<p>Basically I'm EDing to Brown and I'm having some trouble deciding which standardized tests to retake.
I am a rising senior, white, female, my weighted GPA is a 4.81 and so far I've taken 3 APs (ap us history, ap euro, and ap language and composition) and gotten 5s on all of them. What's lacking is my standardized tests. The only ones above 700 are a 730 in molecular biology (from ninth grade) and a 710 in math level 1.
My highest sat score is a 2140 (superscore: 2170) and my 1600 score is a 1420.<br>
I've also taken the act and got a 31 but I'm retaking that in October.<br>
My question is, since I only have time to retake the SATs once before the ED deadline should I retake a subject SAT or the actual one?<br>
Also any comments on whether I could possibly get accepted to Brown? (obv its sort of a lottery but just wondering)
Thanks so much!</p>
<p>id say the subject one take math level 2 if you can (covers precalc) and perhaps a foreign language, and even a humanities. </p>
<p>For subject tests, just check Brown’s requirements- they want two Subject Tests on top of the SAT if you’re submitting the SAT. Generally, if your Subject Test scores are above 700 you’re fine and shouldn’t retake. That said, check the percentiles:</p>
<p>SAT Biology (M): 72nd percentile
SAT Math Level 1: 81st percentile
SAT overall: 98th percentile
SAT 1600 scale: 96th percentile
SAT Writing: 97th percentile
ACT: 97th percentile</p>
<p>Looking at this, your Bio/Math percentiles might look a bit low but keep in mind that not everyone takes every Subject Test so even a 70th percentile score is very respectable.</p>
<p>So, Brown will either take the ACT+Writing or the SAT + two Subject Tests. Do Bio (M) and Math Level 1 display your strengths? Math 1 is iffy, though, since someone who’s strong at math would take Math 2. You can’t submit your Subject Tests without the SAT itself, so it’s a lot trickier than the ACT deal (just the ACT, nothing else).</p>
<p>Honestly, your scores look pretty fine overall and they won’t be the deciding factor in your application. Don’t be that test-focused- think about other ways you can spend that weekend pursuing things you’re really interested in, things that display your passion and demonstrate why you’d be good for Brown. If you still insist, though, I’d study hard and retake Math II and Bio (M) (if those are your interests) or retake Math II and something in the humanities (if you want to demonstrate intellectual curiosity and breadth of interest). If your scores are normal for the top kids at your school, though, then don’t worry about it. A 720 in a school of 800s doesn’t look good, but a 720 in a school of 600s is definitely okay and worth applying with.</p>
<p>If I happen to do decently on the next ACT (above 33) should I submit any of the SAT stuff at all? Also thank you so much for your replies I’ll definitely consider your advice!</p>
<p>@paperairplane Under Brown’s policy, you don’t have to. It comes down to whether you want them to consider both; since your SAT is basically equivalent to your current ACT score, it all comes down to whether you think your Subject Tests demonstrate your strengths.</p>
<p>Just looking at your scores, and without an unweighted GPA or a major, I’d say you’re not going to Brown.</p>
<p>What Brown and its peers are going to want to see, even if you were 4.0 and 1600, is exceptional ECs (and essays), so what are your ECs?</p>
<p>I’ve been involved in the Drama Club and Theater Club for 4 years,
President of Art Honor Society for 3 years,
Newspaper for 4 years,
Science Honor Society 2 years, just elected President for next year
Social Studies Honor Society
English Honor Society
Foreign Language Honor Society
Received the Brown University Book Award
Science Olympiads (competed at State Level)
Part of the Science Research Program at my school (10 kids selected out of a grade of 400)
Won 2nd place in Chemistry in the county science competition, moved on to the State level, won 4th
Won 1st at several other competitions with same project
Babysitting since 8th grade
Worked at a bakery summer before Junior year
Honors Biology Tutor during Junior year
Director of improvisation troop at school for two years, member for 4
Did a 7 week internship and independent research project at a lab at UVM college of medicine
Assistant Counselor at Art camp during the summer
Grand Concours competed for 5 years (scored 10th, 5th, 6th, 11th, and 12th)
Played flute since 5th grade</p>
<p>And the average gpa on naviance for Brown for my school is a 4.82, I have a 4.81</p>
<p>@jkeil911 </p>
<p>I’m not here to argue with you, OP. You asked for my help. Your excellent GPA is the best of many components you’ve shown us; presumably that is out of 5.0 and not 6.3. Thank you for the ECs. I see you have a lot of ECs, and you’ll have to find a way to show your passion for one of them, whether it is in languages, science, or music. Like a lot of other very good candidates for admission, your success may turn on whether your essays and letters of rec can convince the admissions officers that you are someone quite unusual–not from the viewpoint of yourself or your mom or even me, but from the viewpoint of a hard-eyed AO at an ivy school who receives hundreds of apps with your scores each year. AND convince the AOs that you fit into their attempts to construct a “Brown” class of 2019! Last year Brown offered admission to 2619 students out of 30432 applicants. That’s an 8.9% admission rate. And consider this also: hundreds if not thousands of those 30K were the best students in the world. So it’s not 1 offer per 11 apps from all the college bound students, but 1 of 11 or, say, 8 from students with your resumé. Any averages that you see in the school’s stats include hundreds of students whom the school, for whatever reason, wants to have in its student body regardless of the lower-than-average resumé. That means 1) your GPA average is below that of the students without a hook, and 2) no one can count on admission. </p>
<p>Perhaps the best advice you’ve received so far is in @dividerofzero’s last paragraph of the first post. Work on the essays. Select letter writers whom know you really well and who will take the trouble to make their letter for you something special. Offer the letter writers your resumé so that they can refer to it. Then forget about the Brown app and do well on your other applications and school work.</p>
<p>@jkeil911 Thank you so so much for your thorough and very helpful and honest advice, and thank you for taking the time to respond, I will definitely take all of this into consideration when applying !</p>
<p>The single best piece of advice I ever heard about admissions (which wasn’t even meant to be advice) was this one-liner from a Tufts admissions officer that I think says a lot about admissions at highly selective schools:
“If the only thing I have to say about you in the committee room is how great your numbers are, you will not get in.”</p>