<p>Samwise, I’ve already finished four EAs, as well as completed (okay, almost- the mail-in materials are missing) two mid-reach RD apps. I’m almost done with the rest of my RD apps, so completing them by the Jan. deadline if Early doesn’t work out (and right now, it’s hard to say with Parchment and creeping on Official Results threads) won’t be a problem. </p>
<p>This is slightly off-topic, but I just recently found out that an EA school I’ve applied to won’t allow ED (it is not a SCEA). Is it worth it to convert the app to RD? Of course, I have a moral obligation to and probably will, but as this EA is mid to high reach, would it be worth it to keep the app as EA? I hate to say “They’ll never know that I’m doing ED.” and I’m not that kind of person, but I’m curious to see what input I’ll get from you guys.</p>
<p>Already been taken care of highledumacated. Just called Gtown, submitted the change form, and emailed Brown in case they had on file I was applying EA to Gtown.</p>
<p>I have one last open-ended question for the thread before I shut up. Anyone’s welcome to answer or not answer.</p>
<p>Do all of you expect to thrive at Brown? I’m currently in contact with a woman at Brown who initially had a concentration in neuroscience but is switching to Africana and fears she will not pass her classes for the semester. My interviewer made it clear that there is no shame in changing your major, and that she was in the sciences before switching to something else once she realized she was making Cs in her science courses and they caused more stress than good. Assuming you all are not It’s Kind of a Funny Story cases (in which a guy works hard all his life to get into a certain school, and once he does, he realizes he’s incapable of keeping up because he’s simply worked hard to reach this point but does not have the intelligence/means of being successful in the classroom), do you all feel like you will thrive at Brown, despite its cost, stress level (it is ranked very high in terms of stress nationwide), and academic rigor? I assume you all have worked hard for the grades and scores you have now, but do any of you worry you won’t be well-acclimated to the academic environment, will get a weed-out class, or will have to change your concentration because of academic problems?</p>
<p>For me personally, I feel Brown is the right fit for me but it will be difficult and quite stressful at times (something many CCers have trouble admitting), and I don’t expect all As (and many people at top-tier schools have to adjust that they’re not going to get the grades they were used to getting in high school). I’m premed for neuro and will have no time to be making mediocre grades, as I compete for med school spots starting on day 1 of undergrad. </p>
<p>Goodluck to all of you and hopefully you all will fit in just fine!</p>
<p>I’m not too worried about the academics at Brown being too hard for me. I mean, anyone who gets in must have decent stats. For me, I took 10 APs in high school and got A’s on all ,and it was a tough courseload but not something I couldn’t handle. I imagine college can’t really be worse. It should really be more about having fun. Go to parties. Meet people. Stop fretting about your grades.</p>
<p>Saying “I took 10 APs and got all As, so college will be easy” is a bit unrealistic. While it might be true (and I hope it is for you), the reality of High school vs. a school like Brown is this: In high school, all of the “smart” kids take APs. They pretty much take all of them, regardless of their aptitudes. </p>
<p>My guess is that most of the people applying have taken APs (and have gotten As, and have scored well on the AP exams) in subjects they do boot consider their strengths. APs are really minimal-level prep for highly competitive colleges.</p>
<p>Brown has an open curriculum, which means that no one ever has to take a course in a subject they have no aptitude for, or interest in. There are no “gut” science courses (or literature courses, either). Everyone in your class will excel, and will be motivated. There will be no “how well can I do on this test if I don’t read the book?” </p>
<p>Professors can teach to the highest level kids, instead of the lowest level kids. And the highest level kids are not justSMART, they are really intellectually curious. And intrinsically motivated. </p>
<p>It is a different ball game. That is why Brown offers C/NC. And that is why not many people use it that
often. </p>
<p>It is truly awesome, but stressful at times. I’m so jealous of you guys. Know that of you are accepted, you can do it.</p>
<p>I have a couple friends who go to WUSTL, and last spring when a bunch of high school kids were complaining on facebook about all the AP tests they had to take, my friends commented on how they would rather take ten AP tests than any one of their finals, especially the orgo one. Assuming that Brown is about as challenging as WUSTL, Mandoggy’s statement that “college can’t really be worse” is probably an underestimation of how challenging Brown and other top schools are</p>
<p>I remember one test. It was on endocrinology. It was multiple choice. Easy, you say. It was only one question. Even easier.</p>
<p>It was twenty-five pages long. The question was about three paragraphs in length. The instructions said to choose whichever answers were correct. There were thirty-four answers. It could have been one of them, all of them, or some number in between.</p>
<p>Easy? No. Every person in the class stayed there for three hours trying to answer one multiple-choice question.</p>
<p>I relate that to my students, and they chuckle. They have no idea what stress is yet. </p>
