Official Brown University 2018 ED Results

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
41

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):2250 (CR:800, M:730, W:730)
[</em>] SAT II: U.S. History: 800, Math II: 780
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75 (huuuuge upward trend. From a 3.6 Frosh to 4.0 senior)
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):n/a
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): U.S. History: 5, Eng. Lang: 5
[</em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):n/a
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp Sci, BC Calc, AP Russian, Arabic, English
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Just small school awards</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Swimming 18 hours/week, President of two clubs, about 80 hours of community service
[</em>] Job/Work Experience:n/a
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: about 80 hours over Junior summer
[</em>] Summer Activities: Swimming, language studies etc.
[<em>] Essays: I thought they were good and revealed a lot about my interests. I’m very self-motivated and I think that came through well.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: three recs, all 10/10
[<em>] Counselor Rec: 10/10
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[li] Interview: went really really well. I enjoyed it a lot!</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): MA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[<em>] School Type: Very difficult private
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: M
[</em>] Income Bracket: not asking for financial aid
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My love of languages?</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Self-motivated, interested in difficult languages (Arabic, Russian)
[</em>] Weaknesses: gpa??
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I just came through as an interesting person.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: nowhere</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments: Literally soosososososooo excited</p>

42

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):2200 one try. 800 CR 630 M 770 W
[</em>] ACT:n/a
[<em>] SAT II: 700 US History 740 Lit
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 (A lot higher weighted)
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/400ish
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): two 5s and a 4
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Euro, Precalc, AP Psych, AP Lang, AP Government and Politics, French 4, Honors Anatomy and Physiology
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): A few school related awards, nothing big. A lot of small but significant awards related to my main extracurricular
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Yearbook, Sports, Drama Club, Art club, tutor, leadership positions in some of these[/li][</em>] Job/Work Experience: Some clerical work, a few internships
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: A lot, service trips
[</em>] Summer Activities:A lot. Summer @ Brown one summer
[<em>] Essays: Very good, unique and well written, I proofread them a lot and got many opinions, mostly all good
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation:Both very good, probably 8/10
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Awful, counselor doesn’t know her students at all and our school never gets people in to decent schools
[</em>] Additional Rec: n/a
[li] Interview:Okay. Thought it went well at first because we had a really interesting conversation but the interviewer did not get back to me when I emailed after.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul][ b]Other**[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):NJ
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Medium, Public, Crappy as hell
[</em>] Ethnicity:White
[<em>] Gender: F
[</em>] Income Bracket:no FA
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Alumni relation</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul][ b]Reflection**[ul]
[<em>] Strengths:Really good writer, unique-ish personality, non-popularmajor choice, very interesting and long term extracurriculars
[</em>] Weaknesses: Math score! and SAT II. My grades were good but definitely not straight As. Also, counselor was/is a complete bum.
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m unique but not enough. When it comes down to it Brown is just another Ivy that wants to protect its rank in US Weekly. If you have even moderately low scores, they will reject you, unless you have an incredibly diverse background/story or you have alumni parents who donated money. Have yet to see a single example in my area that shows this is not the case. Unfortunately you can’t believe what you hear on college confidential, that is what led me to be very hopeful. What a toxic website.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere else yet, but thankfully I was realistic and applied to many match schools.</p>

<p>[/ul][ b]General Comments:** This is an awful, awful, awful process. If you are an underclassmen reading these forums and every piece of literature you can find about Brown, stop. It only makes you either too hopeless or too hopeful. Neither is good. Do not have a dream school because you will not get in even though you deserve it and you worked hard.
Everybody on here should know that the rate of acceptance we now face as deferred applicants isn’t even 9%… it’s about 2% or 3% because they average the acceptance rates of both early and regular to get the overall acceptance rate. </p>

<p>I’m not trying to discourage anyone-- just trying to preserve your mental health. This whole thing is a sh<strong>show and just because Brown is supposedly the most ‘liberal’ and ‘chill’ of the Ivy Leagues doesn’t mean they aren’t also elitist a</strong>holes playing a numbers game just like Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and the rest. Everyone on this forum (who got in) fortunately seems like they worked very hard and are very deserving of their results, but I know many people in real life who got in who didn’t deserve their results (or are NOT good fits for Brown). And the same with people who got deferred/rejected that deserved to get in. My advice; apply early to a school with a reasonable early acceptance rate that has similar qualities to Brown but without their heads stuck as far up their a**.</p>

<p>I am now very uncertain that I even want to go here anymore. Not because of my deferral (which I mostly expected), but because of how incredibly ridiculous and unqualified the specific people I know who got in from my area are. That is the biggest insult. Damn, some of you guys are so much more qualified and deserving than them, I am actually amazed you didn’t get in.</p>

