<p>In college, how smart you are really doesn’t have much bearing on how well you do after a certain point. Many of my friends who entered school with the highest test scores/greatest sheer intelligence are the ones performing fairly poorly compared to peers with lesser academic credentials. I strongly doubt that the OP’s lower range test score (with respect to Brown) is significant in predicting definite struggle. And a C in honors precalculus would speak more to a lack of effort or interest than a lack of intelligence, as many many unintelligent people do well in that class at their respective schools.</p>
<p>People should realize that most of the students who go to the most selective schools are eventually ordinary people with average intelligence no matter how high their test scores are. </p>
<p>Clearly OPs accomplishment is remarkable. He may not be able to get into Brown but he definitely can do better than many of the Brown students no matter where he goes.</p>
<p>UNC is fantastic and one of the best value colleges. For instate students, UNC is a no-brainer, why think about Brown?</p>
<p>Thanks, Golacs :]
I’m a girl, haha
My issue is that I’m waiting on enrolling until I know where I got in. Brown IS my first choice, but considering financial aid/how hard it is to get in, I just want to enroll right now at UNC. However, I’m waiting it out :]</p>
<p>golacs wrote:
"People should realize that most of the students who go to the most selective schools are eventually ordinary people with average intelligence no matter how high their test scores are. "</p>
<p>and</p>
<h2>" … she definitely can do better than many of the Brown students no matter where she goes."</h2>
<p>Your first statement makes no sense.</p>
<p>I agree with your second statement. Success outside the world of elite colleges and Ph.D. research requires many qualities not possessed by the smartest people or geniuses:</p>
<p>1) emotional intelligence
2) drive
3) street smarts / good judgement
4) likeability
5) character (critical in the long run, not as much in the short run)</p>
<p>Test-smarts, or book-smarts, are only one kind of intelligence. But it matters very much at an elite university.</p>
<p>DunninLA, I have not seen sufficient evidence, one way or the other, to estimate Yos’ chances of admission or to judge her odds of success once admitted. For all we know, she may be strong in subjects such as History, English etc… but not very strong in Mathematics and the sciences, and that may be reflected in her SAT/ACT results. If thatis the case, her C in pre-calculus would be consistant with her overall profile. </p>
<p>At any rate Yos, UNC is an awesome university, so if you don’t get into Brown, you still have one heck of an awesome alternative. But even if admitted into Brown, unless they give you a significant discount, I would still go to UNC.</p>
<p>Given that 90% of the people who apply to Brown will not get in (even more will not get in RD), it may very well be that Brown makes your decision very straightforward: Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>I never get why people worry about where to go before they’ve even been admitted.</p>