<p>How hard is it to get into Brown without being top 10%? I have a very noticeable upward grade trend </p>
<p>Freshman: 3.7
Sophomore: 4.1
Junior: 4.86</p>
<p>But my freshman grades just killed me in class rank. I’m relatively close (top 12%) and I have a 33 ACT. I hope to have a 34 or 35 when I apply (I took the first test with very little prep). All through high school I have taken the most rigorous course load possible. I will have taken 11 out of 13 APs offered at my school. I usually score high on the exams (5 on World, expecting 4’s and 5’s on Chem, Lang, and US).</p>
<p>I also have slightly justifiable circumstances… I live with my grandparents but visit my dad often. He began to drink heavily my freshman year (he was laid off when I was in 6th grade after my mom died, and couldn’t get a job). Right before my sophomore year he was arrested for drug possession and sentenced to 6 months in jail and 6 months of rehab…</p>
<p>I know I have low grades and class rank, but I don’t know if my high ACT could possibly balance those out. For ECs I’m nothing special… </p>
<p>Community Service Coordinator for Student Council Junior year
Vice Pres. of SADD Senior Year
Treasurer of StuCo Senior Year (elected)
Principal Clarinetist All-Region band as a Junior
Made All-State as a Junior (made the top band)</p>
<p>Also, a possible hook?, I go to a small school in north Texas. No one applies to Brown… ever. I don’t think anyone ever has.</p>
<p>Because Brown is so competitive, it typically is very hard for kids who are not in the top tenth to get in without a significant hook, and Brown often does not overlook poor grades in freshmen year (although a 3.7 is not really bad). If you go to the Brown website you can see the depressing statistics.</p>
<p>However.</p>
<p>You do have an explanation that might help you, especially if your guidance counselor addresses it. (Although – and I don’t mean to belittle your situation – Brown would have preferred to see that you managed high grades despite the adverse family circumstances.) Also – how small is your HS? If it is really small (like, less than 100 kids per class) then class rank is sometimes meaningless. </p>
<p>OTOH – if the valedictorian is applying to Brown, you might be out of luck.</p>
<p>Yes obviously it would have been better to maintain higher grades freshman year, but i can’t exactly go back and do it over again. I seriously regret getting so distracted the first 2 years of high school, but I’m trying to make the best of it now :)</p>
<p>There are 130 kids in my class so they probably wont disregard the ranking. And the val wont be applying to brown; he’s applying to Caltech, UT, Oklahoma University, Stanford and MIT.</p>
<p>Don’t listen to these people, you’ve shown a substantial increase in grades which is a good thing. And while it is true that a majority of the class comes from the top 10% (as is true for any Ivy League school), your upwards movement is a really good thing. I would suggest that you focus more on your essays, and perhaps explain the trend…</p>
<p>do you go to a school that is known for producing quality students? Then rank doesn’t matter AT ALL. I wasn’t even in the top 20% of my class. That being said, half of my class had over 1500 on the SAT (back when it was out of 1600)</p>
<p>It is EXTREMELY hard to get in. I got into Cornell and I wasn’t in top ten percent (top 13 percent). It is wrong that you need a hook if you’re like this. I got in it straight with the numbers, though when I looked at the site, Cornell said 97 percent of students are in the top ten percent of their graduating class. I guess I’m part of the lucky 3 percent.</p>
<p>My school is probably medium competitive, in the sense that 98% will go to 4-year colleges and ACT and SAT scores are probably well above average (avg ACT at my school is probably 26 vs 21 for the national), but it is not super competitive like a magnet school or something. </p>
<p>Like I said, my grades were just low because I wasn’t focused. This year, although I did work hard, I didn’t really have to push myself to the limit to attain a high average. My GPA on a 100 pt. scale was the 4th highest in my grade this year. </p>
<p>Next year I hope to be even more challenged with 7 AP classes, which is the max you can take in a year. Hopefully Brown will see my upward grade trend combined with my increasing difficulty in classes and see that I really am a driven, passionate student that just made some bad decisions and went through a rough patch in life.</p>
<p>Don’t get discouraged, Neo! I had a 3.78 my freshman year, with an upward trend similar to your own (4.29, 4.37, 4.41), plus I only took, like four classes that year, though, once again, with an upward trend (5 classes, 9 classes, 12 classes) and I was accepted ED last year. I did end up being valedictorian, but only because my graduating class was only 32 strong and most of them were going to 2-year colleges, so I really think it shouldn’t be a problem for you. </p>
<p>Kudos, by the way, for overcoming your circumstances! ;)</p>