43

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (CR-800, M-740, W-800) one sitting
[</em>] SAT II: Literature (750), Math II (760)
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.68
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Currently in AP Statistics, APES. No past APs.
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load:
English (not tracked)
History (not tracked)
Hebrew IX Literature
Latin V Advanced
Jewish Philosophy Intensive
Bible Honors
AP Lit
AP Stat
AP Envi. Science
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/li]Brown Book Award
Essay Winner
George Eastman Award
National Latin Exam Awards</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Literary Magazine (EiC)
Newspaper (Managing Editor, 2nd in command)
Blog with 3,500 followers (creator/operator)
Human Rights Club (conference coordinator)
Yearbook
Tutor in school writing center
Chair of two grade committees
Honor code committee
[</em>] Job/Work Experience:
Intern at test prep company
Student Advisory Board member at TeenInk
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service:
Intercultural/Interfaith Program Participant (work, volunteer)
Teaching Assistant at local synagogue’s Hebrew school
Tutor at local elementary school
[</em>] Summer Activities:
Summer camp - after 9th, 10th
Intercultural/Interfaith Program Participant - after 11th
[<em>] Essays:
Main - about one experience from the intercultural program this summer and its impact on me at home
Supplemental - about English, Judaism, the internet, and of course ‘Why Brown’
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation:
Too many, I thought. Physics teacher (just ok), Latin teacher (stellar), Bible teacher (good)
[<em>] Counselor Rec:
Good; she knows me well since it’s a small school. (9/10)
[</em>] Additional Rec:
An English teacher of mine sent one in unsolicited (excellent)
[li] Interview:[/li]Went well and he submitted a high recommendation, but no sparks</p>

<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Pennsylvania
[</em>] School Type: Private, Religious
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: High
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy (dad, uncle, sister)</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Passion. I love learning, (nearly) all my subjects, and all my extracurriculars. I think that came across well in my essays and recommendations. I’m also a writer, so I think my essays in particular were quite well-written.
[</em>] Weaknesses: I was nervous about the number of recommendations since I was afraid they’d take away from the essays, but that was okay. And my GPA is a little lower than average, so I was worried about that as well.
[li] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/li]Legacy probably helped, but I’d like to think it was because of my enthusiasm. I had to go through and take out most of the exclamation points, but I think the love remained. Having been to campus twice recently for my sister’s graduation and a sleepover with a freshman helped a lot; I started my ‘Why Brown’ essay that way and it helped me both get another ‘I love Brown’ boost (not that I needed one!).
I was honest as much as I could be in the essays, and didn’t try to make myself seem more well-rounded than I am. I’m not really a ‘mathey-sciencey’ person. I get fine grades, but they’re clearly not where my passion lies. So I made up my mind to show them how much I do love English, religion, philosophy, and Brown. And it worked!</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments:
I’m so excited to be going to Brown!! I’m more than happy to talk to anyone applying there this year RD, just pm me. And I cannot wait!!</p>

44

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2050
[</em>] ACT: NA
[<em>] SAT II:

  • Math II 750
  • US History 730
    [</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
    [<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 83/11,000
    [</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):
  • AP Calc AB 4
  • AP Lang 5
  • AP Euro 4
  • AP US 4
  • APES 4
    [<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): No scores yet, but all IB classes so far
    [</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Too lazy, sorry
    [<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Adobe Certified Associate, Beta Club, NHS, Infographic Design Winner, Quill and Scroll, Spanish Honor Society
    [/list]Subjective:[ul]
    [li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):[/li]- Writer for a Pulitzer winning paper since the age of 9 years old, unpaid correspondent who submits weekly.
  • Student Editor for a 3 county distributed newspaper for teens, by teens. 4 years. Circulation of 76,000
  • School Paper, Content Editor
  • Science Fiction Club, Event Coordinator
  • Arts & Service Club
  • Eastern Arts Club, Publication Editor
    [</em>] Volunteer/Community service:
  • President of a board for the 6th largest museum in nation, help develop and design exhibits as well as promote STEM in the community.
  • Committee member for school’s Relay for Life, best in southeast region and 12th overall in Nation
  • Did tornado relief for local town over summer
  • Held incredibly interactive summer book readings
    [<em>] Summer Activities: See service ^
    [</em>] Essays: All very unique, talking about my hobbies which are off the beaten path. I was honest and spoke like I talk, but maybe Brown didn’t see them as well as I or my mentors did.
    [<em>] Teacher Recommendation: 2 from teachers who know me well, although not sure if they’re fantastic or not
    [</em>] Counselor Rec: Good, never saw it but the counselor likes me
    [<em>] Additional Rec: A truly fantastic letter of rec from my professional editor.
    [</em>] Interview: Went well, but don’t they all?</p>

<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Florida
[</em>] School Type: Public IB Program
[<em>] Ethnicity: Native American
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: <60,000
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Native American, parents are waiters</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: By far my experience, Essays
[</em>] Weaknesses: SAT is on the low end
[li] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My SAT is definitely not so hot; I lack a sport as well. Although because Brown seems to like those who don’t pad an resume, I’d assume I’m okay there. Frankly, I’m frazzled. I supposed I’m lacking something, perhaps Brown simply wasn’t impressed enough by my journalism or science experience. </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]General Comments:
Definitely down about Brown. I’ll cross my fingers for regular decision, but fate will tell my tale.</p>

