What a weird post to be making. College has been something that I have been looking forwards to for years. Literally since I was 6-7. I’m thrilled to say that I am going to be attending Brown University in the fall!
At first, I kind of thought I was going to go to FSU, then UNC, then boom Ivy Decision day. I got into both Brown and Cornell ( the 2 Ivies I applied to), but ultimately I knew Brown was the right choice for me. The first time I went to Brown, I immediately knew it was the place for me.
The only reason I didn’t do ED to Brown was because I thought I had zero chance of getting in. But, life works out as it should.
If you would like a brief overview of my stats, I will list a few, like test scores, GPA, ect., down below. Additionally, I’ll post the colleges I applied to and the results. I want to be as transparent as possible, and if you would like my full resume, I would be more than happy to send it to people if they ask (I just don’t want all of that on my blog).
I applied as an English major for additional context.
I had a 4.0 UW and a 4.87 W GPA at the time of applying. I had a 34 on the ACT and I took it once. I had taken 8 AP’s and had gotten 4’s and 5’s on all of them. My senior year schedule was: Spanish 3 honors, Physics 1 honors, Newspaper, AP Macro, AP Micro, AP Gov, AP Calc AB, AP Statistics, and APES.
I had 600+ community service hours, was NHS pres, SNHS co pres, Lit Club pres, Newspaper Editor in Chief, had 6 state level writing awards, was a girls state delegate, had a job, had an internship at a science museum, volunteered at a hospital, ect ect ect. I also founded a few clubs/ had leadership and had a few SGA positions. All of my awards on common app were either state or national level. This genuinely is not to brag, but to give insight as to what kinds of things these schools look for.
For the schools I applied to
Auburn – accepted
Brown – accepted
Cornell – accepted
Duke- Deferred —> rejected
Emory- accepted
FSU- accepted
Northeastern- deferred —> accepted
NYU- waitlisted
UNC- accepted
Wesleyan- accepted
Most of all, what got me into these top colleges was my essays.
Below are the snippets of the Essays that got me into Brown ( plz don’t copy me :D… I’m not sharing the full versions for that exact reason but once again, I will provide you with it.
Prompt: If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be?
Part of my response: My journey from a ten-year-old contending with Anorexia and Bulimia to a writer whose outreach has garnered 10,000 views is the inspiration for “Unmasking the Media’s Glamorization of Eating Disorders.”
Prompt: Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy.
Part of my response: Hiking brings me unspeakable joy, from the sound of my boots crunching in the dirt to the sun’s warmth radiating on my skin.
Under the secluded canopy of trees, completely unplugged from social media, my most profound self-reflection occurs, allowing me to think about my aspirations and how to achieve them.
Prompt: Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might pursue them at Brown
Part of my response:
Since childhood, English has enthralled me; whether it be the linguistic map grammar lays out or narrative world-building, I love every aspect.
My parents drilled that a STEM-based career was the only way to be successful. I ignored my inclination for the humanities and focused on science and math until I took AP English Language.
Again, these were just snippets of some of my essays. My biggest advice is to be creative. Admissions officers see 1000 applications a week, so don’t go with the status quo. Find what makes you special and roll with it. Some people said some of my essays were “cringy”, but those essays obviously worked for me so…
Don’t take the process too seriously, and please do not take a schedule like I did. It is very, very hard.
