Cornell Essay Guide: ILR School

 Introduction To Cornell University

Located in Ithaca, New York, Cornell University is a member of the esteemed Ivy League, and one of the most prestigious universities in the country. The beautiful campus spans 2300 acres and is filled with historic buildings, stunning waterfalls and gorges, and of course, motivated students. Since its founding in 1865, Cornell has offered its students a comprehensive education, where all 15,000 undergraduate students study directly under a world-class faculty comprised of Nobel laureates, MacArthur awardees, and Pulitzer Prize winners. From biomedical engineering to hotel administration, Cornell offers over 80 majors and more than 120 minors, true to their school-wide motto, “any person, any study”. Each of the 100+ departments is subdivided among 7 colleges within Cornell, each offering a specialized education distinctive to a student's interest. Let’s dive into the logistics of applying to one of Cornell’s most unique programs, the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, also known as the ILR school.

Admissions Process

Each year, Cornell admissions officers spend months holistically examining thousands of applicants in search of building its next class. In recent years, Cornell has been increasingly competitive, boosting a 21% Early Decision acceptance rate, and a 6.7% Regular Decision acceptance rate. 

When applying to such a prestigious university such as Cornell, all components of the application are closely taken into account. This includes: GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, employment, recommendation letters, and arguably most importantly, an overall personality and passion fit. 

The process of applying to Cornell University itself is relatively straightforward. The first decision applicants will have to make is whether they want to apply under the Early Decision or Regular Decision cycle. Applying Early Decision has an application deadline of November 1st, and offers restrictive admission—meaning you are unable to apply to any other university early, and if admitted, must attend. The decision for ED is typically released mid-December. Regular Decision typically has an application deadline in late December or early January, with decisions released in late March. With both application plans, prospective students will receive one of the following admissions decisions: Accepted, rejected, waitlisted, or deferred (For ED applicants only, who will now have their application considered during the Regular Decision process).

Once prospective students have decided when to apply, they must select which of the seven schools within Cornell they wish to apply to. These include:

• College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• College of Arts & Sciences
• College of Art, Architecture, and Planning
• Cornell SC Johnson College of Business
• Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management
• Nolan School of Hotel Administration
• College of Engineering 
• College of Human Ecology
• School of Industrial & Labor Relations

Each of these schools offer specialized pathways for students, depending on their ideal focus of studies. While you must apply to one, you are not necessarily locked into that school for your entire time at Cornell. I will touch on this more later on in this blog.

ILR Essay Guide

Regardless of their selection, applicants will have to submit the Common Application with the addition of one college-specific supplemental essay. For this blog, we will focus specifically on applying to the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). The ILR School is an excellent choice for those interested in labor, law, business, and other social sciences. Cornell’s ILR School supplemental essay prompt is as follows:

Prompt: 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 words max.)

Example Essay:

Pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations would provide a unique and valuable opportunity to explore my passions and interests both inside and outside of the classroom. 

One issue that I am drawn to is promoting equality of opportunity for minorities in schools and beyond. Growing up in a predominantly white community on Bainbridge Island, it quickly became apparent that minorities here have a particularly difficult time developing an identity. Rather than being celebrated or honored, they are often overlooked and tend to lack equal opportunities. Through my involvement with Bainbridge Youth Services, a local community organization, I was able to create and bring to action a detailed business plan aimed at increasing and enhancing opportunities and involvement for minorities in my hometown. I am inspired to scale this beyond my own community using tools gained from an ILR education. Studying a curriculum centered around the interdisciplinary fields of Labor Relations, Economics, Human Resources, and Statistics, combined with the opportunity to conduct research as an Academic Research Fellow, would provide a valuable foundation for exploring the widespread impact of socioeconomic status in a number of areas and enable me to drive innovation in a professional work setting. The ILR School’s commitment to offering a dynamic pre-professional curriculum is just one of the reasons that makes us the perfect match.