45

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2210- 730 CR, 710 M, 770 W
[</em>] ACT: didn’t take
[<em>] SAT II: 790 USH, 760 Lit
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language, US History, Calculus AB (all 5s)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, AP French, AP Economics (macro+micro), AP English Literature (online through Virtual High School), Honors Chorus, Class Assistant to APUSH class
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):no major awards. On my Common App, I put Brown book award, Excellence (honor roll) all quarters, Nat’l Merit Commended, AP Scholar, National French Honor Society
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Drama Club 9, 10, 11, 12 (8 shows, state festival awarded 9, 10, 11, lead roles, assistant director + president senior year), community service club that works with local charities to throw birthday parties for homeless children 10, 11, 12 (founder+co-president), National Honor Society 12 (vice-president), SADD 10, 11, 12 (treasurer), Model UN 10, 11, 12 (founding member), Gay-Straight Alliance 9, 10 (publicist)[/li][</em>] Job/Work Experience: internship at Museum of Science, Boston developing a part of an exhibit, math tutor to middle and high school students in algebra II and geometry through calculus AB
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 300 hours in total
[</em>] Summer Activities: volunteer at Museum of Science after sophomore year, aforementioned internship after junior year
[<em>] Essays:Common App essay was about my father who was an alcoholic and was in an accident when I was young, leaving him with a major head injury. The essay itself was about how what happened to my father motivated me to succeed in school. It started out very long and I had to cut down a lot, so not as good as it could be (7/10)
Very proud of my supplements, very “me” and demonstrated a lot of interest (9.5/10)
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: One from last year’s AP English Language teacher (read, very strong) and one from last year’s Honors Physics teacher (didn’t read but he’s said I’m a best-in-career student so it was probably great)
[<em>] Counselor Rec: great, focused on some of my extracurriculars I didn’t have room to emphasize on the Common App
[</em>] Additional Rec:from my boss from my internship who hired me as a year-round employee after the internship ended (which is rare). Didn’t read but she likes me a lot so it should be very good
[li] Interview: he asked a lot of tough, thought-provoking questions. I thought it went very well but he didn’t give me any feedback so maybe not.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):MA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: medium-sized public
[</em>] Ethnicity: white
[<em>] Gender:female
[</em>] Income Bracket: lower middle class
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):none, really</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: GPA, subject tests, passionate about my extracurriculars, showed lots of interest
[</em>] Weaknesses:SAT I not the best scores, no major awards… lots of applicants from MA?
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:lots of other very qualified applicants, applied undecided and my ECs/interests are kind of all over the place- not enough direction?
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:nowhere yet</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments:
Congrats to everyone who was accepted! Pretty disappointed about this, hopefully the regular decision round goes a little better :)</p>

46

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2170 (Didn’t send)
[</em>] ACT: 34 (36 English, 35 Math, 35 Reading, 31 Science, 11 Essay)
[<em>] SAT II: 780 Literature, 680 U.S. History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%, school doesn’t rank
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5), U.S. History (5), Music Theory (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish Language, AP English Literature, AP Comparative Government/Economics, Biotechnology, Chamber Singers, Concert Choir
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, minor photography awards, school awards for sports, school scholar athlete award, award from music program for vocal arrangement</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chamber Chorus (Section Leader); Youth choir outside of school; Student-run a cappella group (Rehearsal Manager); Four years of private voice lessons; Club soccer (Goalkeeper); High school Soccer (Goalkeeper, Leadership Award); High school Cross Country (Coaches Award); Amateur landscape photographer
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Young adult book reviewer for local bookstore
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: High school community service club; Volunteer at community garden
[</em>] Summer Activities: Volunteer at Ophthalmology Department (2011); Watched all 6 seasons of LOST (2012…does this count?); Summer vocal program in LA (2012); Summer vocal program at UM (2013)
[<em>] Essays: Pretty good
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Haven’t read, probably good
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Haven’t read, probably generic
[</em>] Additional Rec: Great! I read it and I felt like it was a good reflection of my personality (and my passion for music)
[li] Interview: Awkward because I had absolutely nothing whatsoever in common with my interviewer, but I don’t think it hurt me.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): California
[</em>] School Type: Large suburban public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: Middle class
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection:[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Arts Supplement, ACT score, essays, music related extracurriculars
[</em>] Weaknesses: Low unweighted GPA, minimal community service, no academic extracurriculars, no hook, generic counselor recommendation, low score on U.S. History SAT II
[<em>] Why you think you were deferred: While I’m not completely under-qualified, I haven’t done anything spectacular to distinguish myself.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Willamette University and Lewis & Clark College, haven’t heard back from any other schools.</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments:
Honestly not surprised with the outcome. I still love Brown, but there are other schools I’m applying to that I would also be excited to attend!</p>

