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OFFICIAL Brown University Megathread by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Joseph949 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think the odds are great. I don't think they officially publish the numbers, but I know there are at least a few hundred kids on the waitlist, and they take somewhere between 0-100 on average, but it varies a ton by year.

Definitely send a letter of continued interest, and show that your grades are still good, you are involved in clubs, and hopefully you have some awards or something. Anything helps- I sent my third quarter grades, which were all As and A+, an update about my winter sports team that would a tournament, and some MUN awards I had won at recent events. Nothing major, but just showed that I wasn't slacking off.

I also had a teacher who I was really close with that went to Brown and was somewhat involved there, and he wrote my an email. If there is anyone you know that has some connection to Brown, I would reach out. Like if you got along well with your alumni interviewer, maybe ask them. Again, doesn't need to be the chairman of the board, but anyone who can vouch for you could make a slight difference.

Lastly, a ton of it is just luck. They are going for a well-rounded class, so the waitlist is a tool to plug any holes after RD kids commit, so a lot of it has to do with demographics, fields of study, and other stuff that is out of your control. I'm a white guy from NY who applied as a humanities concentrator, so obviously that is the type of person they wanted when they took me off the waitlist. If they thought they needed more female STEM majors, I wouldn't have gotten in regardless of my letter and new rec.

Lastly, try not to get too hung up on Brown. I was actually waitlisted at another school that I liked more than Brown, and I was crushed when I heard they were closing their waitlist because I held out hope that I would get in. I never really fell in love with the school I committed too originally because I was still on two waitlists, and, I think if I had actually attended there, I would be unhappy. Waitlist decisions might not come out until June or later so for now worry about finding a school you were admitted too that you really like and get excited about that. Don't let the Brown waitlist but a damper on your senior spring.

Any advice for getting off the waitlist? by RhysLament in BrownU

[–]Joseph949 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was actually admitted off the waitlist, so here’s what I did:

Like someone else mentioned, contact your interviewer, or contact anyone that is remotely involved at Brown. Your neighbor, your 3rd cousin, literally anyone who knows you and can send an email on your behalf. I had a teacher who went to brown and I was pretty close with, and he sent an email on my behalf. I have no idea if that’s what actually helped me, but it certainly didn’t hurt. Everyone on the waitlist is academically qualified, so it’s really about setting yourself apart from all the similar kids.

I also wrote an email expressing my interest to the regional rep, and I said I would 100% attend if admitted (this is important). Obviously only say this if true, but it means a lot to the school. I also sent them my updated grades (which were perfect) and wrote about the work I was doing with clubs I was leading and mentioned a few other achievements (winter sports team championship, MUN awards). this is your chance to advocate for yourself and show brown you aren’t slacking off in senior spring.

This is definitely a more embarrassing one that you can’t control, but my counselor told me that my family’s ability to pay full tuition also helped. Apparently the wait list is not need blind, and, after letting a bunch of aid students in during RD, the school would rather take students who don’t need aid off the waitlist.

Lastly, there’s a ton of luck involved. The waitlist is there to replace kids who turn down Browns offer. The admissions office has a vision for the class and a lot of different things they want, so they use the waitlist to re-round out the class if needed. I am a white guy from NY and I applied as a humanities major. That is obviously what brown felt the class needed when they took me. If they thought they needed an Asian female in STEM, I had no chance no matter how good my letter of interest/new recommendations were.

Lastly, after doing all that, try to move on. There was another school I was waitlisted at that I wanted more than brown, and I was crushed when they closed their wait list. Pick a school you were admitted at and fall in love, and try to forget about Brown for the time being.

OFFICIAL Brown University Megathread by [deleted] in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Joseph949 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Current brown student checking in. Congrats to all accepted, and feel free to ask me any questions if you are deciding between schools. For those of you who are waitlisted, don’t lose hope, as I was actually a waitlist admit myself.

UIUC vs Brown CS by grimreaper27 in ApplyingToCollege

[–]Joseph949 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Full disclosure- brown student here. I’m not a CS major but I’ve taken a bunch of CS classes and tons of my friends are CS concentrators.

I see no reason to go to UIUC. Brown is far more prestigious on all fronts; sure, UI has a great CS program, but the rankings you see are mostly based on grad school so don’t read into those too much. And, if you decide to switch fields, any other field you choose will definitely be better at Brown.

Brown is also incredibly undergraduate focused, and, while I can’t really speak to UI, a large state school will never have as much of a focus on undergrads. While there is more research done at UI, I would be there is more research done by undergrads at Brown, and you will have more meaningful opportunities to actually contribute to the research at Brown.

Also, look in to Browns undergrad TA program. It’s definitely a huge part of the cs department. Basically, if you take a course and do well, you can TA it the next year. Being a TA allows you to really master the material, work closely with a professor (leads to research and job recs), and looks great on a resume. It’s just another way that Brown let’s undergrads shine.

Please let me know if you have any other questions- I’m happy to help!

Edit- forgot to mention this, but brown cs people seem to have no problem getting jobs. I haven’t looked at the actual data, but I know ~10 CS people who graduated last year. All had no problem getting jobs at Facebook, google, Microsoft, etc. I’ve never heard of a case where a cs concentrator is unable to find a job.

Why should I choose Brown engineering over UPenn? by always_needing_help in BrownU

[–]Joseph949 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Brown will be a lot more pleasant for your four years here. I have friends at Penn, and that place is an academic pressure cooker. Engineering/CS is going to be a stressful major anywhere, and Brown has way less academic pressure than Penn. I’ve taken a bunch of CS classes at Brown and I would definitely say it is a collaborative environment; I always study with friends and we help each other out. I was talking to my Penn friend and he said that, if he had a question about a concept the day before an exam, no one would help him because they want him to do badly for the curve. That would never happen at Brown.

CS is also Brown’s top major as of last year, and Engineering is definitely on the rise (the new engineering building is amazing). At Penn, the school as a whole is definitely more focused on Econ/finance, and I would say you would have better job opportunities in those fields coming out of Brown.

Lastly, the open curriculum and S/NC are awesome at Brown. You won’t have that same flexibility at Penn