After I was deferred from Brown Early Decision, this is the email that I sent: Happy New Year! I'm very grateful that I still have a chance to be a part of the class of 2020. I would love to receive an education from Brown because of the open curriculum and the ability to study humanities while concentrating in engineering. I intend to study engineering in college, specifically chemical, environmental, or computer engineering. I would love to be able to study under Dr. Kulaots as he is known for his research in energy and biomass and I did a science fair...

Here are schools I interviewed with: Brown- Very laid-back, we talked about engineering (my interviewer was a graduate of the engineering school), her experience with the college process (she has daughters that had gone through it), vegetarianism, some current events, and any questions that I had. Overall, an excellent experience. One question that I remember was "if you could be any color what would you be?" Columbia- My interviewer talked about his experience at Columbia, especially with regards to his academic experience. We discussed subjects I enjoyed and did not enjoy in college, and my extracurriculars. He was very informative,...

Students at Brown are creative (willing to think outside the box and take risks even if it might not work out),...

For my recommenders, I chose teachers with whom I had good relationships. I would recommend asking teachers from junior year because they knew they you that is closest to the application you (regarding maturity and intelligence). I would also recommend choosing teachers that are from...

Before I started looking at schools, I focused on studying for standardized tests. Even though test grades don't define you, they can be a difficult obstacle to overcome if they are not the right for schools you are thinking about. After taking my tests, the first school I visited was Brown (it was on our way to Boston where I would look at MIT and Tufts). When I got to Brown's campus, I fell in love. Even though there was about to be a record snowfall in Providence, the atmosphere, friendliness of students, and open curriculum appealed to me. I...

How to increase your chances at Brown (or any college really): 1. If you know Brown is the college for you, apply Early Decision. I would recommend applying somewhere ED. When I was applying, I was considering either going Brown, Dartmouth, or Cornell early. Brown was the biggest stretch for me and in a last minute decision, I decided to try Brown. I asked myself if I would regret applying somewhere else early, and truthfully, I said yes. I would say take a chance, go for your reach school because there is no better way to demonstrate interest than applying binding...

Honestly, I wouldn't change too much. I think the schools that accepted me were the ones that were right for me. When I think about it, I didn't want to be at a school that strictly focused on engineering. I think my...

(Note: This essay is about answering the "Why Us" for any school) Every school that you are applying to has incredible academics. They all have diversity, an excellent location, interesting students, and engaging professors. Columbia knows that it is an Ivy League institution in New York City. Brown knows that they offer the Open Curriculum. All of these schools know why they are impressive and unique in everyone's mind. What they want to know is why it is impressive to you. Personally, I think a "Why Us" essay about a particular event that stuck with you featuring the school is...

In the end, I was deciding between Brown and Cornell. Though I liked Cornell's campus and the quality of their engineering program, I realized it wasn't for me. Cornell's School of Engineering seemed to be too intense for me (this opinion is just from what I heard from other people and the feeling I got when I was visiting for Cornell Days). I wasn't even sure if I wanted to study engineering, and honestly, I'm still not...