<p>This is just my reflection of the past few weeks. One of my best friends applied to Brown, Yale, and Washington University. I knew that she was going to get accepted to Washington University because we’re both from Missouri and her application overall was amazing. However, I wasn’t too sure about Yale (she was deferred EA) or Brown. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, she was wait-listed at WashU. Then, the admissions decisions for Brown and Yale were released. I couldn’t wait to ask her the next day, but it never came up in any of our conversations, so I didn’t want to ask. </p>
<p>A few days later, someone else brought it up. I learned that she had been rejected from both Yale and Brown. Unless she was taken off the waiting list at WashU, she would be stuck at Mizzou. The only good thing was that she got into their honors college. </p>
<p>The thing is: she was the most accomplished student from my area. She even spent the summer in Beijing studying the Chinese culture and language. If she couldn’t get into her top school, I know that I probably won’t either. I’m a sophomore, by the way.</p>
<p>Brown is definitely my first choice and I want to apply ED. I’m just afraid that I’ll get rejected. It doesn’t help that all my school is known for is scandals and the occasional hazing. My principal was also fired today and the superintendent resigned because of chest pains from all the stress, so I think you guys get the picture. </p>
<p>If anybody has comments, I would really appreciate it!</p>
Except for a very few students (primarily recruited athletes), most people are very unlikely to get into Brown, just given that something like 80-90% of the applicant pool is qualified and under 9% are accepted. Brown doesn’t just accept based on the highest grades or travel. The essay is incredibly important, and they’re looking for fit. The pool also varies from year to year, and some decisions might vary based on the mood of the reader of the application, too. There are far stranger things than the “top” student being rejected and a “lesser” student getting in.</p>
<p>
Rejection happens in many facets of life. Jobs, socially, college…I didn’t get into my top choice school, nor was I hired for a TAing position the first time I applied, but I’ve still ended up with a great academic situation, and I’m now the one with great input on the hiring of TAs for a course. Letting fear of rejection get in your way will reduce the number of opportunities you have in general. Do be reasonable about your chances - few people get in, but don’t assume you don’t have a chance if your scores are in range.</p>
<p>Don’t waste time you could be spending strengthening your application by worrying about a rejection. It’s a crapshoot for everyone. Read Brown’s admissions blog, and you’d know that your school has nothing to do with your chances of admission–it’s all up to you.</p>
<p>Uroogla: Just out of curiosity, what was your top choice? I know that Brown probably wants people who can/will make the most out of the open curriculum and I hope Brown will see some potential in me. </p>
<p>My friend got a 31 on the ACT, but she wishes she would have re-taken it. I’m going to take it in June for the first time, so hopefully I’ll do well, but unless I get a 32 (which is highly unlikely), I’ll probably take it again. </p>
<p>I’ll just keep focusing on schoolwork and my ECs, so when the time comes, I won’t apply for nothing.</p>
<p>Tell your friend that even a higher ACT score doesn’t guarantee acceptance. My son was waitlisted to both Yale and Brown with a 35. I would definitely recommend you apply ED to Brown if you really want to go there and make sure you spend a lot of time on your essay to convey your passion for the school. Also, I would suggest applying to a few safeties, a slight reach and one or two higher reaches as you never know what one college may be looking for.</p>
<p>My top choice was Princeton. They have greater strength in 2 of my 3 fields, I had and have numerous friends there, and I thrive in a more stressful atmosphere than Brown has provided. So in that sense, I’m not the type of student Brown is stereotypically known for. On the other hand, I would have only been able to complete one major at Princeton, with strict science requirements (as an engineer) and rampant grade deflation that leads to quite a bit of unhappiness.</p>
<p>Another thing you might consider is to see if you might go to one of the summer programs at Brown. I have known students that were really helped in knowing that Brown was a good fit for them, and in having that help Brown know that they could do the work, esp if they did very well in a summer class and got a rec from the prof at Brown. This is particularly helpful if you come from a school that Brown might not have knowledge of (small “new” schools, home schooled etc. where all they really have to go on then is your Board scores, and essay, as the grade will have little comparison rating. )
