College admission question..

[Bkas]

Originally posted by: MisterPants
Am I nuts? I'd like your opinion.

I will be applying to Brown as a Junior this year.

Freshman GPA: 2.5/3.0 Weighted 125/375
Sophomore GPA: 3.975/4.67 Weighted ~4/375
Combined I rank 46/375

SAT should be 1550+ (according to practice tests)
SATIIs will be a bit rushed, but should average above 750 (estimates based on Writing/Lit practices and optimism)

I have a great sob story. My freshman year was a struggle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder which aggravated my case of Malnutrition. I was forced, by both parents and my psychologist, to take antidepressants, which continued despite my complaints of "dullness" for most of the year. Over the summer, I began another treatment and have made a dramatic recovery, as have my grades. I've spent the summer as an Neuropsychological intern and will be participating in future research there. Will be taking AP European History as well as AP Physics, a class traditionally taken only by seniors after completing Honors Physics (at the hellhole where I go to school).

It should be interesting, and I'm prepared for a very depressing april.

I should also note that the reason I am applying only to Brown is that I am not comfortable leaving the RI area at this point. Otherwise, I would apply to schools where my chances exceed those of a duck.

I think I'm nuts.

Tell Brown that you don't want to leave RI...to do this, appled Early Decision. Brown is known to take people with lower than stellar GPAs...your board scores are well within range (Brown's SAT I average is around 1380); your GPA is the only thing lacking a bit. If you apply ED and write great essays, you'd have a good chance at admission. Brown is one of those schools that puts a lot of faith in the essay (at other schools, it doesn't really make or break you like people claim), so make it original and have it reflect your personality. If you do all of that and apply ED, you have a great shot. Good luck!

And start early on the app; Brown requires you to hand-write the app, so don't wait to do it the morning of the postmark deadline.

 

[podingX]

i dunno...i think college apps are all about the college essays and extracurriculars/accomplishments because once your SATs and GPA are that high, they really don't mean too much in comparison to everyone else. the ivy leagues and top-notch schools are already expecting people with good scores who are at the top of their classes, but its the recommendations and "extras" that get you in. at least, i think that's how it worked out for me....

oh yeah! think about the early decisions/early actions, too! i made the mistake of rushing too fast and i ended up getting accepted early decision so i had to withdraw all my other apps! the only good things i can think about applying early is that its OVER by december and that it might give you a better chance of getting in as compared as to if you had applied regular

 

[Pothead]

Asians maybe a minority in the real-world, but in College and College admissions, they are considered an overrepresented minority.

The small Ivy League I go to has 11% Asian-American population. Asian-Americans have been categorized as the "model minority." Over the years, the Asian-American applicants have increased but it wasn't as much when I applied to college. However, ask the admissions office how minorties are judged. Admissions looks into the background of minorities including Asian-Americans. The white population is still the majority and are held to higher standards. An Asian-American is not held to the stats of a typical white caucasian. They see an African-American or an Asian-American that has come from a ghetto area with medicore SATs, good grades, worked hard as a more likely candidate to the college than a white person.

 

[Xenon14]

What you have to realize about IVY League schools is that mostly everyone that applies there is qualified (4.0 gpa, 1500+ sats). So the way they choose who gets in and who doesn't often comes down to how one student is distinguished from the other - Did they attend academic camps, do they have special talents, do they have leadership qualities things of that nature. And for IVY League schools, essays mean a lot - it is literally the only tangible thing about yourself that you can hand to a college, so you have to make yourself stand out.

EDIT: As an example, #1 in my graduating class (this year) didn't get into ANY IVY League schools (Example: upenn, duke, harvard, princeton) even though her academics were amazing. The reason is b/c she in no way distinguished herself from other students who had the same academic qualifications as her. On the other hand, one person ranked 8th got into Wharton Upenn (which is harder to get into than regular upenn), #2 rank got into UPenn pre-med. Some other top 12 students got into: Stern NYU, Cornel, Notre Dame and a few others I undoubtedly forgot.

 

[tom2609]

Thought maybe I'd add another question onto this thread... I will be a senior in high school this year and will be applying to Purdue, Rose Hulman, U of Michigan, Ohio State, U of Illinois, U of Texas Austin, and Carnegie Mellon. I visited all these places and besides the fact that some are more prestigious than others I'm not sure which one I would really like to go to. Anyway are there any other schools I should consider and what are my chances of getting in at these places... 33 ACT, 5's on AP Calc BC, AP US History, AP English Lang and Comp.. 3.9833 GPA (unweighted), 7/398 class rank, and taking Calc 2 at the University of Missouri.