Please chance me for Brown!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
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The more I look into Brown, the more I love it. Do I stand a chance at getting in?

Demographics:
-white, female, middle-class, from ID

Stats

  • 4.0/4.4 GPA
  • top 10%
  • 34 ACT
  • 10 AP classes

Awards

  • NHS
  • invited to national Youth in Government conference as a delegate for my state
  • poetry published in state publication

ECs (in no particular order)

  • president of Young Democrats
  • founder/president of Model UN
  • marching band/pep band
  • speech & debate
  • volunteered on some political campaigns
  • internship at district court
  • online peer counselor (also did an internship here/got invited to leadership position)
  • established state branch of a national civics education org
    (will probably also serve as a page to my state senate)

My CA essay is about a unique activity that my dad and I participate in and how it ties into my academic interests, personality, and activities. Definitely a real work in progress.

As for my intended major, perhaps political science? However, I want to take advantage of Brown’s open curriculum to take classes in political science, econ, BEO, etc. because I’m interested in following a path that connects all of them.

Thanks! :slight_smile:

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Sure you have a chance. I interview a lot of Brown applicants who “look” like you. Hardly any of them get in – the curse of a single-digits admit rate – but a few do. If the “ID” is Idaho, that certainly doesn’t hurt.

The main impression I get from glancing through your list and imagining it’s my notes from your interview is:

Academically qualified
Somewhat focused on politics/government
Academic plans have a modest synergy with the Open Curriculum.

Let’s focus in on that last line, since that’s where I might be of the most help. To go from looking “average” in the context of typical Brown applicants – good academics and plenty of extracurriculars – to where you seem a notably good fit to Admissions, it may come down to how you can develop a case for the OC being just the right thing for what your plans are.

“interested in following a path that connects all of them” is a starting point, but to be a serious contender Admissions will want to hear some well-thought-out specifics regarding that. So really think it though, then challenge yourself (and/or engage friends) to pick apart whatever the initial result is. Continue the process until you have a compelling (in the best case) manifesto for why the OC is tailor-made for what you have set out to accomplish. I’m not suggesting a con job of any sort, but rather that through careful consideration, your plans actually do sharpen and improve.

It doesn’t need to be a lot of fancy words. Just well-reasoned (perhaps even heartfelt, depending on the subject) and clear in regard to “why the OC”… vs an AnyCollegeUSA that has some flexibility in course selection. Brown correctly views the OC as a scarce resource, and so doesn’t generally want to “waste” it on people who could get a similar result elsewhere. I’m overstating things perhaps, but through all my verbiage probably pointing you in the right direction nonetheless.

Gook luck! : )

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Hi!

I’m an incoming First-Year at Brown from the PNW region as well (YES, WE EXIST AT BROWN!) who applied ED, was deferred, but ultimately accepted RD. First of all, I highly recommend that you applied Early Decision if Brown is your top choice, you can present a really well thought-out and crafted application by the ED Deadline of November 1st, and you and your family can afford it (run the financial aid calculators on Brown’s website if applicable.) At my school, multiple people applied ED and RD to Brown, however the only students admitted were me and another student who had been admitted RD; this year especially (from watching YouTube videos about college decisions,) Brown admitted a good number of deferred students, likely because we had shown that we would attend Brown 110% if admitted ED, and probably still would (especially if you showed continued interest like me;look-up what a letter of continued interest on google is for examples, this is for deferred/waitlisted students.)

Like @Brown79 said, Brown’s looking for students who can concisely (you get 250 words, make each of them count) articulate how they’ll take advantage of the resources at Brown (through your essays and how you’ve taking advantage of your school’s resources) to thrive not only at Brown but as an alumni and a face of the university once you graduate. The Open Curriculum’s probably the most known feature of Brown, and given that one of the supplemental essays is completely devoted to your planned usage of it, make sure to clearly explain how you’ll be able to delve deep into a field (s) at Brown, but still want to explore other passions or interests that you developed during high school.

Finally, I believe that the BEO concentration, unfortunately, was removed as an option for First-Year students in my class and beyond. I’m not certain of which new concentrations/tracks in existing concentrations Brown’s created to replace it, but definitely take a look at the Brown website and the Brown bulletin (https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/ ) which provides an easy to navigate map of different concentrations’ requirements.

Hope that helps! Good luck with the college admissions process!

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I’m an incoming First-Year at Brown from the PNW region as well (YES, WE DO EXIST AT BROWN!) who applied ED, was deferred, and ultimately accepted RD. Multiple students applied from my school to Brown ED & RD, however only me and another student admitted ED were admitted to Brown, and I highly recommend that you apply to Brown if the following are true:

  1. Brown's your top choice and you would 110% attend if admitted.
  2. You can present a well-thought out and crafted application by the ED deadline, which is November 1st.
  3. You and your family can afford Brown (run the Financial Aid calculators on Brown's website if applicable.)

This year in particular (from watching YouTube videos about decisions,) I’ve noticed that Brown admitted quite a few deferred students Regular Decision, likely because we showed that we LOVE Brown and still LOVE it (definitely look up what a letter of continued interest for deferrals/waitlists.)

As @Brown79 said, the Open Curriculum is by far the most well-known feature of Brown, and with one of the three supplemental essays solely devoted to your planned usage of it, Brown’s interested in understanding how you plan on utilizing the resources at Brown (through your essays, so make every one of those 250 words count; and through your utilization of your own school’s resources) to thrive and excel at Brown, and to assess your potential as an alumni being the face of the school in the future.

I had similar test scores/grades/classes, HOWEVER, these are primarily utilized by Brown and other similar colleges to assess your capability to succeed at Brown. Once the admissions committee is confident that you can cope with the curriculum, they turn to your essays, alumni interview, letters of recommendation etc. to figure out how you might contribute to life at Brown, or as the admissions website puts it to “weave into the tapestry that is Brown.”

Regarding the BEO concentration, unfortunately, incoming students from my class year (2024) onwards are unable to declare it as a concentration. I’m not certain of which concentrations/tracks added to existing concentrations have replaced it, however, the Brown Bulletin (https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/ ) is a good place to start: it provides you with a easily accessible map of different concentrations’ requirements.

Hope that helps! Good luck with the admissions process!

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