Future Brown University Applicant

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
1

<p>I’m a Junior, applying next year. Just wanted to seek criticism on my profile so far. I don’t get much guidance, and anything is appreciated. I’m also applying to their Dual Degree Program with RISD.</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (first time taking): 690M 600CR 630W Total: 1920
GPA: 97.7
Rank: 38/700
AP: World History 4
Junior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB Dual Credit, AP Physics B, AP U.S. History Dual Credit, AP English Lang, French 3 Honors, Independent Study Mentorship (Concentration on Art Education), Band
Senior Year Course Load: AP Art 4, AP Art History, AP French 4, AP Chem, AP English Lit, AP Govt & Eco, Band</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Marching Band (Secretary, Clarinet Section Leader, All District Band 16/98 Clarinet)
Art/Art Club/Art Honor Society (President, State Visual Arts Scholastic Event, 2nd Place National Congressional Art Contest, Art Student of the Year (10th Grade), Created Lesson Plan and taught Art 1 class for Independent Study Mentorship Product)
Spanish Club (Vice President, President next year)
Class Officer (Secretary)
NHS (Treasurer)
French Honor Society (President next year)
Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum MOSAIC Art Program (Selective Studio Art Program, Assistant Mural Artist (Full time job over the Summer), +200 Community Service hours)</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:
Contracted Assistant Mural Artist for Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum
Sea World Caricature and Portrait Artist</p>

<p>State:Texas
School Type: public (with competitive magnet school that is ranked with our school)
Ethnicity: Hispanic (Mexican)
Gender: Male
Economic Bracket: ~$20000
Hooks: Minority, First Generation, Parents are Immigrants with Primary school Education, Fluent in Spanish</p>

<p>Would love some advice. :)</p>

2

<p>Have you considered applying through questbridge.org? Consider it. It’s a great pgm for lower income applicants</p>

3

<p>I actually am a Questbridge scholar. I got the telementoring nomination and am waiting on that. Could you tell me some more about applying to colleges through Questbridge? I don’t know that much about it.</p>

4

<p>Your work at Blue Star and Sea World seem really interesting. I’d like to know more, so use your application to talk about those experiences. </p>

<p>Your grades and course load look good. Your rank seems a little low, but if this is a magnet school that is competitive, then it might be OK. It’s unclear how schools will look at your SATs – since you are first generation and come from a Spanish-speaking home, expectations are very different for you than for an affluent kid from a wealthy suburb. But I recommend working to improve them – especially the CR and writing. Start reading the New York Times every day and look up words you don’t know. </p>

<p>I don’t know about Questbridge, but I’m sure there’s plenty of info out there about it. </p>

5

<p>It seems you applied for the Jr year college prep program. For college application season you will want to apply to be a Finalist for your senior year. Applications will open this summer. It is like an extended application where you get to tell more about yourself and your background. Colleges you apply to will see that application and some, like Tufts, will not make you do a regular app, but most will. If you are a Finalist you get a nice award to place on your application. You can choose to Match or just apply regular like everyone else and you get to send your QB application too. If you choose to try to Match it is binding for Brown, and all but 4 colleges. So you want to think about it. You can’t do the Dual Degree with RISD through Match (but I don’t know if you matched to Brown if you could try.) If you are not matched, you apply RD where you like.</p>

<p>For more information, visit the QB forum, it is located under the Financial Aid forum.</p>

6

<p>Thank you everyone! I value all of your criticism. I am working on getting better SAT scores, Critical Reading has always been my worst. >_< I am not actually part of the competitive magnet school, but they are ranked with my school because they are kind of like a “school within a school” type of thing. I was thinking Questbridge match might be a problem with applying to the Dual Degree, but I’ll probably still try to do it anyway.</p>

<p>I am actually going to probably put a lot of my experiences in art on my application. Hopefully that sets me apart from other people.</p>

<p>Also, if anyone has info on the Dual Degree program and its admissions, that would be awesome if you can share.</p>

7

<p>There isn’t a lot of information about the Dual program other than what is on the college websites. You have to be admitted to each college separately, which is hard itself, then the dual applications are reviewed. Only a tiny amount are admitted. I don’t know how financial aid works for it.</p>

8

<p>Search this site for more info on the dual degree program. I know I’ve answered questions about it in the past. </p>

<p>What I know about admissions is that they like someone who has clearly thought through how they want to combine the Brown and RISD education. You have to make a compelling case for how you will mesh the two. For example: Studying illustration at RISD and literary arts at Brown because you want to write and illustrate children’s books. It has to be more than: I like to draw so I’m applying to RISD and I’m good at English so I’m applying to Brown. </p>

<p>And realize that if you do the combined program, you will lose some of the advantages of the Brown open curriculum. To satisfy requirements for both takes up a lot of course time – there are much fewer opportunities to take classes unrelated to your concentration/major.</p>

