<p>So I found out I got a 34 on the ACT, which absolutely thrills me considering I got a 30 in September. My SAT is less than stellar (1370/2060), so this ACT score gives me new hope! I know Brown says that they take ACT instead of SATI/SATII’s, but do you know of any kind of bias? I feel like I’m cheating in a way. I want to completely leave my SAT out and not even send it to them.</p>
<p>Plus, do I stand decent chances being:
white female, South Carolina
public school that doesn’t send kids to Ivy League schools ever
ranked 1/185…4.86W/4.0UW
34 ACT
2 AP’s (Calculus/English), 18 hours dual enrollment at technical college
clubs but no leadership
went on a foreign exchange to Germany with Rotary International during my junior year of high school
my interview went very well!</p>
<p>note: I know it’s random and no one here is the admissions staff…I just want to know if I’m competitive.</p>
<p>there is no bias. but your lack of e.c. leadership positions will hurt you.</p>
<p>thanks for the reply.
i'm trying to explain that somewhere on my app. being gone my entire junior year hurt me in that respect, as i wasnt there for any elections (held the year before) and officers are normally only juniors or seniors.
i hoped the exchange would be special and make up a bit for that, but for brown a foreign exchange is probably nothing at all (note though, that's not why i went..it actually hurt me academically and made me ineligible for the valedictorian title because of not being there my last 3 semesters).</p>
<p>Your grades are really good. Send in the ACT. I think having the maturity to go away for a year is a huge positive and will not be overlooked. Nothing is a sure thing at Brown, but you're competitive!</p>
<p>It seems to me that having the gumption and curiosity to go abroad for a year instead of staying home to maximize your chances of being the valedictorian is something that a school like Brown, which says it values intellectual curiosity over simple grade-grubbing, would like. Your grades are excellent and your ACT is great. Have you taken the most challenging courses available? If so, you should certainly stand as good a chance as anyone who doesn't have one of those mysterious hooks. You just need to make sure that you are presented correctly in your essays and your recommendations.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the positive feedback! It's nice not to be attacked for posting a chances thread :) Knowing I'm competitive is good for me..it's probably luck from here.</p>
<p>I've pretty much taken the most difficult courses possible, but I've only had 2 AP's because of conflicts and all. I would've taken them online but I don't have $1000 to just shell out unfortunately. I have, however, taken 18 hours of dual enrollment classes. A couple of my classes have had to be CP because of scheduling conflicts as well..for instance my Chemistry is CP. I've had to fit 4 years of high school into 3 years so it's a little messy.</p>
<p>You should probably make sure that your guidance counselor addresses your schedule conflicts but also points out that you have been enterprising in taking dual enrollment classes and the like. If he or she hasn't already written and sent your rec, I'd make an appointment to discuss your concern about this since you are applying to highly selective schools that want to see a challenging schedule with honors and AP classes if they are offered. (Some GCs are totally clued in about this kind of thing, but some reportedly are not, especially if few students from the school apply to schools as competitive as Brown.)</p>
<p>Another possibility is that you address all of these issues in your application. On the Common App, for example, there is the "additional info" area. You could put together a well written statement that explains how your pursuit of wider educational horizons has sometimes created these scheduling conflicts, which is why you weren't always able to take every course at the highest level your school offered. You should be able to pitch it so that you accentuate your strengths. I don't know if there is such a place in the Brown application, but if there is, use it.</p>
<p>One caution though: make sure that this really is an issue when a person looks at your overall application. Sometimes people draw attention to minor flaws by over-explaining them.</p>
<p>also ur ranking is only out of 185 ppl..so ur high school is not that competitive. that might be another flaw, but who cares ur number 1! good job</p>
<p>Competitive is not based on number of students. My brown student had only a class of 70 but it is an extremely competitive program and school. It is very rare to get a 4.0 avg.</p>
<p>Very good advice re seeing the GC before the rec is written. And good advice on standing out by being different. A HS year abroad is not that common.</p>
<p>good grades, area without representation...it's possible.</p>
<p>just send ACT.</p>
<p>I'd say my school is not very competitive. We started with 300+ students my freshmen year and are down to 185 or so. But, we have one of the strongest groups of honors students..the teachers talk a lot about how much more cut-throat our grade is than the ones past. Last year the val had a 4.3 or 4.4. But I mean what other option did I have? I made the best of it. Took rigorous courses, 18 dual credit hours..went on an exchange. I can't help what county I live in and the fact my parents wouldn't pay $10,000 or way more to send me to private school. I worked with the cards I was dealt.</p>
<p>Being the first exchange student from my school in like 20 years, I had to arrange a heck of a lot of stuff..meaning I pretty much lived in the guidance office. My GC knows me pretty well. I'm confident he'll do me justice.</p>
<p>I thought Brown didn't consider where you live?</p>