<p>so im in the process of forming my list for colleges right now and I’ve taken a serious look at Brandeis (i’ve been to the campus twice, done the little group tour) and i am really considering this as my top choice. The thing is that I’m not sure what my chances are and if i should go ED or not. so i’ll just follow the format and see what you guys think.</p>
<p>sat- 2300, 800 math, 750 cr, 750 writing w/ 10 essay
sat2- god what an awful experience, but i have a combined 2350- 800 lit, 800 math2, 750 bio </p>
<p>ap’s- 3 taking, should be all 5’s
gpa- 3.6ish without the weighted stuff, steady increase from freshman year, like a 3.8ish this year</p>
<p>clubs and miscellaneous stuff- about 650 hours of community service from 3 organizations
started a business sophomore year, about 10-15 hours/week- it probably did teach me the most out of all my ec’s but it’s pretty blah so i won’t go into details on this</p>
<p>recommendations- ehhh… i guess good, 1 really knows me, 1 sort of knows me</p>
<p>essays- should be good. i ran my ideas by english teacher, she seemed to like them.</p>
<p>so im pretty much felling dejected after writing that. lemme know what you guys think, thanks in advance.</p>
<p>***Sorry for the lack of grammar/organized thought.</p>
<p>Calm down, take a deep breath.
Everything will be fine…</p>
<p>Now here are the facts:
Based on the bit of info you’ve given me, it sounds like you’d be an excellent candidate.
To answer your other question about ED, here’s the answer:
If it’s really your top choice school, you should apply ED. It always helps, for two reasons:
It shows the school your really interested. Yes you can <em>say</em> this all you want, but nothing proves it like an ED application.
You’re competing for more spots. When you apply RD some spots have already been filled by ED applicants and recruited athletes. When you apply ED, the field is wide open.</p>
<p>Also, make sure you have an interview and do a good job. Come prepared to discuss why in particular you want to go to Brandeis, etc.</p>
<p>Why would you think your stats don’t measure up? Looks pretty dang good to me.</p>
<p>Let me give you a bit of advice to get you through the next two years: Stop looking at everyone’s stats on College Confidential. People lie, people like to make you nuts and they are hardly representative of everyone applying. Take everything said here with a grain of salt.</p>
<p>Jeff,
I think you have a decent chance, but strongly recommend that you take the most challenging schedule that you can your senior year. Taking only 3 AP classes throughout your high school career is a little bit light. Also, definitely interview. Even if you live a significant distance from Brandeis you can request an interview with an admission rep if one is planning on going to your area, or they can find an alumn to interview you. Finally, get your teachers and parents to review your essays before submission. My daughter did that and I think it helped quite a bit.</p>
<p>8805card- I’m taking three AP’s this year and three next year. For some reason, I like interviewing so that shouldn’t be a problem. Also, thanks for the essay tips. </p>
<p>catperson247/SDoncc/deisman- Thanks for the support. I’m not sure if I want to use my ED on this school yet, but your comments have calmed me down quite a bit.</p>
<p>Buddy75- Yeah, I kind of figured that. If people inflate their sat scores by 150-200 points in real life, I’m sure that they go up by 300+ points on here. I’m sure some people are honest, but I’ve seen way to many 2300+'s on here for all of them to be valid.</p>
<p>oh, with those grades i’d say you’re in for sure, if it is your top choice and you choose ED. not sure about RD because i wasn’t in that pool. but everything you got looks better than what i had and i got in.</p>
<p>i have confidence.</p>
<p>everyone on this site stresses out a littttttle too much i believe</p>
<p>jeffycamden, someone else may be better able to speak to this, but I think with your stats and demonstrated interest, Brandeis may offer you a non-binding, expedited application. my D is currently a first-year with similar stats, but Brandeis was not on her radar early enough in her search (at least I’m assuming that’s why she didn’t get the expedited application offer, as she did get similar offers from other schools.)</p>
<p>if brandeis is your top, or one of your top choices, be sure to try to schedule an interview – either on campus or with an alumni rep – it gives you a chance to let them know just why you love brandeis and why you’d be an asset to their campus community.</p>
<p>from everything i’ve heard, they take demonstrated interest very seriously – interviewing can be a great way to demonstrate that interest.</p>
<p>Unlike many other schools, that state interviewing is offered but not part of the decision process, Brandeis states that it could be part of the decision process:</p>
<p>My son did a campus visit, but no interview. He was accepted, and now he’s deciding whether to attend. I wish we had interviewed for other reasons. If you can do so, schedule an interview.</p>
<p>Brandeis was my s first choice, but we didnt want to commit until we saw other offers, so he didnt go ED. He also didn’t interview. He got in and got a Presidential Scholarship. I dont think any one thing makes the difference.</p>
<p>Jeff,
My current AP Enviro techer went there (recent graduate like class of 2007) and her stats were no where near yours, and she was an exceptional student when she attended. We talk about this all the time. I do believe you stand a great chance of being admitted for either decision set. I would say best of luck, but I don’t think you really need that much.</p>
<p>Jeff,
First of all, take a deep breath. With your SAT score and demonstrated interest, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got the expdited application. I have a feeling they really like people who show interest. I mean, I was half an hour late to my interview (traffic / weather issues) but had a pretty good interview otherwise, and showed some other avenues of interest and was admitted. My grades are near yours, and your SAT score is definately much higher than mine, plus your EC’s are much more involved than mine were. I’d say you’ve got a good chance, even with RD. Then again, this is college admissions we’re talking about, so who knows?</p>
<p>If it’s your top school, consider applying ED just in case, unless there are financial issues or something… </p>
<p>Good luck ! (Not that you need it) </p>
<p>It’s a great school; if I hadn’t changed my mind on what field I wanted to go into, I’d totally be going here next year.</p>
<p>OK so I was admitted to 2014 and I’m going to say that you’re a stronger candidate than I am. So you’ll do fine.</p>
<p>Your SATs>mine (640/640/650)
SAT 2s>mine–I didn’t take them
Work Experience>mine–I didn’t have any
Community service>mine–I didn’t have any
Extracurriculars-hard to say you’d have to be a bit more specific, I might take this one. Varsity track and xc. Academic team/quiz bowl top scorer for our team this year.
APs–If you were to take a few more to put yourself in say 5 or 6 AP classes total we’d be about even. My recommendation is take harder classes even if your grades aren’t as good but I’d seek a second opinion on that from someone who knows you. My only AP test after Jr year I failed.
Transcript–Hard to say. My GPAs a bit higher, not much. I’m just pushing a 4.0 (I need like a hundredth of a point or some silly thing). In class difficulty, half my classes have been honors or AP. Idk what youre like there but I think that’s a major reason why I got in, no way for me to know though. I think schools like to see harder classes than As.
I had no interview but I toured the campus. </p>
<p>Overall I’d say stop freaking out. You’re definitely overly qualified. You’ve done way more than me and I was admitted.</p>