Chances for Brown ED/PLME

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
1

Hello everyone! I was wondering if you could possibly chance me for Brown early decision, and also tell me what i could do to improve my application! Thanks!

I plan on double majoring in English and Bio and being pre-med. I am super passionate about writing and being able to combine two distinctly different though processes into one (hence the double major). I am also a white male in western PA and have a single parent, low income.

Test Scores:
-ACT: 34C
-PSAT: 1470, my index was 220, hopefully am NMS semi-finalist

Course Load:
-Freshman Year: Honors Civics, H Algebra 2, H English, H Bio (no AP classes are offered at my school until 11th grade), Spanish 2, H Psychology, H Child Psychology
-Sophomore: H World Cultures, H English, H Precalc, H Chem, H Mythology, Media, Spanish 3, Excel/Computer Science
-Junior: AP Chem, AP Calc AB, AP Language & Comp, H Spanish 4, H American Cultures, H Human Anatomy & Physiology (college level course w/out AP test), plus Online Finance
-Plans for Senior Year: AP Bio, Honors Physics, AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP Psych, AP Economics
-Class rank: 1 of 205
-GPA 4.5 W, 4.0 UW

Extracurriculars Thus Far:
-Varsity Track (since 7th grade)
-Varsity Cross Country (2 years)
-NHS Treasurer
-Co-founder of Interact Club (district wide volunteer organization) (3 years)
-Chair of Charity Run (2 years)- raised 30,000 last year for the Free Care Fund of Children’s Hospital, I am in charge of social media, contacting sponsors, etc, next year I will be head leader (i have also volunteering for this event since freshman year, became chair junior year)
-UPCI Summer Research Internship (this coming summer)- I will be researching Tumor Immunology and hope to get published/submit to Siemens!
-Science Olympiad & PRSEF Science Fair (since 9th grade)
-Head Barista at local coffee shop (I love this, I can make latte art!)
-Writing: trying to get published, entering a few competitions/submissions soon, but it’s definitely something I am passionate about
-Second Job as a tutor for Chem, Algebra, and Spanish
-Also have raised over 2,000 dollars for a charity event known as Mini-THON (overall, the event has raised over 250,000 dollars in the last three years and I have been a part in the event/setting up/raising money since it began)
-Teen Institute (kind of like mentoring younger kids and helping them through family issues, I love this!)

Of course, I do realize that at this level, admissions are quite unpredictable and cannot truly be determined, but I just wanted to know if it is worth applying or what more you think I could do to set myself apart and/or raise my chances. I plan on writing essays that are more about who I am as a person rather than what I have done for ECs (lmk if you think this is a good idea). Thanks!!

2

I think it’s definitely worth applying! Your ACT score and GPA are impressive. Now it’s just down to how your essays turn out. I would emphasize the things you say you’re passionate about in your essays, like your writing, the Teen Institute, even your job as a barista (quirky things like that help you stand out!). Have you taken SAT subject tests or AP tests? Those scores also will help your app. Best of luck!

3

For schools as selective as Brown, if you have any interest whatsoever, you should definitely apply. The only thing that might hinder anyone is the application fee which some people can have waived. You should apply ED only if you’re sure that’s where you want to spend the next 4 years. It may not mean like anything right now, but remember that the person you become will radically change in the next couple years so make sure youre willing to commit to that before applying. Your objective stats and ECs are phenomenal and definitely put you in the running; now its mainly about your essays. The best advice I can give you about this is just be yourself. Admissions officers can see right through a lot of “crafted personalities.” Best of luck in the future!

4

your case is definitely worth applying! I’m thinking about PLME too but don’t have such strong scores like yours