<p>I am a junior, and I have been looking a lot into colleges for a long time. I know my chances at both schools are slim, but I will be applying to at least one of these two schools, and I cannot decide between.
So the reason I would apply to either is because I am somewhat of a legacy at both. My Uncle went to Brown and was their Valedictorian when he went, and then he went on to teach at Princeton. I am a smart student, #1 in my high school with great test scores (no SATs yet though) and great grades and a 4.0 GPA. I have good EC’s too and I don’t think I will have any trouble with my essays.
But, lets face it, its really hard to get into both of these schools. Which would I have a slight better chance at, for one reason or another?</p>
<p>I don’t think that having an uncle who attended Brown will count as a legacy - they only count direct relatives (grandparents, parents, siblings, children). My aunt attended Brown and there was no option for me to list her.</p>
<p>From the information you gave us, there is no telling which school you’d have a better chance at - they’re both top schools, and it comes down to what schools you like better. Remember that it’s still early to be deciding specific schools - focus your junior year on visiting different types of schools (large, small, urban, rural, private, public, etc) and keeping your grades up.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t pick one over the other just because you think there’s a slightly better chance. Brown and Princeton are very different. Get to know the schools better then pick the one that is better for you.</p>
<p>Visit both. I have a feeling you may fall in love with Princeton once you see it.</p>
<p>I have a list of schools that I have toured and fallen in love with. I don’t want to apply to too many, because of just application costs, and so if I am going to apply to that one Ivy just to see, I would want to know. I have seen both schools. Its not that I have to decide now, its just something I think about and would like to know.</p>
<p>Then compare the statistics between the schools. I’m not going to tell you whether you have a better chance at one or the other, because it all has to do with what the school is looking for in that year. For instance, Princeton may be wanting a musician while Brown is in the market for an aspiring scientist. The stars must align. </p>
<p>However, in my experience, Princeton has very happy students and a beautiful campus. There is definitely a sense of community and Princeton alumni have the highest giving back rates of any university. That shows that they really found something about Princeton that they enjoyed - more so than alumni of other universities.</p>