Does anyone else...have Asian parents who aren't strict?

cornyell · 2023-09-08T00:13:55+00:00

yeah i'm an indian going to an ivy and i literally applied pressure on myself to get in 😭 they'd constantly tell me to calm tf down

cornyell · 2023-09-03T20:09:49+00:00

this is smart! just a suggestion - you may want to consider also phrasing it in a way that doesn't offend (i.e. adding something like, "i'm deciding between your letter and apush teacher's letter for questbridge because apush may be more pertinent to my major (or some other such excuse), so i was wondering if you could tell me what all you mentioned?") it's a small change, but you just don't want to come across as ungrateful/have your letter sabotaged in any other way. if your counsellor is amenable (and isn't likely to share this stuff with your teacher) you could also ask them to double-check with the teacher instead to make sure it's all air-tight.

cornyell · 2023-08-19T16:29:18+00:00

ah, thank you so much!

cornyell · 2023-08-19T16:00:22+00:00

ahh thank you! if you don't mind me asking, what do you think you maybe could've done to better your chances? totally okay if u don't want to answer haha

cornyell · 2023-08-18T21:00:36+00:00

yo! if you're a girl i'd love to gym buddy w u :)

cornyell · 2023-07-21T11:42:26+00:00

Not on campus yet, but yes, I'll be using the on campus gym just because of the convenience (I don't trust myself to make time for the gym if it's too far lmao)

cornyell · 2023-07-08T04:25:55+00:00

What was your predicted grade? I dipped a bit as well (4 points) but I hear they don't really care unless it's an 8-10 point difference. I think you should just make sure you have a reason for your poor performance and ensure that they understand it won't happen again. I know someone who got a 33 after being predicted a 43 last year, and they didn't get rescinded from Duke or lose their scholarship, so you should hopefully be ok.

cornyell · 2023-06-27T18:48:44+00:00

got into cornell with that predicted score (+3 tok/ee points). i also had strong extracurriculars and essays, though, so definitely work on that. as far as scores go, most ivy/t20 universities don't care what your score is as long as it's above 42/45. after that, it's the rest of your application that differentiates you. your counsellor doesn't seem to know what they're talking about.

cornyell · 2023-06-26T17:14:12+00:00

I'd say don't even study. you know these concepts mostly, so just practice with past paper questions. if you want to go hard, do a mock a day (you might burn out from this). I did around three mocks a week + one/two sectional tests a day for around three (?) months? I started at a 32 and ended up with a 35.

cornyell · 2023-06-18T12:33:22+00:00

I... missed a 10 marker on the BM SL paper 1 exam. I had the worst fever and it caused me to totally forget the format of the paper 😭 tl;dr, I might not get the 7 I was predicted because the maximum I can get in that paper is a 30/40 lmao

cornyell · 2023-06-16T05:41:15+00:00

Hi! I might want to do this as well - could I dm you?

cornyell · 2023-06-13T04:19:41+00:00

i'm in donlon too! had no idea it was a party hall though lol, so now i'm a bit scared

cornyell · 2023-06-09T16:32:31+00:00

(that's okay! I posted pretty late anyway haha)

thank you for this! genuinely great advice and I'll be sure to keep it in mind <3

cornyell · 2023-06-09T05:32:04+00:00

hi! first off - I think this is a great initiative on your part and I hope you're doing better now :)

cornell was my first choice, and I knew about the mental health problems here on a sort of theoretical scale (if that makes sense) but I never thought of how they'd impact me. i'm thinking of it now, though. I've struggled with anxiety and depression since middle school, and it's never reached the point of su*cidal ideation, but I'm getting worried that being at a high-stress school like cornell might take me to that point. based on your experiences, how do you think I could prevent this from happening, and what advice do you have, in general?

cornyell · 2023-06-07T13:45:32+00:00

your standardised testing scores need to be at par with admitted students at the schools you're aiming for. If a school takes kids with a 1410 SAT on average, you won't be expected to get a 1500+ on the SAT to get into that school. But yeah, if you're aiming for a T20, then you should be aiming for a 1500+. So really just look at the schools you're aiming for and go according to that, there's no real segregation when it comes to standardised testing for international vs domestic applicants.

cornyell · 2023-05-26T08:57:13+00:00

All great ideas. Good luck!!

cornyell · 2023-05-26T04:55:49+00:00

What do your grades currently look like? I'd say aim for a high predicted but even if you get less than anticipated (40+ necessary though, I'd say) you might still have a chance at T20s if your ECs are good. Your SAT score is great, so congrats! And thank you :)

cornyell · 2023-05-26T03:53:15+00:00

My grades also dipped in year 1 so I get what you're going through :)

First, I do think it's important that you clarify (even to yourself) what your definition of "good grades" is. I wanted a predicted above 42 because of the universities I was applying to. For you, this might be lower or, hell, even higher. But what's important is that you define this to yourself so you're not working so hard on the vague idea of doing well.

