<p>Hello! I’m stuck in the major… I was thinking of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biophysics or Engineering. Would you say that the major you choose could make or break in a sense your chances? I would love to study engineering but I know that a lot of people choose engineering. My SAT IIs are in biology 760 and chemistry 730. Nothing in mathematics… Would it be better for me to choose one of the two above and then possibly (not quite sure yet) change to engineering if I make it into Brown? </p>
<p>Please let me know! Your help is much appreciated!</p>
<p>The major you choose on your application isn’t a binding decision - it just gives them an idea of where your interests may lie. I selected Biology and Community Health, and ended up as a Music concentrator. If you are interested in engineering, select that! Just remember that you should answer the supplemental questions for engineering.</p>
<p>Yeah it’s just that people say it’s harder to get into engineering than other majors so I wasn’t sure… Two questions: what about changing from a bachelors of science to bachelors of arts? and does brown interview all possible candidates, or you may not have to interview to get in? thanks!</p>
<p>You can change from a BA to a BS or vice versa just as easily. You don’t declare your concentration until the spring of your sophomore year - this just gives Brown an idea so they don’t end up admitting 1500 econ concentrators.</p>
<p>Interviews: Brown interviews as many applicants as they can. Some don’t get interviewed for various reasons - their interviewer flakes out, they’re in a difficult geographic region, there aren’t enough interviewers, etc. They won’t hold it against you if you don’t have an interview.</p>
<p>You can change from a BA to a BS or vice versa just as easily. You don’t declare your concentration until the spring of your sophomore year - this just gives Brown an idea so they don’t end up admitting 1500 econ concentrators.</p>
<p>Interviews: Brown interviews as many applicants as they can. Some don’t get interviewed for various reasons - their interviewer flakes out, they’re in a difficult geographic region, there aren’t enough interviewers, etc. They won’t hold it against you if you don’t have an interview.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is harder to get into Brown statistically as an indicated Engineering applicant. In fact my experiential guess is that a higher percentage of the self selected students identifying themselves as engineering students get accepted than the larger number identifying as potential bio concentrators. However, Brown does want to see that students identifying themselves as Engineering students appear to have the math and science aptitude to succeed in that course. Engineering has such a large number of required courses that it is very rare (?unheard of?) that someone switches into these concentrations unless they started with the course work in freshman year. (Which, say, a Physics concentrator might still do if unsure.)
I didn’t even know Brown had a Biophysics concentration! Looks really cool, and very hard. (only 1-2 grads a year, in the 3 years running, and is required ScB track. ) Likely that would also be something Brown would want to see strong aptitude indicators in HS. (But just having a good essay on something to indicate that, and exploring that option would probably help Brown see a “self starter”!)</p>