The evaluation process starts over for RD. Admissions officers will be reading the files (once again, in the case of Deferred) and choosing which ones from among those in their batch they are especially impressed with and want to take to committee to make a case for.
You could say an edge, to the extent that you demonstrated great interest in Brown by applying ED… but then so did all those who were denied in ED. The good news is that there were some excellent applicants who were denied in ED and you weren’t one of them, so Brown has a fairly high opinion of you just from the fact that they want to give you further consideration during RD. The bad news, of course, is that tens of thousands of “your closest friends” are in that same circumstance, while less than two thousand can be accomodated: “Powell added that the University likely could have admitted ‘two or three’ classes with nearly ‘indistinguishable’ academic credentials to those of the admitted students.”
That’s for sure. I interview one great applicant after another (not all of them, but many) and most aren’t admitted. So you give it your best shot, hope that fortune smiles on you, and enjoy your senior year.
That’s helpful to know. I wondered about that, too. My intended concentration is Political Science or History. Definitely not math or science, though I am hopeful that with the open curriculum I’d be able to find what I love about math and science in a way that I haven’t up to now.
I was the opposite side of that coin, loading up on engineering and math while doing a bit of toe dipping into the Liberal Arts side of things. I felt that HS had me in decent shape regarding LA, so “go for it” on the technical side.
Note that at Brown, and no doubt many other quality schools, there are introductory courses – sometimes specifically for non-concentrators – which allow you to pick up a lot of useful information without a level of rigor which would be counterproductive for a one-and-done. For me, that was a human physiology course which has been useful over the decades in my home life; An an informative but not hard introductory course in lunar geology tought by a senior professor who had taught geology to the Apollo astronauts before they explored the Moon.
At Brown (or anywhere else that doesn’t burden you with a lot of required courses picked by someone who has never even met you, much less knows your unique circumstances), there should be some offerings in the sciences like the above. Not so much in math, though, with most courses at the introductory level building towards more advanced material. Maybe watch for a good introductory Statistics class, through whatever academic department. That’s another subject which can come in handy over a period of decades… or for Poly Sci!
Thanks, @Brown79 ! Will reco my son to look into the two classes you mentioned.
Intro to calc is pass/fail so students can dip their toes in that way. I really like the mandatory pass/fail grading system for some of the intro classes.
I had thought about introductory calculus, and it could be just right for someone seeking an appreciation of what lies beyond algebra.
I will say from experience that the subject has virtually no utility beyond engineering and the sciences, with many (most?) practicing engineers employing calculus infreqently or never. Even forty years ago, mine was one of the few groups in a 3000-engineer company which actually worked regularly with calculus and a related subject called differential equations. In the time since, more and more of such calculations have become automated via plug-in-the-numbers software (now “every” engineer can do a dynamic analysis… or at least think they can.
Statistics, which I had a few upper level courses in at Brown and have dabbled with in the decades since, comes up all the time. Most recently (unfortunately), reading pre-publication medical reseach involving pandemic stuff and applying my own judgement as to things like whether the data from which the conclusions were drawn is sufficiently “robust”.
So either one (or both?) might be useful/rewarding depending on what the academic plan is. Faculty advisors come in handy for decisions like this.
Tell him to start with the 1975 Course Guide : ) But various things along those lines come and go. Another interesting category to be aware of is University Courses:
“Would you have any advice about submitting my scores (1480: 770 ERW; 710 math) or trying TO given Poli Sci or History as my intended concentration?”
Those scores are right about at the average or a bit on the high side for admitted applicants. Brown AO’s are faced with a more time-consuming task in the test-optional world – minus one of the usual metrics used in trying to determine whether to put a file on their short list. So “nominal” test scores lessen their burden a bit, but who knows whether that actually improves your chances since my impresstion is they have been working harder at their job as opposed to looking for shortcuts.
The process is holistic to such an extent that the AO would probably have more substantive reasons for choosing someone with a 790 over you – or you over someone with a 790 – than the 770 vs 790. Clearly, either one of you would do fine academically: I was 650 Verbal (maybe would be closer to 700 under now, since the scoring has been tilted upward over time?), yet wrote so well that one Brown prof distributed copies of my paper (physical copies – pre-internet) to everyone in the class as an example of the quality he expected. Another questioned in the margin of my paper whether it was my words vs plagiarized, again because of the quality. That was with a score well below yours, even after adjustment.
Since your family paid for the test, and I don’t see the scores hurting you… If it was me, I would submit them.
Thanks for your advice! My daughter was deferred and I think could get a very strong additional letter from a teacher she has now for two different courses - one an AP and one in an elective she’s passionate about, but not sure if this is “done”.
Did your son have an additional LOR submitted/does anyone know if Brown is alright with receiving another letter? If so, does the teacher email the admissions officer, or send to the email for supplemental documents?