47

<p>deferred.
2300</p>

48

<p>Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:**[ list]
SAT I (breakdown): 730 CR 730 R 770 W (2230)
ACT:n/a
SAT II:700 us 700 bio
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): school does out of 100, 97.5% Uw, 101.7% w
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): does not rank, but at least top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 lang 5 us 5 bio 4 chem 4 world
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: ap physics, ap calc bc, ap lit, ap macroeconomics, ap gov, spanish honors (hardest courses I can take besides ap spanish)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NYS history day winner, ap scholar w distinction, national merit commended, i guess nothing too major</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):honor societies(pres of some),pep band, first oboe player, varsity soccer, varsity track, peer tutor, mathletes, relay for life committee chairperson
Job/Work Experience:referee soccer and basketball
Volunteer/Community service: tutor at public library 2 days a week, among other smaller things, lots of hours
Summer Activities: Internship at a non-profit org. on Columbia’s campus for 3 summers, only high school intern
Essays: common app essay was very self-reflective and honest, I liked it but it was kinda risky and different, i got mixed reviews from people who read it. Supplements were all good, but nothing special… wrote about how i lived overseas for 3 years when i was younger in 2 of them
Teacher Recommendation: probably both good, one teacher knows me especially well so probably more personal but i didnt read either so idk
Counselor Rec: probably very general, doesnt know me very well
Additional Rec: from boss at summer internship, should’ve been phenomenal, thought it would get me in
Interview: alright, very short and my interviewer barely asked me any questions, I definitely expressed my interest and excitement with brown though</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: 1200 students, public w/ sorta a bad reputation
Ethnicity: white
Gender:female
Income Bracket: did not apply for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths:gpa, internship, NHD awards, fairly good ecs
Weaknesses: sat 2s, not a great interview, no one from my school has gotten into brown in 15 years, risky common app essay
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:idk… i was expecting a deferral but thought I could be the one to end my school’s “drought” with Brown… guess not.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: been accepted to UM-Twin Cities honors college, will be applying many other places and will hopefully have better luck :slight_smile:
“Brown factor” internship, that I lived overseas, my common app essay was very different and I thought a place like Brown would appreciate it
General Comments: Congrats to those accepted! guess ill start/finish my other apps now</p>

49

<p>Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (790M, 790W, 750CR)
ACT: 35 (36M, 35E, 35S, 32R)
SAT II: 800 Chem, 760 Math II, 760 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.95 unweighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Statistics (5), Chemistry (5), Calc AB (5), US History (5), English Language (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, AP Spanish, English electives, seminar course, Guitar Ensemble, Honors Math Modeling course
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Eagle Scout, Brown Book Award, National Merit Commended, Cum Laude Society, AP Scholar w/ Distinction</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boy Scouts is definitely my biggest one. Guitar, Varsity Track and Field, some Volunteer work and various sport/job experiences
ob/Work Experience: Spent a summer interning with a psychiatrist and spent the next one interning with the HR department of a global corporation
Volunteer/Community service: Various service opportunities through school and scouts
Essays: I loved my common app essay. I believe it really shows who I am, but maybe someone who doesn’t know me wouldn’t think so. My Brown supplements were pretty good, but maybe they could have been better
Teacher Recommendation: I have 99.9% faith that they were amazing
Counselor Rec: Probably nothing special
Interview: It could not have gone better. I feel like he knew me by the end</p>

<p>Other:
State (if domestic applicant): VA
School Type: Private prep school
Ethnicity:White
Gender:Male
Income Bracket: ~90-100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: nothing specifically; everything seemed pretty well-rounded. My teacher recs were probably solid, and I think my interview was pretty great, but maybe not enough to hold any significant weight
Weaknesses: nothing jumps out at me, but I’m sure there were places where I could have done better
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: There were a lot of applicants, and maybe I’m not exactly what they were looking for. I don’t know if there was anything prominent that held me back specifically
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: nowhere yet</p>

<p>General Comments:
Don’t let these decisions get you down. I’m bummed for sure, but I can’t say I’m surprised. I got my hopes up too much and thought that I would be a great fit for Brown, and maybe I’ll have the opportunity to say that in a few months. As much as I’m sure you hate it when people may say this, you will be happy wherever you end up.</p>

50

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): n/a
[</em>] ACT: 31 (34 E, 29 M, 31 R, 31 S)
[<em>] SAT II: n/a
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95-ish UW, 4.3 W
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable) 2/156
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Anatomy & Physiology II, Calculus Honors, English 12 Honors, Symphonic Band Honors
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching band (4 years, section leader), Varsity Soccer (4 years), Theatre (2 years, lead set & costume design), National Honor Society (3 years, president), Student congress (2 years, treasurer), Rocket 30 (3 years, student leader), Science Olympiad (2 years), GSA (3 years)[/li][</em>] Job/Work Experience: n/a
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Mentoring middle school students (36 hours, 1 year), Tutoring (108 hours+, 3 years), various NHS sponsored events (blood drives, shopping for families, can drive, community garden, etc.)
[</em>] Summer Activities: n/a
[<em>] Essays: Pretty good, but not omg amazing - 7/10
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Only saw one of them & was pretty good - 7/10, didn’t see the second one but she likes me (8/10)
[<em>] Counselor Rec: She likes me, but did not see 7/10
[</em>] Additional Rec: n/a
[li] Interview: Went pretty well, but I’m not much of a conversationalist</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public, non-competitive
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: ~50K
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: GPA, coursework is most rigorous in school, EC, hook
[</em>] Weaknesses: Everything else tbh, test scores, essays, recs., no major awards
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably because there were stronger applicants & I’m weak in comparison.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: none</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments:
I was fully expecting to be deferred, but I didn’t think I would be quite this sad. I hope I can get accepted RD, but fat chance. A girl can dream, right?
Brown was definitely a high reach, so I’m glad I can get a second look over :-)</p>

