New in admissions at Cornell for 2015-2016

Welcoming the 13th President, Elizabeth Garrett

Every academic year brings the

promise of fresh experiences

and opportunities for current

and incoming students alike,

but this semester is especially

exciting because it is the first

full semester students get to

spend with our 13th President,

Elizabeth Garrett! Cornell had

the amazing chance this past

spring to celebrate our 150th

birthday while welcoming our

first female president. Presi-

dent Garrett was elected on

September 30th, 2014, and

formally began her term July

1st, 2015. She has said she

was drawn to Cornell in part

because, “Cornell has been

fundamentally shaped by its

founders’ lasting vision of a

university dedicated to inclu-

sion, to egalitarianism and

public engagement. I found

that vision compelling. It reso-

nates with my own work and

my life, which involves public

service.”

President Garrett was previous-

ly the provost and senior vice

president for academic affairs

at the University of Southern

California, but

her connec-

tion to Cornell

actually goes

back to when

she published

her first paper

in the Cornell

Law Review as

an assistant

professor at

the University

of Chicago! In

addition to her

duties as Pres-

ident, Presi-

dent Garrett

will be on the

faculty of the

College of Arts

and Sciences

and of the Law

School.

Her academic interests include

the legislative process, the initi-

ative and referendum process,

the federal budget process, the

design of democratic institu-

tions, and tax policy, and in her

free time she enjoys needle

point, cross-stitching, and trav-

eling. Plus, it seems like she

Fall 2015

Inside this issue:

Updates 1

New president 1

My internship 2

Tips for seniors 3

Skype with us! 3

CBO Spotlight 4

Multicultural Recruitment

Undergraduate Admissions Office

Newsletter for Counselors

We’ve made some changes to

admissions requirements and

unveiled a new freshman enroll-

ment option! Here are the im-

portant updates:

The standardized testing re-

quirement no longer includes

the writing portion of any test.

Students are required to submit

the ACT or SAT. In addition,

some of Cornell’s colleges and

schools require specific SAT

subject test scores (these can-

not be replaced by AP or other

exams). Please refer your stu-

dents to our “Freshman Re-

quirements Chart” online, which

provides details on all applica-

tion requirements.

First-Year Spring Admission

(FYSA): FYSA is an opportunity

for freshman to join the Cor-

nell community in the spring

semester. With so many amaz-

ing applicants, FYSA allows us

to welcome even more fresh-

man students to campus. Stu-

dents interested in FYSA will

have the opportunity to an-

swer a question on the Cornell

supplement. Select applicants

to the College of Agriculture

and Life Sciences, College of

Arts and Sciences, College of

Human Ecology and the

School of Hotel Administration

will be considered for January

2017 admission. Learn more

about FYSA at: admis-

sions.cornell.edu/fysa

New majors for your students

to consider:

Biomedical Engineering

(College of Engineering))

Global and Public Health

Sciences (College of

Agriculture and Life Sciences)

F a s h i o n D e s i g n a n d

Management (College of Hu-

man Ecology)

Fiber Sciences (College of

Human Ecology)

See a list of our majors and

m i n o r s h e r e : h t t p s : / /

www.cornell.edu/academics/

fields.cfm

enjoys reading books by Cornelli-

ans: as of an interview shortly

after her election, she was read-

ing one work by our vice provost

for international affairs Fred

Logevall. Her formal inaugura-

tion ceremony is set for Friday,

September 18. We offer her a

warm welcome, and are incredi-

bly excited to see what her presi-

dency brings!

Elizabeth Garrett began her duties on July 1, 2015

Page 2

“I love helping alleviate

the fear I experienced

and contributing the

amazing Cornell

community.”

Club Fest is a giant fair of stu-

dent organizations during Orien-

tation week!

Students hanging out in front of

Goldwin Smith Hall and Andrew

Dickson White.

Right after I had been admitted

to Cornell, I had the wonderful

opportunity to be hosted over-

night during Diversity Hosting

Month, one of the many visit

programs for admitted stu-

dents. Being hosted meant

seeing Cornell from a student’s

perspective. For that I am forev-

er grateful to the Multicultural

Recruitment Team at the Under-

graduate Admissions Office and

CU IMAGE, the student organiza-

tion committed to helping multi-

cultural students learn about

Cornell that helps with Diversity

Hosting Month. Just as im-

portant, though, is that being

hosted made me want to help

prospective students once I was

a Cornellian, both those who

can and those who cannot visit.

