My D also submitted a video and was accepted ED this year. She video taped it using her laptop in a room in the house against a blank wall sitting on the floor. She probably put 3 hours of work into it - and it was an authentic, low key, snapshot of who she is. I think she did 2 takes on her own before showing it to us. We suggested the she retake it so she could slow down and speak a little more loudly and turn on one more lamp. She made those changes and submitted it. If your kid is burned out - and there is something that you can bribe her with - that can be an interesting beginning - her sitting on the floor, at a table, etc. with a box of donuts, chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, etc. and just talking
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Could you please provide stats
Please provide stats
Sure.
1580 SAT (one sitting), NMSF (1510)
Highest rigor and UW 4.0, (W 4.9)
She will graduate with 12 APs (max allowed at her school) 4 in APFrench; 5 in APUSH, APSTATS, AP LANG, AP CHEM, AP CALC AB, AP MUSIC THEORY. Taking APLIT, AP CALC BC, AP GOV, AP PHYSICS, APCSP this year
Spike is music - top school orchestra, All-state orchestra, top youth orchestra, summer festivals.
But also did service work (in & out of school) and had leadership position at school.
Most important, I think, was fit. She could have been happy and successful in many places, but she fit Brown, and Brown fit her. I canât stop thinking of how quiet but âaliveâ she was the first time we visited (03/2020). It just felt right. She did question/reassess over the next 1.5 years, but in the end, it was just the place the made her feel at home.
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I posted before, but here you are with some additional info:
Also she is NMSF, has 240+ hours community service, is certified lifeguard, certified fencing referee, and has 10 years in local youth orchestra.
She feels Brown really fits her because of the open curriculum, she can explore a broad range of topics both in stem and social sciences.
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Hi all, does anyone know if Brown is happy to receive a new LOR for a deferred applicant or if they frown on this? My kid has a teacher for 2 subjects this year - one AP and one elective - who would write a great letter, but donât want to do anything theyâd be annoyed byâŠ
I started on a response to your same query from a few days ago, but then deleted it because there is no definitive answer â it was just me rambling. But ok, here goes with some thoughts:
A guiding principle should be âquality vs quantityâ. Applicants of course want to give it everything theyâve got, but the Brown AO is dealing with something on the order of a million pages of information every year, and so isnât looking for even more pages/things to deal with unless itâs something especially informative.
Thatâs where I was coming from in trying to discourage the submission of a video introduction just because â it can help or hurt, same as an interview can help or hurt. A good idea for some applicants, but not for others. And âEveryone I know who got in submitted oneâ misses an important correlation-vs-causality circumstance â like figuring that itâs easier to get in during ED because look at how much higher the admit rate is.
As for your applicantâs additional LOR, it sounds like the value-added is there, and the AO definitely receives âsupplemental materialsâ of all sorts: Additional testimonial LORâs from random people with a Brown connection (not recommended), people from the applicantâs EC world who have something useful to add (possibly recommended),and even home-baked goods (not recommended). Then there are the well-known examples of musical/other performances, research papers etc. Those are sent directly to the relevant department for evaluation and a numerical score, the latter being all the AOâs see (as far as I know). Thatâs why I caution non-Music applicants on submitting a musical performance just to show how well-rounded they are. Unless itâs very good in the opinion of a Music prof, all the AO will see is a so-so or worse score, rather than be impressed or moved by the performance (which they will never view).
So your kid has a ârelevantâ supplemental item to submit, but whether thatâs viewed favorably or not by the reading AO is anybodyâs guess. Applicants are supposed to submit a particular number of LORâs â not however many they feel like. OTOH, time passes between ED and RD, with things happening in between. Perhaps Admissions isnât perturbed by relevant/useful additional materials to that extent, and as I detailed above, one way or the other they definitely do receive them.
Is the LOCI considered/called the âmidyear explanationâ in the Brown Portal, or would it go under the âSupplementary Materialâ?
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Supplementary.
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Curious. D22 applied RD. Chose not to submit âoptionalâ introduction video. Just is not into those things and not very technical anyway. Was this a mistake? The term optional on the surface is simply that and should have no effect on the application.
I have heard video is important
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âChose not to submit âoptionalâ introduction video. Just is not into those thingsâ As I said above a video can help or hurt, so one way to approach the decision would be to go ahead and make one⊠but then self-assess as to help-vs-hurt before deciding whether to submit. That should be the applicantâs call.
If the rest of the application seems very strong (which BTW is an average Brown application), but the video attempt(s) seems âflatâ for whatever reason, then maybe best to stay with strong teacher recommendations, interest in the university expressed through essay answers, etc. For some applicants, that will be a better means to the same end.
I have seen this question/answer on the video come up many times.
IMO, when someone is applying for Brown, it means your application is already strong with grades, recs etc.,
Video in this case is kind of âout of the boxâ thing which you (kid) can showcase different things which canât be captured in the resume.
I have been told that kids do the videos with school mascots, teams, animals etc.,
Itâs kind of like the âice breakerâ questions in the interview
Do remember, in an IVY league school they know you will have good grades but they also want to see other stuffs so âno one will make fun of the video contentâ as bad or not technical (they know itâs not going to be steven spielberg movie)
JMHO
Ok let me rephrase this. From last year (or this year ED) do people know of acceptances to Brown without the âoptionalâ video?
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Iâve contacted someone in Brown Admissions about possibly sharing the numbers, or at least a qualitative response. I wouldnât hold your breath, though.
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No reply back from Brown Admissions regarding my query, which by now likely means I wonât be getting one. But I did receive from a parent this PM: âMy son decided not to submit one last year and is currently a freshman. More info: Super high stats kid, legacy, typical (not exceptional) ECs, applied RD because we needed financial aid. So not sure how transferable this information is to others, but I know you were gathering it.â
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The application materials sent to the school are all they use to judge a student. No more and no less. If you feel that video will help, submit one. Otherwise, no.
The Brown admissions officer apologized to me for their nearly month-long delay in replying, pointing out that they have been âknee deep in review and selection for the Class of 2026â. They confirmed that the video introduction is â100% optionalâ and that they do admit applicants who opt not to submit one.
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Thanks for sharing this since in the past their emails and presentations have not made it feel optional. It is just not something that all kids are comfortable with. Maybe they are backing off of it a little. At first it was more of an option if you did not get an interview and then CovidâŠ
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My son was accepted in RD. We are visiting on Wednesday. Please message me so we can connect
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