Should I even apply?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Brown University
1

As far as Ivy Leagues go, my three favorites are Brown, Cornell, and Dartmouth; however, of those, Brown fits more of my preferences (size-wise, location, etc.), so it’s the one I’m most likely to apply to.

So here it goes…

Academics
3.75 UW GPA/ 4.37ish W (not updated online so can’t check WGPA)
33 ACT (35E/27M/34R/34S), 33 superscored (35E/28M/34R/34S) with a 9 in essay.
680 SATII US History, 660 SATII Literature (retaking lit ASAP this fall)
6 or 7 APs out of 11 offered completed by end of senior year; only one offered sophomore year, and at my school people in the top decile are the only ones who take more than 2 or 3 APs during high school
Top 10% of graduating class (may have been updated but not posted online so this is most recent that I have)
Senior Schedule: AP Gov, AP Lit, AP Stats, Honors Spanish 4 (have to talk to teacher and see if I could sit AP Spanish exam, this would be #7 if it’s possible), Honors Physics, Journalism, World Religions, Marching Band

ECs
1 year choir
1 year NHS
1 year JV bowling
1 year tutoring at local church
2 years varsity bowling
2 years service representative
2 years student government, will be senior class VP
3 years marching band
3 years Girl Scouts, considering starting Gold Award work in August

Summer Experiences
2 journalism camps (last summer and this summer)
1 writing camp (this summer)
1 psychology camp (this summer)

Gender: Female
Race: So white I sparkle
Country of Residence: USA
State of Residence: fly-over country
Financial Aid: Need it but almost all of it will have to be merit or outside $$$ as I don’t qualify for need-based at 99% of colleges

Recs: Asking my Spanish teacher who’s had me for the last two years and the NHS advisor who was my APUSH and AP Psych teacher; if one of them doesn’t work out I’ll ask my junior year English teacher

Common App Essay: The one I wrote as an end-of-year assignment for English was well-liked by both the teacher and my friends, but I’m just worried about the topic being cliche. That being said, if I don’t come up with a better essay I’d be okay using it.

2

I think you should definitely apply; your stats are good enough. Might I ask what you wrote your essay about?

3

@Prospective1998 My essay was about a student council election and its outcome; cliche as heck, but considering I threw it together in a little under two hours I’m fairly happy with it.

4

See, I’ve always been told to stay away from cliche topics when writing college essays but I honestly feel like it’s less about the topic than it is about the quality of writing and the ability of the writer to say whatever they’re trying to say; if your essay is really articulate, clear, and compelling, I’d say you’re in a reeeally good position.

5

It’s a personal decision no one can make for you. If you ran the NPC and that looks okay, because there is no merit. A lot of outside larger awards have income qualifications. Many outside awards are small and for one year only. But still you can search for new ones each year and Brown would be helpful with that because you can build a really attractive resume there. Also there are great jobs on the Brown campus, no work/study award needed for many. Run Dartmouth NPC too, D may be more generous.

6

If you need a lot of aid and financially you don’t qualify, I don’t think it makes sense to apply to a place where you won’t get enough aid. It is very difficult to get significant amount of outside scholarships unless your stats and accomplishments are amazing.

7

You should definitely apply. I don’t see a single reason why you shouldn’t. You might want to pare down your EC list, to reflect your interests and passions, though, as it is kind of scattered and the first half seems like filler. Other than that, I think that you are definitely in the running. :slight_smile:

8

Yes, you have a lot of experience with ec’s, good gpa, and good sat, why not???

9

Haha so white you sparkle :stuck_out_tongue: Sister get in line! Look, you may get in or you may not. Meaning that admission is kind of dodgy. My boyfriend’s ex got into Brown on a full ride with a 1700 on the SAT because the mother had been filing taxes as a single mother of three (rather than a married woman in a household with 2 incomes) and she is Hispanic. Now she does nothing but party, call said BF while drunk proclaiming her undying love after 3 years, and act superior to people not going to Brown. Long story short, just going to a top school doesn’t make you a top person. But if you are not too emotionally attached to the outcome and want to throw in your chances, you should apply. Because it may not be just a dream! And who knows when you’ll need the experience of applying and putting yourself out there to those types of schools? I am trying to apply to grad school and have a panic attack over applying to the high end schools because I didn’t put myself out there four years ago. But whatever happens, you’ll make it through and have a good time doing it.

10

You have nothing to lose! I think you have a pretty good chance.

11

I’m not going to chance you. If you want to apply, than apply. Try to stick to the usual advice regarding safety schools, matches and reaches. Just pick your favs for each category.