Cornell University's wording, checked October 26, 2026“What kind of 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 to which you are applying within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business (the Dyson School or the Nolan School).”
How to approach it
- 1Decide which school you are writing for and say so.
- 2Show the issue through experience.
- 3Connect it to how that school teaches business.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1The kind of business student you are, shown through an issue you care about.
- 2Where the interest comes from.
- 3Why Dyson or Nolan in particular.
Where the 650 words go
| Part | Words |
|---|---|
| Where the interest comes from | about 230 |
| How you think about the subject | about 200 |
| Your path at this college | about 230 |
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing for both schools at once.
- "I want to start a company" with no issue.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Cornell answers, this answer is read against these 5 areas. Each comes back Met, Partly or Missing with a quote from your draft as evidence, and together with the 650 words limit they set its readiness verdict.
| Area | What a reader looks for |
|---|---|
| Answers the question | The opening sentences answer what was asked, plainly, before background or a hook; every part of a multi-part question is answered. |
| Where the interest comes from | A specific, preferably recent experience (a class, project, job, reading, problem) shows the interest is real, not a stated passion. |
| How you think about it | The reader sees the applicant's own thinking: a question they pursue, a connection they made, a view of the field. |
| Your path at this college | It names how this school's curriculum, structure or opportunities fit the plan, specifically enough that it would not fit another school unchanged. |
| Cornell's ask | Shows what kind of business student the applicant is and how their interests align with Dyson or Nolan specifically. |
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Questions
More on Cornell and this kind of question
- Princeton: Academic interests (A.B.) · 250 words
- Princeton: Why engineering at Princeton (B.S.E.) · 250 words
- Columbia: Your preferred areas of study · 150 words
- Penn: College of Arts and Sciences · 50-200 words
- Penn: The Wharton School · 50-200 words
- Penn: Penn Engineering · 50-200 words