How important are test scores?

calsbo
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:51:45 +0000

I have always planned to go to University in the UK and I switched from my local public high school to an international/French school after 10th grade grade to complete the International Baccalaureate.

I never planned on applying in the US but recently I have been thinking more and more about Brown university. I took the ACTs this past September without studying, just as practice in taking tests and got a 27- 29 English, 24 Math, 29 Reading, 25 Science, 7 Writing (???). I know it’s low score, but the Brown website puts the ACT range 26-28 at 7.7% accepted and the range 29-32 at 8.2%, really not that big of a difference.

I am an IB student taking 4 HL classes (the IB requires only 3) and I have a predicted grade of 40. I have a junior year unweighed GPA of 3.73 in the most challenging high school course load. I made the decision to leave my high school for this program and because of my love of French, which I now speak fluently after learning it for 5 years. (at public school I won 2 medals in the national french exam at top 95%)

I have lots of extracurriculars;
-4 years of model UN and 2 best delegate awards from the Northeastern University Conference.
-Rugby at my old school
-Student council in 11th grade
-French theater at my school
-I started a video program at my new school in 11th grade
-I started a journalism club at my new school for 12th grade and am the president
-And during last year’s presidential election I got involved as a volunteer and this September I got chosen as the only high school student to intern with his grass roots organization OFA, and due to my hard work I was invited to meet the President this past October.

Is it worth applying to Brown?