<p>Hey everyone, </p>
<p>I’ve always been a huge fan of Brown and I’m considering applying Early Decision. If I were to do so, what would my chances be?</p>
<p>I’m Mexican and a first generation college student with a desire to concentrate in Political Science or Public Policy. </p>
<p>GPA: 3.69 including Freshman year at a normal school, 3.5-3.6 in two years at a very difficult, renowned school</p>
<p>SAT: 2210 SuperScore (2130 single sitting)</p>
<p>Extracurricular Activities(just for this upcoming year): </p>
<p>President of the Student Government
Editor in Chief of the school’s Newspaper
Vice President of the Junior Statesmen of America Chapter
Head of a Youth Advisory Board that works with local legislators to develop legislation </p>
<p>My GPA is low, mainly because of how much time I invested in my commitments. I haven’t been simply a title-holder, but instead have innovated and enhanced the standard for each of my involvements. They fall in line greatly with my desired pursuits, and as a result I have found the innumerable hours spent on my commitments to be of extensive value. </p>
<p>With that in mind, how do my chances look? Is it worth applying ED?</p>
<p>What’s your class rank look like? If you have a 3.6 but are in the top 10%, it’ll be a lot different than a 3.6 falling somewhere in the middle of the class.</p>
<p>My GPA probably has me around top 25%, if I had to guess. However, my school does not provide class rank</p>
<p>I’d say you have a chance! You should definitely apply ED because your GPA is on the lower side. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions/concerns.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback! </p>
<p>How would you compare/contrast the Public Policy route vs. the Political Science route? I’m having trouble deciding between the two (I know it’s early :P).</p>
<p>Yes, no problem! If you go to the Public Policy and Political Science website, you can see their requirements and core courses. Also, in the application Brown lets you pick two possible concentrations, so you can choose both of them and then decide when you come to Brown. Who knows maybe you’ll end up liking some other departments too! :)</p>
<p>You may have a chance, but not a very good one if your class rank is only top 25%. Brown only accepted 3% of its applicants who fell below the top 10% last year:</p>
<p>[Admission</a> Facts | Undergraduate Admission](<a href=“Undergraduate Admission | Brown University”>Undergraduate Admission | Brown University)</p>
<p>As a first-gen URM, you would be given somewhat of an edge, but I think you’d need to be much closer to that 10% line than where you current sit. If your high school doesn’t officially rank you might have a little bit more latitude, but your approximate class rank can be deduced fairly easily since each school also provides an information sheet which includes highest, lowest, and median GPA.</p>
<p>Strategically, you might be better off applying EA at a slightly less selective school and then applying to Brown RD. My guess would be that you would be deferred from Brown during ED: Your ECs and first gen URM status make you too appealing to reject outright, but I think the admissions committee would want to see and compare the entire talent pool of first gen URMs before finalizing a decision.</p>