<p>I’ve been cruising various school websites and the sub-forum boards here and I have found what I’ve been looking for for the past four years: Brown University! After researching I’ve decided I want to major in International Relations - I’ve never been able to decide on a major before. Brown is exactly the kind of college I want, but I’m afraid my stats are sub par.</p>
<p>Female/Caucasian/TN
GPA: UW 3.83/W 4.17 (upward trend)
Rank: Top 10% (at least - actual rank doesn’t come out for another month) out of 430-ish students
Taking 5/9 APs offered and the (almost) most rigorous course load offered (JROTC takes up too much space)
ACT: 29 (retaking)
English 32/Math 23/Reading 30/Science 30
PSAT: 183 (haven’t taken SAT yet - my practice tests all score me in the 700s for each section)</p>
<p>Senior Schedule:
AP Calculus
AP English Literature
AP Macro Economics
Spanish 3 (honors grade)
JROTC</p>
<p>APs:
AP Biology (2)
AP English Language (3)</p>
<p>ECs:
MCJROTC (9,10,11,12)
Company A Commanding Officer, in charge of all upper classmen
Drill Team (HUGE time commitment, have won several awards at Nationals in the past three years)
Youth in Government (10,11,12)
Spanish Club (10,11,12)
Relay for Life (10,12)
Co-Captain 12 - am I allowed to put that on applications even if it hasn’t happened yet?
Golf (11)
Junior Achievement (11, 12)</p>
<p>Community Service: 100 hours by the end of senior year; I know it’s not spectacular
Work: PetSmart (grooming salon), usually 20+ hours/week</p>
<p>I don’t know if my school is competitive or not. If anyone could tell me how to tell that’d be great - mind you, the guidance department is dreadful - but in past years the majority of students have all stayed in state, although my class is highly competitive within each other. Last year’s Valedictorian is going to Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>As for my low AP scores I didn’t realize how much colleges actually looked at them. Everyone at my school thought they were a joke and several students left during the middle of the tests. I’m definitely retaking the ACT as I hadn’t had a chance to study math at all and hadn’t taken geometry since freshman year (my trig class was a joke). I’m taking the SAT in September and I know I’ll do much better than my PSAT score because I didn’t try at that either. Obviously the attitude at my school is very uncaring for standardized tests.</p>
<p>You can, but as big of a time commitment as ROTC is, it just adds to that. I say find a school that offers ROTC if it's something you want to continue.</p>
<p>I got that ROTC thing in the mail today. I thought it was funny it said 200 Brown students have graduated in the past 50+ years like that was a lot.</p>
<p>You could say that. It's way too much drama, and I really don't want to go into the military. Not that I'm not glad I didn't join, but it just isn't a career choice for me.</p>
<p>But the truth is, no one knows anything about your chances. There are 1800 million variables, and hte best we can really tell you is about 13-14 percent of students who apply get in, good luck.</p>
<p>lol I got the letter too renix, and ripped it up.</p>
<p>Check it out. 200 participants in 50 years, which is 4 a year. Take the percentage of that from the average Brown class size (1450) and you get .27% or .0003 of a class involved in ROTC.</p>
<p>I'm sure the low numbers can be partly attributed to the fact that Brown itself doesn't have ROTC. ROTC people have to trek to PC to do their already very early morning drills and such, which must be a drag. You also have to take military history and such classes when you are a member of ROTC (I had a lot of NROTC friends down at Tulane) which I am assuming only PC offers. That's more treking. </p>
<p>Also, people who have ROTC in mind before they get to college, or are really gung ho about it and want a big ROTC community, probably don't consider Brown as much as they would a school that has ROTC. </p>
<p>Another thing, a big thing, and why many people do ROTC, is that you can get very substantial scholarships. Perhaps you can't get them while going to Brown. I could be wrong. </p>
<p>I personally enjoy the fact that Brown doesn't have ROTC. I am not a big military supporter, and I'm glad that my school isn't either. Many people woud probably disagree with both my opinion and my reasoning...but yeah, that's how I feel. </p>
<p>When I was at Tulane, a group I was in was going to do a "protest" of ROTC by doing "Jumping Jacks for Peace" while ROTC was doing their morning drills. We wer going to wear rainbow colors and have sparkly batons and yell "SIR, I LOVE PEACE, SIR" :)</p>
<p>Well Claysoul, I love peace as much as any of the old hippies of the summer of 69, but... we do need armed forces and we do need the military...It is a very nasty world out there and you my friend, are not very well received in many places just because of the fact that you were born in America....( in case u were )</p>
<p>Let's not making it unpleasant, with circus like demonstrations, for those who feel the need or the desire to do what neither of us is capable of doing.</p>
<p>I just included that anicdote because I thought it was funny. I don't even know if it ever happened...</p>
<p>Of course we need a military, but the way we choose to use it in this country is so, so very wrong (imho), and frankly, contributes to Americans not being well recieved by other countries. This is by no means an excuse for other countries' behavior, but you have to be realistic in looking at what causes people to think the way they do, and our over zealous will-of-the-world defying military is part of it. </p>
<p>I don't support the military as it operates today. That doesn't mean that I don't support having a well-executed and properly funded military in theory.</p>
<p>See, your wording should actually read, "I don't support who is controlling and commanding the military today." You can support the troops who volunteer to protect and serve, without supporting the actual cause they are fighting at the moment (or who put them there).</p>
<p>Nope. We're digging deep and applying our school's lack of ROTC to a students's personal views towards the military-----a typical Brown conversation. Brunonians simply cannot fathom the thought of complacency when their is a chance to express their views. </p>
<p>Call it what you might, this strayed far away from the poster's initial concern of chances evaluation. If you want to continue to express your view toward the military, be my guest. I was just pointing out how lost this became.</p>
<p>You need higher standardized test scores than what you have received so far and your essays need to be stellar because your GPA isn't perfect and your AP scores don't reflect well on your academic performance.</p>
<p>Remember Brown has a HUGE diversity goal right now. 41% admitted were minorities, 10% international (ivysuccess.com), now figure in the legacies, and the national merit scholars, athletes, etc. And finally you should know that there are more males applying than females and the admission counselors are striving to keep the class 50/50. </p>
<p>I don't write these things to discourage you, but to encourage you to set yourself apart with high test scores, great recs, and mind blowing essays. You can do it!</p>
<p>Oh, and though Brown may be a decent place to study foreign policy, it is certainly not the top program.</p>
<p>Here is the most recent rankings from Foreign Policy Magazine:</p>
<p>School
1. Harvard University
2. Princeton University
3. Stanford University
4. Georgetown University
5. Columbia University
6. Yale University
7. University of Chicago
8. University of California, Berkeley
9. Dartmouth College
10. George Washington University
11. American University
12. University of Michigan
13. Tufts University
14. Swarthmore College
15. University of California, San Diego
16. Cornell University
17. Brown University
18. Williams College
19. Duke University
20. Johns Hopkins University</p>