Brown's "non-need-blindness" & stats

<p>Considering that Brown isn’t a need-blind school, I’m left to wonder if they’ve released information regarding what percentage of “no-need” applicants have been accepted in the past in comparison to those who need aid… does anyone have this information?</p>

<p>Actually, Brown is a need-blind school. It was not need-blind when I applied for the class of 2004 though.</p>

<p>to be honest, i dont know if any school is 100% need blind. i would say they would never reject someone they want because of money, but they do need to make sure some students they admit are paying full tuition, or so i hear. im speculating, but it makes sense.</p>

<p>Brown University is only need-aware for transfer applicants.</p>

<p>i don't see how an ivy could survive the pr storm if they weren't need blind----i mean that would be the classic battleground for an classist dispute----ivies are too high profile upper class schools to be non-need-blind-with out people noticing and getting ****ed---i'm postive brown has a need-blind policy, but like david said its questionable if its a 100% need blind</p>

<p>Ah, they introduced need-blind admissions for the Class of 2007, not in the year 2007.</p>

<p>To be selfish for a minute, I wish it were need-aware. My full-tuition scholarship might just swing me an acceptance...</p>

<p>/selfishness</p>

<p>I think Brown is also need-aware for international students, not just transfers.</p>

<p>obviously they would never admit it, and im sure it doesnt matter much, but they do see if you are applying for aid or not dont they?</p>

<p>no. the aid application is seperate from the admission application process - they do not consider whether you are going to need assistance or not. it took brown a while to go need-blind, because going need-blind means that they had to raise a large endowment beforehand.</p>

<p>Brown's resources ensure that it is possible (though we all know extremely unlikely) that the University could accept all 100% financial need applicants and still graduate the class without anyone having to pay a penny. Of course, this would never happen, but point is, because they can, the officers don't have to worry about it when making their decisions - that is for a different office.</p>

<p>At the same time, however, remember that "need-blind" does not mean "$-blind" because they CERTAINLY pay attention to donors (and possible donors — if your daddy is Bill Gates and Brown thinks he will likely give money, it'll definitely help).</p>

<p>I've always wondered that.... reading between the lines sorta</p>

<p>sorry i still dont buy it</p>

<p>the "boldly brown" campaign actually tagged an additional $300 million for financial aid in addition to the existing hundreds of millions--primarily to ensure that brown can always be need blind</p>

<p>largely because of her own story (being born into a poor sharecropper family and ascending to the ivy league), when president simmons first came to brown, she was adamant about making brown accessible to bright students regardless of income the highest priority</p>

<p>buy it or not, it is david218. im surprised you can't see past your prejudice, brown has learned to see past its own.</p>

<p>o relax. i hope im wrong, im just a little skeptical since everything having to do with admissions is so hush hush by the institutions.</p>

<p>Nope, needs-blind institutions actually take this extremely seriously. The financial aid application is entirely separate from your application for admissions. That said, if you write your essay about your experiences growing up in a poor neighborhood and how hard it was to get through high school while working to support your family, then they're probably going to guess that you'll be applying for financial aid. But the whole point of being needs-blind, as cypris has pointed out, is that they don't HAVE to care whether you can pay your way or not, because they have enough money to support you either way.</p>

<p>Of course, the very fact that the extremely wealthy (and likely to donate) have a slight edge in admissions makes it a little bit less likely that the less-wealthy (read: everyone else) will get in, simply because there is a limited amount of space in the class. However, this doesn't work against those applying for financial aid specifically, just those who don't already have a building at Brown with their last name on it or whatever, which is pretty much everybody.</p>

<p>there are some people who have managed to save up a lot of money for college but are still by no means "wealthy." these people will not receive financial aid and have to pay the full 160k or whatever, even though it is extremely difficult. i just think that is a horrible situation to be in, even thought its obviously great that they are doing alright and can technically afford it...</p>

<p>How much do you think it really helps if your parents have the potential to donate a building or two? I know a person whose father is on Forbes 500 wealthiest americans list, and who got into MIT, Stanford, etc, and is smart, but not...stand-outish enough for me to see her getting into those places, and the only real hook that sets her apart is her father's fantastic wealth.</p>

<p>That would definitely give you an edge. I know a girl like that, too. She was definitely smart and talented, but didn't get fabulous grades or have any special extracurriculars... magically ended up at Princeton with a pretty recognizable last name.</p>

<p>Yeah, I know someone like that, too. Ended up at Yale, very catchy last name (legacy too, I think.) He actually did really bad in high school, and sort of just screwed up badly after graduating (with like a C average.) Yeah, I know, it sucks, but what can you do?</p>