<p>Hey, so I'm a senior at a competitive public magnet school in Texas. I honestly have no idea of what I want my major to be (hence Brown), so I probably won't be applying to any specific programs. I would be extremely happy to attend any of the schools on my list. Any chances you can give me would be extremely appreciated!</p>
<p>Brown University (Big reach, I know)
Bowdoin College
Johns Hopkins University (Legacy if PhD counts)
Rice University (Legacy)
Bates College
Hamilton College
University of Rochester
Tulane University (Early action, hopefully will become safety if I get in)</p>
<p>Stats:</p>
<p>GPA - 4.2/4.8, school doesn't give unweighted
Rank - 47/around 250 (I'm a bit worried about this)
ACT - 32 (Side note: Should I take the SAT also?)
AP French - 3
AP AB Calculus - 5
AP US History - 4
AP Language - 5
AP Psychology - 4
Taking AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics, AP Lit., and AP Micro/Macro
Will Take SAT II's in English Literature and Mathematics 2</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:</p>
<p>Newspaper - Staff writer freshman year, news editor sophomore year, editor-in-chief junior/senior years. We have a VERY good paper that has won national recognition etc. Really my main extracurricular activity and takes up a lot of time.
Tennis - Varsity four years, captain two years
NHS - Event coordinator
Texas Association of Future Educators - Officer of local chapter
Volunteering - A bit less than 100 hours at local blood and tissue center</p>
<p>I really want a fair assessment of my chances, so be as harsh as you need to. Thanks ahead of time!</p>
<p>Also, I forgot to mention in my first post: I have work experience at one of the local university’s libraries during the summer. Don’t know if that will affect anything.</p>
<p>Thank you, everybody, for the replies. This is all kind of what I expected to hear. However, I also kind of want to know whether I have high chances for acceptance at my matches (especially Tulane, because I like it a lot and it has EA).</p>
<p>Soze - Yeah, I have looked at those schools you mentioned. In the UAA the only other college I’m considering is Washington University (considering dropping Hopkins for it) and in the NESCAC I’m also looking at Colby, Williams, and Middlebury. I’m really trying to keep my apps to eight, and I’m afraid that Williams and Middlebury would be more of a reach than Bowdoin (plus, I like Bowdoin more than them).</p>
<p>brown94 - Yes, I think you have a very good shot at Tulane. Not a slam dunk, but pretty good chance. It would be good to have your UW GPA, you should be able to calculate it yourself. But to make it easier, I have a spreadsheet that does it. PM me and I can calculate it for you.</p>
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<li> Most colleges “unweight” your GPA. They have their own magical formulae, in order to fairly compare applicants. 2. Ranking in the top 25% at a competetive magnet school (or a good prep school) is good. The top 10% would be really impressive, but if your school isn’t inflating grades, then the top 1/4 isn’t a problem. Note that most private schools DO NOT send rank info to colleges, so r"ank" has lost some of it’s sheen. 3. The fact that you got 4’s and 5’s on AP exams- ie, national standardized exams- is impressive, as is the number of AP classes you took. It seems to indicate your school is not inflating grades; that you have gotten a solid education.
Being from Texas, are you a member of any “underrepresented” group? This is a hot attraction these days. Whether or not you are counted as a legacy anywhere, the common app asks about parents’ education. Having a PhD and Rice will be one of those things that makes it look like your family is committed to education and that you are a good bet- ie, not the kind of kid who will jump ship.<br>
Do apply to Brown. DO NOT tell them you are interested because you don’t know what major to pick. I mean, c’mon. You don’t pick for two years. On the other hand, talk, talk, talk about the “open curriculum” and it’s benefits and you’re good. Mention what you are thinking of. I think you have decent chances at all your choices. But, write a great essay- follow the tips online, make it personal and “everyman.” Oh, and if possible, suggest to Brown you are interested in hard sciences, do yur homework and be specific about which and why. They seem to be building up these pools. 'nuff said.</li>
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<p>fallenchemist - Thank you for taking out time to speak about Tulane specifically, seeing from past posts that you are very knowledgeable. I have calculated my unweighted gpa before, and have gotten mostly around the 3.8 range (low to mid A). I think that’s good enough for Tulane, right?</p>
<p>lookingforward - Wow, thanks for the long post! All of the points you bring up are comforting in different ways. I am a white male, so definitely not a URM. Also, it really is the open curriculum of Brown (and Hamilton, U Rochester) that draw me to them specifically. While I realize that I cannot just take whatever and expect to magically wind up in a major that suits me, I do want flexibility in picking courses. What I really want out of open curriculum is to find my major early and design courses that I think will supplement my major well (plus, I’m thinking heavily about double majoring and, if not, definitely minoring).</p>
<p>Brown94 - Yes, if your UW GPA is 3.8 (which could never be called a low A. It would generally be called a solid A I think) then given the rest of your record I would say Tulane is an even better possibility than I first stated. Your ACT is at their 75th percentile, and the rest looks good as well. You seem like the “prototypical” Tulane student.</p>
<p>Tulane doesn’t have the open curriculum that Brown does; few schools do. But I will mention that Tulane is one of the schools that makes it very easy to explore many areas and then declare a major or two. This is because you only get accepted to Newcomb-Tulane College, under which all the non-professional schools of study such as Architecture, Liberal Arts, Science and Engineering, Business, etc. reside. So you are free to choose majors within any of those schools, including majors in two different schools. Students there do it all the time. If you apply EA by early October, you should have an answer within a few weeks and I would anticipate you getting accepted with a nice merit scholarship. If that happens I strongly urge a visit if at all possible.</p>