<p>I posted this earlier but I only got a few responses. I am now deciding between Columbia and Brown for ED.</p>
<p>Gender: Male
Race: White
Class: Junior
State: Massachusetts</p>
<p>GPA UW: 3.7
GPA W: 4.4
SATs: CR: 770, M:790, W:760, T:2320
SAT IIs: I took Math II, Spanish, and Lit today <em>fingers crossed</em>
Class Rank: Top 10% (that’s all I’ve been told)
APs:
Frosh/Soph: none offered
Junior: AP Calc AB, AP Phys, AP US History, AP Eng Lang (self-study)
Senior: AP Lit, AP Spanish, AP Bio, AP Stats, AP Chem (taking a course at MIT on Sundays), AP Calc BC (self-study).
Other Stuff:
~I am the only junior in 3 APs
~There is a 3 AP limit in my school, but I petitioned it this year and was granted an exception.
~My GPA UW is a bit low becauese I missed 38 days of school soph year because of anxiety–related medical problems.
~I took a precalculus class over the summer to skip the course in school.
Extracurriculars:
~Volunteer at Local Hospital
~Volunteer at Local Homeless Shelter/Food Pantry
~Work at Cold Stone Creamery
~Captain of Varsity Tennis Team
~Captain of Academic Decathalon
~Member of Math Team
~NHS Member
~Peer Minister at Local Parish</p>
<p>I was leaning towards Columbia for ED, but the more I read about Brown the more I like. I mean, obviously it is a top school in the country so what’s not to love?! But, do I have hope? My GPA is low due to some medical problems soph year. It will be explained in my counselor rec.</p>
<p>You stand a very good chance.</p>
<p>That’s the best I can tell you or anyone else.</p>
<p>Haha okay. Anyone else?</p>
<p>yeah looks great actually.
(i’m comparing this to people who were accepted to brown from my school.)</p>
<p>just make sure you’re an interesting person now okay?
admissions looks for that.</p>
<p>Your objectives (grades, scores, etc) look great; subjectives (extra-curriculars, etc) are rather middle-of-the-road, meaning that they don’t hinder your chances of acceptance, but they aren’t particularly exceptional either.
Your application will probably hinge a lot on your essays and how well you convey an interesting facet of yours that puts you in a niche that they want to include in their incoming class. If you’re able to do that, you look like you have a solid shot.
A question for you, though.
In terms of their approach to academics, Brown and Columbia are the antithesis of each other, in that they occupy opposite extremes of the spectrum regarding core curricula. It seems to me that if you’re even considering one, the other should be out of the question. What makes them your top two schools?</p>
<p>@Mochabear: I too was torn between a highly structured and a highly unstructured curriculum. Possibly the OP’s objective is to be with students who are in the classes because they’re truly curious, not because it’s a GE. Plus, both schools are pretty, urban, about the same size, prestigious, etc.</p>
<p>I think the OP has a shot, and I also agree with Mochabear in that your essays need to transform you from an Excellent Student to a Unique Person. Brown gets thousands of applications from really smart, put-together all-stars. What makes you invaluable? Why are your opinions worth hearing, and in what unique ways did you form them? How does your thought process and perspective differ from that of the next 4.4 2320? And why should they care about your future and your goals?</p>
<p>I’m sure you have brilliant answers for all these questions, and you should take some time to really reflect on them. I assure you that none of them have the answer: “I’m not that special.” Because everyone is, they just don’t think to write about it. You have the opportunity to express the desirability of yourself as a student—so don’t pass it up and write something impersonal and BS-y. </p>
<p>:D</p>
<p>I’d say you stand a very good chance at both those schools. How does your High School ranked academically? Does it have alot of students going Ivy?</p>
<p>I go to a parochial school near Boston, MA, which has pretty decent college acceptances. Everyone is accepted to college, but the school’s acceptances at the most elite of schools is not fantastic. This year, we have three Ivy-bound students. One to Cornell, one to Brown, and one to Dartmouth. Last year we had at least two, one to Harvard and one to Dartmouth, but I think there were a few more. A LOT of kids got waitlisted at Harvard, Columbia, Brown, etc. I also have the highest SAT score from my school in the past two or three years, so hopefully that helps, but I doubt it.</p>
<p>Oh and to mochabeat, hollyert is exactly right. I’m having trouble deciding which would be a better fit for me. On one hand, the idea of a core curricula sounds appealing becuase it will build a very strong foundation in every subject, and I will be able to expand my horizons quite a bit. On the other hand, with an open curricula, I can focus on what I like as opposed to what the school wants me to take.</p>
<p>Dreamsofivy, what I eventually realized is that:
If I want to be an expert in philosophy and history and social movements (sort of the gist of Columbia’s core), I could stuff my schedule full of those types of classes at Brown. At Brown, you can model your curriculum after any school’s core, OR you can deviate and discover your inner studio art major and/or research biologist. In my opinion, the Open Curriculum was insurance against me being trapped in a subject that made me unhappy or bored me or seemed like it was blocking a more driving interest.</p>
<p>At Brown, you can construct your own Core pretty easily, and change your mind the next semester. The definition of “no limitations” is pretty much that Brown can’t limit the limitations you choose to put on yourself!</p>
<p>Haha thanks holly! That does make a lot of sense, which is one of the reasons why I am now leaning towards Brown. If you don’t mind my asking, what was the highly structured school you were looking into?</p>
<p>It was UChicago; though I liked Columbia, I felt confined in their teeny campus. I mean either way, you’re going to go to a kick-butt school with relatively similar student bodies. </p>
<p>A thread that may interest you is the Mocha Courses thread, which shows the possible schedules of incoming freshmen-- you’ll see that everyone pursues pretty crazy areas of interest. At Brown, a person’s academic passions show up really quickly; at a school with a core, those are suspended for 2 years. Maybe your passion is what’s in the core–if so, then either setup of school will suit you. </p>
<p>Also, the Brown course listings are at [Welcome</a> - Mocha](<a href=“http://brown.mochacourses.com%5DWelcome”>http://brown.mochacourses.com)
You may find these inspirational, as you can see their philosophy and history offerings and imagine the Classical Liberal Arts schedule </p>
<p>Haha thanks again. That does really help, and I will definitely look into those courses.</p>