Type of high school: Large Competitive Public High School
Other special factors: N/A
Cost Constraints / Budget
No cost constraints + full pay
Intended Major(s)
For Brown: Biochemistry
For Duke: Biology
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: 3.94/4.0
Weighted HS GPA: 4.50/5.0 scale
Class Rank: School doesn’t do rank.
ACT/SAT Scores: 1570 (780RW/790M)
List your HS coursework
English: Unleveled English 9th, Honors English (10,11), AP Literature (12)
Math: I took the second-highest level of math offered at my school, which is called “accelerated”. Accelerated Geometry (9), Accelerated Algebra II (10), Accelerated PreCalc (11), AP Calc AB (12) + AP Stats (12).
Not taking Calc BC even though it is offered.
Science: AP Environmental Science 9th grade (5/5), AP Biology 10th grade (5/5), AP Chem 11th grade (4/5), and AP Physics C (12).
History and social studies: Honors History (9, 10), APUSH (11). Not taking any in senior year.
Language other than English: Spanish I Unleveled (everybody took this as a freshman at my HS), Spanish II Honors (10), Spanish III Honors (11), AP Spanish (12).
Visual or performing arts: Photography I (9).
By the end of my high school career, I should have taken around 9-10 APs
Awards
Presidential Service Volunteer Award Gold Level (10,11)
National Honor Society Member (11)
Spanish Honors Society Member (11)
National Merit Commended (11)
HOSA 2nd in state for event and International Conference Qualifier (9th)
Extracurriculars
Varsity Tennis team (9,10,11,12), Captain for senior year.
HOSA (9,10,11,12), VP in 11th and President in senior year
One of the biggest clubs at school with 60+ members.
Microbiology research Internship at local uni (12)
Volunteering (9-12th), various sorts such as at a hospital and Spanish tutor at school. Will probably have ~300 hours by the time apps open up.
Spanish Honors Society President (12)
Student Rep to School Wellness Committee (10,11,12), selected to go to state conference by school + passion project from here
Varsity Public Forum Debater (10,11,12), nothing crazy, but did do well at some local/national circuit events. No leadership.
Red Cross club (10,11,12) member.
Essays/LORs/Other
Genuinely no clue about LOR quality.
Bio teacher (10)+ English Teacher (11) + Spanish Teacher (11) + Research Mentor from Uni (12).
Schools
Currently, I am at a toss-up between Duke and Brown ED 1 and probably Emory ED2 if things don’t work out.
There are all extremely difficult entries but full pay may help at Emory as it’s need aware.
Which do you prefer of the two?
Would you be open to Oxford at Emory? That could enhance chances too.
There’s no way to chance you but I think you’ve got a wonderful profile and if Calc BC wasn’t for you, then it wasn’t and if that denies entry, then it wasn’t the school for you. Both of these have many like schools.
But if Duke and Brown are your top two choices and you don’t get accepted to one but you apply ED2 to Emory, then you can’t apply to the other (Duke or Brown) that you didn’t get into if accepted at Emory - so that might be the one reason not to ED2 (if a concern).
PS - Brown states this so I’m not sure that ED is an advantage (but if it’s your top choice, it’s fine to apply ED).
“Please do not assume that your admission chances are improved by applying under the Early Decision plan. The Board of Admission makes the same decisions under Early Decision that it would under the Regular Decision plan.”
Your chances at any top tier school with <10% admissions rates is of course going to be low. Much of your competition will have taken Calc BC. Your ECs seem very positive but TBH don’t scream “take me!” Please find something compelling to write about in your essays.
Congratulations on your having such outstanding accomplishments. You’re a good match for the schools you’re interested in.
Brown and Duke each accepts about 5% of their applicants. Unfortunately a 95% percent rejection rate means that they are turning away many students who are a good match just like you while accepting others whose profile is just like yours. So, there really is no way to chance you for schools like these. They are a reach for everyone.
Thanks for the feedback! Personally, I prefer Brown slightly due to the open curriculum and general vibe I get from it. Still, specifically for my high school, Brown has a 3% acceptance rate for all rounds of admissions, which doesn’t make me too optimistic. However, Duke has been in the back of my mind recently also because of its wealth of opportunities and work-hard play-hard culture.
As for Emory, I’m mainly only interested in the Atlanta Campus, and will only be applying there if I apply early decision to there.
Just out of curiosity, what would be a standout EC for some of these top schools? I’ve mostly just been doing what I feel like I really want to do, but maybe not to the greatest extent that I possibly could have.
No one has to ED but if you prefer Brown, apply to Brown.
Have you been to either? Duke is GORGEOUS - I can’t speak for Brown but also know that your dorm is a (short) bus ride away (at Duke). I, for one, hate buses.
If you like Open Curriculum, maybe you ED Brown and if you don’t get in, go for a Rochester , Grinnell, or one of the NE LACs like Wesleyan, Vassar, or Hamilton (if not too small) and for a safety Kalamazoo - which is a PhD feeder for your majors. I think Wake also has an open curriculum option.
