My dog wants YOU to chance me for Brown

Colleges & Universities A-Z Brown University
1

<p>Please help. My nerves are going to implode. Yes.</p>

<p>Please chance me for Brown 2014!! :)</p>

<p>Academic</p>

<p>[ul]
[<em>]Rank: 25/435 (top 6%)
[/ul]

  • [</em>]“Cumulative GPA”: 3.833
    This is the GPA that LAUSD reports. It’s a mix between unweighted and weighted. This includes 9th grade through first quarter of 12th grade. It will go up to about 3.9 when my second quarter is completed.</p>

    <p>I have had straight As since the summer after 10th grade, with the exception of one B this quarter in AP Calculus. My 10th grade was a difficult year so I had a couple of Cs and Bs. We didn’t have a place to sleep etc (see essay info below).
    [/ul]</p>

    <p>[ul]
    [li]SAT:[/li]Take 1: 740M, 670CR, 670W (10 essay)
    Take 2: 730M, 690CR, 680W (9 essay)
    Super-score = 2110
    [/ul]</p>

    <p>[ul]
    [li]Subject Tests:[/li]French 800
    Math IIC 750
    Math IC 750
    US History 730
    [/ul]</p>

    <p>[ul]
    [li]AP Tests:[/li]AP Euro: 3
    AP US: 4
    AP Psych: 5
    AP French: 5
    [/ul]</p>

    <p>[ul]
    [li]Senior year course load:[/li]AP Macroeconomics (A)
    AP Government (A)
    AP English Literature (A)
    AP Calculus BC (B)
    AP Physics B (A)</p>

    <p>I am taking the most rigorous course-load in my class. Total APs taken by graduation: 9
    [/ul]</p>

    <p>Background info on me</p>

    <p>[ul]
    [<em>]White caucasian male
  • [</em>]Income: $20K/year. No real assets
    [<em>]First-generation college graduate hopeful. Single mother household. Mom is widow.
    [</em>]European and Middle-Eastern background. Fluent in French and dual citizenship.
  • [<em>]Permanent address is still in UT since my mom still lives there, but I’m currently/temporarily living back in Los Angeles with Grandma. My permanent address on applications is in UT, while my temporary address is the one in CA.

[ul]
Descriptions of my high schools:
[</em>]I spent 9th and 10th grade commuting to a very reputable upscale public high school.
[<em>]I spent 11th grade in Utah.
[</em>]New 12th grade High school is very urban and predominantly hispanic (9% are caucasian). AP classes are offered but most kids end up at CC or no college at all. In the school there is only one classroom of about 30 for Calculus.
[/ul]</p>

<p>EC Activities and Leadership</p>

<p>[ul]
[<em>]Cross Country (3 years) “MVP”, Varsity
[</em>]Track (4 years) 1600m, 800m, long jump; “Most Improved”, Varsity
[<em>]French club (3 years) (President, Treasurer) Organized events; in charge of coordinating dates, finances, trips…
[</em>]Service Club (2 years) We raised over $15,000 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. Also was the “Respect Campaign Organizer”, raised awareness for drunk driving, raised funds for leukemia, held raffles, assemblies, invited guest speakers.
[<em>]Debate Team / JSA (2 years) Oratory speeches; head defense attorney for Mock Trial.
[</em>]FBLA club (1 year) 3rd Place in State competitions
[li]Church youth leader (5 years) Organized camping events, movie nights, service opportunities…[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Awards and Honors</p>

<p>[ul]
[<em>]Questbridge Finalist
[</em>]Questbridge CollegePrep Award Recipient
[<em>]Cross Country: “MVP”
[</em>]Track: “Most Improved”
[<em>]3rd place in FBLA State competitions (UT). Team event: “Business Decision Making”
[</em>]High School Academic Letter I; and consistent Honor Roll.
[<em>]AP Scholar with Honor
[</em>]Nominated by high school teacher for “Keys to Success”
[/ul]</p>

<p>Work Experience</p>

<p>[ul]
[<em>]Educated an autistic boy for a family (1 year) I educated a 9 year old autistic child, Spencer during all of 10th grade on my own time twice a week. I taught him how to speak correctly, write, think and express himself.
[</em>]Organized neighborhood project. (2 months) During the summer after 11th grade, I scanned over 2000 old 35mm picture slides to CDs for people in my neighborhood.
[li]Designed, created, and maintain the e-commerce website located at earthcrossroads.com.[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Essay and subjective matter</p>

