<p>If you can retake the SATs, do so, preferably after working with a private Kaplan tutor. Expensive, but totally worth it. </p>
<p>Highlight your extracurriculars and do some service if you can. It’s never too late. </p>
<p>Make contacts at Brown. Who’s reading your app? Get to know your interviewer if you’ve had one and get an interview if you haven’t. Interviewers are useful contacts and interviews really crystallize your thoughts on why you want to go to the schools.</p>
<p>Talk about working multiple jobs and peer tutoring. What did you learn? What did you see that struck you? Some people may have it harder than you, either academically or financially. How did that make you feel?</p>
<p>Why engineering? Don’t just be another kid good at math/science who has no passion for it other than it boosts his GPA. Explain why it fascinates you on personal, emotional levels, be they the thrill of the challenge, the puzzle to exercise your mind, the desire to order things, etc. </p>
<p>Applying ED does help, but these are hard schools for EVERYONE to get into, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Where else are you applying? Please don’t just apply to Ivies. That’s a recipe for disaster. How about Lehigh for engineering, for example? Maybe a Claremont school? I don’t know, engineering is about as far from my strength as it gets, but a friend I know applied to Lehigh as his engineering dream. He’s at Mich State now, which also is pretty good for engineering, too, though out-of-state costs for state schools are atrocious.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. Can you chance me? Mine’s called Crossing My Fingers. Thanks.</p>