College of Human Ecology Applicant Tips
The Cornell Human Ecology (CHE) Admissions Team knows that preparing a first-year college application can be overwhelming. We hope the following will help you approach your CHE application thoughtfully and in a way that reflects you as a person, a scholar, and a community citizen.
In addition to academic preparation, we consider a range of criteria linked to the college's mission as we look for human ecologists who are outwardly focused, actively engaged in their communities, understand the world as complex and dynamic, and are interested in an interdisciplinary education.
Consider these application tips.
• Answer the prompt directly and specifically in the context of the CHE’s mission and your choice of major.
• Share how CHE’s education will help you examine your academic interests, inform your goals, and support the community impact you want to make.
• Use your authentic voice and point of view, not generic templates.
• Review our first-year admissions requirements. Competitive candidates, regardless of major, pursue the highest level of coursework available at their school, particularly in math and core sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), and earn excellent grades.
• Apply yourself to your schoolwork throughout your senior year. Senior year mid-term grades, as well as the final grade reports for admitted students, are reviewed.
• Focus on the extracurricular, work, and community-engaged activities that you have found to be the most meaningful. What adds dimension, complements your values and academic interests, and connects with our CHE mission?
• Pursue experiences related to your possible career interests. Be creative in finding these opportunities, as they might be in your neighborhood, school, or with local organizations.
• Remember that leadership is more about making an impact than just having a title.
• Reflect on what these activities taught you about communities, institutions, and people. How might these reflections inform your supplemental essay?
• DEA and FD&M applicants are required to submit a design supplement in addition to the Common Application, by the deadline that corresponds to your application timeline
• Carefully review and follow the design supplement instructions for your specific major of interest.
• Your submission should communicate your design thinking and process, creative and aesthetic sensibilities, and your point of view.
Check out our complete CHE application tips and our first-year admissions requirements.