Chance me for Brown ED! Ethnic Studies/Anthropology major [3.87 UW, 1500 SAT, NMSF]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Hi everyone!

I’m new to college confidential and I wanted to get an opinion on the application I currently have.

I’m a rising senior and planning on applying early decision to brown and want some advice on whether or not I should apply early.

Intended Major: Ethnic Studies or Anthropology

Demographic: Black male (African). I live in the DMV area. Go to a small private school with about 40 people in my grade. Hook is my interest in cultures. High income

Grades:

GPA - 3.87UW (I had a rocky freshman year and got a 3.6 gpa but my sophomore GPA increased to a 3.96 and i got 4.0 in junior year)

4.45 W

SAT - 1500 (should I take it again or is the score fine? I really hate taking standardized tests)

APs: five 5s, three 4s, one 2 (don’t plan on submitting). Three were self studied.

EC’s:

(I haven’t fully gotten the order for my EC’s so this is just all the major ones)

  1. Founder and Editor in Chief of online publication dedicated to cultural appreciation. I interview representatives of various cultures who have an online presence and bring light to their culture on my website. The website also has an opinion section where globally important situations related to cultural topics are written.

  2. Research on Cultural Vitality. I conducted research through an internship with a museum where I analyzed the traditional influences of modern practice within the prince georges county maryland community. It was posted on the museum website but i’m currently trying to get it published in a journal.

  3. Squash. I play competitive squash and im ranked in the top 70 for U.S. boys and i’ve won a few tournaments. I play 4-5 times a week.

  4. Volunteer with refugees in Ghana. For 2 summers (9th and 10th) and during my junior spring break. I was a volunteer teaching assistant at a primary school at a refugee camp in Ghana where i helped the teacher and helped the kids with their math and english classwork. Also went on home visits around the refugee camp to advise mothers with newborns on how to properly nourish their children for growth. This was about 150 community service hours.

  5. Virtual H.S. internship w/ American anthropology assoc. adapted my independent research into accessible slides for kids from 6-12th grade to view and learn from. 3 week internship.

  6. Editor in Chief of School Newspaper. Editor for 2 years before.

  7. Founder and president of school cultural appreciation club. Organized the schoolwide cultural showcase and encourage global competence and cultural knowledge with weekly meetings and worldwide cuisine.

  8. Yale young global scholars summer program. did the session in solving global challenges (i’ve heard colleges dont really care for this program).

  9. President of school french club. Provide streaming services for french movie showings and cook french cuisine for club meetings. the french stand is the most popular at the cultural showcase.

  10. School volunteer program. Help clean D.C. community parks through school volunteering during the school year.

AWARDS:

(not sure which ones to put on application, please recommend)

U.S. Squash Scholar Athlete (11th grade)

AP Scholar w/ distinction

National French Exam Gold Medal

National Latin Exam Maxima Cum Laude 2x

Scholastic Art and Writing Silver medal

School faculty award for academic achievement

National Merit semifinalist

ESSAYS

Currently writing my common app about how i viewed my gender identity while growing up with 2 sisters and my mom in Nigeria while my dad was always traveling for work and almost never home.

I’d say the essay will come out well, ive been working on it for the whole year (8/10).

Please be brutally honest and thank you if you read everything! Please give advice and constructive criticism in the comments

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Congrats on your record.

As you go to a private school, I’d suggest you talk to your counselors. That’s your true source but since you asked, I’ll give you my opinion of your background - doesn’t mean I’m right, of course - but…

You have a hook - but it’s not what you say - lots of people, including my white female daughter, have interest in culture. Your hook is that you are a black male. Now, they can’t use that in a decision based on a box check but if you incorporate it somehow via your activities or essays, they will see that.

Weighted GPAs are hard to decipher as everyone weights differently.

How is your rigor - how many APs did you take (11) vs. what was offered. It sounds like 8 APs since you self studied three. How many years of social science? What level of math?

btw - Brown doesn’t accept AP credits - so it won’t help you toward graduation - but they could place you in higher level classes. I’m a fan personally, especially at top colleges, of starting at the bottom - college moves a ton faster than HS.

Your 1500 - was it balanced or lopsided - like 800 / 700?

Brown’s 25th percentile for SAT is 1510, so yes, you should try to boost it.

Some will say don’t submit if you’re below. Others will say you have a hook - you’ll be ok. Again, you have a hook - but you have to display that hook within your application.

Again, talk to your counselor.

Can you afford Brown - as they have only need aid? If you’re unsure, have your family fill out the net price calculator below. You say your are high income but that doesn’t mean you can afford $400K for four years - have that chat with your folks before applying!!

