<p>Last year (junior year) I took 5 AP classes. Unfortunately, my grades in them were not very good. For Calculus first semester I got an F then got a D second semester. For the rest of my classes, I got straight C’s basically, but my weighted GPA is still a 3.4, since sophomore year I almost got straight A’s. Now, I know this may sound ridiculous and crazy, but I wonder if I can still get into Brown. If I get a good score on the SATs and if I write a good application essay, is there still a chance? Like what %?</p>
<p>Something that might help me is that I volunteer at the San Diego Children’s Hospital (with 200+ service hours) and I was picked as Junior Volunteer of the Year. Furthermore, I think I might skip school for a year after I graduate high school and join the Peace Corps, since I hear there are some benefits doing that. However, I think I’d only join the Peace Corps if my situation to get into a good school is really desperate. I wish to major in Psychology.</p>
<p>I cannot really give advice about chances, but I'm pretty sure you can't do the Peace Corps until after college. I believe you need a degree. And I also think you have to do 2 years minimum, though I'm less sure about that.</p>
<p>Oh okay, sorry then. I think I might just go to Africa and get a bunch of volunteer hours in some kind of organization instead of joining the Peace Corps if I'll have to.</p>
<p>Also, I'll have to ask everyone who wishes to reply to my question to be completely honest, oblivious to what my emotional responses may be.</p>
<p>If you're planning to do something as major as spending a year in Africa, I'd hope your motivations for doing so include more than just increasing your chances of getting into a good college. </p>
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If you're planning to do something as major as spending a year in Africa, I'd hope your motivations for doing so include more than just increasing your chances of getting into a good college.
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<p>Of course. I enjoy helping people... why do you think I want to be a psychiatrist? I would rather however, stay here in the US if my chances of getting into a good college are probable and would instead study a year earlier so I would be able to become a psychiatrist as soon as possible. Either way, I would find myself helping people.</p>
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With an attitude like that, Stay away from Brown. For your own good please get your priorities in order.
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<p>Please don't try to antagonize me.. you know that my intention was not to be interpretted that way.</p>
<p>no offense, but you have virtually no chance with F"s and D's. Infact, just too many B's and C's can kill you in admisiions. Can't you go to summer school and bring those up. Perhaps go to a CC or state U and apply as a transfer.</p>
<p>you're not gonna erase your F's and D's no matter how many times you retake the class. Writing a good essay for instance is not gonna offset your grades, since almost everyone who gets in does it with a great essay AND stellar grades. Unless you become famous, buy Brown a building or two you're at a huge dissadvantage compared to other applicants. There's tons of great schools, why is Brown so important? If you have a good attitude about it, where you go to school will make no difference as far as your happiness or success are concerned.</p>
<p>First of all, the Peace Corp does not take anyone until after college. Secondly, several years ago, as part of my alumni interviewer training I had the opportunity to sit in on an admissions committee meeting, and was surprised to learn that a C on the transcript was basically considered an application killer.</p>
<p>a C won't necessarily kill you, i had 6 of them and i was okay...</p>
<p>OP, no one here is an admissions officer, so we cannot truly tell you how you will do. you do, however, have to get your priorities straight. work on your grades so that your first semester senior grades show improvement. then make a list of schools you would like to go to, apply to some reaches/dream schools, but also make sure to apply realistically. don't forget, where ever you end up you can always transfer.</p>
<p>i hope you are not that serious. I have gotten mostly A's, a few B's, and one C in 9th grade. (3.83 cumulative gpa, 4.72 weighted) Assuming everything else is decent, i hope they don't "kill" my application because of that C in 9th grade.</p>
<p>At my info session in Brown, the admissions officer said this:</p>
<p>"Some people ask me whether its better to get Bs in honors classes or As in regular classes. I told them you need to get As in honors classes"</p>
<p>I seriously doubt you have a chance at Brown, sorry.
If volunteering is all you do EC-wise and you only have 200+ hours, I wouldn't consider that strong. I have about 600 hours of community service total and compared to kids I know applying to these schools thats nothing.
I'd start aiming for other schools.</p>
<p>I heard a simil;ar anecdote in a book " Applicants ask me whether they prefer to get an A in an honors class or a B in an AP class. I say get an A in the AP class". with that said, a C is an application killer for ivies, plain and simple, for the most part anyway. obviously if you are a URM or athlete or something you may be able to overcome it, but you know.</p>
<p>uuhh please tell me that you weren't serious when you typed "obviously if you are a URM or athlete or something you may be able to overcome it, but you know"</p>
<p>College admissions isn't so black and white. The C will matter more or less depending on when you recieved it and what course it was in. Although I don't know about Brown's policy, Princeton does not consider freshman grades at all. Even if the C comes later, I would hope that other outstanding factors might outweigh one abberant grade. In the book The Gatekeepers, which details Wesleyan's admissions process, while a C is certainly a red flag to the adcoms, it is by no means an application killer, particularly if it is recieved in upper level classes. Obviously, Brown is far more difficult to get into, but I think they would still be flexible.</p>
<p>That being said, a student with a pattern of sub-par grades has no chance at Brown. The OP should definately discuss reasonable options with a GC or private counselor.</p>