Hello!!
The early deadline is coming up and I am trying to decide whether to apply early or not. I know that early decision significantly raises my chances of getting into Brown since ivy blah blah and my application isn’t the strongest ever, but I really can’t decide between Brown or Vassar. What do you think my chances would be in early decision vs. regular?
GPA: 3.7 uw, 4.1 weighted
SAT: tentatively CR: 770, M: 670, W: 650 (just retook it though)
ACT: 31
APS: European Hist. (5) US Hist. (5) AP Latin (4) AP Chem (3), English, Calc AB, Art history
Honors courses: alg 2, precalc, english, chemistry, physics
ECs: competition pianst, peer counselor, student leadership, activities head, teachers’ assistant, regular volunteer who created own program at regional low income school, movie set intern, orchestra, photography
Recs: should be really good
Essay: haven’t finished yet but either about my mom being divorced twice/my wack-job family
thank you so much!!
That GPA will hurt your chances at Brown, as will your GPA. I’d say your scores mach Vassar’s profile well enough.
It’s very dicey to rate ECs when all I know about them is the brief descriptions you’ve posted here, but I see them as decent at worst.
That essay topic sounds like one I’d be very careful with. Colleges will be interested in a creative take on the matter, but you need to avoid falling into the large, large “My family is horrible and it’s a miracle that I made it through HS” bucket.
Be aware that hundreds if not thousands of applicants will be writing about their parents’ divorce, so if your essay sounds like anything someone else might write in your situation, rewrite it. There’s nothing new under the sun; you won’t be the only one choosing this topic, and it might not be a bad idea to rule out the first 2-3 takes that occur to you.
Also, humor and self-depreciation will go a long way. You want this to be an essay that admissions officers will enjoy reading even if it’s essay #14 of a rainy Monday morning and they’ve already seen a few hundred essays this application season.