<p>I talk a little bit about my first “business” selling wasted chestnuts in France when I was a small kid and relate that to helping the autistic child that I taught to reach his potential.</p>

<p>I mention my experiences tutoring that autistic child during 10th grade. I juxtapose this with how my father helped an autistic child when he was a teenager, but how I didn’t know about this until afterwards. I compare the autistic child’s obsession with a train set to my obsessions of helping him.</p>

<p>During 10th grade I slept in family friends’ houses, and in our car with the family for a couple of times. 11th grade was stable. Then during the beginning of my senior year, we spent 3 weeks with no running water. We sustained ourselves by filling containers with the neighbors’ hose water, and used that to shower etc.</p>

<p>I briefly mention that my dad took his life in college before my mom knew she was pregnant with me… and it connects to the other stuff and how I am taking my life forward etc etc… (My essay is extremely optimistic and I don’t dwell on negative things at all. It’s not a sob story.)</p>

<p>My counselor and my two teachers wrote very good recommendation letters.</p>

<p>----> I can chance you back if you put a link. Thanks! <----</p>

2

<p>You have a very unique story and pretty good stats. I’d say you have a good chance, assuming your essay was as great as it seems, and the supplement was good. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>wow you have a very interesting story. i wish you the best of luckyou have overcame alot of adversity. i hope the admissions people recognize this. Good luck!
your sats are good and ecs good as well. i think you have a shot, but idk about the questbridge thing. i know they already took 10 applicants from questbridge.</p>

4

<p>I think your story will go a long way to make up for your good-but-not-great stats. I had below average stats (much higher SAT than you, but much lower GPA), but I also had a “story” explaining why my stats were low (involving severe eyesight problems and ultimately cornea transplant surgery), and I was accepted ED. So hopefully, like me, your story will resonate with the counselors and they will appreciate the hard work you put in despite your difficult circumstances, and be willing to look past raw numbers.</p>

5

<p>thanks everyone for the replies! oh and jackpot, congrats on the ED acceptance!</p>

6

<p>Wow. My D refused to write an essay that spoke to the many reasons why her GPA took a tumble one semester, AND her other struggles. She felt it was whining. I tried to convince her there was a way to tell/explain…without sounding like one is whining. Otherwise, they’ll never know what happened. </p>

<p>YOU sound like you definitely found a way to do that. Good job. Hope you get in.</p>

7

<p>You have many attributes that Brown seemed to be leaning towards during the ED round: Hispanic, 1st gen., dual citizenship, good stats, and an interesting story about overcoming adversity. Did you mark Brown as your top choice in QB? </p>

<p>My one thought was that your essay seems to cover so many issues that it could just be about the adversity, and not about you.</p>

8

<p>R124687 thank you so much!</p>

9

<p>limabeans:</p>

<p>Well I’m actually white, not hispanic. And I didn’t rank Brown in Questbridge CollegeMatch but I am applying RD and forwarding my QB app in addition to the usual Common App… even though they’re both very similar.</p>

<p>About what you said on the essay… you give a valid point. However I think that it speaks much about me as a person and a portion who I am. I tried to show myself and what I want to do. The general “theme” of the essay is about fulfilling potential, and I briefly relate that to what I want to do in the future. However, from the description above, I see how you could conclude that the focus is not on me.</p>

<p>If you’re a parent, or are already in college etc, message me and you could read the essay if you want.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

10

<p>bumping this up! :)</p>

11

<p>As long as you are within Brown’s range, they’ll love to consider your life story. If you were chosen as a QB finalist, then I’m not the only one who thinks your life story is very compelling.</p>

12

<p>Your life story is incredibly touching. I go to a private high school where most kids have life served to them on a silver platter. Many of them have private tutors and go to rich kid summer camps, yet they’re still failing out of all their classes. That you have maintained excellent academics and ECs while dealing with your family situation is very humbling for the rest of us.</p>

<p>On the more practical side…I think any college worth its endowment will accept you. If it doesn’t turn out positive, just remember that you are an incredible person who will do well anywhere you go. Obviously I don’t know you, but you have to be pretty awesome to have the stats you do. The fact that you are low income and first gen will help you a lot and make up for your average SATs/grades.</p>

<p>Best of luck! :D</p>