Feeling kind of disheartened about this whole process; advice? Thank you.

Applying to College
1

I posted this on Reddit, so I decided to post this on here, too. Some advice would be appreciated.

I just took the Math II Subject Test today, and tbh, I don’t think I did well at all…by “not well,” probably not even hitting the 700 mark. I’m a pretty slow test-taker in general, so I omitted ~10 questions, and scrolling through [Reddit], I think I got at least 5 or 6 wrong. Best case scenario, I got a 700, which is still pretty low for Math II. I am currently a rising senior, so I don’t want to retake in October (I’d rather focus on my college essays).

I feel pretty disheartened. I really like Brown (I know it’s nearly impossible to get in, yes) and want to apply there ED. Not because it’s an Ivy, but because I love the Open Curriculum and how they uphold the concept of learning for the sake of learning. But now, I feel like I have no chance, especially compared to others with perfect test scores.

I’m an Asian applicant from the Midwest. Attend a pretty underfunded public high school, so I don’t have a lot of prestigious ECs. I just have some, like Student Government, that I really care about. 4.0 UW GPA, but it isn’t too hard to get As at our school–I’ve taken every single honors course offered, and I’m taking some online courses as well (just out of interest). I got a 710 on USH and a 32 on the ACT, which I will be retaking in September. Not perfect test scores in the slightest, but I was okay with them. Now, the prospect of a 670-690 on Math II (which is viewed as easy by everyone) worries me.

I also like math, so it kinda sucks, haha. I’m hoping to concentrate in Poly Sci/Chemistry.

I know that essays matter a lot for Brown, and I’ve started working on them. I’m pretty happy with my drafts, but I’m concerned that my essays won’t even be considered with such low scores that should be showcasing my proficiency in those subjects. :confused:

Thank you; I’m sorry for the pessimistic attitude. This whole process is just really stressing me out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. (Or any comment that’ll help me stop excessively worrying/obsessing; it’s really bothering me). Thank you.

2

Instead of focusing on Brown which is a reach for everyone, you would be better off spending more time and energy coming up with a list of match and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be happy to attend. There are tons of amazing colleges and universities out there where you can have a wonderful 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life. Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, broaden your horizons.

3

Thank you again; I noticed, that alongside this, you commented on one of my previous worry-wart posts. I tried to avoid getting fixated on a school, but it ended up happening regardless, haha. I’ll see what I can do…

4

So you take another subject test. Try Math 1. And btw, no subject tests are “easy”. If they were, colleges wouldn’t care about them.

And you need to find other schools you like. You know that Brown, which is a high reach for all regardless of stats, is very unlikely for even those with perfect results.

No one school should be a dream school. It’s fine to really want to get in, but you should find other schools you really want to get into. And yiu should find schools you feel you could be happy with, regardless of acceptance rate.

5

Thank you. :slight_smile:

It appears that the October test date could still make it to any school on time, even for early decision/action. I will look at the other subject tests and see if I can take another one.

6

Brown isn’t the only college with the flexible curriculum and intellectual atmosphere you value. It’s great that you know two important parameters for your college search, and now you can focus your energy on finding matches and safeties that have those qualities. By all means apply to Brown as a reach, but keep it in perspective and do the work now to find appropriate matches and safeties. Good luck!

7

There are other colleges with relatively open curriculum requirements for everyone and a set of others with ‘design your own major’ programs (i.e. design your own requirements) as well.

Selective schools that aren’t quite Brown’s selectivity might be URochester or Rice.
A safety/match school might be Beloit or Lawrence.

There are distribution requirements at these schools, but there are multiple, flexible ways of meeting them, and all would be good for both Poli Sci and Chem.

P.S: Math level II is not viewed as “easy by everyone” – it’s easy for those who take it, which means kids who already have top scores in regular SAT math, lots of math honors courses, etc. Subject tests have a self-selecting pool of students, and the students who choose to take Math level II are some of the strongest test takers overall.

8

Hello; thank you very much. I’ve looked into URochester, and it’s definitely on my list! I’ll look into the other schools that you mentioned. Thank you again.

My apologies for the phrasing. It does appear that Math II is viewed as “easy by everyone on [College Confidential],” but I’m aware that the people here aren’t the majority. :slight_smile: