Hello! Thank you in advance for your replies, regardless of how they lean. I am a current rising senior hoping to get into Brown in the upcoming year. If it is relevant, I am a white female from a middle-class background in a Southern state. Here is a further overview:
Grades: My unweighted GPA is a 3.7, and my weighted is a 4.3- my unweighted GPA is less than impressive, yes, but I overcame a severe depressive period during my freshman/sophomore years that resulted in grades that don’t reflect the student that I am (two Cs). I since have been prescribed with medication to help me manage my mental health. I plan on mentioning this in my Common App, and with my junior year grades of mostly As, I believe I can demonstrate improvement. Another thing to note is that I spent my first two years of high school in the IB program, then switched schools for my junior and senior year. I realized the toll that pre-IB was taking on my mental health due to my inability to select the classes that related to my passions (I hope to enter into the fields of law with politics/IR, and my school gave me no options to pursue that track). At the school I currently attend, I have had the chances to take classes relating to law, global issues, politics, and government- a much-needed boost in academic morale. Additionally, nearly all my classes have been honors or AP throughout my time in high school. Brown specifically appeals to me due to its open curriculum and wealth of political opportunities, mirroring my post-sophomore year desire for more freedom in my academic choices.
Test Score: I have only had the chance to take the SAT once, and received a 1350 without studying. My hope was that the 1350 (because I didn’t study) would serve as my raw benchmark score to improve on… I have been utilizing test prep over the summer and am expected to improve at least 100 points with the work I’ve put in, but fear that I might not have the chance to retake it. If that becomes the case, I will exercise the test-optional choice.
ECs: I believe that this is the area in which I shine the most. My activities are as follows, keep in mind I will be revoking official names from organizations to help me conceal my identity, but you can DM me if you need specifics:
- I currently hold the highest student position in the nation for a national nonprofit debate/activism organization (I have been involved in this debate org since my eighth grade year and have been a state-level official since my freshman year, but have gradually worked my way up to a national position from an elected office)- since my freshman year I have helped plan these debate conventions and activism initiatives, eventually becoming good enough at my positions to the point where I was running 9 departments for my state as a junior
- 8 Best Speaker Awards total earned at debate conventions
- I have been a political campaign volunteer on two different campaigns (one congressional, one local) for three years as of now
- I am a teen advisory board member for an organization promoting workplace equality for women and girls
- Internships: I have had two internships, one at a local law firm and another for an online political discourse platform
- I have loved Spanish for years, and currently tutor other students in Spanish for free (I can teach all the way up to AP Spanish Lang, which I am taking this year). I hope to continue this in college with an additional major or minor in Spanish or in Hispanic Studies
- I was selected to be a part of my county's six-month youth leadership program for notable sophomores and juniors
- As a sophomore, I won the Rotary International Speech Contest at the Club and Area levels, then came in third at Districts (first and second both went to seniors, rip) and did not have the chance to participate again this year
- Voting Squad Captain for When We All Vote (that's the only other org I'm comfortable sharing bc there are a lot of Captains haha)
- I was chosen to be a Student Ambassador for my school
- Took a month-long summer program at Princeton University studying political communication, and attended a national debate/activism leadership summit that same year (freshman)
Recs: I am receiving my teacher recs from my APUSH teacher (who is also the school sponsor for my debate organization) and Anatomy/Physiology teacher (whose class I did well in despite not being a STEM kid, and who recommended me for the aforementioned county leadership program). My counselor rec will be from one of our school counselors, who actually graduated from Brown.
Other aspects of Brown that draw me to it include its emphasis on public service and community involvement (Swearer Center, Watson Institute, A. Alfred Taubman Center), its location (seems like the perfect blend of city activity and New England campus life), and the winning reputation of the Brown Debating Union (to help me become even better at my public speaking in college).
Again, thank you so much for your input! I’d love a realistic view of my app, so any replies are much appreciated.