Anxious high school seniors awaiting admissions decisions from Cornell’s Undergraduate Admissions Office (UAO) can now breath a sigh of relief.
The Office mailed admissions decisions yesterday in compliance with “the official Ivy League notification date,” according to Doris Davis, associate provost of admissions and enrollment.
Applications
The admissions office received 21,486 applications this year, 32 fewer applications than last year. The admission rate for the Class of 2006 dropped from 25.7 percent to 24.35 percent. These rates are based on acceptance rates across the University’s seven colleges.
Of the 21,486 applications, 1,770 applications were early decision applicants.
“We offered admission to just over 4,800 students during the regular decision process,” Davis said. “As a university, we offered a place on the waiting list to just over 2,500 students, and we denied admission to just over 10,000 students,” she added.
The remaining students either submitted an incomplete application or withdrew their application before a decision had been made.
Expectation
Cornell’s increasing competitiveness does not come as a shock to many current students.
“Since many students and faculty here have been made aware of Cornell dropping in the US News and World Report rankings, it doesn’t surprise me at all. I see it as a reflection of our attempt at publicly raising the bar,” said Michelle O’Donnell ’04.
A new admissions policy in the Ivy League allowed for decisions to be sent via electronic mail at 9 a.m. yesterday morning.
“This was our first year using electronic notification so we conducted a pilot project whereby we sent electronic admit notifications to students in the western United States, as well as selected countries in Asia, Europe and South America,” Davis said.
The new procedure decreases the period of time applicants have to wait for decisions to be received, lessening anxiety for some applicants.
“Less than two hours after sending the e-mail notification, we were hearing back from students who were delighted to have been admitted to Cornell,” Davis said.
The UAO plans on expanding e-mail notification to all applicants next year.
“Sending admissions decisions via e-mail seems like a practical way for Cornell to reduce paperwork and speed up the admissions process,” Sharon Cooperstein ’05 said. “High school seniors are extremely anxious throughout the admissions process. Any way of speeding up the process reduces the burden,” she added.
Jill Shemin ’05 agrees, “With so many people applying to Cornell, [e-mail notification] is an environmentally effective and considerate action.”
The university official “reply deadline” is May 1. Students wishing to hold a place in the Class of 2006 must respond to the University’s offer of admission by this date.
Between April 11 and April 25, the UAO will host accepted students during Cornell Days.
“The admissions office is hosting many events, both on and off campus,” Davis said. Some of these events include overnight stays, campus tours and informational roundtable discussions.
Once the UAO hears back from applicants, it will determine whether or not it can offer admission to those students on the waitlist. The admissions office has also offered some students a January admission, although other students may be offered January admission after May 1.
Demographic details of the Class of 2006 will not be available for several more weeks.
Archived article by Marc Zawel