Fast forward to the summer of

2015, I am a junior in the Col-

lege of Arts and Sciences, and I

am lucky enough to be a Multi-

cultural Recruitment Intern.

I get to talk to hundreds of high

school students about my expe-

rience as a student here, help-

ing them figure out everything

from what classes they should

consider taking in high school to

prepare them for a college like

Cornell, to who to ask for teach-

er recommendations, to which

of Cornell’s seven undergradu-

ate colleges and schools would

be the best fit. This summer

alone I’ve reached out to over

600 students on the phone and

by email, plus welcomed over 10

bus groups to our campus,

about 300 students! I help with

information sessions, and I give

informal tours, answering a wide

variety of questions. “What do I

need to get on my SAT?” and,

surprisingly, “Do you have Quid-

ditch?” have been among the

most popular. I love being able

to help prospective students

because I remember how scary

and confusing the whole college

process was. Now that I’m on

the other side I see how unnec-

essary that fear is; there is an

entire office ready, willing, and

excited to help students along

their path to matriculation. I love

helping alleviate the fear I expe-

rienced and contributing to the

amazing Cornell community.

Overall, my summer internship

at admissions has been unfor-

gettable, and I’m excited to con-

tinue helping out – as soon as I

get back from my abroad pro-

gram in Paris this fall!

My summer internship in admissions

Therese Banks ‘17

Biomedical engineering, new major Cornell University has received

state approval to offer a long-

awaited undergraduate major in

biomedical engineering (BME)

and will begin taking sopho-

mores into the program this fall.

“This has been part of the con-

versation since Cornell Engi-

neering’s BME department

started,” said Lawrence Bonas-

sar, professor of biomedical

engineering and an original

member of the department,

which was created a decade

ago and currently offers mas-

ter’s of engineering and Ph.D.

degrees and an undergraduate

minor.

The College of Engineering also

just announced a $50 million

gift to expand the BME depart-

ment into a school named the

Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig

School of Biomedical Engineer-

ing.

“The Meinigs’ gift will give the

new school significant re-

sources as we launch the new

major,” said Marjolein van der

Meulen, the Swanson Professor

and the James M. and Marsha

McCormick Chair of Biomedical

Engineering. “Launching our

biomedical engineering under-

graduate major is an initiative

our faculty have been working

on for a long time, and an op-

portunity our students have

been eagerly anticipating,” van

der Meulen said.

“College administrators and

faculty have known that many

engineering students would

have majored in BME if they

could have the option availa-

ble,” Bonassar said. A survey of

the incoming Engineering fresh-

man class indicated that 60

percent of the students had an

interest in biological applica-

tions of engineering.

“This major allows Cornell Engi-

neering to attract creative and

intelligent prospective students

who are interested in biomedi-

cal engineering,” explained

Jonathan Butcher, associate

professor of biomedical engi-

neering, associate department

chair and director of undergrad-

uate studies for the depart-

ment. For the Class of 2019, 12

percent of incoming freshman

engineers have indicated BME

would be their top choice.

“Our college’s particular

strengths in BME fit well into

Cornell’s collaborative culture

and accentuate our collabora-

tions with the College of Veteri-

nary Medicine and Weill Cornell

Medical College,” she said.

Biomedical engineering builds

research around a quantitative

understanding of the human

body as an integrated, multiscale

system. The study of mecha-

nisms of disease through engi-

neering analysis can be used to

design better therapies, devices

and diagnostic procedures to

improve human health.

Unlike graduates of many tradi-

tional engineering fields, BME

graduates must be able to thrive

in an environment of variability

and think through problems in

which the assumptions are poor-

ly defined, Butcher said. (Article

from Cornell Chronical, June 23,

2015—by Joe Wilensky)

“The admissions and

financial aid staffs are here

to assist students and

parents throughout the

process.”

Page 3

Classes began at Cornell on

August 25th.

Hundreds of volunteers help

during Move-In Day.

Skype with Us! The Undergraduate Admissions Office is

available via Skype for live, face-to face

interactions with you and your students!

