<p>alright if you have a parent that went to brown, how much does that help you in admissions? i know that you cant get C’s and expect to get into Brown, but what if you have A-grades, good classes (honors + AP), good SAT and SAT II scores, and extracurriculars (sports, newspaper, etc)? i know these are the basics but i know brown looks for ‘more’ in their applicants. so do alumni connections help?</p>
<p>It won't hurt you, but it won't necessarily help you either. It's one of those things that could give you that extra push if it's neck and neck between you and another applicant.</p>
<p>However, it's not going to be, like you said, a case where they see an alumni relation and auto-admit.</p>
<p>You seem to have a realistic understanding of how much an alumni connection helps already.</p>
<p>I had double legacy. Stats in my stat's profile. I got waitlisted. I think I probably about match what you think (my EC's, which aren't in there, were very strong. You can find my post in the decision's thread).</p>
<p>Draw your own conclusions.</p>
<p>This article in today's BDH touches on Brown's view on legacies in admissions:</p>
<p>being a legacy definitely helps, but i don't think that legacy is that "more", but the "more" on top of that. i think a large # of brown applicants have "more" than just the basics but it seems that with each year, "more" is not enough.</p>
<p>here's some quotes from another bdh article:</p>
<p>"The rule of thumb is that, all things being equal, we will tilt in the favor of the student whose parents have gone to Brown," said Dean of Admission James Miller '73.
"Brown has a long tradition as an institution with a great sense of history and community. I think it's important for us, when possible, to continue that sense of tradition, community and commitment to families. It is part of the ethos and culture of Brown, as it is at a number of places," Miller said.
Miller cited alumni involvement as a major justification for giving preference to legacy applicants. "We, and all other private universities, rely heavily on the efforts of our alumni to sustain ourselves. We rely on our graduates to staff committees, donate money, recruit students and do a whole variety of things that (alumni of) public institutions don't do. In turn, I think it's important for us to continue to have continuity with families," he said.
Miller said the University's "financial aid programs are, relatively speaking, almost completely funded by graduates of the institution. Prior generations are funding the aspirations of the next generation, and that's something that really doesn't happen to any great degree at state institutions."</p>
<p>wow thanks for the input. alright so...if i end up applying ED or EA to another good school, would that be really stupid of me? should i just apply early to brown?</p>
<p>Here was my logic:</p>
<p>I felt that I was average in terms of test scores, above average in terms of rigor of courseload and GPA, and above average in dedication and variety of EC's (read: didn't win any national award or crazy distinction)</p>
<p>I felt that I had a good chance, but as with any top institution, you never know.</p>
<p>I really thought about all the schools I was considering and decided that I would be as happy at Brown as Princeton. (At that time I was debating ED between Pton and Brown) I figured I stood a better chance at Brown, but was not a lock, so I decided to play my ED card. I thought using ED at Princeton would have shown an increased interest but not helped my chances for admission.</p>
<p>So here was scenario #1</p>
<p>ED to Brown -> Accepted -> Be happy and maybe wonder every once in a while, "what if I went for Pton?"</p>
<p>Deferred/Rejected -> Increased stress of applying to other schools, most likely would not have gotten into Pton ED anyway</p>
<p>Scenario #2</p>
<p>ED to Pton -> Accepted -> same scenario as Brown ED but just wondering about Brown</p>
<p>Deferred/Rejected -> Same increased stress but also would wonder what if I gave Brown a shot, would I have been a better fit there?</p>
<p>Deferred/Rejected from Brown RD -> Wonder even more, what if I went ED, could that have made a difference?</p>
<p>In conclusion, scenario #1 made much more sense to me so I applied ED to Brown and fortunately got in. As I predicted, I do wonder every once in a while, could I have gotten into Princeton ED and Brown RD? But I definitely don't regret comitting to Brown at all, and any questioning of my decision is purely of a hypothetical nature. No regrets at all!!!</p>
<p>I'd advise you to try and plan out all the scenarios and see which one you'd be happiest in. If you're still unsure, don't apply ED anywhere.</p>
<p>Have a look at this thread...it will clarify it all
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=326300&page=2%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=326300&page=2</a></p>
<p>P.S. Look at the last posts my me, Northstarmom and meredithv. I am pretty sure they will answer your question.</p>
<p>they help. you still have to be a qualified applicant, but at hte end of the day, it helps.</p>