<p>If it doesn’t overwhelm you, do it. But keep in mind that Brown likes to see applicants who have really left the realm of normality to pursue what they love (or so I’ve been told by many different sources.). A huge amount of applicants will have straight As, APs up the wazoo, and a bunch of school clubs - find what you LOVE, and take it to the max. That’ll impress them; Brown likes unconventional things haha.</p>
<p>You need to not go through high school setting yourself up for college and just enjoy your life and do well and pursue your own interests. Come back in a few years first.</p>
<p>Summer@Brown or similar programs that are tuition based are really not that helpful for college, just fun.</p>
<p>I think you’re looking at this the wrong way dude. You shouldn’t be planning out a rigid formula for your entire high school career, with the sole purpose being to get you into a good college. I mean, sure, you should be taking hard classes, sure you should be doing lots of extracurriculars, but do them because you love them.</p>
<p>Do you have any idea how many applications Brown turns down each year that have amazing grades/test-scores, and a slew of volunteer hours? The admissions committee isn’t just looking for high achieving students. They are looking for individuals who A) really, truly stand out (i.e. have done things nobody else has), and B) actually want to go to their school for that school’s sake (i.e. not just because it’s an Ivy.)</p>
<p>Just from reading your post, you seem to have the mentality that there is some sort of algorithm for getting into top level schools like Brown… well, rest assured, there’s not. As I alluded to earlier, people routinely get rejected with perfect grades and SAT scores, while other are accepted with 1900s and average GPAs (albeit rarely). College apps are all about who you are as a person – about what makes YOU special. And I hate to break it to you, but none of your interests seem very genuine.</p>
<p>Sorry, that was probably a little harsh, and I am by no means an expert on these types of things, but I suggest developing real intellectual/extracurricular passions throughout high school as opposed to simply doing things that look good on a resume.</p>
<p>I’m currently a freshman at Brown University, and honestly I think you need to take a moment and breathe. Like the poster above me said, you don’t need a rigid formula to get into these schools. When I was in early high school, I looked at these universities as some sort of enigma that you needed to be perfect for to achieve admission for. Now that I’m here I’ve realized that it’s simply a university-- a place where you continue the life you’d built for yourself during high school, just in a different place and with (more) amazing people. So just follow your interests and your heart; let those guide you. You don’t have to push every interest into every conventional/tangible club or activity that exists so you can stack your resume. In terms of advice for Brown, if you manifest your interests into a way that is unique it will catch more attention. For example, taking photographs and using them in unique projects that you find/create is more impressive and may get you farther than just listing Photography club on your activities list. Brown wants innovators, creators, ground breakers-- passion. My point is that you cannot bottle yourself into a high school resume that you solely plan to use for a reward of an admission letter four years later. It’ll make you a robot and what these schools are searching so hard for now is the exact opposite of that. They want soul, passion, and creativity. Don’t let this college game run you into the ground through carefully calculated pastimes and ways to show that you are absolutely baller at everything. It’s not about that. Take these years to build yourself into an interesting person with fascinating interests who genuinely cares about what they do on a daily basis. If you are genuine and passionate, those admission letters will come naturally when it comes time (about early junior year) for you to think about them.</p>
<p>If you do Summer@Brown, do the Leadership Institute. Sooo many people do the regular pre-college courses, it really won’t help you at all, but if you do Leadership, they have a different dean of the program. I’ve heard she could possibly help you to get in or not.</p>
<p>He’s not a ■■■■■. Look through his post history… he’s a misguided little freshman who has an entirely skewed viewpoint of college. AND, he also seems to think that it’s completely easy and manageable to take “all APs.”</p>
<p>It is true that Dean Rose is has been at Brown for 25 years. It is also true that in rare cases she has written recommendations for students who have demonstrated a prodigious commitment to leadership. But both of these points are irrelevant.</p>
<p>Leadership at Brown is a truly special experience, one you do not attend just so you can get into Brown. I grew so much in those two weeks. I met so many amazing people and went to many new places. This is why you attend <a href=“mailto:Summer@Brown”>Summer@Brown</a>. If it helps you get in, that is an unintended consequence. I attended Summer@Brown expecting to apply early to Yale; Brown was not my first choice, nor did I intend to use my time at Brown to help me get in. After two weeks at Brown, I decided that I loved the school and wanted to apply ED. Also to my surprise, a professor there asked me to be his research assistant if I was admitted. In October, I got an email from him saying that he would love to write me a letter of recommendation. In my case, attending Summer@Brown made a difference. But I don’t think any of this would have happened had I come to Brown set on forming connections to get in. Trust me, people know when students are doing things just to get in. Attend Brown Leadership because you will grow as a person.</p>
<ol>
<li>All honors Courses Except English and Algebra.