<p>They also don’t appreciate how immensely satisfying it is to push yourself intellectually beyond what you feel you are capable of. I know how they feel - things are always a piece of cake. Until they aren’t. And that is a very good thing.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what you mean by “worse.” You won’t get any useless busywork assignments and you spend less hours per week in a classroom, but the work you will be expected to complete successfully will make even your hardest AP or local college class look trivial in comparison. My son has gone from never having been challenged in a math or science class to suddenly being challenged in all of them, from being able to handle 10 or more classes at a time (AP, online, plus dual-enrollment college) to just being able to keep up with 5 of them. (Note that taking 5 classes in your first semester at Brown is strongly advised against, but he fell in love with all of them and also figured “how hard can it be?”)</p>
<p>I don’t think his history class is way way harder than an AP history or English class, but math and physics classes are at about the level you might begin to see in junior or senior year of a more typical university: they expect you to be able to figure out non-obvious multi-step solutions to complex problems, not just plug numbers into the just-taught formula du jour.</p>
<p>I think Brown is a happy place, but when you remove the A- students and below that used to prop up your grade in high school, some of you will end up taking their place in the new hierarchy. Some will rise to the occasion by doubling-down on their efforts, others will settle for lower GPAs and the rest will look for less challenging non-STEM majors.</p>
<p>From what I’ve learned by talking to college students, I’ve noticed that people who are going to college to learn tend to be more successful (in terms of hard work, which increases your chances of being successful with grades) than those who have showed up to school to build a nice-looking transcript. My friends who were very well qualified for the state school they go to are struggling, simply because of their high school mindset that they’re just now learning to shake off. I’ve also noticed that the top 12 or so kids at my school really do love learning, so I can safely assume there’s a correlation between the love of learning and academic success. </p>
<p>Also, I agree with most “college is a different ballgame” perspectives. My friends at Princeton have told me how it is the hardest thing they’ve ever experienced, and these are kids who did prestigious programs and had all the right stats; one of them has a national award for Science Olympiad. My friend at Yale went through RSI after her junior year, and another prestigious program (where I met her) this past summer, and is currently very stressed. </p>
<p>If I am lucky enough to be accepted to Brown, I hope to develop ten times the work ethic I have now. I guess right now I just need to focus on the possibility of getting in. Thanks for contributing to the food for thought. If this is meant to develop into an Official Results thread, sorry for “flooding” the thread.</p>
<p>Be careful when reading about what others experience at Brown. Some students find Brown to be extremely difficult and very stressful. Others find Brown to be relatively easy and more laid back than high school. Most students will find Brown somewhere in between.</p>
<p>I agree that most high school students should not equate high success at high school as guaranteed high success at college. However, some high schools can be just as intense or more so than colleges, including Brown.</p>
<p>No one can tell you what you will experience at Brown because they do not know you or your prior experiences.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t really call Brown stressful. I’d say you will be more challenged per hour of class time and that, in general, is a good thing for personal growth. I wouldn’t underestimate the work, but neither would I fret too much about it – if you got in, you have the ability to do well.</p>
<p>Jackrabbit420, I’d say being asked to bring your resume is common. It will help the interviewer (and you) with the questions so that you don’t forget anything when you answer “So tell me about yourself.” It also speeds up the what-are-you-involved-in part, too.
For UChicago, I was asked to email her my essay and resume ahead of time in order to “skip the boring stuff.”</p>
<p>LoremIpsum - I did not say Brown was stressful. I said that some students find Brown to be very stressful. I did not attend Brown so this is not based on my first hand knowledge. It is based on what my son told me over Thanksgiving break. He said that he can’t believe how stressed out some of the students are. He said some are so stressed its as if they never had to take an exam before. Clearly Brown is not stressful for everyone and for some it is quite the opposite.</p>
<p>Interesting, lostmyeszett! I wonder what percentage of the freshman class is experiencing this stress? And whether it’s all students, or just those taking heavily-technical subjects?</p>
<p>To Brown hopefuls, I just want to repeat a sentiment that a Brown interviewer expressed: because of the extremely competitive admission process at Brown, there are many completely qualified students who are not accepted. So a rejection does not necessarily mean that you are not Brown material, only that you didn’t happen to be chosen. Don’t be too hard on yourself!
Just thought I would inject a vote of optimism in here because I suspect that in a few weeks, many of us will not be happy campers.
Good luck!</p>
Know that of you are accepted, you can do it.</p>