(this is also true for a number of other top schools that have these programs. My daughter went to summer at Penn and practically was guaranteed admission. (but went there more for the class, and decided the school was not for her.)</p>
<p>Chelsea, your friend did not apply to enough schools if she wasn’t happy with her safety. I think any colleges with acceptances under 15% (maybe 20%?) are uncertain even for the most qualified applicants. As Uroogla notes, many, many qualified students are not accepted. If your friend would have applied to more schools and maybe some with even a slightly higher acceptance rate, she would have more choices.</p>
<p>^burry is right. Whenever anyone asks me for advice about applying to colleges these days, one of the first things out of my mouth is: apply to lots of schools. There is simply too large a random variable in the equation to limit oneself to two reaches, a match, and a safety.</p>
<p>I agree so much with burry and mgcsinc. Please, people, pick safeties that you’d be happy at! Sometimes things just don’t work out, and you really need to know that you’d be fine with any of your college choices.</p>
<p>burry: You’re so right about that. She didn’t want to apply to Georgetown because apparently the political science and Mandarin Chinese departments are in two different schools and they don’t allow students to cross-major, if that’s what you would call it. She also didn’t want to have to take the SAT Subject Tests because it would have been a bit of a hassle.</p>
<p>I’m definitely going to apply to: Mizzou, UMichigan, Brown, Georgetown, UVA, and UChicago. Mizzou will be the easiest to get into and I’ll probably end up at UVA (I hope), but I would especially prefer Brown or UChicago. </p>
<p>BrownAlumParent: My parents wouldn’t let me go this summer, but hopefully I’ll be able to go the summer before my senior year (summer 2012). It sounds like such a great experience and it would really help me make sure Brown is my top choice.</p>
<p>Kdog044: That’s too bad. I guess it goes to show that scores aren’t everything. I think my Why Brown essay will be one of the strongest parts of my essay. I’m going to mention all the quirky things about Brown. </p>
That sounds great in theory but not everyone has the financial means to do so. When you figure at least $60-$80 per application and another $30 or so to send your test scores to the institution it adds up. I had to limit my son to 5 schools due to cost and I’m sure we were not alone.</p>
<p>Chelsea, it is much much too early for you to finalize a college list – but I promise you that when the time comes, there will be plenty of people on CC (including me) who will help you. Right now your list has too many reaches, and you need to add schools that give merit aid. But we’ll deal with that later.</p>
<p>I know I’ve told you this before – you really cannot compare yourself to another student, and think that will help you figure out your admissions outcomes. If my daughter had that attitude, she wouldn’t be graduating from Brown this May. I am sorry about your friend, though.</p>
<p>As for the caliber of the HS school – I once saw a mock admissions folder of a student applying from a school that was denied accreditation. She was accepted. And you should read a book called “A Hope in the Unseen,” by Ron Suskind. It really is a wonderful book, true story, about an inner city student who went to a horrible high school, who got into Brown. The book follows the student from his last two years of HS and his first year at Brown. It’s inspirational, and it will also give you some interesting insight into being a Brown student (both pros and cons, I’m afraid).</p>
<p>And BrownAlumParent: going to Brown’s summer school does not help a student get into Brown. Chelsea has commented on CC before, and the summer school was discussed then. If she gets a scholarship it’s worth her considering, but that’s a big it.</p>
No worries, even if Yale or Brown don’t come calling he did get into his other favorite which was NU. He might be slightly disappointed but he still was accepted into a great school and he is looking forward to going there.</p>
<p>@FireAndRain I read BrownAlumParent’s comment as meaning the summer program gives you a feel for campus/the area, and it’s easy to get into the summer program if you have the means to pay (rather than going to the summer program makes it easy to get into the school).</p>
I guess it goes to show that scores aren’t everything. I think my Why Brown essay will be one of the strongest parts of my essay. I’m going to mention all the quirky things about Brown. </p>