<p>people on CC have a strong tendency to scoff at anyone that is not perfect.</p>
<p>I think constructive criticism is good and helpful, but the OP approached the question with a healthy mindset and was very polite in his original post, only to be shot down in a very rude manner. </p>
<p>I don’t know if humor was intended, but I’m damn funny, and I didn’t see any humor on here. Just people making some very insulting remarks. There’s a right way to give your opinion and a wrong way.</p>
<p>You say people have gotten into the Ivy League with a 3.5. They have, they also had hooks. Without a meaningful hook, how can the OP get into Brown with vastly subpar numbers? Regardless of what you have been told, college is primarily about academics. A few people with truly exceptional ECs but mediocre numbers (trust me, SATs in the 1800s is below mediocre for Brown) can enhance diversity, but if the entire school is consisted of those students, the school won’t be functional. </p>
<p>You say nothing is impossible. But somethings are so nearly impossible that they may as well be classified as impossible. Ignoring his low numbers for now, from his posts the OP appear to be an ingrateful, ignorant, and utterly immature individual who scorns at any criticism to his “spectacular achievements” and calls them not constructive (!). He thanks only those who says “you’ve got a great shot!”. From these, it is almost certain that even if you are accepted into college, you are not ready for it. Open your eyes, learn what humility is, and appreciate those who have spent time to help you, and not insult them with petty and feeble sarcasm like “why they have invested so much time into bashing me”.</p>
<p>I respectfully disagree. I’ve read through this thread and the advice - “constructive criticism” - was exceptionally rude. Notice that when I told the OP my thoughts, I told him what I thought and that his academics were below the standard - flat out. However, I told him what I thought he could do to try and have a better chance. </p>
<p>And I stand by my claim that owning one’s own business that is successful enough to pay around 50k a year to attend a private university and to buy a 50-60k car is very rare. People seem to forget the OP is in high school so he is probably 16-18 years old. Many people’s parents don’t make that much money. I say this after viewing hundreds of chance threads on this board and on collegea d m i s s i o n s.com. I’ve NEVER seen someone with an EC like this - with a business that is profitable to this degree. That is something very unique among applicants that will stand out.</p>
<p>So basically the argument ppl are making is “crappy GPA, crappy test scores, crappy ECs, just an overall crappy applicant.” </p>
<p>I would suggest then providing an example of good ECs. GPA is quite low for those schools, but like I said, a 35 or 36 on the ACT will at least make them take a second look at his application. </p>
<p>Here are some of the comments from this thread that could have been said in a more mature manner and show the immaturity of their posters:</p>
<p>“”"“Then i’ll go on to ECs which are way below average for an Ivy. Where is the involvement in the school? There is one club that I see. Do you sit on your computer all day?”</p>
<p>Yes, miracles have happened before. Anna Nicole Smith really did lose all that weight with Trim Spa. But Brown isn’t happening. You can waste your money on the application if you want. Ditto for Claremont McKenna</p>
<p>fully agree with A2Wolves6. his analysis is thourough and helpful. he has taken the time to give you an impressive evaluation of chances, but your ignorance only blinds your eyes, allowing you to produce the above petty responses.</p>
<p>regardless of your school, your GPA, SAT, ACT, and EC combined gives you 0 chance at Brown. whether or not you are mature enough to take that is questionable, but the fact remains. you do not stand out. </p>
<p>from your posts you appear to be arrogant, immature, and probably spoiled. i wish you best of luck, but you do need a reality check.“”“”</p>
<p>Maybe the two of you missed how the OPs responses to A2wolves comments did not include any insults of any kind and how he merely explained that his school is competitive, he hadn’t studied for the tests, and that he thought owning a business was more of an accomplishment than the clubs he was in. Yet yall continue to hound him. </p>
<p>Like I said, it is fine to give your opinion, and I agree with the two of you in many aspects, but I think you both turned the thread in the wrong direction from the start.</p>
<p>The above poster, stop focusing on the importance of euphemism, and start focusing on the OP’s chances. Do you truly think he would get in with his credentials? Will he be accepted or rejected?</p>
<p>You have ignored the content of the posts and instead focused on their linguistic elements. You are assuming that the OP finds more comfort in courtesy and less in truth. You may be making a correct assumption.</p>
<p>So you would like me to deal in absolutes? If I must say to every candidate that he will either be accepted or rejected, then in the case of Brown, I wouldn’t want to put my integrity on the line and I’d say only ppl with a 2380+ SAT, 3.9+ GPA, that have saved orphans in Venezuela will definitely be accepted. However, this is clearly not the case. Many people with various stats are accepted b/c there aren’t that many perfect people out there, and even if there are enough to fill the class with perfect SAT/GPA applicants, the colleges have gotten tired of the monotony. </p>
<p>So do I think this guy will be accepted or rejected? If he goes in with his current stats, I think he’ll be rejected. I’ve already made that clear. If he goes in with a very high SAT or ACT score, I think he’ll be waitlisted or accepted. </p>
<p>I think yall have placed too little emphasis on how you say things. It may be best to just acknowledge that you and A2Wolves could have articulated your opinions in a more polished manner. The two of you had good points to make, but attacked the OP personally instead of giving him an idea of his chances.</p>
<p>There isn’t a whole lot you can do about the gpa at this point. Study hard and retake the SAT or ACT and hope for a better score. Whether or not you show significant improvement, you might as well apply. The money for the application doesn’t seem like it would be a factor. You don’t want to wonder about what would have happened if you had applied to your dream school.</p>
<p>OK, lets pretend like Brown and Claremont McKenna aren’t on the list. What other schools would you guys suggest I add as matches or safties?</p>
<p>Why are there underlined words everywhere? Something new? </p>
<p>Matches for you…I can’t remember if they’re on your list, but UCLA is probably a high match at this point. Berkely is a possibility as well if you get a great test score.</p>
<p>I dont see any underlined words, but my computer is pretty screwed up haha I dunno. </p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions.</p>
<p>lol no i realized that i just downloaded kazaa and it added one of those stupid search engines to my computer…so then i got rid of it. what a waste of time.</p>
<p>No chance of getting into Brown. Sorry. Try UCONN as a safety school.</p>
<p>thanks. 10 characters</p>
<p>A URM with his own business and decent stats? I’m sorry, I don’t see where you get the idea that it’s impossible. I actually think that with raising his scores he has a pretty good shot.</p>
<p>what about fordham? They are pretty good in business right?</p>
<p>any ideas out there?</p>