As is obvious, I ultimately ended up choosing Brown. That being said, here's how I eliminated my top few choices: -- UC Berkeley - though I was admitted directly into the prestigious Chemistry program, I would be committed to doing a chemistry major, as Berkeley's school of chemistry is separate from its school of letters and sciences. This meant that if I wanted to do anything else, I'd have to go through a transfer application process. -- University of Washington - I was admitted directly into the highly competitive CS program, but I wanted to travel farther (UW is around 1...

I think that Brown as an institution really prides itself on its commitment to social justice and generally making the community better, so that's something to keep in mind fit-wise. What this means for the application is that you should really emphasize your role in for example, making your school or community better or more inclusive or more equal etc. The personal statement I submitted was about my work with...

If you're nationally competitive in your activity at all, it's probably worth a shot to try to reach out to coaches. If you're not top-20 ish in the nation at your activity, however, the chances that it makes...