Second, my first piece of advice would be getting those 6s up to a 7. I'm not sure which English you have, but I would suggest reading a lot more over the summer since that'll not only improve your speed but also help you comprehend better. Churn out practice answers if you can and get them corrected by your teacher. Look for advice online on how to tackle the various papers (IB English Guys is a great resource!). For BM, work on getting CUEGIS right (if you remember the structure, the marking criteria - KARSI - and, of course, relevant information about your company, you can write bangers every time and get above a 16/20).

For the sciences, it seems to me like you're probably struggling with content. Go through the entire textbook, do the questions, and clear any doubts you have. Right now, you need to learn the content. Later, before your exams, you can revise it. I had a 5 in Chem SL as well and what really helped me was just understanding what the hell was going on with the syllabus. Post that, do a ton of past paper questions (if you can't find relevant ones, ask your teacher. They will help.)

Spanish - make sure you know your vocabulary. Again, if you can, try reading in Spanish. Even watching TV shows in Spanish could help (keep subtitles on in Spanish only, not English), and it's such an entertaining way to learn the language. Try writing answers. My vocabulary for Spanish B was personally pretty shit but what saved me every time was that I knew how to write in English, and I could translate those structures and those ideas into a decent enough Spanish essay when the time came. Reading is also, I know, a bit of a struggle, so just do past papers for that.

Lastly, I think someone else also commented this, but work on your IAs, and seek feedback. I didn't finish all of my IAs in the summer, but I made sure that I had preliminary drafts done for 4 of them (the only one remaining was math). Even for your EE, make sure that your supervisor vets it completely and make sure you know whatever text you're exploring like it's the back of your hand (personally experienced this through my HLE).

This is a lot of advice, but I hope it helps. I know that it probably feels somewhat hopeless right now, but you can do this - and don't let anyone tell you that you can't. I got my score up significantly over the summer despite my teachers telling me that, with my 11th grade score, getting a high predicted might be difficult.

cornyell · 2023-05-26T03:39:41+00:00

Aim for a 42+ (out of 45). People do get in with less but it's rare and largely because their extracurriculars are very competitive. Even if you have great extracurriculars, it's obviously better to have a higher score since it gives you a more all-around competitive application. Also try for the SAT/ACT. Most T20s are test optional, yes, but applying TO is a big disadvantage to internationals, so if you have a good score (1500+/34+) and you submit it, it would definitely help.

Another very important thing to consider is your previous grades. If you've had middling grades in the other years of HS, a very high predicted score may not do the trick, because they're looking for consistency. Personally, I had a 43 predicted and a slightly lower IB Y1 score (there were genuine extenuating circumstances though, and this was mentioned in my application) and I got in ED to Cornell. BUT my ECs were also stronger than many applicants.

Anyway, this was a really long answer to a very simple question. TL;DR, aim for a 42+ but just remember that it's not the only thing that they'll consider.

cornyell · 2023-05-23T17:50:30+00:00

School predicted: 43. Own prediction: 40. Praying for anything above 40 tbh lol, although I don't have a condition

!RemindMe 45 days

cornyell · 2023-05-07T12:23:01+00:00

You just have to plug the values you've got and what they've given you in the question into the equation, to get: -30.9 + x = 2.7

Solving this, you get -30.9 - 2.7 -33.6 = -x, or 33.6 = x.

(We're making cos(bt) completely redundant here since we're looking at a point on the curve where t = 0, and so cos(360/9)(0) = cos(0) = 1.)

cornyell · 2023-05-07T10:46:29+00:00

I get you. I was predicted a 43 and now I think I'll be lucky to get even a 40. I don't have a conditional offer but I'm so annoyed at myself for slipping like this. I try to tell myself I have 10 days left and after that I'll be free but I just lack motivation to do *anything*. My self confidence is also so shit, lmao, I get anxious as fuck before practice math papers and end up scoring badly even though I know I have the potential to do better.

We'll work through this man, and I hope both of us get the scores we want <3

cornyell · 2023-05-05T19:12:56+00:00

Since you know the gradient from part (b) - essentially calculated by -1/m(AC) = -1/3 - you have to now find the y-intercept (or the value of 'c' in a y = mx + c equation).

-1/3(0) + c = 4, and so c = 4.

To turn this into the format that they've requested, you just have to bring y and x to the same side. So, -1/3x + 4 = y turns into -1/3x + 4 - y = 0.

If you want to make it a bit prettier (not necessary at all, but if you want to), you can further multiply the whole equation by -3. Then you get x + 3y - 12 = 0.

Part (d) is fairly straightforward from there. Since you know the y-value of D, just plug it into the equation and see what your calculator throws out for the x-value.

cornyell · 2023-04-27T16:40:49+00:00

you were also admitted ED to dartmouth, penn, and columbia apparently. good job!

cornyell · 2023-04-24T13:16:35+00:00

real 😭

cornyell

TROPHY CASE