Cornell University, not to be confused with Cornell College, is a private research and statutory land-grant university in Ithica New York. This remotely placed Ivy offers an impressively long list of majors and houses 16 schools. Cornell has about a 10% acceptance rate, which might be good for the Ivies, but don’t let that fool you. It’s still very competitive to get in.
Cornell’s application is a little different from some other schools. Each applicant first chooses which school they are applying to and then they can access the questions that correspond to that school's supplement. Many of the questions are similar, but the supplement is unique from school to school. Most students will most likely be looking at the School of Arts and Sciences or the Business school, but we thought we would go through all of them (some more quickly than others) to give you some best practices when approaching the Cornell supplements.
Arts and Sciences
Students in Arts and Sciences embrace the opportunity to delve into multifaceted academic interests, embodying in 21st century terms Ezra Cornell’s “any person…any study” founding vision. Tell us about the areas of study you are excited to explore, and specifically why you wish to pursue them in our College.* (650)
This question has a lot of words but it boils down to “what do you want to study here?” The first step for this essay is doing a little research into your intended major. This essay works best if you are 100% sure about what you want to study… you don’t actually need to be sure, but you should write this as if you are. For example, “I like history and sociology” is a weak foundation for this essay. Instead, it should be closer to “I plan to major in history and am particularly interested in modern European history. I also hope to minor in Inequality Studies.” Cornell has a lot of options when it comes to majors and minors. If you are unsure of what you want to study, or even if you are, start by looking over their offerings. This essay works better if you have both a major and a minor or at least a second subject that you plan to take courses in. They can be related or unrelated, but your passion for them should come through.
This essay can follow a pretty simple structure. Introduce an academic passion through a personal story. For example, if you are interested in history, helping your grandmother do genealogy research, going to museums as a kid, or even simply reading a good book could be how you sparked your passion. Then mention how that passion has grown through your studies into a plan to study it at Cornell. State your major and then it’s time to talk about specifics.
You should name at least two higher-level classes you are excited to take and why you were drawn to them. You should be looking for classes in the 3000 or 4000 level. These are higher-level courses that will be more unique to the school than the 1000s level courses. You should also name a professor that you would like to assist in research. Once you have done that, you can also talk about anything about the major, department, or even academics in the school at large that drew you to Cornell. This might be Honors tracks, prizes, research opportunities, core curriculums, etc.
Cornell gives you a high word count so feel free to talk about your experience in the fields you have chosen and why you are excited about the specific courses and professors you have chosen.
Business
What kind of business student are you? Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should convey how your interests align with the school to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management or the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration).* 650
The essay for the business school is almost exactly like the one for Arts and Sciences with one important difference. (So definitely read our notes above.) Instead of starting with why you fell in love with an academic topic, start with what drew you to business and a couple of the things you have done to pursue that interest.
You then want to relate your past experiences to the type of business you are hoping to study at Cornell. You then want to talk about specific classes, professors, opportunities, and program specifics just like you would if you were applying to Arts and Sciences (however obviously these specifics need to be in the business school.) You can also talk about how your past experiences are tied to these classes etc.
Start by doing your research. Cornell has two business schools, most will probably be looking at Dyson, but you should be clear and sure of your path.
Before we get into how to approach the engineering school supplement (which is probably the 3rd most requested school we get), let’s talk about the Human Ecology School, Public Policy, and Labor Relations School questions. Mostly because they are extremely similar to the business school question.
Human Ecology
How has your decision to apply to the College of Human Ecology been influenced by your related experiences? How will your choice of major impact your goals and plans for the future?* 650
Instead of business experience, you should sub past experiences that relate to Human Ecology. They also mention plans for the future. You need to mention some goals/plans but it shouldn’t be the bulk of your answer. Talking only about the future can sound wishy-washy. We suggest talking about how specific courses or opportunities will help you reach a concrete goal of yours.
Labor Relations
Using your personal, academic, or volunteer/work experiences, describe the topics or issues that you care about and why they are important to you. Your response should show us that your interests align with the ILR School.* 650
This is almost identical to Human Ecology, however, you don’t need to go into your future goals. Instead, you should talk about social issues you are passionate about and how going to ILR will help you learn more about those fields. But again, make sure you back this up with Cornell-specific academic opportunities.
Public Policy
Why are you drawn to studying public policy? Drawing on your experiences, tell us about why you are interested in your chosen major and how attending the Brooks School will help you achieve your life goals.* 650
This can be approached in the same way you approach Labor Relations or business. Just make it about your public policy background and goals.
Ok, now let’s talk Engineering.
Engineering
All Engineering applicants are required to write two supplemental essays. Each has a limit of 250 words. Essay 1 is required of all applicants. For Essay 2, you must choose between Question A and Question B.
Essay 1:
How do your interests directly connect with Cornell Engineering? If you have an intended major, what draws you to that department at Cornell Engineering? If you are unsure what specific engineering field you would like to study, describe how your general interest in engineering most directly connects with Cornell Engineering. It may be helpful to concentrate on one or two things that you are most excited about.*
The first essay is very similar to the Arts and Sciences essay however it is shorter. You don’t have as much time to wax poetic. Instead, you need to introduce what drew you to engineering, state a specific field of study you hope to pursue, and then back it up with specifics. Since this is shorter, you don’t need as much background, but you should still have time to mention 2 higher-level classes and a professor at the least.
Essay 2:
Choose either Question A or Question B. *
Question A: Describe an engineering problem that impacts your local community. This could be your school, neighborhood, town, region, or a group you identify with. Describe one to three things you might do as an engineer to solve the problem.