51

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2350 total: 800 CR, 750 M, 800 W
[</em>] SAT II: French w/ listening 790; Literature 750; Math 2 710; German w/ listening 570 (sent by accident. don’t ask, still a painful memory)
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/173
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish 5, French 5, European History 5
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, English, American History, Calculus; and courses at local university
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar… AKA nothing
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Tennis 4 years, AFS exchange student one semester, school newspaper 2 years, French club 2 years (President)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: NONE
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: NONE
[<em>] Summer Activities: Language immersion camps for French and Spanish
[</em>] Essays: I love writing, so I’d assume they were pretty good. I just tried to sound like myself, mostly.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: From French and English teachers; the one that I read was excellent, hopefully the other was too
[</em>] Counselor Rec: She knows me and likes me; good
[li] Interview: It went well. I knew a lot about Brown already, which my interviewer appreciated. Do your research!</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: Above 150,000
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Brown legacy: my dad went there and my half-brother graduated recently. No donations over $15 in our history, though, so…</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: I speak 3 foreign languages fluently, which is uncommon therefore mildly impressive
[</em>] Weaknesses: No extracurrics to speak of–no volunteering, job experience, I didn’t found 14 clubs or cure cancer or anything like that
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I knew what I loved, I did what I loved, and ultimately, it showed.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I had only applied to Kalamazoo College and University of Michigan so far, and I had to withdraw those applications. I was planning on applying to Tufts, Vassar, Yale, Northwestern, Amherst, places like that.</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments:</p>

<p>I am proof that a lot of people on this website are going about this the wrong way. Everyone will tell you that you NEED volunteering, that you NEED leadership, that you NEED major awards, but I got in without any of that stuff. (I’m just as shocked as you.) Seriously, just find what you really care about and do it. Brown especially is looking for people with a passion or two, not people who can go down a checklist. ENJOY HIGH SCHOOL. It might just work in your favor.</p>

52

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (800 reading, 780 math, 720 writing)
[</em>] ACT: n/a
[<em>] SAT II: 800 math 2, 700 chem
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): calc ab(5), eng lang(5), eng lit(5), chinese(5), world history(5), bio(4), environmental sci(4), US history(4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): all you need to know is that i got my diploma a year early
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Four college courses from local college professors, IB Further math, AP Chem, and pe
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Organization for Women(founder and president), Robotics(Media Officer), FPS(member), Honor Society(member), Green Team(Media Officer), Literary Warriors(founder and Media Officer), Math Club(member)[/li][</em>] Job/Work Experience: Figure Skating Assistant Coach, Intern at local medical center, Intern at UW Dept. of Microbiology
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: NOW fundraising/volunteering at local women’s shelter, coaching, volunteering at the medical center
[</em>] Summer Activities: NYLF on Medicine, Summer Stretch at UW
[<em>] Essays: had adequate essays, its too bad my common app essay is a lot better now
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Math teacher, Bio teacher(even though they are both science, they know me best
[<em>] Counselor Rec: i have no idea probably just average
[</em>] Additional Rec: none…did they allow additional recs?
[li] Interview: above average, we went overtime, and he seemed pretty interested but not ecstatic</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): WA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: public, mid size
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: F
[</em>] Income Bracket:
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): absolutely, utterly none</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: …figure skating champion at the national level?
[</em>] Weaknesses: asian, also i guess Brown doesn’t pay much attention to figure skaters
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: low Chem SAT subject, and just not enough leadership positions
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments:
I’m going to be rejected, aren’t I? Does anyone know the rate of deferrals being accepted later? Brown is my dream school; I visited over the summer and fell in love with the school. The letter said there was still hope, but everyone I talk to seems to say that deferral=rejection.</p>

53

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1950 yeah it was bad
ACT: 34
SAT II: 800 math II, 690 physics, 550 spanish with listening, 760 chinese with listening
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/334
AP (place score in parenthesis): APEH(3), AP Lang(4), AP Physics(3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): nope
Senior Year Course Load: orchestra, ap chem, graphic design, multivariable calc, ap lit, portfolio seminar, gifted ed
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nope</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): nhs, nshs, nahs, orchestra, swim team, chinese school volunteer/worker, string quartet
Job/Work Experience: tutor at kumon, chinese school teaching assistant
Volunteer/Community service: disaster relief in szechuan (2012), odd jobs here and there
Summer Activities: disaster relief, music camp (2012), summer class at community college (2013)
Essays: commonapp-about coping with manipulative/semiabusive parents
Teacher Recommendation: english and physics because they knew all about my home life struggles
Counselor Rec: good, but she’s new this year so idk
Additional Rec: calc teach, because he understands asians
Interview: nope</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): Kansas
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket:<90,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): 2nd gen immigrant?, in custody of the court?</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: I think I had good extras and above average recs
Weaknesses: gave up on the essays about a week before the deadline, dip in grades (read: mostly B’s) 2nd semester junior year, lack in leadership maybe
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: SAT-ACT correlation, spanish sat II, the dip in grades, kinda just average compared to other asians, dangerous commonapp essay (talked abut parents)
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted to KU Honors Program</p>