Don’t know about work hard / play hard but at Duke they love their hoops - but you will work hard - and hard and hard.
Personal choice but I wouldn’t go by school data. You are you. But yes, the likelihood of you getting in is little as is the acceptance rate. But no pain, no gain.
You’ll land somewhere great regardless.
I don’t know your long term plans but given the majors it will include school of some sort following undergrad.
As for other parts of your app - you be you - your ECs are great if you did them because you are passionate for them. That part of your profle is fine. Of course, no one knows how essays and LORs will be seen.
Doing what gives you joy is a very important thing. You can then build a great essay about it. Certainly, winning prestigious national competitions, having some very unique, committed EC, etc can stand out from all the traditional UN, debate, team captain things.
Whatever it means to be in the top tier of applicants for either Duke or Brown, I think you are in it. Your profile is exceptional. Still, most exceptional applicants are rejected by both schools.
If you truly love Emory and what it has to offer, then by all means, you should apply there ED2. Do you really prefer Emory over finding out if you get in to either Duke or Brown RD? I ask because I have a son who applied ED to one of these 2 schools, was rejected in the ED round, and ended up graduating from the other. He had an incredible experience which led to a very fortunate career opportunity that came about specifically because he attended this institution. Don’t ED2, and pass up on other potential opportunities, unless your heart is really in it.
Thanks for the kind words. I think I still will apply early decision because I am targeting a lot of high reaches during the regular round (think Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Rice). Also, unfortunately, my grades right now this quarter aren’t necessarily in the greatest condition due to the rigor of my coursework and school.
One of my biggest fears is the one you listed, passing up something that could have been great. This also comes at odds with another one of the fears I have with college applications: not getting into a school that is pretty high up on my list. But, I suppose I’ll just have to try to deal with these thoughts for the next week, maybe.
Where I live, Wesleyan is referred to as a “mini-Brown”. Like Brown, Wesleyan has an open curriculum - albeit with some self-selected distribution requirements. Wesleyan is different from other LACs in a couple of important ways. First is that with a full time undergraduate enrollment if 3000, it’s bigger than a typical LAC. Second is that it has a small graduate school which includes PhDs in Biology and Molecular Biology & Biochemistry. Even better news is that a 5th year master’s is free for Wesleyan students who stay for a 5th year. I believe that the doctorate includes reimbursement for TA duties.
Although Wesleyan is highly selective, its 16% acceptance rate is more manageable than the 5% acceptance rates at Brown & Duke. For your interests, it’s certainly worth a look.
Beyond rank/perceived pedigree, why are the schools high on your list ?
There’s a zillion great schools. One isn’t better because US News says so.
What is your ultimate goal with the major ?
I’m just noting - you haven’t failed if you end up at UGA instead of Emory or Furman instead of Duke.
If you’re struggling grade wise in hs rigor, then perhaps college won’t be as easy as you think. I hate to say it this way and I can’t say it about your school specifically but there’s a ton of grade inflation in society so a high gpa isn’t necessarily reflective of a top student although I do think your high test validates you.
I’m just saying - if you swing and miss with these reaches, as long as you have a balanced list, you will be fine. You, not your school name, will create your success in life.
You are in a very fortunate position to be able to apply anywhere you want without cost constraints. As long as you have some likelies and matches on your list (“love thy safety”), you can apply to as many reaches as you feel you desire. While some may feel that you’re just aiming for the car decal status, you can get an excellent education at many schools and reaching for the top is not unreasonable, as long as you realize the probabilities are low. That said, they have to admit some students
For Brown, I’m really attracted to the idea of its open curriculum and the freedom to explore a lot of my interests in college and to maybe even discover new ones. I also really like the sort of independent mentality that comes with that, as I feel like throughout high school I’ve kind of just been told what to study, which I feel like has really limited my intellectual agency. Along with that, when I toured Brown, I really liked the feeling there. One of my biggest requirements for a school is to have a really collaborative and anti-cutthroat environment (probably a reaction to my high school experience so far haha), and so I felt like Brown really fits that bill. It is also close to home (~1.5 hours)
I really like Duke for a lot of the same reasons I like Brown (collaborative, excellent academics, opportunities for clinical experience etc). What Duke has beyond Brown for me is a really spirited undergraduate experience. To me, Duke is kind of like a cult (in a good way lol), as I’ve also kind of been influenced by the status of Duke athletics and the culture that comes with that-something that my school has lacked severely. It’s also a lot further from home (10.5 hours drive), which I think could be good for me to grow up and get out of my northeast bubble.
For my grades this quarter, it’s mainly just been Physics C that has been a thorn at my side, because I’ve realized I’ve been studying and approaching the material wrong, which I hope my grade will even out by the end.
Yes 100%! I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what schools should be my safeties (I narrowed it down to Urochester, Umass Amherst, Brandeis, Case Western). I’ve only heard great things about them, in particular about Rochester.
