Chances RD

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brandeis University
1

<p>I fell in love with Brandeis after visiting in the fall, but I’m worried about my chances. I’d appreciate any feedback- Thanks!</p>

<p>SAT: 620 (M), 700 (V), 800(W) 12 Essay
ACT: 30 Composite, 28S, 27M, 35E, 32R, and 35 Writing 12 Essay
SAT II: 690 Lit, 650 US History, 590 Spanish</p>

<p>GPA: 103.85 (W), 3.83 (UW)
Rank: Top 3%, Top 20 of 550</p>

<p>Senior Classes: AP Spanish, AP Psych, AP English Lit, AP Studio Art, Honors Calculus, Honors Art Seminar, Independent Study</p>

<p>Essays: I wrote about my experience at a Sikh church for my comparative religion independent study.</p>

<p>Location/Person:
State or Country: CT
School Type: Suburban High School with 2200+ students
Ethnicity: white
Gender: F</p>

<p>Major: Philosophy, pre-law</p>

<p>Activities:
I’m a New England District leader in a community service organization.
Swim Team captain, 2 varsity letters
FIRST Robotics
Class Secretary
Student Newspaper editor
Sunday School teacher, Youth Deacon, Pilgrim Youth Fellowship, Christian Board of Education</p>

<p>Honors and Awards:
200+ community service hours
Elks Student of the month
Girls State
NSLC Law and Advocacy
Scholar Athlete</p>

<p>Other:
I’m fluent in American Sign Language.
I enjoy oil painting, and I have a Design portfolio. My pieces are currently on display in the local bank.
I interned at a Women’s Rights office last summer.</p>

2

<p>You sound like you are a really interesting person and have a great shot! </p>

<p>Hope to see you in August.</p>

3

<p>I agree, if you love Brandeis and communicate that in your app/interview , your chances are excellent.</p>

4

<p>You have a great shot. The only thing that may hurt you is the 620.</p>

5

<p>Thanks for your replies! I have to say, the Brandeis Admissions Office was by far the most friendly (and I applied to 10 schools).</p>

<p>Haha tell me about it, meme. Think I can score "brownie points" with the Writing section to compensate? Thanks for your replies!</p>

6

<p>I think that perhaps your biggest problem(s) are either lack of sincerity, or lack of introspection as to what you really want.</p>

<p>Based on your other postings you:</p>

<p>are "really excited" about Wake Forest.</p>

<p>or</p>

<p>"would go to UNC Chapel Hill in a heartbeat"</p>

<p>or</p>

<p>"fell in love with Brandeis"</p>

<p>or</p>

<p>would "love to enroll" at Villanova</p>

<p>That being said, you clearly preferred Brown over all these schools (since you said you applied ED there).</p>

<p>I think you need to make up your mind, or moderate your use of superlatives.</p>

7

<p>Your verbal marks will compensate for your Math SAT.
My D was in a similar situation and was accepted (ED).</p>

<p>It's possible to find something to "love" about several colleges and that's a great situation to be in--ED- if it works out- forces you to commit to one, otherwise you know you can be happy at whichever one accepts you. When you have more than one to choose from, you can worry about the finer points that will swing your decision.</p>

8

<p>Soze, you're correct in surmising that my enthusiasm for Brandeis is not exclusive, and I agree with you when you suggest that I need to make up my mind. I believe I'll have this opportunity in April when I have a list of schools to which I've been accepted. For now, I'm satisfied knowing that I applied only to schools I would be happy attending. And yes, this includes Brandeis :)</p>

9

<p>I think you have a very good chance, maybe even of getting significant money. Raising the math score may help you win a little more money, but you seem almost like a shoe-in to get in with your scores as they are. I'm not really sure how Brandeis looks at the writing, last year I heard they pretty much ignored them, but they'll probably count for more this year, and either way, they'll be impressed by an 800, although test scores are certainly not the most important component. Your high school grades seem pretty superb, and judging by your senior schedule, you've earned them while taking a pretty tough courseload. Schools love that. Also, the parts of your personality that can be gleaned from your application will really impress Brandeis. Firstly, religious and cultural studies are REALLY big here, but not too many people study Sikhism at all, so I think your essay will show that you really fit in while making you stand out at the same time. That's great! Your extracurriculars seem solid, if not spectacular. Community service, captain of the swim team, editor of the newspaper... that shows real leadership ability, a really diversity of interests, and a strong sense of commitment. They'll eat it up. Not to mention the internship... wow! And the art stuff and ASL is all really impressive too. You seem like such a Renaissance scholar, and Brandeis will love to see that. I don't think you should be asking whether you'd get in or not, you should be asking whether you'll get a full scholarship or not! Now, that's really tough to say, they give about 50 Justice Brandeis scholarships a year (not to mention MLK and other extensive scholarships they award) but I think you have a really good shot. I got a full scholarship, and your credentials seem so much more amazing than mine, except your SAT scores are about 200 points lower. But that is not the most important part of your application, and I think you'll get some serious money from Brandeis, but sometimes, it's just a crapshoot.</p>