<p>General Comments:
Gotta call and ask why the deferral, send in 1st semester grades to show them my bounceback, maybe a rec from my social worker and an interview. I hope Brown can give me a second chance!</p>

54

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (760CR, 800M, 780W, first time single sitting)
[</em>] ACT: Didn’t take
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math 2, 800 Bio M, 800 U.S. History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.29 (A+ is 4.33)
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/~110 but better since I have the highest GPA in my school’s history
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (5), USH (5), Calc AB (5), Environmental (self-study, 5), Psychology (self-study, 5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 3 classes in school (H. Mandarin 4, AP Gov, AP English Lit) and 3 classes online (AP Chem, AP Calc BC, AP Stats) and 3 additional classes 2nd semester (H. Accounting, H. Mkting II, required business/gym quarter classes). Independent study of AP Computer Science as well. Exhausted my school’s curriculum last year (I’ve taken all of its AP/honors courses available to me) and convinced my school to let me do independent studies/take online courses during the day jr/sr yr
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction (1st from school to get as a junior), Harvard Book Award, NMSF (1st from school in 7+ years), MA Association of School Superintendents Award, DECA International Finalist Award (1st person in my school’s chapter to get int’l award)
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Indoor Track (#1 jr in state D4 meet, All-State qualifier and competitor, “Most Improved” Award, etc.), Varsity Outdoor Track (All-League honors, 3rd in statewide D4 meet, All-State qualifier and competitor, Boston Globe/Herald All-Star, etc.), JV Soccer (varsity senior year), DECA (#1 in district in event, #1 in state of MA in event, finalist at international conference for test performance, Officer-At-Large), NHS (President), GSA (Founding member, VP/PR experience), Student Council (elected class representative, elected to regional student council, elected from regional student council to state student council–elected by state council to executive committee that involves interactions with MA Board of Ed member), Various other student gov endeavors, Academic Decathlon/Quiz Show (Captain/President), Xylophone (lessons, play for nursing home, etc.), more but I think I covered what’s most important[/li][</em>] Job/Work Experience: Tutoring, pet-sitting, yard work (pretty minimal)
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at cat shelter every Saturday, volunteer tutor weekly, some more through Key Club/elementary school program
[</em>] Summer Activities: Summer soccer, track camp, Summer @ Brown sophomore summer, weeklong lab program at BU, state council leadership training
[<em>] Essays: Common App was personal and I showed my personality. Not anything amazing though. Supplements were very good in my friends’/family’s opinion and showed my intellectual curiosity/personality–WhyNeuroscience talked about my disabledish father and how that contributed to my interest in the brain/nervous system, WhyBrown was much more about myself than Brown (talked about how I went to Summer@Brown before sophomore year/learned about Brown & then applied Brown’s educational philosophy to the rest of my high school experience since I basically created my own curriculum junior/senior year based on my interests.); Community one was about Iranian relatives and my interesting in learning their language (Farsi); Where have I lived was about the smallish town I’ve grown up in (it has 1 intersection). All of my essays had a sort of emotion in them and had my voice…I tried to be humorous in some of them as well.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: AP Bio teacher has seen me at my best/worst so I trust she was able to write a recommendation reflective of who I am. AP English/freshman honors english teacher’s recommendation was phenomenal and said I was the definitively the best student he’s taught. He’s the man and I’m so grateful for what he wrote.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Hopefully good. I love her and she cares a lot about her job.
[</em>] Additional Rec: From DECA advisor/business teacher. It was sweet but nothing spectacular.
[li] Interview: Over the phone. I didn’t talk about some of my more “impressive” ECs and honestly just tried to be myself/have fun with it.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): MA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Small public that hasn’t sent a kid to Ivies in 5 years or so
[</em>] Ethnicity: Other
[<em>] Gender: M
[</em>] Income Bracket: 30k but high assets
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): An alumni who was president of his class at Brown wrote a short recommendation for me, but I doubt it played much of a role since it didn’t really contribute new info to my app. Still thankful he wrote it for me though!</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Succeeding in context of school, supplements, achievements in some of my EC’s, grades/class rank, personality
[</em>] Weaknesses: Common App Essay, ECs could be better, not much related to my intended concentration in the life sciences, no real hook, not much work experience
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably because of my academics/succeeding in context of school but personal qualities are extremely important as well. The letter from my admissions officer that came after my acceptance package talks about how my intellectual curiosity/talents outside of the classroom would contribute to the Brown community next year (mentions nothing about academics). No aspect of my app was extremely weak imo.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Ayy</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments: Throughout high school I’ve tried to develop a personality and expose myself to a lot of different things. I really love life and I love meeting new people. To anxious juniors/underclassmen, have fun with what you’re doing! If you have a positive outlook on everything in your life (instead of constantly feeling stressed) and are friendly to other people, you’re going to have a fun and successful high school experience. Have fun with your friends, enjoy weekends/breaks, and develop a good taste in music! Don’t compromise your life/development as a person for a college-focused existence. Don’t feel limited by your environment and be the one to do something different. Go all out in your ECs and prep hard for standardized tests. Everything will turn out fine as long as you live your life the way you want to.</p>

