ED: Columbia or Brown & other schools

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>my profile:
female, from Beijing, China
TOEFL 112
SATI CR720+WR660+M800 1st time. taking it again in Oct., expect to get 2250+
SATII taking Math2 and Physics in Jun., expect to get 1600
GPA: not quite sure, about 3.8
Rank: 3/190</p>

<p>EC: (nothing very special)
vice president of student union
chief editor of the school literary magazine, in charge of the literature club
in charge of the theater club, have directed/acted in plays
president and founder of the debate club
president and founder of Model UN association
PARIS—exchange student
intended majors: psychology, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, literature,(humanities)</p>

<p>My perfect school would be a vibrant, artistic, diverse and academically prestigious one, just like Columbia and Brown. Though I chose two ivy schools, I'm really not an advocate of elitism and the ivy bubbles don't really bother me. </p>

<p>Columbia: (i was first interested in it because of Kerouac)
pros: biggest selling point is NYC (at least for me), the most bubbling city in the
world! A great school for almost all humanities. The core curriculum is also
appealing since I'd like to get a more comprehensive education.
cons: too hard for international students to get satisfactory FA
might get sickened of living in metropolitans (i've lived in BJ for 17ys)
(is NYC is expensive to live in?)</p>

<p>Brown:
pros: i love Brown's philosophy: liberal and self-selecting. RISD is a great pool of
creativity. the open curriculum might allow me delve into double majors.(since
these is no compulsory I can take whatever i like?) Brown seems to be a better
balance compared with Columbia
cons: though Providence seems to be lively it still can't match NYC in some ways. i've
never lived in small cities.</p>

<p>Other Schools i'm considering:
Smith
Wesleyan
Amherst
Barnard
...</p>

<p>I'd love to hear everyone's idea and suggestion!
(i mean no offense to anyone or any school)</p>

2

<p>You certainly know your schools! I would have to suggest taking a different SAT II; the point of taking different ones is to show your versatility in very different subjects, and math and science are too closely related, ESPECIALLY since you are asian.
There is still tons to do in providence, and RISD will be available for you there.
Also, NYC is very expensive to live in!</p>

3

<p>Hey I was stuck with the same question as you…ED Brown or Columbia? It’s a really weird situation because of the HUGE differences between the two schools. Ultimately I decided on ED Brown. =] You might want to look into these schools a little bit more and try finding where you see yourself fitting in because these schools are SO different. </p>

<p>Personally i think you have a great shot at both of these schools so good luck on your decision!</p>

<p>Chance me back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/708592-chances-getting-into-brown.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/708592-chances-getting-into-brown.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>There are so many candidates from China competing for the few seats with financial aid that in truth you need to apply widely and just hope to get into one of your top schools. Your process can’t be the same as an American candidate or a full pay international unfortunately. Since you’re not wed to ivies you would be wise to seek out schools that are not as popular with Asian internationals but also have money for some. I’d add schools like Tulane, Reed, Grinnell.</p>

5

<p>hey i’ve read your post and we seem to be really alike!
how’s your SAT score by the way? cause I got only 2180 in the real test while i always got 2250 during practice tests…
GOOD LUCK!
i think Brown, or Columbia would be great for us both</p>

6

<p>yeah i know that FA would be a big problem, and that’s why Amherst is also on the top of my list (it’s said to be need-blind to international students)</p>