9

<p>What do you think your Brown major would be? If not STEM, taking the AP calc, physics, chem shows some industry, which is good. Try to get at least 4s on the upcoming AP tests. </p>

<p>Agree you also have to have a clear idea why you want RISD, that it has to be more than liking to draw, considering the number of accomplished artists who apply there. The Brown supp will ask why you are interested in the dual- since effective “critical thinking” is an important component of the Brown app, your answers can affect how they respond overall.</p>

<p>The dual program is small and very competitive. Each school wants to be assured you will make the most of their own opportunities. I also believe the dual is always 5 years. If you don’t do the dual, you can still take some RISD courses- or art classes at Brown. </p>

<p>Do you have non-art related community service? And, think hard about your most effective LoRs. </p>

10

<p>Thanks so much for the responses. I have heard they want people clear on what they want to do. This is one thing I am really contemplating on though. But I’ve made up two routes I can go down.</p>

<p>With my art education background, I could major in education or developmental studies at Brown and Painting at RISD. I would really like to go into art teaching either in schools, universities, or even non profit public art organizations.</p>

<p>Or I could major in Astronomy in Brown and Industrial Design in RISD. They both seem like awesome programs and would give me more opportunity to explore the Astronomy and practical design fields. I feel like this path would set me up for a more substantial career, but I don’t know how convincing I sound when I have had limited experience in the astronomy field.</p>

<p>What do you guys think? I’m really debating which one I should go with on my application.</p>

<p>If I do go with the latter, though, do you suggest I take physics c instead of chem or art history? Theres a chance art history might not be a class next year, and I’m thinking of taking physics c as a replacement.</p>

11

<p>I don’t have much non-art related community service, do you think that’s a bad thing? And I’m probably going to get a rec from my physics or calc teacher. Do you think I should give an art rec? I have, like, 3 people who would give me very good recs, but I don’t really want to push it with sending 2 art recs. What do you think I should do about this?</p>

12

<p>I would highly recommend applying through Questbridge. I applied ED and was accepted this year but even though they claim a $0 parental contribution for those below the 60k mark there are many hidden costs.</p>

<p>For example, there is a summer earnings expectation ($2,600) and health insurance ($3,200). Both of which are very hard to cover without outside scholarships. I apologize for digressing from the topic but I would have loved to have known this information before I decided against Questbridge.</p>

<p>You bring a very unique perspective to Brown and your SAT’s/GPA seem competitive enough. However, I would recommend that you try and increase your class rank and CR SAT before anything else. </p>

<p>Again, sorry for going off topic!</p>

13

<p>It’s not just the limited experience in astronomy, but are you aware that’s a tough major? And then to combine that with ID may not be practical, in terms of making course selections. You can try to see what each major entails and requires, look at the course catalogs, get an idea of the sequences and when classes are held. (And check RISD’s first year requirements. This offers an older look: <a href=“Arts & Academe: Art Dual-Degree Programs Entail Trade-Offs for Students”>http://chronicle.com/blogs/arts/art-dual-degree-programs-entail-tradeoffs-for-students/27648&lt;/a&gt;. Look also for how many kids were most recently admitted, for a sense of the competitiveness.) You can also contact RISD with some of your questions. Only you know what your true strengths and interests are, what you are truly prepared for. </p>

<p>In general, lots of kids enter college with some idea what they may major in, then hit the “buffet” of class choices and find new avenues of interest. At a single U, (especially Brown, with its flexibility,) that’s fine. In a dual program, especially with two time consuming majors, you could be locking yourself in, have less freedom to explore. </p>

<p>Otoh, an education major sounds reasonable. But you have to decide what’s really important here- and what’s reasonable to accomplish. You can go to Brown and take some RISD classes. </p>

<p>Your rank is almost top 5%- so if you have a 97.7, are you ranked with the magnet kids? And are your grades in your toughest core classes A’s? </p>

14

<p>If a student has to purchase health insurance that will be a cost not covered at any college. I have seen so far except the UC system. It is really high at Brown, unfortunately.</p>

15

<p>I still don’t really know the compatibleness of applying through Questrbridge and also applying to the dual degree program. Is if possible to apply to the dual degree through Questbridge?</p>

<p>As for my majors, I feel like I am pretty set in wanting to major in Astronomy and Industrial Design. I only don’t know if it’s the best route to talk about in my application if I want to sound convincing and experiences, but, if I do choose to speak honestly, going this way is really what I want to do and I don’t see myself changing my mind.</p>

