Best Advice and Real Samples of Cornell-Admitted Essays Sarah O'Neill

 Sarah O’Neill Coatesville Supreme Editing

Cornell University: Where Curiosity and Impact Collide

If you’re someone who’s ever dreamed of an education where every “what if?” can find its answer, Cornell University is calling your name! As Ezra Cornell himself famously declared, “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” Today, that vision is a thriving reality, where Cornell’s mission shines through in both grand ambitions and everyday moments on campus. With its core values of purposeful discovery, open inquiry, respect for the environment, and a genuine commitment to public service, Cornell’s got its eyes on nothing less than changing the world — and it wants students with that same spark.

Cornell isn’t looking for cookie-cutter essays, either. It’s all about the real you! To make the most of your application, here are some tips from the admissions team:

1. Answer Authentically: Don’t write what you think Cornell wants; write what’s true to you!
2. Tell Your Story: Share something that’s genuinely important to you, revealing your thoughts, passions, and what drives you forward.

In fact, past successful essays have been ones that told admissions why Cornell wasn’t just another name on the list but was the school to ignite their dreams. These students didn’t hold back — they connected their studies and experiences directly to Cornell’s unique strengths and showed how they planned to make an impact.

Why Cornell is the Place to Be for Me

SAMPLE WHY ESSAY ADMITTED

As I consider my future, I find myself drawn to the vibrant, diverse world of Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, a place that balances exploration and ambition. Cornell’s longstanding commitment to diversity and impact aligns perfectly with my vision for my studies. With broad passions in computer science, mathematics, and information science, I’m eager to immerse myself in these fields at a school that celebrates the connections between them.

The story starts at home: My fascination with computers began thanks to my father, who’s spent thirty years in IT. When he programmed our old family computer to calculate prime numbers, I was hooked! Computer science, I realized, isn’t just crunching numbers; it’s a tool with endless potential to transform society. My love for math grew alongside this, too. Working on a logistic regression model for diabetes made me see the real-world power of mathematics; hundreds of patients benefit today from that work. It was like magic, where numbers told a powerful story about health and the future.

As I look to the future, information science ties it all together. We’re living in a world overflowing with data, and the need to manage, understand, and apply it across fields like medicine, engineering, and finance is more important than ever. Cornell’s resources and focus on cross-disciplinary studies will help me dive into these realms with purpose and flexibility. Here, I’ll learn how to take what I’m passionate about and turn it into something that can truly make a difference.

Cornell’s open curriculum and wealth of classes make my mind race with excitement! I want to explore, challenge myself, and build the skills I’ll need to tackle the world’s biggest questions. Minors and electives allow students to bridge disciplines, connect with a diverse community, and engage in a truly liberal arts education. Here, I’ll be surrounded by Cornellians who are just as curious and driven, whether they’re coding through the night, designing machines, or studying the natural sciences.

Ithaca’s campus, with its cultural and intellectual diversity, is a microcosm of the world I want to thrive in. I’m drawn to Cornell not only for its stellar academics but also for the chance to live and learn in an international environment. For me, it’s not just about studying abroad or taking an elective — it’s about connecting with people who see the world differently and growing as a well-rounded person because of it.

There’s a saying that Cornell is “elite and egalitarian.” I see that as an invitation: an opportunity to roll up my sleeves, join a community of trailblazers, and contribute to something larger than myself. I believe that with a Cornell education, I can not only pursue my academic passions but also make a tangible impact on the world around me.

SAMPLE COMMON APP ESSAY ADMITTED

Empty tracks, fiery sun.

I bolted from the schoolyard like a small child trying to find her way through barley fields, longing for the howling wind to blow away the melancholy caused by my teacher’s comment. “Chuhan, why can’t you be a normal, relaxed kid, like your classmates?” Though in jest, this reflected my state while in middle school in China. Operating like the gears of a swiss watch, I precisely planned out every minute of my life: 32 minutes of geometry, 47 minutes of poetry, but 0 seconds for entertainment. After finals, while classmates battled Minecraft mobs, I feverishly jotted down another intense summer schedule. Like a hermit, I never relished in the jubilation of friends, chaining myself to my immature definition of contentment: high academic scores. Shielding others away, it was not until I moved to America and threw myself into Cross Country that my fever faded.

Crowded runway, ceaseless cheering.

I dashed towards the finish line, trekking up a hill before gravity dragged me down. It was my first Cross Country race at my new American school. What blew me away was the inundating air of applause as I roughed the tough terrain. I was nowhere near the end, but everyone — my coaches, friends, and even competitors — shouted, “Keep going!” Never had I felt so embraced or empowered, like a previously trapped frog leaping from its well to marvel at the infinite azure sky. No longer a girl chained to academic perfection, I high-fived my Science Olympiad partner after constructing our musical instrument and gleefully tossed petals into the sky with friends to shoot a Key Club video. Day by day, I emerged from my well. It was then time to find myself, again, in my hometown, where I visit every year.

Summer zephyr, fragrant blossoms.

