I want to go to brown!

Colleges & Universities A-Z Brown University
1

<p>hi! my name is mariam and im currently a sophmore just about to be done with the year. im starting to get really serious about colleges and ive done my research. out of all the schools brown is the one that has caught my eye so far.
i have a gpa of about 3.94 ( but my year isnt over yet)
the core classes i have taken:
algebra
geometry
honors algebra II
honors bio
honors chem
honors english 1 and 2
french 1 and 2
west civ
modern west civ</p>

<p>the classes i will take
ap bio
ap chem
honors anatomy and physiology
ap english (junior and senior year)
ap us history
french 3 and 4
ap government
honors analysis
ap calc
psychology </p>

<p>my leadership roles so far and in the future

  • i volunteer at special olympics every year
  • i am volunteering at motts childrens hospital throughout the summer (i live in ann arbor)
  • i hope to become a big brother or a big sister
  • starting next year im starting a community outreach club in the school targeting local charities and schools
  • i will volunteer at a doctors office
  • i hope to land a role on student government at least once
    -NHS </p>

<p>i come from a uniquely diverse background that you dont hear about too often. im pakistani and italian.</p>

<p>im taking the ACT in about a week to keep practicing. ive also taken the SAT multiple times. im apart of the john hopkins center for talented youth program and hope to do some of their programs if its possible</p>

<p>ive gone to multiple meetings about brown and despite my parents wishes (they want me to stay home ) im an adventurer, and dream about attending for many reasons

  • i want to become a doctor one day, and their pre med programs are outstanding
  • they have one of the highest percents of medical students accepted in the us
  • im really interested and attracted to the “free” curriculum they have- but i know this is something that attracts almost everyone</p>

<p>i havent visited the campus yet but i will either this summer or next and i know i will find more things to love about it</p>

<ul>
<li>please, any advice at all, any critique, would be greatly appreciated. im very ambitious and i know that with the proper guidance i can do this.
anything at all to help me out would be great! </li>
<li>mariam</li>
</ul>

2

<p>So far, you seem to be on the right track. To cover the basics, you must keep up the GPA and take challenging classes that interest you, which I see that you’re taking a lot of APs. It is obviously also important to do well on standardized tests. I also did CTY, and that may or may not have helped, I don’t know. As for ECs, you definitely have your fair share of volunteer clubs, but try to land some leadership roles in the future. It also seems as if all of your ECs are service oriented; try branching out into other clubs that are just fun or interesting. You are still young enough to find a “passion” to follow in high school. If your “passion” is medicine and biology, and you are going pre-med, I would definitely suggest volunteering at a hosiptal (which you are), and also maybe a research internship, if that interests you. Also look into Brown’s PLME program, the 8-year bachelor/medical program. I plan on doing pre-med, but not PLME. Overall, your stats are good for now, but you still have plenty of time to find your passion and pursue it. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>sorry i took forever to respond but i wanted to wait until my ACT scores came in
i got a 28 but of course plan on retaking them. thank you so much for your advice ill definitely look into the PLME program. i have another question though. as much as i love brown and want to go so badly, theres also the financial issue. i live in ann arbor so naturally the most convenient and financially sound choice would be to go to the UofM. my question is, looking at the long run for med school which school would benefit me more, and help me get into better med schools. assuming my studies, volunteer, and mcat scores are up to parr?</p>

4

<p>UofM is also a rather great school, but it is, of course, incomparable to Brown.</p>

<p>I think it’s up to you. I know many people who decided to go to a state school for college to save up tuition fees and in the end went to a top university for medical school.
If you are intelligent/well rounded enough to be accepted into a fine institution such as Brown then I swear you will have no trouble getting into one of the top/competitive medical schools in 5 years time. </p>

<p>On the other hand, I don’t think you should totally give up on your Brown dream :). I recommend applying to a large array of colleges/universities and go from there. Maybe Brown will offer you financial aid? In that case, I say: go for Brown!!</p>

