Chance Me - please?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
1

<p>Brown is my dream school, and I’m quite afraid I won’t be admitted. Here is a copy of my admissions decision stats I’ll post when I find out, but in the meantime, could any of you savvy CCers tell me what you think my shot is? I’m aware it’s minuscule, but I figured I’d better get a few more opinions as I anxiously await Thursday. </p>

<p>Objective:
ACT: 35, 36SS: E:36 M:36 R:36 S:33 (one question off, 35 different sit)
SAT I (breakdown): 2120, didn’t submit
SAT II: none, school didn’t tell me they existed and I’m stupid for not realizing until too late
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9 something
Rank (percentile if rank is
unavailable): 6/500 but 4 before midyear
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Euro (3), AP US History (4), AP Compski (not a spelling error, we call it that because it sounds cute 5), AP Lang (4), physics (3) psych (5)
Senior Year Course Load: calc bc, ap lit, apes, and AP Chinese
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nada
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): I was involved in theatre both as an actor and techie. Directed my own shows, did ADing as well. NHS Officer but I don’t think I even included that. Link Crew Leader up until this semester (I needed to to switch into newspaper-- I figured I wanted to do this before high school ended and was left with no other choice), other stuff but I left most random stuff out-- theater is one of my passions, and I’d rather that shine through. Then comes Chinese, I took several outside classes at DePaul during summer and got As in them. Was in a million bands, have a vinyl collection still growing, etc.
Job/Work Experience: Work at this local donut shop about 20 hours a week. Wake earlier on weekends than weekdays, typically 4 am.
Volunteer/Community service: Though an atheist I did a lot through my church, but I mainly helped with stuff like theatre-- ie directing or tech for young uns’ shows. Will never forget warming up the munchkins on singing in Wizard of Oz! Don’t think colleges care about generic stuff too much so I kept it at that-- I didn’t raise $8000 for cancer.
Summer Activities: more theater, Chinese.
Essays: Good writer but with this ego-inflating thought In mind I tend to write lower than I’m capable of, other than for ND because nothing was at stake. My Brown essays probably left a bit to be desired… Talked about being an “outcast among outcasts” in how I didn’t get along with theatre kids and was friends only with people outside of it. Talked about how music is actually my life but no one else’s… Hehe. Also something about how my bass is one-of-a-kind because I built it… Lame, but not pathetic.
Teacher Recommendation: Id say generic but not at the same time? One was from a Chinese immigrant so I think, aside from being simply adorable, it held slightly more weight.
Counselor Rec: Annoyed her with my woes constantly-- therefore she addressed my weaknesses and strengths and that probably means it was good. Could not read it, right waived!
Interview: My only interview. I like to think it went well, both I and the interviewer had our legs crossed like what new-aged youth would call “women-sitting,” and what British people or musicians understand as cool. By the time the interview was over, the sun had set. It was around an hour and a half, but like I said, can’t tell if that’s a good thing.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): IL
School Type: Public, pseudo-rural wannabe-suburb
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college,
etc.): I’d say the Chinese thing is a hook.
Reflection
Strengths: really nothing. QuestBridge, 5 years of Chinese I suppose but not quite obviously.
Weaknesses: Stats dead-bottom of people accepted, maybe essays, white male, again stats, didn’t build a rocket or start a charity.
Where else were you accepted/
waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Carleton, DePaul, Minnesota, and Notre Dame. Rejected at Northwestern and Rice. Waiting on Wesleyan, Brown, NYU, USC, and Stanford. Expecting rejections from all except hopefully a small chance at Wesleyan and USC, and praying to be accepted to Brown but certainly not expecting it.
General Comments:
If I seemed mean anywhere in this thread, it’s because I typed this on a phone because I don’t own a computer.</p>

<p>Please chance me. And thank you!!</p>

<p>Cheers!!</p>

2

<p>Look, college will be a great experience no matter which of these schools you go to, so don’t let your happiness rest on the outcome of this absurd process or these groups of admissions officers who sometimes seem to take the undeserved role of life-judgers. For now, try to relax or do some fun, distracting activity, and get off this site.</p>

<p>P.S. You have as good a shot as anyone.</p>

3

<p>My son was a Questbridge applicant from Illinois and got in. There is nothing wrong with your stats, although – for Brown especially – not taking the SAT IIs was a boneheaded oversight. “I didn’t know” doesn’t work for a school that gives strong preference to self-directed students.</p>

<p>On the other hand, you needed to take the ACT with writing in Illinois in order to graduate high school, and that usually allows you to skip the SAT IIs if you so desire. Thus, you may be OK. I don’t think writing an essay about how you don’t get along with certain groups of people was the wisest choice, either.</p>

<p>You may still have a shot based on your geographic location, your academic stats, and your QB application, but you may also have given it all away by not putting yourself in the best light possible. If so, do not fret, the colleges that already have accepted you also provide stellar educations.</p>

4

<p>I should have made myself more clear-- I talked about how although at first we didn’t get along, I realized that if I want to do something people may not like me and how now, four years later, I’ve made some of my best memories because I didn’t quit despite my friends doing other things. </p>

<p>But I should have been more clear. My mistake.</p>

<p>P.S. the “boneheaded” comment hurt a little. I go to a school where I wasn’t even told SAT IIs exist, and although I suppose it was boneheaded of me not to stumble upon them by coincidence, I, unfortunately, did not.</p>

5

<p>

</p>

<p>It’s all you had to do is to read Brown’s application requirements FAQ. Or the application specs listed on Questbridge. It’s not exactly obscure hard-to-find information.</p>

<p>I call it boneheaded because when you first discover that only 1 in 12 or 13 applicants get accepted, that should have been an early indication that you needed to go the extra mile to do everything within your power to thoroughly research your options and to do everything you could to accomplish your goal: you are competing with the nation’s very best candidates out of 1.5 million high school graduates each year. It simply isn’t enough to be a “strong candidate” in such an environment, you need to be among the very strongest.</p>

6

<p>I made the decision to apply here when I was invited to apply for QuestBridge… I had no intention of applying to reach schools until then. At that point, there was no time nor location to take SAT IIs. I didn’t know I was going to apply to Brown until it was too late. I didn’t do the aforementioned research until I literally didn’t have time to sit the exams. You’re insulting me as if I come off as entitled… I’ve already said I don’t think I’m getting in, and as I said I believe I’m a weak applicant. I just wanted some opinions.</p>

7

<p>Also, Brown doesn’t require SAT IIs if you took ACT with writing…</p>

8

<p>Seriously, your application has been in for months; this kind of speculation is so not productive. You don’t need other people’s opinions about your application. LoremIpsum’s opinion will have no effect on the admission decision, and the admission decision won’t have an effect on your quality of life if you don’t let it.</p>

<p>Well that’s my two cents. Peace.</p>

9

<p>Bonzobv, you are not really a weak applicant; your stats are good. My son also attended a school where no one else took the SAT IIs, but managed to find out what was required.</p>

<p>The Questbridge application deadline should have been around Oct 1st. You had enough time to sit for at least two SAT II exams between that submission deadline and the actual application to Brown.</p>

<p>I am certainly not trying to insult you. I believe you have the raw intellectual ability, but that you underestimated the planning and effort needed to overcome your competition. Keep that as an object lesson, because the very same situation will come up again in your future, either during job interviews or during grad school applications.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you wherever you end up next year!</p>