Outside the classroom, I have been a lifelong sports fanatic and am eager to apply this passion in productive new directions. For instance, I have recently been able to explore highly specific topics in sports analytics and psychology, conducting targeted analysis experimentations that I submitted in a national competition. As part of this, I completed a poster project analyzing the interaction between Exit Velocity and Launch Angle in Major League Baseball, and how those variables can potentially predict success. I am excited to continue this passion through the ILR School’s Sports Business Society (ILRSBS). In this organization, I would look forward to learning about the varying sports industries, and how I could contribute to improving and advancing the world of sports alongside other dedicated students. I would hope to complement this with thought-provoking discussions with Professor Emily Zitek about her class on “Sport Psychology,'' as well as Professor Kevin Packard and his class on “Statistical Methods for Social Sciences.'' Together, this organization and collection of courses would offer the perfect outlet towards exploring my passion for sports while also fueling my creativity and curiosity to learn.

In addition to the opportunity to pursue my passions and community interests through academic exploration, one of the aspects of the ILR School that I am most drawn to is the drive to ignite change combined with a dedication to community involvement and positive leadership. Throughout high school, I have consistently explored chances to hold leadership positions as a means of bringing about change. Whether through my position as president of the Future Business Leaders of America Club or my role as lead student volunteer at local community organization Helpline House, it is something that I take pride in and would love to continue. Growing up on a small island, the palpable sense of community has been a token of inspiration throughout my life. At the ILR School, I would be interested in the Global Affairs Club (IGAC), which delves into the intersection between labor and business, as a way to explore leadership opportunities and community initiative through applied experiences. I hope to complement this involvement and gain a greater depth of understanding through courses such as “Labor Economics'' and “Leadership in Organizations.” Equipped with the resources and tools for progress from an ILR education, I would embrace the opportunity to become a more engaged leader, expanding beyond my tight-knit community of Bainbridge Island, towards taking initiative and igniting positive change across a much broader stage—the world. 

 Cornell Supplemental Essays

In terms of supplements for the other 6 colleges under Cornell, their requirements differ in size and prompt. Here is an overview of each: 

College of 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? (650 words max.)

College of Arts & 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 words max.)

College of Art, Architecture, 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 words max.)

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business:

What kind of a 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(s) to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (Dyson School and/or School of Hotel Administration). (650 words max.)

College of Engineering 

Students applying to the College of Engineering must submit two essays, responding to two of the three essay prompts provided here. Each response should be no longer than 200 words. Please select the two essay prompts that you will respond to below:*

Engineering is inherently collaborative. What does collaboration mean to you? What strengths do you bring to the collaborative process?

For you, what makes Cornell Engineering special? Why do you want to attend Cornell Engineering?

Diversity in all definitional forms is intrinsic to excellence in engineering. Indeed, devising the best engineered solutions to complex problems is often achieved by drawing from the diverse ingenuity of people from broadly different backgrounds, lived experiences, and identities. How do you see yourself contributing to the diversity and inclusion of the Cornell Engineering community? What is the unique voice you would bring to the Cornell Engineering community?

College of 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 words max.) 

Changing Your Mind

One of the perks about Cornell is that you are never truly locked into the major or college to which you apply. Although I personally applied and was admitted to the ILR School, after two semesters at Cornell I had found that my passions and direction had changed. I was able to meet with advisors within the ILR School and the school I hoped to internally transfer to, the College of Arts & Sciences, and was able to develop a plan to make it happen. The vast availability of majors at Cornell paired with the flexibility given to students means that there are quite a few people who decide to transfer internally between schools at Cornell. The process is quite simple, requiring only a basic application, a transcript, and a short personal statement. This added layer of flexibility allows for peace of mind to prospective applicants in the fact that they are not necessarily making a permanent decision, and that it is possible to change your mind and find yourself in an entirely different field of study. 

In conclusion, the application process to Cornell is difficult, but is completely manageable with proper preparation and time management. Remember to take your time, and put together what you believe is an accurate and insightful representation of why you would be a great Cornell student. Good luck!

Written by Owen Rector, PathIvy Cornell University Ambassador