Skype Session Topics

Cornell Info Session

Financial Aid Session

CSS Profile

Essay Writing

Bus group visits planning

Partnership opportunities

Articulating Fit

Application Workshop

For more information, please email:

diversity@cornell.edu

Tips for seniors...help us help them begin

To help you and your students

have a great start to senior

year, here are some tips to help

ease the stress of the college

application process.

Select exam dates ASAP!

The window to take (or retake)

standardized tests is quickly

closing.

Fall 2015 dates for SAT

October 3

November 7

Dec 5 *Subject Tests Only

Fall 2015 dates for ACT

October 24

December 12

For both the SAT and ACT, the

registration deadline is approxi-

mately 4 weeks before the test

date. We will super score test

scores and encourage students

to submit all scores in order for

us to use the highest scores

they have in each section.

Please have students request

the scores to be sent directly

from the testing agency.

Don’t save the best for last!

Students constantly ask how

they can stand out in the ad-

missions process. With so many

great applicants, the essay can

differentiate a student from

everyone else who has applied.

The essays should be thought

out and well written, which may

require several drafts. Encour-

age students to start working

on first drafts of the essays, if

they have not done so already.

The essay prompts for the Com-

mon Application, Universal Col-

lege Application and Cornell

supplemental essay are availa-

ble online and through the two

application websites and our

site. (admissions.cornell.edu)

Start the application!

Even though college applica-

tion deadlines are a few

months away, starting the

application will help students

becoming familiar with applica-

tion requirements and dead-

lines. Filing out the application

will also allow students to

proofread, edit and proof again

to make sure all information is

included and correct.

Ask questions!

The admissions and financial

aid staffs are here to assist

students and parents on this

process. Encourage seniors to

call or email us with any ques-

tions they may encounter

throughout the process. And

while we do not track demon-

strated interest, taking initia-

tive to contact us, certainly will

help them in the long run.

Undergraduate Admissions Office

Cornell University

410 Thurston Avenue

Ithaca, NY 14850

Phone: 607.255.7233

Fax: 607.255.0659

Email: diversity@cornell.edu

Twitter: cudiversity

Instagram: cornelladmissions

blogs.cornell.edu/admissions

Multicultural

Recruitment Office

Cornell is a private, Ivy League university and the land-grant university

for New York State. Cornell's mission is to discover, preserve, and dis-

seminate knowledge; produce creative work; and promote a culture of

broad inquiry throughout and beyond the Cornell community. Cornell

also aims, through public service, to enhance the lives and livelihoods

of our students, the people of New York, and others around the world.

Our faculty, students, alumni, and staff strive toward these objectives

in a context of freedom with responsibility. We foster initiative, integri-

ty, and excellence, in an environment of collegiality, civility, and re-

sponsible stewardship. As the land-grant university for the state of

New York, we apply the results of our endeavors in service to our

alumni, the community, the state, the nation, and the world.

We’re on the Web!

admissions.cornell.edu/living/diversity

CBO Spotlight: Cornell Student

My educational journey has been both challenging and rewarding. Growing up in the city of Chicago, I have witnessed what a strong educational background can yield, as well as the effects of a lack of education on an individual and societal basis. I have been blessed to have such amazing parents and teachers who have believed in me every step of the way, from elementary school to high school, and even now in my new chapter in life at Cornell University. A common thread throughout has been the East Village Youth Program (EVYP), an organization started to promote college readiness in the underserved minority popula-tion of Chicago, especially Latinos. I joined the program in 6th grade, hoping to get a jumpstart on my high school readiness and college search, but the program has given me much more. During my time at EVYP, I have gotten to know and befriend many great program di-rectors, including Amanda Ochoa, Sarah Bird, May Cheng, Nora Frazin and Julia Gerasimenko. I have also found a great afterschool tutor in Amanda Payonk, who now tutors my little sister. They have all taken a strong interest in my education at some point, supporting my decisions and pushing me to work harder and reach my highest potential. I have received everything from ACT prep to invitations to college visit trips, and even just knowing that people back home are rooting for me has really helped make my college transition smoother. Julia and I have regular Skype and phone conversations each semester to check-in on my progress and set goals. My first year at Cornell was interesting to say the least. I changed my educational path from pre-med to English, and I am now considering applying to law school in a few years. I have made so many new friends who I cherish, and whatever lies before me going forward, I know have the strong support network I need to be successful; the East Village Youth Program has played a major role in that.

Salvador Herrera—Class of 2019—East Village Youth Program