What excites you about the courses you'll sign up for?
The open curriculum at Brown will allow me to pick whichever courses I want without any requirements, which is a (very) welcome change after the rigid structure offered by Indian schools; so I can actually experiment and with the guidance of experienced mentors, arrive at a major tailor-made to suit my ambition.
What did you find most challenging about the college app process?
Rather than the college app process itself, I found managing my time pretty trying. In the midst of studying for ISC, keeping my school grades up, working on extra-curriculars AND studying for the SAT I and II, finding the time to actually sit and write the essays was challenging.
What was your SAT and Subject Tests prep strategy?
For the SAT I, it was pure practice. I was told that I should ideally solve three mocks a week, and even though it didn’t quite happen that way, it was ultimately solving and reviewing the mocks that brought my score up.
For the SAT II...considering I changed the subjects two days before the actual test (literally), I can’t say I had much of a strategy.
How did your college list change over time?
Initially, my college list consisted of 4 Ivys and 6 top colleges, but when I realized just how much work goes into one college, I narrowed it down to two Ivys and four top colleges.
What advice would you give future applicants?
1) Manage your time well - make a schedule you can stick to without going insane.
2) Pick subjects you like and are good at (SAT II), NOT the ones people say will be ‘scoring’.
What are you looking forward to the most in college?
Actually learning instead
of uselessly mugging and...FREEDOM!
What major/s are you considering?
Economics and English
What are your plans for summer?
I’ll soon be starting an internship with the Editorial department of a newspaper.