<p>But the problem with all quetions like this is:</p>
<p>It depends on the admissions officer who receives your application and who he/she is comparing you up against. In the process, your regional admissions officer will receive all the appliactions in the region. He/she then chooses which ones he/she likes the best. If the appliaction is super strong, then it will be passed on to the person who makes the final judgment(forgot the name, dean of admissions?). This doesn’t happen for most people. For the rest, he/she will then bring the appliaction to committee and advocate on your behalf, kind of “fighting” for you amongst the rest. He/she will bring more people to the table than he/she can possibly get admitted. </p>
<p>“Chances” threads seems to have this idea that if you just pass this certain criteria then it will be so. But it’s more helpful to keep in mind this image of a bunch of individuals seated around a table trying to get more than is possible in. </p>
<p>It all comes down to whether you catch the eye of your regional admissions officer enough for him/her to decide to fight for you and then whether you can be approved of by other admission officers who also want to get their own favorites in. The “chances” depend on what your competition looks like–and we can’t really tell you that. </p>
<p>But those are judgment calls being made by people, not computers. It’s not like a check-list. “Oh, he’s not in the top 10%. Does he have a hook?” It’s a bit more holistic than that. </p>
<p>Although, it might comfort you to know that most of the kids I know here with lower academic “stats” tend to come from small middle of nowhere towns.</p>
<p>justbreathe puts it excellently. It kind of reminds me of I think what the Yale admissions officer said which is along the lines of this:</p>
<p>If after we accepted our freshman class, we threw out all their applications, and sat down again to make a new freshman class from that year, we easily could, and we probably wouldn’t even notice the difference.</p>
<p>I think you stand a better chance at Brown as opposed to the other Ivies. Brown is known for being progressive and nontraditional, and they tend to emphasize personal qualities and things that make you unique a lot more than at other schools of its caliber. Write a great essay and show Brown that you are a perfect fit for their school. I think it can be done. Good luck!</p>
<p>Brown Is Hard To Get Into. You Can Look At 50% Sat Scores And Admission %ages To See That!!! Of Course It Will Be Harder To Get Into If You Aren’t Top 10% Than If You Were. Thats Not Too Difficult To Figure Out…</p>
<p>Definitely relate your circumstances to Brown in as many avenues as possible. Definitely in the essay, but also REQUEST an interview, and tie your experience with losing your mom and watching our dad struggle into how those circumstances impacted your development and the strength you have acquired as evidenced by your “rebound” of grades. I think if you play this right, you have a great chance.</p>
<p>This is sorta a bump… I just wanted to tell everyone that I got a 34 composite on my September ACT, (36, 33, 33, 35). I have a 35 super score now (36, 34, 34, 35). How does this increase my chances?</p>
<p>Also, I am making phenomenal grades in the hardest classes offered at my school (I know, modest). I have the second highest average in AP Calculus (98), the highest in Economics (103 because of a curve on our last test :)), and high A’s in all my other classes. I am REALLY aiming to get into the top 10% by next semester!! </p>
<p>Can someone please tell me how all of this affects my chances?</p>
<p>You have a 4% chance if you’re not in the top 10%. That’s the only thing anyone can tell you with any certainty (and that’s only if this year is the same as last year…). You need to do what you can to try and make yourself seem exceptional enough to be a part of that 4%.</p>
<p>Ah, what a sad statistic! Well I’m certainly working hard to get in the top 10%. I’m really close now, just two spots outside of it. And I’ve been getting consistently higher grades on tests than almost anyone in my classes.</p>
<p>As for setting myself apart, I’m doing what I can to make my essays as good as they can be. I know my EC’s are weak for Brown… hopefully I’ll make All-State again in January and that will stand out a bit. I’ve also been told that taking 7 AP’s senior year and doing band is literally suicide. I hope the admissions officers will see that and understand the tremendous effort it has taken to excel in all areas this year…</p>
<p>My advice to you is apply and see what happens. But make sure you have a very realistic list of colleges – a range of safeties, matches and reaches. Perhaps the stars will align and Brown will accept you. But don’t count on it. Find other schools you love, ones that accept a higher percentage of students but provide a top-notch education. Include at least one financial safety as well. None of us here can predict if you can overcome the odds and get in.</p>