<p>Hi,</p>
<p>first post but I've done a lot of reading. Son's first choice is brown, it's a good fit for him,. We understand it's a long shot, we're wondering if it makes sense to try for early decision or whether he should try for early decision at a less rigorous school:</p>
<p>93 average, unweighted
2100 sat (first time, will try to improve, 2250 on practice exams)
9 ap courses by the time he graduates
class rank is not shared with colleges</p>
<p>crazy number of extracurricular activities. actually, this is probably why his gpa isn't higher:
me - write down all your ec activities on a calendar and you'll see you have way too much going on.</p>
<p>son (next day) - Ok, I looked and it was a good idea. I found I had a spare hour after school on tuesdays and thursdays, can I sign up for a class at that time?</p>
<p>tia,</p>
<p>Quiet, can you afford Brown if your S gets in? If that’s his absolute #1 school and you can afford then go ahead. A 93 avg from a school without relations to Brown (like some prep schools) may be tough.</p>
<p>yes, we can afford it but if there’s little to no chance he can get in early decision, we’d prefer to use that card elsewhere. To put some numbers around it, I think if there was a 20% probability of getting in ED, we’d give it a try, less than 20% we’d choose another stretch school. for us as parents, we’re not obsessed with the ivys, we’re sure he’ll get in to a good school but it is his first choice. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, we have zero trust in our school guidance counselor, so we’re a little at sea with determining reach, sweet spot and safe schools.</p>
<p>edit: actually, the more I read here, the less I think brown is a possibility for him. Maybe we’ll just let him apply regular admission so he feels he tried.</p>
<p>Do you live near Brown? I wouldn’t let yourself be discouraged by this forum-- he has a better chance of getting in ED, he’s obviously a great kid, and Brown can be quirky. Our school sends a few every year and yes, those few are usually at the top of the class, but it’s clear that Brown values energy and commitment and curiosity and all the things that full schedule suggests. Especially if you live in…Kentucky, say…for a kid from the Northeast the bar is higher. Also, he’s a junior now-- he has time to pull up that average and the SAT’s. If it’s what he really wants and his reasons are good-- why not?</p>
<p>thanks gwen for your encouraging reply. We live in ny, so as you say, the bar will be higher. He was at the summer program last year and loved it. He does realize that the summer program is not reflective of what goes on there during the school year but the Brown culture does come across. we have a small school in town (<100 in each graduating class) without a history of sending kids to brown. </p>
<p>I guess the reason to choose another ED school is that we only get to use that card once and want to use it for a school where it’s a little less of a reach. Having said that, it would be tough for him to apply ED somewhere else and then get into Brown, so maybe you’re right. It’s at the intersection of logic and emotion where these decisions become difficult.</p>