Brown is $90K today so close to $400K full price - by the time you enroll. If you’re an NMSF, Tulsa is a small school that you’d get a full ride - and a very good school. It won’t be as strong in ethnic studies but some large state schools have great NM programs too. And even more will give you big $$ based on your credentials if you didn’t choose an NM school.

Many high income parents (myself as an example) are unwilling to pay $90K+ - so the question isn’t can they afford it but do they want to afford it?? Especially when they realize hen you can go for free or $20K or $40K, etc. elsewhere.

Not pushing you off Brown - just making you aware if you don’t know.

Finally, answers to two questions you ultimately asked:

  1. Brown is a high reach…very high reach. Yes, your GPA and your test are low (not really, just for Brown) - but they turn down 4.0s and 1600s. With a 5% acceptance rate, it’s a high reach for all.

  2. Should you apply early - that’s up to you - do you want an earlier answer? If so, are you sure you can you afford Brown (you’re bound if accepted so have your family do the NPC below if you have any questions about budget) or do you want to compare other offers (merit aid, etc. vs. Brown - especially because you’re NMSF).

Applying early won’t increase your chances according to Brown:

We admit Early Decision applicants only when we are confident that we would offer them admission as a Regular Decision applicant.

Best of luck.

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Congrats on your accomplishments! I think your application will be strong as-is and, given your disdain for standardized testing I PROBABLY would not bother re-taking even though you score is on the low side for Brown. If you can stand to retake it then it couldn’t hurt and could help a small amount, but it really depends on how miserable it would be for your to retake it.

How’s your (approximate) class rank? Your class is small - is it a very competitive school? While Brown CDS shows that 92 percent of their admitted students are in the top 10 percent of their high school class, only 28 percent of students submitted rank, so it’s not all that telling. Anyway nothing you can do about that…your rank is what it is.

Overall you have a great application and are competitive. Congrats. Having said that, most people with competitive applications don’t get in (sorry!). So, great job, make sure you have some targets and likelies, and good luck to you!

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Thank you for your reply and recommendations!

To answer your questions:
I took 6 Aps in school. Those were Ap world, Apush, Ap english lang, Ap calc BC, Ap macro econ, and Ap Bio.

I self studied for 3. Ap us gov, Ap human geo, and Ap psych.

I have an interest in culture and the reason i mentioned it as my hook was because i tried to tailor my EC’s to that interest, but i might’ve misunderstood that.

My school doesn’t allow us choose electives until junior year so thats why i took a few social science APs, but in my junior year I chose to take classes like anthropology and middle eastern studies, and for math, I’m entering multivariable calculus for my senior year and i skipped geometry.

For my SAT i got a 760 on ebrw and 740 on math. I could retake it in october maybe and study hard or i might try the ACT since i’ve never taken it.

Yes i can afford to pay full tuition at brown. My parents have offered to pay for my full tuition for anywhere i’m accepted.

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Hi thanks for your response!
I honestly might retake the SAT given the few recommendations that I redo it from other people in my life.

My school doesn’t do exact class rank but I know but I know im in the top 25% of my class or the top 10, but again my grade is very small.

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Your ECs can be about anything that interest you. Being in a sport (you have Squash), having a job - are all great.

Now, if you can tie together some ECs in a way to show more about you in an essay - then great. But your essay should not be a repeat of what they already see in your list of activities. But for example, my boss - her roots a few generations before her - are in Africa. She goes every two years to what she calls the homeland. She’s very involved in organizations both at work (we have “clubs” for lack of a better word - LGBTQ, African American, Asian American, etc.) and in the community. Perhaps her essay would be about how she’s so proud of her culture and wants to learn more - and she takes her kids every two years to the homeland, etc.

But writing about her engagement in clubs wouldn’t work - because she’s already listed them and her duties, etc.

Being a minority is a hook - but they can no longer use it from the survey (when they ask what is your ethnicity). They can still use it if they find out another way.

Anyway, it’s great that you do stuff you’re passionate about - but it needn’t be connected to your major and that’s not a hook.

Make sure you make your folks aware that an NMSF and your ultimate NMF can get you free or very inexpensive education - just so they’re aware. But it’s awesome if they say, we’ll pay and don’t worry. Some parents may change their tune after though - it’s a $400K delta.

I do think Brown is a reach - but that’s ok - apply and see. And you might look at U of Rochester as a target / back up - they also have an open curriculum and it’s a very respected school.

Or find other schools that are very strong n your area of interest - there are unfortunately less and less schools although most will have anthropology. I was more talking about ethnic studies (the kind of major that is getting cut for low interest).

Best of luck.

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Welcome to CC! You have a chance at any of the highly selective colleges, but so do many. They will value your ability to write and that you have consistently challenged yourself outside of the classroom with your ECs.

