So when I was there in the 80’s , there were only 3 dorms on the quad- Brooks, Hewitt & Reid. The 4th dorm that fully enclosed the quad was built later. Only Reid was solely female- both Brooks & Hewitt were fully co-ed. Reid was used for freshman and also for those who wanted single sex only. Everything was very mixed with Columbia College back then, maybe not so much now? I don’t know. Back then, for example, my major was at Columbia since Barnard didn’t have the major. It didn’t really matter which college you were in, there was lots of flexibility between all the colleges if the university
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Thank you for sharing. Wonderful to hear a firsthand account from years past.
I don’t think this is true at all. Brown is very quirky about who they admit. I know kids that got into columbia, Stanford and Princeton and rejected from Brown.
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Overall Ivy League Acceptance Rates for Class of 2024 & 2025
| Ivies | Class of 2024 Acceptance Rate | Class of 2025 Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | 6.88% | 5.40% |
| Columbia | 6.15% | 3.66% |
| Cornell | 10.70% | ~8.52% |
| Dartmouth | 8.80% | 6.17% |
| Harvard | 4.92% | 3.43% |
| U Penn | 8.07% | 5.68% |
| Princeton | 5.55% | 3.98% |
| Yale | 6.54% | 4.62% |
While it’s debatable which Ivy Leagues is the easiest Ivy to get into, according to these numbers, Cornell, Dartmouth, and U Penn are by far the easiest Ivy League schools to get into with the highest acceptance rate for the class of 2025. (Source The Crimson)
All great schools and all comparable but unique in some ways (and no “better” then NW, JHU, Duke, UC, MIT, S, Vandy, etc).
Many kids who are matriculated at any one of these schools got into multiple Ivies and peers. Many of those kids made final decisions based on fit versus theoretical rank or prestige. The whole world thankfully doesn’t look at college through the CC lens.
Oops, I thought this was the Chances Forum. You all can encourage people to apply to dozens of colleges with single digit admission rates, if you want to. But, the OP shows every evidence of having a level head on her shoulders. I say she’s going to Chapel Hill and I say she’ll be very happy there.
“You all can encourage people to apply to dozens of colleges with single digit admission rates, if you want to.”
Actually I didn’t suggest or even imply that.
I was just providing statistics to respond and refute your comments below.
“What Ivy do you think is easier to get into than Brown?”
And…
Incorrect is incorrect regardless of it being a chance me thread. Many kids who don’t get accepted at Brown get into other top schools and vice a versa.
If OP is looking for a similar school to Brown but less selective she should consider Weslyan. With an acceptance rate of 15.7% and a yield of approx 35% it offers a more accessible opportunity relative to Browns 5.4% and 69% yield.
So, I ask you again: To what other Ivy should she apply? Columbia which is the exact opposite of Brown in terms of curriculum? Penn, where she’ll be surrounded by hospitals and professional schools? Dartmouth where she’ll be in the middle of nowhere? I don’t see how you’re being any less incorrect than I am.
As I mentioned I am neither encouraging nor discouraging her from applying to another elite school.
I am disputing the notion that getting rejected at one school (Brown) is as correlated to future rejection at all other elites as you suggest.
I listed other schools that might be of consideration in addition to Weslyan. Duke GTown and Penn (as another Ivy so she never has to look back and wonder what if) would be options that check a lot of OPs boxes.
Sorry, but you’re arguing against a straw man. I specifically asked about other Ivies. There are only seven others; three of them are Harvard, Yale and Princeton and the OP has already expressed her agreement with me. Let me be the first to suggest you and I agree to disagree.
The OP has great stats and a desire to pursue Ivy or super elite schools. She has parental encouragement and seems to possibly have the financial capacity to attend. Her stats are competitive for these schools but as we all no the odds are low for everyone.
She starts her post by displaying vulnerability and a lack of confidence that is understandable by saying;
“i can take it as i don’t have high hopes”
Given the ease of application via common app what would be the harm in her adding a U Penn (perhaps Dartmouth) to her list if her ED option doesn’t work out. You are diminishing the confidence of this student unnecessarily. She is an excellent candidate who should apply to several reaches of her application process takes her to an RD round.
So yes we agree to disagree. When advising a qualified, self deprecating 17 year old I am inclined to try and instill self confidence and realism by encouraging them to reach high so they never have to wonder what could have been while finding schools that fit and embracing some safeties.
I think that works better then advice such as…“basically, if you don’t get into Brown, I don’t see you getting into any other Ivies”, which are both factually incorrect and harmful to the mind set of the OP.
Having her agree with you is only a “victory” if it results in the best outcome for the OP. I sincerely hope she never (particularly given her parents stated bias towards prestige) finds herself questioning having not as she put it “shooting her shot”.