My son did not submit additional LOR. I’m not sure how the LOR works because they want the LOR submitted thru common app. The teacher could send it directly to admissions, though. It won’t hurt.
My son recapped an update on classes he took, he had won a new award, and he had a substantial EC to update AO so that was captured in the LOCI. About 2 paragraphs and then thanking her (he had a specific AO who came to our school?) for continued consideration of his app.
Congratulations to all those that applied ED to Brown at And got in! That is a huge accomplishment! I have a question for those of you that didn’t get excepted. Did you all submit a video introduction? Wondering how relevant that is to getting accepted. Have a DD that’s applying, and she is pretty much burnt out. I am not sure if she will even do the video. So wondering if it’s possible at all to get in without doing the video. Also, if you did get in without doing the video, do you mind sharing your stats?
My DD is in the same boat. I really hate this video introduction thing. They can say all they want that it’s super chill, and informal and you don’t need to practice, yada, yada.
But these are kids trying everything they can do to get into a prestigious college. How many are just gonna give a breezy intro to themselves? And they aren’t going to practice it to death? And it should be different from their essays, etc.? I mean, my kid is pretty great, but she put all the best stuff in the essays and activities, what more is she going to say? It’s just one more pressure point that she just doesn’t need. And then I see things like “oh my kid got super creative with her video” and I just groan.
My kid is a senior at Brown. When applied submitted a video that was very informal and amateurish. Went up to numerous people at high school and videoed while asking what should the people at Brown know about me.
The answers ranged from “my best friend but a total tool”. Asked coaches, teachers and a maintenance person who commented “kid makes me smile”, “slightly above average driver” to other impromptu insights. Had a group shot of like 20 kids chanting “admit-admit-admit”.
Deliberately left a few in that were awkward and funny. Including one friend who said “assuming Brown is accepting two kids from our HS, XXXX is awesome if only one I am smarter and have better personal hygiene”. They are roommates now.
Closed with a take asking the campus dog who wagged his tail in support.
It took a few hours but had fun with it. No stress and designed to fulfill their ask to show a side of the candidate that the application couldn’t.
I wouldn’t stress about it but use it as an opportunity if possible. Good luck to everyone!!
Video essays seem to be used by Admissions in much the same way that interviews were. Based on my many data points from over the years, interviews didn’t usually matter much in terms of the outcome, so maybe a bit less stress based on that?
If somone has something they want to say to the admissions officer – a side they want to show – then they have the opportunity. Otherwise, there’s still a whole file full of typically far more relevant information for Admissions to work from.
My kid got in last year and he did submit a video even though it was optional. He figured without an interview, it’s his chance to share a little about himself that wasn’t captured in the video. He taped it on an iPhone and his little sister held the iPhone. He does have some basic video editing skills but they were all done on the iPhone. He introduced himself (name, what school he attends), and showed them a little about his life. Got some of his friends involved and made it fun.
Here’s what I recommended to my son and hopefully you can reapply.
If you had one shot to leave an impression, what do you want them to know about you? Beyond the essay formality.
outline what you want to say
record
He wanted them to understand how much he values friendship throughout a course of a day and his week, his life. What they mean to him and how he’s excited to establish his own community at Brown.
When the pandemic started and alums were offering (unsolicited) advice to Admissions as to how to handle interviewing, doing all interviews remotely via video was considered and rejected. The reason was they knew that not all applicants would have access to live streaming video, and if possible they didn’t want anyone to be at a disadvantage. So yes, little sister can hold the camera, the sub-par lighting in your apartment is just fine, and professional college advisors/orchestrators can look elsewhere for a buck. Brown simply wants to hear from you if you have something you want to convey to them beyond what’s already in your file.
My D22 was lucky to get in ED this year. She did submit the video (we consider optional as required), but a very casual one. We did it In the afternoon of the video submission deadline. She sit in our living room for the recording. We used a tripod to hold her iPhone, then I hit the recording button, she started talking about one of her interests that she couldn’t show in her application. We did several takes and she even switched to another topic after a couple of takes, which I think is a very unique and interesting one. We recorded that topic a couple of times more, then she decided she was done and submitted the last video right away. No editing, no prompts (I offered to hold prompt words or outline but she refused), just her talking, far from perfect, but it seems at least not hurting her application. The total time we spent on it was less than an hour.
So I suggest to at least give it a try. The kids spent so much effort on the essays and all the other things, a video won’t take too much more time but make the application complete. Show them something the student feels interesting/passionate, give the AOs another way to know him/her.
thx all! appreciate the comments. Should also say it is my alma mater so i am sooo hoping she gets in! i think of ^optional^ as required too!
also haven’t heard of any kids accepted ED that did NOT do video.