A 1500 is great. You could take the ACT just to see where you land, it may come in higher than the equivalent SAT.

Talk to your school counselor about your chances compared to others from your school that have been accepted to highly selective colleges, as your GPA may reflect a school with consistently tougher grading.

For your essays for Brown and others make sure to research the specific opportunities you want to explore at that college.

Create a balanced list of colleges including some of the colleges like Brown that are high reaches for all - those are easy to identify. Spend more time exploring those with 20% to 50% acceptance rates that have unique opportunities for you. That will take more work. And make sure you have a true safety you can afford and would like to attend.

Good luck from an anthropology major who has never had a hard time finding employment in various sectors over the years.

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Should a student who completed AP calculus BC with an A grade and a 5 score start college in precalculus (the usual bottom level of math in top colleges)?

Should a student who completed AP level foreign language in high school with an A grade and a 5 score start college in the beginner level class in that foreign language?

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The US Supreme Court said that colleges cannot use race / ethnicity in admission.

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But they can consider race as part of/in context of an applicant’s life, which OP is writing about in their essay.

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They should start where they are placed by the school - if the school has a placement exam.

But if they repeat the same level of calc they just took, I see nothing wrong with it.

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Definitely submit a video portfolio. I know they say it’s optional, but I think between your unique EC’s and being a minority, it can certainly showcase why you’d be a great addition to Brown. Start collecting video clips this summer - of whatever you might think you’ll possibly include. Might be clips of you volunteering, playing squash, working your summer job, etc. My kid did a bulk of theirs in the fall, which was stressful on top of AP classes & college essay revisions. Look on YouTube for examples, but my advice is to try to make it unique and fun- let your personality shine through.

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As a suggestion regarding your greater college list, Wesleyan and Vassar would make excellent additions for your interests. Also, based on your affinity for Brown, schools from this site may be worth further research:

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Brutal honesty: Your profile is a good match for students who get admitted. It would be wise to apply Early to increase your chances, if you anticipate being full pay regardless.
You have as good a chance as anyone. Unfortunately, nobody has a “great” chance.

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Brown has stated that applying early doesn’t increase one’s chances. We don’t really know if that is true or not, but I don’t know why they’d lie.

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I know from our schools Scoir that it appears to have a significant impact. Hard to say how much of that is athletes, but does appear to be significant. (5x higher acceptance rate, and 100 point lower SATs for ED vs RD… seems to make a significant difference).

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Former Brown interviewer here. NOT a paid adcom however… but our region was supervised by a fairly senior adcom.

1- Brown’s admissions team works hard to assemble the class. Part of this “assembly” is making sure that students who apply early are evaluated in the context of the ENTIRE applicant pool (even though a significant number of applications haven’t been submitted yet). What this means is that the solid oboe player who otherwise doesn’t hit the academic bar, isn’t going to have a finger on the scale because the adcom’s panic “Oh my gosh, what if we don’t get any other oboe players? Got to admit this kid NOW”. If there is something else of interest in the application, the kid will get deferred and get another look in Jan/Feb when all the applications are in.

2- Lie? No. The early pool has in it a high proportion of kids who are very, very likely to be admitted no matter when or where they apply. Faculty and staff children, for example. An Econ professor’s kid who is struggling with a C average at a HS in Cranston isn’t applying early (or at all). The parents know where the bar is. So the faculty/staff kids who DO apply are very strong students. And if that Oboe player isn’t a solid player-- but is an artist at the level of a young Yo Yo Ma or other virtuoso… plus has strong academic chops? Those kids are in the early pool. They’ve made the hard call that they aren’t applying to Julliard or Curtis because they want a liberal arts education.

3-Like any other college- apply early because it is far and away your top choice AND it’s affordable. Period. Gaming your own life- eh, I’m not a fan.

Good luck.

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They are more subtle. They say there is no “automatic advantage”. That doesn’t rule out that ED all things being equal offers an advantage.

All elite schools say that they won’t accept people ED that they wouldn’t accept RD. The degree of advantage for ED (if any) is never disclosed.

Given the acceptance percentages and the fact that elites tend to draw about half their incoming classes ED suggest an advantage exists even once offset by hooked ED candidates.

This is actually Brown’s statement on ED advantage.

“Our pool of early applicants tends to include a very high proportion of exceptionally talented students and a higher rate of admission for Early Decision applicants reflects that phenomenon. However, it does not imply an automatic advantage for all early candidates. We admit Early Decision applicants only when we are confident that we would offer them admission as a Regular Decision applicant.”

Most qualified college counselors will advise applying ED if you have an affordable first choice. Particularly when looking for single digit RD admissions schools.

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This exactly.

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