<p>Hello,</p>
<p>I am an international student who is considering applying for early decision/action (yes, I know the difference) and is looking for Brown-specific advice.</p>
<p>As background information, this is my second time trying to get in college in US. I was accepted at Cornell last year, but could not enrol due to lack of financial aid. I was also waitlisted at Amherst and the purpose for writing about the acceptance and waitlist is so the reader can get a general idea of my qualifications.</p>
<p>Brown is a school I did not apply to last year and so, I think I have a “clean-slate”. What I want to get out of this post is advice on what strategy to take for applying early.</p>
<p>Do I:
a) apply to Brown because I haven’t been rejected from it.
b) apply to Yale (rejected last year) SCEA AND Swarthmore (rejected last year) ED 2, so I can be applying to more places.</p>
<p>If this message seems scarce in detail, please tell my how so I can add apropos information which will help you, help me!</p>
<p>Responses will be greatly appreciated</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Based on what I’ve seen posted on this site, it is very difficult to get accepted to a school if you’ve been denied admission. There are always exceptions, of course, but my sense is that your chance of getting in is even less the second time – and in general your chance of getting into Yale and Swarthmore is pretty minuscule. However, your chance of getting into Amherst might be higher, since they clearly liked you last year. </p>
<p>But more importantly – if you couldn’t afford Cornell, what makes you think you can afford Brown, or any of these schools? Unless something has changed dramatically, you risk being disappointed again. Money for international students is very scarce.</p>
<p>also while you weren’t rejected at Brown, don’t you have to say that you applied to colleges and were rejected because the common app asks it? You won’t have an entirely clean slate at Brown.</p>
<p>Applying ED to Brown will not be likely to increase your chance of getting in compared to applying RD, and you will not be able to compare any (if any) aid you get with offers from other schools that might be more likely to want you as a diversity student and give you some aid based on that. (Look for schools who have few foreign students, big aid budgets, do not base aid only on financial need, and almost no students from your part of the world.) As a foreign student, the only reason to apply to Brown ED would be if you would want to and be able to go to Brown with no financial aid.</p>