<p><3</p>

5

<p>yea i think i just have to keep my options open and i do need to look into financial aid but im not sure if i will get it because my family is pretty well off compared to others. also when i do start applying to colleges, do you recommend the early application?
plus about u of m im a little worried because, while under grad im extremely important, im looking on the long run for med school and i know u of m has a trait of not accepting their undergrad students to their med school, where as if i attend brown undergrad then like u said i can go pretty much any med school i want granted i have the grades and etc. so there is just a lot to think about!
thank you so much for your input by the way!</p>

6

<p>Hi fellow Michigander</p>

7

<p>Hey hey UofM is a totally awesome school and I know fantastically intelligent people who go there! If you really like UofM, I’m sure you will be just as well-educated leaving there than you would be leaving Brown. </p>

<p>The biggest difference would likely be in the social and extracurricular realms. Also, if you are the type of student who likes a lot of discussion (as opposed to lectures), then UofM would require you to work a wee bit harder to get that discussion you want. </p>

<p>But if you like extreme diversity, variety, and options… it’d be hard to beat UofM.</p>

<p>That said, you should go to Brown. :P</p>

8

<p>You seem like your on track for Brown. Keep on applying yourself in school and just hope!</p>

9

<p>hey guys! so thanks again for all of your advice its really been coming in handy for me:)
i have another question though!
so up until now ive been focusing on ACT because its really popular here in mi. so if i have a really good ACT score do i need to take the SAT? would colleges prefer i take both or is just one good enough?
and can someone explain to me how the SAT II’s work? as you can see my high school guidance department sucks at these matters:p</p>

10

<p>Hey. So, regarding your first question, you can either submit the ACT or the SAT - it doesn’t matter. Some people tend to find the ACT easier, but others tend to prefer the SAT. With a score of 28 right now, you’re right on track! You should aim for around a 32, but anything above that would be great. As for the SAT IIs, most schools ask you to submit two (usually of your own choice), but there are some schools that ask for three. If I were you, I’d look at taking either Biology or Chemistry, US History, Math I or II, and maybe Lit? It’s your decision though :)</p>

<p>And back to one of your previous questions, if you truly are interested in Brown, you should look into EDing. Now, since Brown is need-blind, you will most likely get a good amount of FA (maybe not that much, since your family is well off, BUT if your family IS well off then you wouldn’t need much in the first place). You could also look into different scholarship programs too. Also, since it’s the summer, you should also think about prepping for the PSAT - with that ACT score and as a member of CTY, you could probably become a National Semifinalist. :)</p>

<p>Now, I think the weakest area in your application would be your ECs. They are ALL community oriented, with the exception of NHS. You don’t have any leadership roles yet either. Think about maybe starting a club next year - Future Doctors Alliance, maybe? :smiley: And DO try to land a position in student government. </p>

<p>Furthermore, your background is pretty unique. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a pakistani/italian. But that should help your chances - you’d be considered a URM. But, are you an american citizen? If not, then you’d probably be considered part of the international applicant pool - which is MUCH more competitive - you would also receive hardly any, or no, FA.</p>

<p>Now, I don’t think you should look into PLME - they have around a 4% acceptance rate. Also, why would you want to stay in the SAME place for 8 whole years? I’d rather do four years at Brown and then four years at…maybe Johns Hopkins.</p>

<p>Anyways, GOOD LUCK :)</p>

11

<p>Just for starters: capitalization and correct punctuation is kind of the norm. I’m guessing you do such normally (like in school) but it’s just a good habit to get into and it makes you look more intelligent, even to us random people on the internet that you’ll probably never meet.</p>

<p>And I’m also from Michigan! I’m a junior this year. I’m looking more into Columbia and UPenn (legacy at UPenn, it’s my back-up), but I’m also really confused about the whole ACT vs. SAT thing. I’m sure your school has done the same thing of having essays in class reflect the ACT’s essay set-up. I don’t think it really matters which you take, even though about 97% of applicants at Columbia (we can assume it’s pretty much the same at the other Ivys) take the SAT. The ACT fits into our whole Midwestern thing after all ;). (By the way- the Midwest is the most underrepresented area in the world at the Ivys… we have a definite advantage!)</p>

<p>Your background’s an advantage too… Middle-Eastern/European is pretty unique. I’m Jewish- definitely not a minority at Columbia haha </p>