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Sorry, if this sounds like I’m putting words in your mouth, but it does sound as if you are equating self-esteem with getting accepted into an Ivy - any Ivy. This is what leads to drive-by applications via the Common app; this is what leads to generations of bad feelings on the part of so-called “tiger parents” who are convinced the system is stacked against Asian and Asian American applicants. I think the jury is out as to who is doing more damage to their morale.
I agree with the gist of your post.
Circuitrider might have been making the point that there is significant overlap in students’ applications, so at some level (we don’t really know to what degree) holistic college admissions are dependent, rather than independent, events. This concept has come up on various CC threads over the years.
I am not saying that if one isn’t accepted to X top tier school that they won’t be accepted to others, but it could be true that a non-acceptance reflects some weakness in stats, curriculum, essays, LoRs (components that are generally the same from app to app) and that weakness will be similarly perceived at other schools. I have no idea where on the continuum between dependent vs independent events the average lies.
Of course it only takes one school to decide the applicant fits some institutional need. So, OP should research exactly what each school on their list is looking for.
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Actually the opposite as I had suggested several schools beyond the Ivies and have repeatedly said across numerous threads that fit should always trump perceived prestige.
This students original list was as follows:
“ im not sure if i should apply ed to brown to shoot my shot, and do rd for all the other schools, OR apply ea to georgetown (i loved it there) bc there’s a higher chance i get in
ivies specifically are columbia, upenn, harvard++ jhu
safety are gonna be chapel hill, northeastern, boston university”
I wasn’t convincing her to pursue Ivies for the sake of self esteem, but instead validating her approach which appeared well balanced.
I still don’t agree with telling a kid not to apply to multiple reaches because if you don’t get into one of your reaches you likely won’t get into any. It simply is not supported by facts and is not good advice. Disagreeing with that approach isn’t “equating self esteem to Ivies” it’s common sense. Once again I specifically provided a whole bunch of schools outside the Ivy so not sure where your inference came from.
As a non Asian I won’t specifically respond to your comment, “ this is what leads to generations of bad feelings on the part of so-called “tiger parents” who are convinced the system is stacked against Asian and Asian American applicants”. I don’t however think broad generalizations based on racial or ethnic backgrounds are ever particularly appropriate nor are they productive when advising an individual.
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Again, since you are so set on supporting the OP’s self-esteem, you might want to go back and at least re-read her comments. She agreed with my assessment that her parents would not allow her to apply to Wesleyan or to any other high-flying LAC. And, I don’t know anything about you (nor you me), but I do have Asian and Asian American friends. So, this was not just a stab in the dark, but based on many informal conversations on the subject with people who have had to grapple with the same or similar family situations.
So, before we descend any further into the world of ad hominem attacks let’s once again agree to just disagree.
Yes I am concerned with both the OPs self esteem and giving her solid fact based advice. I remain of the opinion that she should apply to a combination of reach, match and safety schools. I also think several of the reaches could and should include some of either the Ivies or other elites I previously referenced based entirely upon fit so she can customize her applications and maximize her likely acceptance. Do you still disagree based upon ; “if Brown rejects you it is likely all will”?
As far as your other comment she responded regarding “her parents” not on behalf of the “Asian community” at large (whatever that is intended to mean). The image of the “Tiger Parent is a pejorative caricature and grouping culturally diverse groups under a broad general heading such as “Asian” is fraught with inaccuracy and offensive (48 countries and 4.1 billion people can’t be collectively defined). I am avoiding an ad homenim attack in that I don’t think you meant it that way, but similarly you shouldn’t dismiss it for what it is by saying some of your friends are Asian and they think it is ok.
So to the OP why is it not in her interest to have several reach schools some of which could be Ivies if she believes there is a fit?
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No need to lecture me on the perils of stereotyping; this isn’t Camp Gumbaya and you are not the camp master. I’m only going to refer you back to the OP’s own statement that her Asian parents would not allow her to apply to a bunch of LAC’s “in the middle of nowhere”. This mirrors attitudes expressed many times on this board by self identified Asian Americans and is a real thing whether you choose to recognize it or not.
In the spirit of trying to advise the OP do you still disagree with this advice and if so why?
With all due respect, you are conflating the word, “Ivy” with the entire set of elite colleges and universities in the United States. That isn’t how I was using the word and I don’t think that’s how most people on this forum would use it either.
How would you advise the student to organize her college list.
Are you now saying she would get rejected at Brown and then likely get rejected at all other Ivies (your original statement) but get into the likes of Stanford, Duke, UC, Vandy, MIT?
I am confused as would be the OP I suspect.
Huh. I wonder why OP has seemingly left the building.
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