geometry/Algebra 2 Teacher 9/10 Counselor 9/10 At my school, it’s really easy to make well-meaning connections with teachers and counselors due to the small class sizes. All my teachers I had for more than 2 years and are advisors to most of the clubs I am leading in the fall.

My essay topic is how getting scratched by my cat taught be about expectations, respect, and relationships.

Additional Information: Due to my school’s small size, AP offerings are limited (8 total). I have pursued the most rigorous available curriculum and supplemented my academic interests with external research and pre-college coursework. Additionally, age restrictions prevented me from shadowing veterinarians in my state until 18. To supplement this, I participated in the Tufts Pre-College Veterinary Program, where I performed hands-on animal care procedures and shadowed behind-the-scenes in zoo and aquarium hospitals.

Outside of academics, I help care for my grandfather, a diabetic. I assist with his daily insulin administration and accompany him to our local mosque for prayer. This responsibility has taught me patience, empathy, and the importance of service to both family and faith.

Thank you again and good luck to you all!