How Does Brown Evaluate Your Application?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
1

I have a ton of questions about Brown’s overall application evaluation process. I loved Brown when I visited, but I am really uncertain about whether I have a shot at getting in or if it’s just a fantasy. If anyone can explain more about Brown’s process, that would be so helpful!

  • Does Brown look at GPA or just grades?
  • Does Brown care if it's an A- or an A / B+ or B?
  • How important is fit?
  • Does ED and showing a real interest make a difference?
2
  1. Brown looks at your GPA, your grades, your transcript, what classes you took, your rank. Everything is taken into account.
  2. I don't understand your point. Obviously there is a difference between an A and an A-. An A is higher, so Brown wants to see the higher grade.
  3. It's important.
  4. No. According to Brown's common data set (google it), Brown does not weigh interest very highly. The impact of ED is debatable. Some of the ED admits are athletic recruits and legacies, accounting for a portion of the higher acceptance rate. Some people feel ED gives you a boost; Brown says it doesn't.

Almost all of your questions have been asked and answered on this forum. I suggest you read back several pages to learn more.

3

I’ve been told that many colleges only look at A or B and discount the - or +, so I was just looking for clarification on that. Sorry to be repetitive. I’ve been looking back through it but many of the threads have a ton of pages to them and was hoping to find more synthesized info.

4

Is looking at the average GPA and SAT accepted from my school a good benchmark to see if I would be a contender? I am just really trying to gauge this because my school counselor said high target or low reach and an outside counselor said very very difficult and so I’m pretty confused and don’t want to get my hopes up.

5

“I’ve been told?” Who told you? Every college is different. Some recalculate your GPA. Others look at the whole transcript. Brown looks at the whole transcript.

If you have Naviance, then yes, that’s a good system to use to gauge your chances.

For the vast majority of students, Brown is a reach. You’d have to be a pretty special student for Brown to be considered a “high target.” By that, I mean that you’d have to have a really strong hook – like being an athletic recruit. If you go to a prep school that has sent a lot of kids to Brown in the past, then your school guidance counselor might have some insight that none of us here on College Confidential have.

Don’t get your hopes up for any highly selective school. Read through the threads where students who have been accepted/denied list their credentials, and you’ll see that many exceptionally qualified students did not get in. They were all contenders – they just didn’t make the cut. This is why you apply to a wide range of schools. It’s why I have a very conservative, risk-averse approach to college admissions – which means my definition of a safety is a school where you have a 100% chance of being accepted, and my definition of a reach is any school with an acceptance rate lower than 30%.

6

Alright. Thanks for your insight!

7

I have no affiliation with the Office of Admission and no inside information. Personal experience is just a data point or two.

So here is public information from the Brown website for your reference. A lot of these FAQs…and answers…are directly on point to your inquiries.

If you work with the drop-down tab, you can find other categories of FAQs.

After reading this public material, if questions still remain, maybe someone here can help with non-public insight.

http://www.brown.edu/admission/undergraduate/ask?faq_category=1