So I just toured Brown today for the second time and fell in love with it even more! I just feel like I’m the type of person who would fit perfectly into Providence and would utilize the open curriculum to its fullest extent. I love the vibe and the students there too. The class offerings are amazing to say the least. I’ve really been considering going ED to Brown; exactly how much will this help my chances? I know that RD acceptance rate is ~7% and ED is 20%, but people say that it’s solely because of legacy and athlete students. I feel like they admit more during ED too because the student has to go to Brown if accepted. Is this true??
Also, if I don’t get into Brown ED, I’ll be applying to Harvard RD with legacy. They still factor legacy in the RD round right? I know it’s less than SCEA though.
So would it be worth it to apply ED to Brown?
You are pretty much in the same exact situation I am in! I am absolutely in love with Brown for all the reasons you described, and I want to apply ED, but I’m still kind of wary of the financial commitment. I’m also going to apply RD to Harvard with legacy if Brown doesn’t work out… But my heart really isn’t in that.
Honestly, I really do think applying Early Decision (without being a legacy/athlete) says a lot to the admissions committee about your commitment and honest love for Brown as an individual school. I do think it adds something extra to your application. Also, the admissions dept. knows that they can choose many strong applicants to “lock them in.” Those students aren’t being distracted by other prestigious universities since they are bound to the contract, leaving their yield to be way better.
Personally, I’d like to believe it’ll help my chances. And if it makes you feel any better, my friend’s dad is the dean of undergrad students at a highly selective university, and he gave me the advice to surely apply to Brown early decision if that is where my heart is set. Based on his experience with early decision at his school, he believes it’s a better option for me than RD.
I hope that helps?? (Though I didn’t give you any stats or anything, haha). Good luck with your decisions! And maybe we could end up as classmates some day 
Who knows??
@ithinkuracontra wow that’s so cool! I feel exactly the same way. I just toured Harvard and Brown for the second time last week and Brown just feels right. Definitely going ED to Brown.
Have you by chance done Experience Brown? If not, I’d definitely recommend it, although it doesn’t seem like you need help making up your mind, haha. It’s the program where they match you up with a student, go to lunch with them, and then go to one of their classes. I went in February, and not even the dreary weather could deter my spirits! That’s when I knew 100% that Brown was the school for me. I had that “feeling.” Sitting in on the class there (it was a medical anthropology class… not even the academic area I’m interested in) really did it for me because by observing the students and the learning environment, I felt this overwhelming passion amongst everyone in the room. I just knew that I wanted to be a part of it!
Not to be creepy or anything, but I went through some of your posts and all and we also have more similarities. I’m also at a 32 ACT with a 33.25 superscore… desperately trying to get that superscore into one solid score. I’ll be retaking this September. But if that doesn’t work out, I’m still kinda worried about that score not being “stellar” enough. Hopefully, other things in my application will carry me more than my score. Your freefrunning EC definitely seems unique enough!!
@ithinkuracontra I’m retaking it in September too!! Really want a 34 but realistically probably a 33. But if we get rejected with 32s, it’ll be because of something else in our apps. Having the average score is by no means reason for rejection. I really want to try the Experience Brown thing! I’ll see if I can go back in the fall.
Haha same. I’m just going to try my best, and if my best is a 32, then all I can do is move forward and work really hard on my app in every other way.
But for now, good luck to you in September! You can do it!!!
When I visited this month, they said there was “no large advantage to ED” and that most of the ED admissions bump is from recruited athletes.
I’m applying to Brown RD this fall! I would apply ED just to know sooner, but I need some grades from this semester on my application. I’m not worried about testing (I got a 36), but I’m nervous because I got a B- in a college class last spring and am worried it will look like I’m not ready for college academics.
@eyrar99 I’m sure you’ll be fine in the RD round. I just feel like applying ED without any hooks shows genuine interest in the school. Plus, I’m gearing my whole app (including my personal statement) to things unique to Brown.
I have a 32 (33 super score) ACT. If I get deferred/rejected, will my ACT score be the reason?
I think the higher ED admit rate is largely fueled by athletics. I don’t think it lessens your chance but the much higher admit rate I believe is deceptive. Good luck either way.
On my school’s naviance website, the ED acceptance rate is 38% while the RD acceptance rate is 7%.
The average accepted GPA for ED is slightly lower than for RD. However, the average applied GPA for ED is slightly higher than for RD.
Do what you want with the info
@wrenegade that’s an insane difference!! We’re any of those kids recruited athletes?? Do the test scores work out the same way as the GPA does?
@ap012199 yeah! it is pretty insane! I don’t really have any ways of telling if any of the kids were recruited athletes. If it helps, the lowest accepted GPA for ED is MUCH lower than that for RD so I’m sure athletics was a factor in some of the decisions.
Also, yeah, the test scores are pretty parallel with GPA
DS was accepted ED last year (just moved him into his dorm yesterday). There is information available which makes it possible to remove the effect of athletes. Brown publishes the number of ED applicants, the number accepted, and the percent of admitted students who are recruited athletes.
I wish you all the best of luck! I can’t imagine a more wonderful school than Brown.
@NYMomof2 can you post a link for the stats? Thanks for the reply!
I don’t know how to cut and paste on my phone (cue mocking laughter from my sons), but if you google “brown university ed admission athletes” it will be the 3rd result, from the Brown Daily Herald, 12/10/15.
I often recommend a book called “The Early Admissions Game” for this question. Written by two Harvard profs and a Wesleyan AD, it is a detailed, statistical analysis of ED, it’s advantages and disadvantages. A summary from an article by Louis Menand in The New Yorker says:
They do cover athletes and legacies in the book and still show a clear statistical advantage for the unhooked, although not equal to the overall difference between ED and RD. (Note the use of the term “average applicant”.)
Yes, the analysis was a few years ago and application numbers have increased, but to date no one who points out that fact has any data to show the percentages have changed.
i am in the same position as u only i got a 33 on the act…what r ur other stats? i have double legacy at yale but i reely love brown. i think my best chances at getting in are through early, but ik legacy holds more weight in the early pool. do u think i should apply scea to yale or ed to brown? let me know what u decided on for brown vs harvard. like postmodern said above it truly is a game!!1
@browndirt2021 I’ve decided to go ED to Brown as it’s truly my #1. Took the ACT again so I’ll have at least a super score of 33 (and I’m feeling the 33 on the actual test). I have a 4.0 GPA and 4.6 W (I didn’t score as high as I would’ve liked bc of test anxiety).
My advice is to apply early to your #1. But if Yale and Brown are neck and neck, go SCEA to Yale. A girl at my school with a 2240, 4.0, and legacy at Yale got in SCEA and got into Brown RD.
Also my mom is an interviewer for Harvard and her boss asked for my name to tell the admissions office (don’t know if that’s a big help in admission, but it definitely doesn’t hurt!).
Good luck!
2240 is low for yale no? wonder what kind of ec’s she had. im not really in any clubs at my school but how much do they really care? do u think sports help too? i only do parkour tho so most people dont think its really a sport :’(