I had a Cross Country training routine around my Beijing neighborhood. Checking my mileage, I took my eyes off the road, not noticing a sprinkler spurting water one foot ahead. The instant I was about to trip on it, it was pulled away — magically — allowing me to safely run ahead. Of course, it wasn’t magic: a handyman mopping community spaces moved it as he perceived the danger.

“Thank you,” I said, humbly.

“Oh, no problem!” he replied, with cordiality. The brim of his bamboo hat shielding his face from the sun as he meticulously mopped, not letting one dust speck rest between the cracks of the tiles. Despite his efforts, few neighbors greeted him. Hustling among fluorescent skyscrapers tall enough to touch the stars, people of Beijing succumb to the lightning-paced life, sparing no time to appreciate the handymen that serve us. However, I grew accustomed to greeting others through cross-country. While running along the path the following day, I recognized the familiar silhouette under the bamboo hat and said, “Good morning, Sir!” He recognized me, returning with a tip of the hat.

“Are you in high school?”

“Yes!”

“Ah! my granddaughter is in high school too.”

Our encounter became part of my running routine. I, with exhausted legs, felt rejuvenated with his shouts of “Come on!” He, after his labors, felt appreciative of my “Thank you!” Honestly, the old me may have just been too consumed with scores to make this connection, but I was different.

Three Runs, my metamorphosis

These three runs, each an epitome of my evolving identity, coalesced into my story. Cross country showed me the power of a team and that high scores are not all that matters. Running in Beijing, I connected with members of my community. In fact, every time I boldly introduce a new project to Key Club members; every time I challenge my classmates with my accented yet unwavering English, I shake the rusty chains that once immured me to a narrow well. Today, I embrace my connections with others from every pulse of life, welcoming my future on the open road.

SAMPLE SUPP ESSAY ADMITTED — Engineering

Tell us about what excites you most about Cornell Engineering and/or studying engineering at Cornell University. How do you see yourself becoming a part of the Cornell Engineering community? [650]

I have a love-hate relationship with flying. I love breaking through the floating clouds, rushing towards the azure sky, and imagining wondrous experiences awaiting me. However, the broadcast — “your flight will be delayed due to storms” — instantly diminishes my jubilation for flying. Each time I hear it, I wonder, how can flights promptly recover from weather incidents?

I explored this question in depth during a math modeling competition in which teams were to design a new schedule for delayed flights after a typhoon. I thought, how complex could this be? If the typhoon lasted an hour, why not push flights back an hour? However, as we examined data from thousands of aircrafts and numerous constraints like runway capacity, crew availability, and flight connectivity, we were overwhelmed. In the end, we quantified all the constraints and used linear programming to minimize passenger wait time. I greatly relished in extracting the most essential features out of a massive problem, yearning to explore real-world math modeling to improve airlines.

While researching optimization techniques, I was inspired by a former Delta CIO’s lecture about scheduling airline crews, and I made another discovery from her lecture — she is a Cornell alumnus! This galvanizing moment prompted me to explore Cornell, and I instantly realized that Cornell’s Operations Research and Information Engineering (ORIE) program is where I can fly towards my desire to develop a data-driven, human-centered airlines system.

I see Cornell as a futuristic trailblazer that proudly stands at the summit of technological development, since its curriculum readily embraces the power of the booming Big Data. I am thrilled to take the course “Learning with Big Messy Data” to learn how to write algorithms that can run fast even if the input data size is tremendous, empowering me to quickly find trends in real airlines data often containing more than 50,000 variables. In “Statistical Data Mining,” I hope to learn regressions and statistical programming, which are the keys to finding viable solutions for optimization models.

Cornell Engineering’s emphasis on “breaking the rules” also deeply resonates with me. While traditional airlines models, like ticket price management, focus on improving revenues for companies, I would “break the rules” and design models to enhance passengers’ experiences. I would work to streamline the boarding process to decrease passengers’ stress and optimize the airline’s meals supply chain to provide organic, tasty food. With Cornell’s interdisciplinary culture, I look forward to taking the “Designing Technology for Social Impact” course in the College of Arts and Sciences, practicing a user-centered mindset to make flying a magical experience rather than something passengers have to endure.

Moreover, I long to join Cornell Engineering’s vibrant project teams. I admire the Design & Tech Initiative’s established work in creating a mobile application for administration to smoothly schedule CULift buses on campus. When I saw that the team was recruiting someone who could minimize students’ wait time for CULifts, I knew I would be a great candidate! This problem resembles my airlines’ scheduling optimization, and I plan on using a resource allocation algorithm to efficiently match students to a limited number of buses. Besides applying my operations research knowledge, I am exhilarated to collaborate with other engineers and project designers, forming a community bonded by our common goal.

Even though my interest in operations research first piqued when I studied the airlines industry, my vision lies far beyond. During this pandemic, I hope to use my knowledge to help maintain stable operations for all industries. I would assist Professor Andrea Minca in her recently funded project of using machine learning to rebuild the collapsed supply chains of medical devices. Helping to resolve the problem of medical equipment shortage, I could actively contribute to the recovery of the healthcare system under COVID-19. All in all, with its plethora of meaningful research and project teams, cutting-edge curriculum, and a soul of “breaking rules,” Cornell is where I can soar.

Sarah O’Neill Coatesville Supreme Editing