<p>To everyone on CC, thank you so much for helping me throughout high school. You guys have made me aware of so many things and have given me a tremendous amount of resources to use. You are amazing, motivated people. Rock on.</p>

55

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (800CR, 770M, 740W)
[</em>] ACT: 34
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Lit, 800 Math II, 780 Physics, 740 Bio E, 740 Chem, 700 US History
[</em>] Weighted GPA (out of 5.0): 4.78
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 APUSH, 4 Comp. Sci.
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: All APs: English, Calc BC, Stats, Spanish, Physics
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Columbia Book Award, 2x Silver - National Spanish Exam
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Alt. Rock Band (leader, manager, songwriter, singer, guitarist), Poetry slam team (captain), A Cappella (director, arranger), Jazz band (president), Computer programming[/li][</em>] Job/Work Experience: None
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Odds and ends, biggest activity was teaching computer science for free to kids in my school.
[</em>] Summer Activities: Misc. Community service, UPenn M&TSI
[<em>] Essays: Strong - lost about intersections in creativity between music/poetry (my passions) and computer science (another passion, but also my intended major)
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Physics and Comp Sci. Both great
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Great
[</em>] Interview: fantastic. Interviewer told me “Not everyone is suited for Brown, but you’re exactly the type of person who is.”</p>

<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): MA
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): 1 parent legacy</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Lots of (dedicated) leadership roles, good grades/test scores, creative essays, great interview
[</em>] Weaknesses: Not a ton of community service
[/ul]</p>

56

<p>Decision: Rejected (CAS)</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]</p>

<p>[li]SAT I (highest single sitting): 2180 (760M | 690R | 730W) [/li][li]SAT I (superscore): 2190 (770M | 690R | 730W)[/li][li]ACT (highest single sitting): 33 (34M | 34E | 33R | 32S)[/li][li]ACT (superscore): <taken once="">[/li][li]SAT II (subject, score):[/li]- Math II … 770 <submitted as="" a="" supplementary="" item="">

  • US History … 750
  • Bio E … 650 (taken freshman year)
    [li]GPA (out of 100):[/li]-Unweighted: 96.33
    -Weighted: 98.77
    [li]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5%[/li][li]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB):[/li]- AP US History … (5)
  • AP English Language and Composition … (5)
  • AP World History … (5)
    [li]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Adelphi Prize for Leadership Recipient[/li][li]Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):[/li]-AP Scholar
    -NHS
    -German NHS
    -Business NHS
    -3rd place in Economics and Business Communications at FBLA District Competition <submitted as="" supplementary="" information="" to="" all="" rd="" schools="">
    [li]Senior Year Course Load:[/li]-AP Calculus BC
    -AP English Literature
    -AP Macroeconomics
    -AP Biology
    -AP Statistics
    -College German</submitted></submitted></taken></p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]</p>

<p>[li]Extracurriculars:[/li]-FBLA …… President (for the last 2 years)
-Cancer Research Club … Co-President
-Club Baseball
[li]Job/Work Experience:[/li]-Intern at the Make-A-Wish Foundation
-Personal Tutor (For SAT and Math help)
-Personal Soccer Trainer
-“Beta Tester” coach for a soccer program that tracks progress online Paid
[li]Volunteer/Community Service:[/li]-Volunteer for community soccer program as an assistant coach
-Self-started a community-wide children’s book/dvd drive for a local hospital(collected 4,000 books and 400 DVDs). We had extras which were donated to an underprivileged library.
[li]Summer Experience:[/li]-Volunteered at a local fish hatchery
-Used my Adelphi Scholarship in order to take a National Economy Class and a Natural Science and Environmental Problems Class (I got a 4.0 in both)</p>

<p>[/ul]Writing (1-10 rating):[ul]</p>

<p>[li]Common App Essay: 9/10 I worked for weeks on it[/li][li]Writing Supplements: My top schools probably got my best essays to be totally honest. I tried to write about my fit but some of the essay prompts and word limits were too constricting to be able to do otherwise.[/li][li]Teacher Recs: 10/10 from my sophomore year English teacher and 8/10 from my junior year Physics teacher[/li][li]Counselor Rec: 9/10 I was in the counseling office probably at least once a week. He’s one of the nicest people in my school and I know it was probably great.[/li][li]Other Rec: 8/10 Letter from my Adelphi University env sci Professor. She approached me before the final exam and offered to write it so I assume it had to be good.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other:[ul]</p>