<p>I honestly feel like I would be ready for difficult the natural sciences and math classes for astronomy. Coming from a school where 90% of people taking the calculus and physics b exam get a score of 1, I actually self studied for both courses and feel confident enough to say I got a 5 on Calc and 4 on Physics. I had a straight A in Physics and 99 in Calc the whole year. Course difficulty I feel is something I would need to deal with and see for myself, really. And I’ve always had to struggle with balancing that with art, especially this year when I couldn’t take it as a class. But I worked on my paintings at home and was able to go to State for Visual Arts Scholastic Event, an endeavor I’ve attempted since freshman year.</p>

<p>As for my rank, if I were to be rank in my school alone, I’d probably be at least in the top 15. The rank of 38 is counting with our magnet school which is ranked in the top 20 high schools in the U.S. I just don’t go there because they require for you to take a mandatory Communications class and Spanish (which I take French). I felt like I would rather take my art, band and french classes.</p>

16

<p>The real question is whether adcoms see you as ready. And that means ready for their particularly competitive environment, with peers who have high levels of prep. You have to look at this through a different lens. Not just that you did better than hs peers, but whether you can be successful among others at that college, taken from a pool that is fiercely competitive. A lot of kids apply to most-competitive colleges based on their interests/desires and their own belief they can manage. In short, that’s not enough. Many other applicants will have outside STEM experiences or higher level DE. You’re talking about a tough major and combining it with another demanding one, at another college. What happens if you spend freshman year in Foundation at RISD, while other peers are in their first year of STEM at Brown?</p>

<p>You sound smart- but you need to think strategically about admissions. Not just what sounds great and may be a leg up in the future. First, you need to get admitted. We can’t tell you your chances of an admit to Brown- but we can say it’s reasonable to apply. But you have to make this application make sense. </p>

17

<p>And this is right on Brown’s web site:
"Can I be admitted to the Brown/Rhode Island School of Design 5-Year Degree Program as part of the Match program?</p>

<p>No. The admission review for this Program will occur after the conclusion of the Match process. In mid-March of the application year, the Dual Degree Admission Committee will convene to discuss the applications of any Regular Decision applicants to the Program, and the applications of any Early Decision applicants who have been admitted or deferred. Final decisions will be mailed in late March or early April, immediately following the Regular Decision mailing date.</p>

<p>Both Questbridge finalists (scholars) and non-finalist who apply in Brown’s Regular or Early Decision cycles using the Common Application can choose to apply the 5-year degree program by completing the appropriate section of Brown’s Supplement to The Common Application.</p>

<p>If you have admission-specific questions, please email us at <a href=“mailto:questbridge@brown.edu”>questbridge@brown.edu</a>"</p>

18

<p>38/700 is top 5%</p>

19

<p>

</p>

<p>If you are in the Brown/RISD program, you WILL be spending the first year in Foundation at RISD. You don’t take Brown classes until your second year, which is essentially your freshman year at Brown.</p>

<p>musicpaint: You came here for guidance, and I’m going to give it to you. I strongly suggest that you think really really hard about the Brown/RISD program. Quite honestly, it’s not for everyone, and your chances of getting in are minuscule (and that’s for everyone, not just you). To give up the guidance and support you would get from Questbridge just to apply to this joint program could be a very very bad decision. </p>

<p>If you go to Brown, you can major in visual arts. You can take RISD classes. Visual arts is a very strong program at Brown.</p>

<p>You are going to need some significant financial aid. Even if Brown gives you everything you need, RISD is not as generous, and you still need to pay some money out of pocket. This program is 5 years, so that’s another year of expenses, another year of financial strain on you and your family.</p>

<p>To do the joint program just to become an art teacher – not a move I’d recommend. The astronomy/industrial design is not well thought out. </p>

<p>The reason so few people get into the Brown/RISD program is that it really isn’t for everyone. You have one foot in one school and the other in another school. The students you bond with at RISD your first year graduate when you still have a year to go. Your freshman year experience at Brown is diluted because you’re spending so much time at RISD. You are coming from an immigrant family, miles away from Rhode Island – you will have adjustment issues. Being in this program will just add more stress into an already stressful situation.</p>

<p>And, as I already said, you most likely won’t be able to take advantage of the Brown open curriculum because of all the course requirements you’ll have. The workload at RISD is really intense, and the time you will have to spend in studio will take you away from the Brown campus. </p>

<p>I realize you have a dream, and that’s really hard to give up. I would call Questbridge and do lots of research to really understand how the program works and exactly what you would be giving up if you decide to go for the very very very small chance of getting into this joint program. </p>

20

<p>Your responses are great. I’ll be thinking about what you all have said so far, and I’ll do some more research on Questbridge’s match program. I will try to come to a compromise over what I should do. But thank you for your advice, I really don’t get that much since not many people are experienced with Ivy League schools here.</p>

<p>Keep in mind these won’t be the only schools I plan to apply to. I want to still give applying to this program a shot, but I’ll try seeing what the match program offers. I do appreciate all of the comments. If you have any more suggestions, let me know. Thank you.</p>