We like this prompt because it lets you talk about two things. 1) a community you are in and 2) your problem-solving skills. Keeping this as local as possible lets you talk about yourself and something you are passionate about. They say this in the question, but ‘community’ doesn’t need to be a religious or minority group (though it can be). A community can be a club you are in, a group of friends/family, a group who shares a passion, or as they say a geographic region.
Once you chose a community that is important to you, think about the problems you could offer a full solution to. The problem can be on the smaller side if needed, but you should be able to solve the problem. This is an opportunity to show off your engineering knowledge. Make sure your steps relate to what you want to study as an engineer. For example in question 1, you said you wanted to study mechanical engineering, you shouldn’t be writing about how molecular engineering could solve this problem. Keep it in your realm. You only have 1-3 steps to do this, but your steps can be creative.
Question B: Diversity in all forms is intrinsic to excellence in engineering. Engineering the best solutions to complex problems is often achieved by drawing from the diverse ingenuity of people from different backgrounds, lived experiences, and identities. How do you see yourself contributing to the diversity and/or the inclusion of the Cornell Engineering community? What is the unique voice you would bring to the Cornell Engineering community?
Honestly, we like question A more… but if you are more drawn to this question, it’s fine. We just think this question is harder to answer and harder to answer well than the first one. This question is actually two questions. What is your unique voice? And how will you use it at Cornell?
The hardest thing about this question is pinpointing a unique voice. Most people read this question and immediately think of being an underrepresented minority in the field. Honestly, that is probably what Cornell was thinking too when they wrote this. If you are an unserved voice, you can write about it, but you don’t have to write about that. No one thing will truly make your voice unique. Instead, uniqueness comes from the wide range of experiences you have had. You just want to get specific here. You can talk about being LGBTQ or you can talk about how you are an out-of-the-box type of thinker. But either way, you need to say how that would affect Cornell.
The next challenge is to relate whatever you chose to write about to Cornell Engineering. This is probably going to take research and specifics. You want to back up what you would bring with specific examples.
This is a lot to ask for in 250 words, so if you don’t think of something immediately to write about, we suggest going for question A.
Architecture, Art, and Planning
What is your “thing”? What energizes you or engages you so deeply that you lose track of time? Everyone has different passions, obsessions, quirks, inspirations. What are yours?* 650
This is a great question because it allows you to explain a quirk of yours. We love questions about quirks. They are always humanizing and you get to use something fun about you to explain a larger truth. You can pick something small. Honestly, these essays tend to work better if you choose something small and unique. Writing about being a “planner” is not a good call, but writing about how you plan all your outfits a week in advance is quirky. You can use the quirk of planning your outfits to talk about how you are organized and like to plan things out.
Tell a story about your quirk. It can be when you started doing it, or just how you do it on an average day. It does not need to be related to art, but if that is truly where your obsessions lie then it can be about art. Just make sure whatever you choose to write about feels unique.
The school we get asked about the least is probably Agriculture and Life Sciences. There is nothing wrong with this school but it is really for students passionate about agriculture. If that’s you, it’s probably the number one agriculture sciences school in America.
Agriculture and Life Sciences
Why are you drawn to studying the major you have selected? Please discuss how your interests and related experiences have influenced your choice. Specifically, how will an education from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) and Cornell University help you achieve your academic goals?*
This question is very similar to the question asked by the Human Ecology School. We would approach it the same way except you should be able to talk about your experiences in the Agriculture and Life Sciences fields very specifically.
The next questions are technically optional. However, we would highly suggest answering them. Cornell is hard to get into, so if they give you a chance to plead your case on why you should get it, do it.
Instructions:
The optional short-answer questions invite you to share additional information about your background, interests, and experiences as they relate to aspects of the Cornell CALS mission. Any responses submitted will be included in the holistic review of your application. Electing not to respond will not impact your application.
1. At Cornell CALS, we aim to leave the world better than we found it, so we seek out those who are not simply driven to master their discipline, but who are also passionate about doing so to serve the public good. Please elaborate on an activity or experience you have had that made an impact on a community that is important to you. We encourage you to think about community broadly - this could include family, school, or local and global communities. (300-word limit)
This is another essay where “community” can mean anything. This is a pretty standard question. We see it again and again and it boils down to “tell us a story where you helped someone.” It is fine if your act is simple. You don’t need to change the world, you just need to tell a personal story (yes that means beginning, middle, and end) about how you helped the people around you.
2. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is dedicated to the exploration of the agricultural, life, environmental, and social sciences and welcomes students with interests that span a wide variety of disciplines. Given our agricultural history and commitment to educating the next generation of agriculturalists, please share if you have a background in agriculture or are interested in pursuing a career in agriculture, regardless of your intended major. (300-word limit)
My family owns or operates a farm.
I have experience working in agriculture.
I have interest in pursuing a career in agriculture.
The first step is to choose which of these three options most apply to you. Whichever of these three apply to you, this question is asking about your passion for agriculture. If none of these apply to you, you can skip this, however, you might want to rethink going to an agriculture school if the last one doesn’t relate at all.
This essay should be a short story about you engaging in the field of agriculture and showing that you value it. The story can be almost anything, but these work better if they are small personal stories. Through this story, you can show your passion or interest in a specific part of the field. (Are we using "field" too much? We promise it isn’t meant to sound like a pun.)
Cornell has a lot of schools, but remember, you only have to apply to one of them. Most schools only ask you one question, but it is long. Give yourself time to do a draft or two. Sometimes long word counts can freak students out but just think of it as more time to explain yourself.
Still, need help applying to the Ivies? It’s what we do, reach out here.