…</li>
<li>All AP classes</li>
</ol>
<p>This dude is a prophet. Not only does he know his limits in 9th grade but he also knows how far he will surpass them. Knowing that he can’t handle honors algebra to taking all AP’s is skillful vision.</p>
<p>To all applicants/future applicants: please be open to change in your life. Please don’t plan out every moment of your life, in order to try and achieve the goal of going to “x” school.</p>
<p>Yes, I’m a freshman at Brown. But I got there a very circumspect way: I didn’t even know Brown existed until my junior year. My freshman year I thought all ivies were for snobs and rich kids. However, a lot changed throughout high school, and if I hadn’t been flexible, had I not dropped some things I thought would be necessary for college admissions (like playing varsity football) in favor of things I truly loved (like swing dancing and debate… both of which I didn’t start until after my sophomore year) there’s no way I’d be as satisfied a person as I am now. But the satisfaction doesn’t come from the fact that I’m at Brown, it comes from the fact that I’m figuring out my life, and partaking in things that truly challenge who I am.</p>
<p>I love spontaneous events. Who knew I’d like to dance? As a freshman, I would have been ashamed at the thought. As a freshman, I couldn’t imagine there being anything better than football. Who knew I’d enjoy debate? If I’d stuck to my freshman plan, that part of me, where I learned so many of my leadership skills, would have never happened.</p>
<p>Life happens, and it’s your job to make the best of opportunity given to you. You never know what’s around the corner, but more often than not, if you’re able to go with the flow, if you’re able to change yourself to take advantage of unseen opportunities, to try things you’d heard about, but had been scared or unsure about, you’ll find yourself far more satisfied than merely fitting into your old-self’s cookie-cutter idea of what your life should be.</p>
<p>In all seriousness, my classmates and I learned a lot about ourselves while doing Brown Leadership. For example, as a kid from the sheltered suburbs, going to the local projects alone and late at night to interview someone taught me a lot about stepping out of my comfort zone.</p>
<p>Agree with anomoly. the first thing that really stood out to me was “no honors in english and algebra in 9th grade?” First, those are THE classes that should be honors, and if you’re still taking algebra in 9th, AND not honors…I think you’re putting too much on your plate when you say you’ll move to all AP classes. Might be a goal, but it’s unrealistic. Will your school even LET you move from “standard” 9th grade algebra into AP Math of some sort? Methinks you have grand plans and want to make up lacking academics with ECs, and that won’t happen. Spend more of that EC / volunteer time on homework, move to the “head of the class” if possible, and throw in any EXTRA time to ECs. Besides, your ECs seem…“stilted” to what you THINK “they” (the powers that be) would like to see. I’m missing a sense of passion. Something “musical” 3-4 years, or a sport, or student body, or ?</p>
<p>I was JUST accepted to Brown ED and can’t tell you so much of how other people got accepted, but I can sure tell you how I did. I love math. I made it very clear in the activities I did and not just taking rigorous math classes. I was in mu Alpha Theta for 4 years, competed in the Florida Math league and AMC 10/12 for (soon to be) 4 years, and was on the community college’s state math team. However, I made sure to show my other interests like the environment (double majoring in math and geochem), my love for music, and other interests. My essays required weeks of work and my recommendations couldn’t have been last minute things with teachers I wasn’t close to. Therefore, I think this is my advice.</p>
<p>1) Join clubs you love. Academic or not academic
2) Get to know your teachers on a personal level. It makes your life easier when teachers get to know who you are than just another student.
3) Learn to write really well. Focus hard in English when learning how to write effectively.
4) Just enjoy high school. Yes, grades are important, but it’s not everything. There’s a story of a girl who went to CalTech, on of the greatest schools in the US. She was so incredibly smart, maybe smarter than anyone else I’ve ever met in my life. When she went to CalTech, she realized not everything was grades, misleading from everything she grew up knowing, and tried to commit suicide. They took away her acceptance and now goes to a local college. Being successful includes having friends/going out often, while maintaining good grades and good ECs. <em>NOTE</em> That girl was so nice. Everyone loved her because she was so nice/funny. No one expected it at all. :(</p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck in your high school career!! I guarantee that it will fly by. NEVER LOSE FOCUS!!!</p>
<p>Does anyone else remember the kid that did this five years ago (“How can I get into Harvard?”) and he was just like “What can I do to ensure an acceptance to Harvard?” and he ended up getting rejected by every Ivy League school and Ivy League equivalent except for Duke?</p>