<p>[li]U.S. State/Territory or Country: New York[/li][li]School Type: Competitive Public[/li][li]Ethnicity: White[/li][li]Gender: Male[/li][li]Income Bracket Range: Upper Middle Class (I applied for aid)[/li][li]Hooks: None</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection:[list]</p>

<p>[li]Strengths: Relatively well-rounded, no true “crutch” (Other than maybe Bio and Critical Reading)[/li][li]Weaknesses: Nothing outstanding, totally unhooked[/li][li]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I wish I knew- maybe the fact that I had no national awards or school sports to speak of</p>[/li]
<p>General Comments:
I guess it just wasn’t for me. I’ll be going to Boston College.</p>

57

<p>Just realized this was the ED thread. My bad. I did RD</p>

58

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800M 760CR 800W Total: 2360
ACT: none
SAT II: 800 Math II, 730 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB; French; Human Geo; Micro/Macro Econ - all 5s
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Euro, AP Lit, AP Lang, Creative Writing, Chemistry
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP National Scholar with Distiction
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Dance - Ballet & Lyrical
Job/Work Experience: Community Centre Child Services
Volunteer/Community service: Mainly church activity; Aquarium; Mammal Centre; Red Cross; Newspaper/Journalism
Summer Activities: Mission Trip; Literature Course
Essays: Highlighted my weakness in reaching out to people
Teacher Recommendation: Pretty great I think, didn’t see
Counselor Rec: Again, didn’t see it, but I assume it was pretty good
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Amazing! We connected because we were both Christian
Other
State (if domestic applicant): West Coast
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.
Reflection
Strengths: great test scores, unique-ish essay, related activities
Weaknesses: Nothing extraordinary
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My love for Brown but I think in the end, brown’s a really great fit with me and me with them
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: None
General Comments:
I’m delighted! I know this post is late but I’m still excited! In the end, I realized that it’s not about being accepted as a student that I think would fit, but being accepted as myself with my weaknesses and all - which is why I chose to write about a very personal subject in my essay. I know for sure now that Brown’s the perfect fit!</p>

59

<p>@flame7926‌ you probably don’t even go on this website anymore but hey, your post was so encouraging to read, thanks! I’m a current junior and I have a (relatively) low GPA, around 3.8, have lived abroad a lot, and haven’t really made a company or won like international music competitions and shizz. May I ask how you went about developing your essays // what you touched upon on them? Thank you & congrats!</p>

60

<p>@mintskaa‌ Hey. Wishing you the best of luck if you apply next year. I actually posted my essays in another thread which you can probably see from my profile (even though that isn’t recommended since people can then steal them, but I’m already in so it doesn’t matter really to me and they’re not that amazing). Here’s the thread link. <a href=“Brown Essays - submitted - Brown University - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/1589583-brown-essays-submitted.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I basically brainstormed quite a few ideas, particularly for the main prompt. I think it may be best to, for the main common app essay, to disregard the prompts at first and think of topics, experiences, things in your life that have shaped you or that encapsulate you or the key aspects of you in some way and then see what prompt fits. I personally had a book that changed the way I look at the world and what I wanted to do with my life, so I wrote about that. For the other essays, and I’m not sure if you’ve seen the questions or not but I think they’re in the thread I made. What you talk about doesn’t have to be amazing or completely unique in any way but you should make it sound good. Not embellish but convey the topic in a succinct and articulate way. I think there may be some cohesiveness factor to your essays as well, how they paint a picture of where you’re from and what has shaped you, what kind of person you are. I personally think its best if they complement each other or play off of each other at least a little. Not overtly, but if each one is completely on its own then it doesn’t show who you are as well I don’t think.</p>

<p>I had a free period after lunch so I spent quite a large amount of that time working on my essays. Once you get an idea in your head of what you want to write, I personally didn’t find the first drafts to hard to write, maybe with the exception of the main essay, but that’s a very different topic than the supplement essays. You have to make sure you have the right topic. Maybe even write essays on multiple topics, or at least start and see which one you’d like to write about the most. It’s really about finding things that fit you and the topic. For the main essay I would say fitting you is paramount, while the other ones you might want to pay more attention to the prompt. Honestly, I think my supplement essays are a bit rote, as in I wasn’t incredibly passionate or caring about these topics when writing. The main essay you should care about and like a lot. The other ones you should like too and be satisfied with, but I personally found that I liked my supplement essays more for the writing than the content, which while true and meaningful was covering subjects as important to me as a person. If you’re struggling to think of a topic to write about for supplements, just keep thinking. Write down things that might not seem to fit perfectly and they might spur an idea that works better or you might find a way to adapt those into something that works. </p>

<p>Given that you’ve lived abroad, I’d play that up and make sure you convey, either in your main essay or the additional information section, what you’ve gained and experienced being immersed in different cultures and ways of living. Also, whatever you are extremely passionate about or care about, include that somehow. They want to know who you are. It’s important to stand out and convey how you’re different from everyone else. They receive thousands of applications and need to be able to quickly tell what makes you different. </p>

<p>I hope this is helpful! If you have any more questions feel free to PM me since those come to my email and so I’ll respond to them promptly.</p>