<p>And the SAT IIs are just subject tests. I recommend you start taking them ASAP. They’re fairly easy (and way cheaper than the AP tests) but you need about two or three of them. I’ve taken one so far (US History: 740- not bad, but I’m a little disappointed). Take them as a practice before your AP tests in the corresponding subjects. </p>

<p>I have to agree with JoshByron that your extracurriculars are a little low. You really need to strengthen them. You have a good amount of volunteer work, but join some clubs (especially science-related ones), get a leadership position in them, and, if there aren’t any around, make some clubs! The one that you’re making next year looks good.</p>

<p>Something that looks AMAZING on hopeful pre-med applications is that you did research. Apparently, if you have a nearby university around (which, as an Ann Arbor person, you obviously do haha), you can volunteer to help them research whatever the heck they’re doing. This sounds like a stretch, but just call up U of M and see if you can help. They’re probably used to it and can find you a position (looks extra-amazing if you helped out the super-prestigious U of M med school).</p>

<p>Otherwise, you’re on the right path. I wrote a “chance me” sorta post yesterday, so you can check out what I’m doing if you wish :)</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/columbia-university/968788-chance-me-hs-class-2012-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/columbia-university/968788-chance-me-hs-class-2012-a.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>hey everybody! “just for starters” its easier to type in all lowercase especially when im tying to get my thoughts across, also i really dont care too much of what “random ppl on the internet” think of me personally. my intellegence can be based on my academics and interests that i listed in my first post…
anyways! so all of your input has really helped me , especially Joshbyron! i never really thought too much about the PLME in terms of being in 1 place 8 years! i mean, besides getting bored of one place for too long, i have to think about my family and the fact that being so far away from them for 8 years is a bit much. I am also going to be studying up for the PSAT later this month so i can have a better chance at becomming a national semifinalist. i am a u.s citezen which seems to help me out in the long run! also, the club for next year isnt going as i planned. i go to a very strict catholic school and my counselors honestly dont pay attention to the outlines ive given them and so forth, so i guess ill try and find another way to pursue my interests! back to the SAT II’s, im surprised schools dont put more emphasis on them! not one counselor or teacher at my school has even mentioned them! now they have got me a bit nervous, but ill take them before my AP tests like you guys recommended. also you may be pleased to here that during this week and all of next week im partcipating in an internship at Domino’s Pizza! i think by me doing a business internship it shows that i have real diversity and want to explore everything, im also having a lot of fun doing it! next summer hopefully i can grab a research program in the medical field.
ive been researching since last summer about all of this stuff but its always a matter of my parents not wanting to send me away so far yet haha! which do you think i should seriously consider, godwilling i get in- ive looked at vanderbilt, cornell, harvard, u of m, unniversity of chicago, and northwestern just to name a few! but i guess it would be most beneficial for me ( in the sense that it can show me around campus) to do something at brown!
have any of you ever participated in the summer school programs at any of these or anywhere else? if so, how were they? ive heard from so many people that its really a summer to remember, but would it be more beneficial to do a summer school program, or do a research internship? perhaps i can do a research intrnship and maybe take a summer CTY online class? or even a class at a local community college?
and as for my extracirriculars, i know they are rather dull haha but my school offers such limited clubs and im not one to join just so it looks good on an application, i have to be truly interested. and because they arent being responsive or helpful at all to me while im trying to help the school branch out and start my own club, then ive truly hit a wall! any suggestions!
ive given an application in to Women For Change, its an organization that i learned about through a girl at school and it caught my eye because its all about women empowering themselves, learning how to make descisions, while helping those more unfortunate right in our back yard. but of course no one ever gets back to me.
i know that was a whole bunch of questions but get back to me as soon as you can, you guys help me out so much!!</p>

13

<p>just thought of another question!
now when i am actually applying to these schools. would you recommend me applying early decision to Brown and apply normal for the few other schools i plan on applying to, or would it be better to apply early action to all of them? is that even possible to apply early action to more then one school because i know that once you submit an early decision application then you can only mail in regular deadline applications
thanks!</p>

14

<p>The question is… if you apply ED to Brown and get it, are you fully excited to enroll? You HAVE to attend it you get in. If you really like Brown that much, ED would be an excellent choice.</p>

<p>Otherwise, you will have many more options applying EA to a handful of other schools.</p>