If you are on a wait list that allows you to give additional info like an appeal or opt-in letter, you should definitely do that. Any elaborating details that could help support your initial application and make it stronger. There are definitely services out there that help with wait list appeals, but it really depends on how strong your application was compared to all the others that were wait listed as well.
Why would you want Cornell or Cal over Brown/Duke/Dartmouth?
Nothing against Cornell or Cal, BTW. I see them all as equals.
@PurpleTitan I am not too sure how CS at Brown/Duke/Dartmouth is…how easily will I get a job in a top company? I mean from Cal, a job in Google is very common among the students who do well
gg no re
for what it’s worth I got into Cornell engineering and Carnegie Mellon SCS as a CS major to each but am quite likely going to Dartmouth because of the spectacular overall academics and professor-student relations
Brown is definitely quite good in CS and recruited by top tech firms (and you’ll get more individualized attention there than at Cal).
I would not put Dartmouth CS in the same class as Brown CS.
Take a look here:
https://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/edu/rankings/us/undergraduate-software-engineering
And here:
https://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/edu/rankings/us/undergraduate-software-engineering-small
Duke makes the first list as well.
@SKTT1Impact Faker wrecked me mid line.
Brown for CS is excellent. Visit the CC Brown forum, we’ve discussed how great CS is there. You cannot go wrong studying CS at Brown – all the top firms (Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc.) recruit there.
@fireandrain My entire life, up to this point, has been governed by getting into a top-tier school, a widely known school for engineering: MIT, CalTech, CMU-SCS. Nonetheless, I am extremely thrilled with the Brown acceptance, ecstatic.
But, I will be honest. I have never visited most of the schools I applied to. I have no idea what Brown’s atmosphere is like. I just applied, because I had heard good things from friends. But I do not know how it will fit me. I cannot even visit until April 11th. I do not know how I will be able to decide with 20 days, especially with the other great options I have of Duke, Dartmouth, and JHU BME.
What if I go to Brown and do not like it? Brown, as I have grasped it, is extremely different in terms of environment. It is different. It is for the passionate, extremely diverse, liberal, risk-taking students, as so I have heard. But I do not know if I am like that. I tend to be moderate if not a little conservative. What would you say about Brown’s student body and environment?
If I decide I do not fit in, is it possible to transfer (do you know anyone who did so), how do things like that work?
Also, what are the opportunities for graduate school? Do Brown undergraduates typically get accepted to CS masters, or other graduate programs?
FWIW, my friend’s son graduated last year from Duke with a double major in math/CS. He was offered a lot of amazing job opportunities and took one at a top SF Bay Area high tech firm, with an astronomical starting salary.
@lb43823 Brown isn’t weird or anything. Why don’t you visit? I know plenty of people who have gone and been very happy. I know plenty of people who work there and they are all nice. My kid’s sports team practice on their fields. DH’s uncle went there for engineering and thought it was great. I think you are just being nervous which is normal. It’s a fun area!
You should really visit each school (and wander around by yourself) instead of relying on assumptions.
@PurpleTitan Thank you. I intend to do so at earliest convenience.
My first advice: Get a new priority. There is so much more to life than acceptance to a top tier school. Honestly, you are setting yourself up for serious life disappointment if that is all you care about.
Second. Brown CS is top notch, engineering is also very strong. They get a bad rap from CCers who are fixated on Cornell and MIT. Again, I urge you to visit the Brown forum here on CC. Read all the prior threads on CS and engineering at Brown. They are excellent programs. Every other Brown student salivates at the job offers received by engineering and CS students. Look up Andries van Dam, if you want to understand where Brown CS stands in the CS world. And Brown graduates absolutely get into graduate programs (look up Randy Pausch as another example of an amazing Brown CS student).
As for fit – you need to visit. It’s hard for me to figure out if you fit in. Brown is a liberal place. Students are passionate. But most Brown students are not spending 60 hours a week protesting and taking risks. They go to their classes, do their work and have fun. There is a Republican Club (smaller and less active than the Democrats).
If I were you, I’d focus much more on figuring out where to go given the schools you’ve gotten into, and forget about the ones who waitlisted you. You have amazing options. Visit as many schools as you can. All your options will lead to a successful life.
@fireandrain Thank you
@lb43823 And keep in mind that the students in engineering are probably more conservative.