GPA: (school doesnt calculate GPA) Straight A’s besides A- in math junior year, and B in math sophomore year
Ranking: (school doesn’t rank but rough estimate is 3/60)
SAT1: GOING TO RETAKE 2040 (740 W (11 essay), 640 CR, 660 M) [I’m retaking in October and on every practice test on 700+ in CR, M is more or less the same]
School doesn’t offer AP’s, only offers intensive maths and sciences for underclassmen and juniors. I’m in intensive physics, and will be in intensive bio next year. I will also be in calc next year (doing prep over summer). I will be in the highest Chinese class and advanced english as well.
SAT II: US His: 700 Math I: 600 (IM RETAKING THIS AND DOING LIT BUT I WON’T HAVE THOSE READY UNTIL NOVEMBER)
Award:
Scholastic National Gold for “future new” (it was a modern art exhibit incorporating science/english and art to speak about climate change)
Scholastic Regional Silver for 2x photographs
Best position paper for my topic @International Model UN convention (it was hosted at the real UN in nyc…)
EC’s:
(11) Independent project where I interviewed and photographed kids from my school and the local housing projects (HBO filmed me and this will be in a documentary released in the fall) (blog; 115steps.■■■■■■■■■■)
(11) Internship at ACLU/NYCLU film department doing shows for public access. Wrote, filmed and edited project informing kids what their rights are when stopped by police in NYC, will be distributed in public schools across the city.
(10-12) Founding member and co-leader of student diversity committee (canceled classes for an entire day and planned activities from 8:45-4:10 about racism in America. We also hold bi-monthly discussions on race issues. This committee was made up of me and one partner until last month)
(11) Model UN founding member and VP (will be pres next year)
(11-12) Leader of New York’s largest youth LGBT+ affinity group (lead discussions and hold events twice a month)
(10-12) Queer-Straight Alliance founder and president
(10) Intern for Pier Kids: The Life a documentary for homeless LGBT+ youth
(10) Intern at the Earth Institute of Columbia University (was inspiration for art project I later was awarded for)
(10-12) Writing Fellow (tutor) at school
(10-12) Contributor to school newspaper
(10) JV Basketball and Tennis
(9) Photography classes
Conferences I’ve attended:
White Privilege Conference
100k Conference for US China Relations
PrideWorks: LGBT Education
Undoing Racism in NYC
Summer programs:
Before Freshmen Year: New York Film Academy
Freshmen: backpacked across orgeon
Sophomore: studied in china
Junior: ACLU/NYCLU film dept + pre-calc course
Recs: Will be outstanding I do a lot of work at my school
Essays: really good college counselor said it was one of the best he’s ever seen
Hooks: Muslim/Lesbian
Weaknesses: upper class, NYC private school
Gender: F
Religion and sexual preference are not hooks at Brown.
If you are looking for a school with an admissions policy that grants advantages based on certain religions or sexual preferences you should be looking at schools other than Brown
I wonder why you have that understanding. Is that what your guidance counselor or college counselor is saying? Can you give us a link if you read it somewhere?
Have you asked your college counselor what your chances are, and if so, what was the assessment?
You are whack if you think students are penalized for high ses and private school.
Just apply no one knows chances, there is a forum dedicated to guessing chances, use that. Did you drill for math prep? Great sounding ec I’m sure you can write a great essay.
@BrownParent I’ve done SO SO much SAT prep but unfortunately I can’t seem to raise my math score that much (I really thought test anxiety was just made up until I experienced it myself)
Chancing is inherently a fool’s errand, given that the people chancing have no real knowledge or input. But after having read a lot of these posts, having a D at Brown and being a graduate who still has regular contact, I agree with your own assessment: great EC’s, not so great scores. The thing that is repeatedly stressed on CC’s Brown fora is that EC’s should not be scattershot, but should demonstrate focus and interest in a particular area. Yours demonstrate commitment and interest in specific areas and high achievement, and, in addition, your EC’s are not boilerplate activities that any student can join, such as the ‘usual’ high school clubs, etc. You seem to have found, and created, things you are passionate about and, from everything I have read, that would make you stand out in for Brown. In my D’s case, her extracurriculars were of her own making and consistent with what she was passionate about – she was not a ‘joiner’ in terms of lots of activities for the sake of activities. If you get your scores up, I would think you are a very strong candidate – and, by the way, I will never understand why a math score has any relevance to admission consideration of someone who will obviously be a humanities major. If not, then I think maybe not so strong. Lower scoring students, my guess, have a ‘hook’ and, as fenwaypark said, what you listed as hooks really aren’t. Good luck.
@bonenz Someone told me yesterday that with a 600 in Math I, I simply shouldn’t apply. Do you think this is true or will they consider my November scores?
I personally would apply anywhere that I really wanted to go. There are people, I am certain, who get into Brown with 600 math scores – they may have hooks, good backstories, etc., but they do get in. Supposedly, Brown admissions is ‘holistic,’ meaning that they look at the whole applicant. I am not aware of any ‘litmus’ test or minimum score that would disqualify anyone. If you fit within the class profile they are trying to establish, you could get in even with a 600 in math, I’m sure. A thousand years ago, I got in with a 610 in English and a 710 in Math, not that that means anything, but just one very old example. Brown’s own admissions site says the 5.8% of people with math scores in the range of 600-640 get in. That’s a pretty respectable rate considering how competitive admissions is and the overall accept rate. Whoever said ‘don’t bother’ applying definitely has no idea what admissions is thinking (nobody does) and I wouldn’t take that advice if Brown was among my top choices.
Your 600 score is for an SAT II – that’s totally different than the SAT. There are no statistics for admissions for SAT subject test scores.
You’re retaking the SAT in October? If your scores are above 700 – the higher the better – then Brown will not reject you based solely on a low SAT II math score. I do kinda wonder why you even bothered to take that test.
If Brown likes your ECs and your essays, if your recommendations are stellar, then your scores won’t matter as much. I see no reason why you shouldn’t apply ED.
And I’ll repeat what others have said – being Muslim and gay are not hooks. And going to a private school and being wealthy are not drawbacks.
FWIW - you sound amazing! You have been doing some really cool stuff and I think it is fantastic. Apply wherever you want to go…including Brown. You will get in someplace and you will make your mark there as well! Good luck!
Current Brown freshman. I received a 680 on my SAT math score, and I’m here. So just apply where you want. Let the admissions office decide if you are a good fit for the school.