Please give your advice on my chance for Brown University

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello, I am a rising senior and was hoping to enlist your help. :)</p>

<p>I've fallen in love with Brown University, and was just wondering if I had any remote chance of getting in. I do realize that everything is subjective and already appreciate you looking into this thread, but my parents are stressed out that I even want to apply (leave the home for college and all) and normally I would listen to what they say. But this is something I feel like I have to do. I guess I just want to know if it would be worth applying, because my schedule is extremely tight (more on that), and would like to know if my efforts would be worth a little something.</p>

<p>So here goes! :)</p>

<p>Race: South Asian
GPA: 3.62 uw by time for rd, 4.0 weighted. I will have taken about 12-13 AP classes by then (most rigorous schedule), and the rest honors except for my orchestra class. No ranking system at my school, which is a 'college prep' public school. We send a couple of kids to the ivies every year.
SAT Is: Critical reading: 730
Math: 680
English: 540 :) hehe.
I will take them though, whether I apply or not for scholarship purposes. I took them completely unprepared because I realized I had to take the January one in December because all state for orchestra was on the March date. Grammar has always been my weak point :)
SAT IIs: Just took US History and Lit last week
ACT: will be taking this week (tomorrow!!), I have been studying a lot for it, and I've gotten 34+ on the red book practice tests, so hopefully it will go well!
ECs: Piano (crazy, i know! haha) since I was five. Regional-state recognized awards. Play for the elderly in retirement homes 3-4 times a year during their holiday concerts. Accompanied young choir performers.
Violin just in school orchestra. Regionals and all state and stuff like that.
Nothing musical is truly my 'passion' though- they're my escape if anything. I make sure to drive up to my Aunt's house once a month to see her daughter who has downs syndrome. I come on a day where their hired specialists who come in and help with the reading process especially, and continue just reading to her afterwards. I've done as much research as I can with downs syndrome and want to learn more. I want to help her be able to read and understand because of everything I have my ability to learn is the one thing I treasure the most.</p>

<p>Work experience:
I don't want to blame this solely or at all for my less than stellar grades, but the truth is it was a major time drain. I've been working as a cashier for my parents since the summer of 7th grade. At first throughout middle school and the first semester of high school, it was purely because my parents just wanted me to work for them- to get a taste of what it was like to work hard (they immigrated here shortly after the Vietnam war). But then things started to go haywire (too personal to put here) during the winter break of my freshman year and I had to work to support not just my family, but the entirity of my family on my father's side, a huge family). We just couldn't afford paying out a lot of people. So I basically became a silent manager of the business that break. Ever since then I've clocked in approximately 40 hours per week during school, and probably more during the summer. So during my freshman year, first semester, I got straight As except for one B in Spanish ( I guess that doesn't count as straight As then. heh) but then after, I couldn't manage my time...I got all Bs in every class except Spanish- where I got a C. All the time taken away from me just took me by surprise. There has been an upward trend though, my GPA is a 3.5 now because I got all As the second semester of Junior year except one B in Honors Calculus A (5 hour sleep nights FTW!!).</p>

<p>And I'd be a first generation student, if that counts for anything :)</p>

<p>I've also worked for a piano studio to help out my piano teacher's friend during the summer during the hours that I don't work. Finished filing all 2000+ songs over the summer in time for the christmas recital :)</p>

<p>Why not any other schools? Because I do want to take into great consideration my parents. They had always thought I would live with them for at least the first four years of my undergrad degree and went to the state university. And I was perfectly fine with that plan. But then I realized, going to this accelerated high school, with a couple of extremely bright students- that all those kids had no care to learn. I needed more. And then I found the Brown philosophy and the Open Curriculum and all the other things that make it amazing, and it was exactly what I wanted. Just reading the joy found in the Brown board here and the excitement of students wanting to go to a school to actually learn hits home with me. I would be extremely interested in more LACs but my parents would probably freak more if I went to a school they had never heard of unfortunately, thinking that I was just doing it to run away from home. </p>

<p>I don't know who to ask for help from. I have gone through 3 councelors at school due to budget cuts, and one of them hadn't know there were more than 50 colleges in the US...and of course my family is against going anywhere, and all my friends don't want to worry about college right now. The most help I've gotten is from my customers who see my studying for the ACT! aha! </p>

<p>So, thank you so much for taking the time to read my thread- I realize it's a bit long. I really do appreciate it. You are too kind :)</p>

2

<p>Sorry to say it, but as of now, I’d say it’s a long shot. </p>

<p>Your GPA can get you into some good schools, but is very low for Brown. SAT CR and Math are solid, but your 540 on the Writing portion, though it’s the least important part, sticks out like a sore thumb. Take the SAT again in October, and make sure all of your sections are at least 680 or so. You sound like you’re headed for a better ACT score, so that might be a good alternative. Fortunately for you, Brown, of the Ivies, tends to pay the least attention to SAT scores.</p>

<p>It’s good that you’re a talented piano and violin player, but not to sound judgmental, a lot of Asians are… and they also tend to have 3.9s and 2300+ SAT scores… and still get rejected from schools like Brown.</p>

<p>Unless it’s a financial concern, don’t really worry too much what your parents want. They should be there to help you, but it’s about where you want to go, not them. If you’re interested in LACs, check em out. Who cares if your parents haven’t heard of them? It’s great that they love Brown as much as you do, but there’s no reason why you can’t look at other schools too. Are they aware of how difficult it is to get in? You might love Brown, but you need safeties/matches.</p>

<p>In terms of your work dilemma, frankly I don’t think Brown will care. Sorry…</p>

<p>Make sure you get stellar letters of recommendation. For your essay, I suggest writing about your Aunt and cousin; your story is really admirable by the way. If you can tie in your interest in learning about Down’s Syndrome (and how Brown can help you learn more), you’ll have yourself a more than excellent paper.</p>

<p>So… if you love Brown as much as you do, I’d suggest applying ED. But just to put into perspective the difficulty of getting in, I was double legacy with better stats (and I must say, better ECs too), and was deferred then rejected RD. But hey, you have a lot going for you that I didn’t have, so don’t give up hope just yet. Good Luck!</p>

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<p>Hey, thanks for your reply!</p>

<p>Brown is by a long shot my dream school, I do realize that. I don’t know how to convey this haha, but I guess a ‘it’d be really cool to go’ pretty much sums it up. Thank you for putting this into perspective for me! :)</p>

<p>No worries about the piano/violin thing. I’m short, I like to read, I study, small eyes. haha. Just saying I know it’s very stereotypical. aha.</p>

<p>I’m guarenteed ( don’t know why I can’t ever spell that correctly! haha) to get into my state school, U of Arizona, basically full ride as long as I keep my GPA up above a 3.5 so that’s where I’m doing to go. </p>

<p>But again, thank you for taking the time to read and reply.</p>