I was just wondering if (based on my overall application) I have a shot at Brown.
Background-
Caucasian
from a mostly wealthy town in CT
went to public school
Stats-
4.7 GPA weighted, 3.8 GPA unweighted
took all APs offered except took honors physics senior year
34 on ACT (34 science, 34 reading, 36 english, and 32 math)
ECs-
founded a club that became a non-profit that helps with girls’ education
interned for federal congressman for 3 years
interned for federal congressman’s campaign (same one) and candidate for attorney general for summer
student government for two years (VP of class then member of 10 person executive committee)
ran track/cross country for first two years of high school
part of Breast Cancer Alliance and Neighbor 2 Neighbor clubs at my high school
volunteered at elementary school during one summer
worked at a snack bar during one summer
started tutoring business for last two years of high school
Other-
wrote my CA on girls’ education and why I will never be a bystander
have federal congressman writing me a recommendation letter
wrote my Brown essays on how I am super curious to learn more and expand my knowledge because you have to know so much to be an effective leader, want to study political science or economics
planning on meeting with a Brown professor and writing one of my supplements partly about that
If there’s anything else you think would be good to know, please tell me! Brown is my dream school, and I loved every single aspect of it: professors, open curriculum, campus, facilities (departments and resources), etc. Any insight on my chances would be greatly appreciated
Your look to be a competitive applicant. However, nobody here will see your essay, LORs etc. so it is impossible to reasonably chance you - especially at a college with under a 10% acceptance rate.
Unsolicited advice – I’d recommend that you give up the idea of a dream school and instead focus on creating a solid college list that includes reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (find out your parents’ budget and run the net price calculator for each school) and that you would be excited to attend. The people I see who get most hurt by the college admission process are the ones who pin their hopes and dreams on one or two hyper-competitive schools and then don’t get in. Cast a wide net and recognize that (assuming no major hook) Brown is a reach for pretty much everyone. Recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.
Brown’s a great school and you probably have a decent shot. But there are lots of great schools out there.
You sound a lot like my daughter (identical stats), who was also in love with Brown through much of junior high and high school. Once she started looking beyond Brown, she found other schools that she could get excited about as well. High on her list, in addition to Brown, were Northwestern, Tufts, Rice, Wake Forest, Vandy, Richmond, and Rochester. I wish she would have looked harder at LACs, because I think there would have been many that she would “clicked” with as well. (@presbucky’s list is a good start.)
She wound up at Rochester…but it wasn’t because she didn’t get into Brown. She actually decided to apply to Rochester ED instead of Brown because, in the end, she felt it was a better fit for her.
