michaelkearney
michaelkearney,
Brown
B.A., Chemistry
Avid rapid transit map collector. I try to stay woke. Brown '20
Features Included
7
Essays
3
Schools
11
Scores
15
Advice
9
ECs
0
Sports

Background

Hometown Princeton, New Jersey
GenderMale
EthnicityWhite Non-Hispanic
Class of2020
First Gen College StudentNo

Results, Essays, and Advice

Accepted
Waitlisted or Withdrew
Denied
  • Brown University (Providence, RI)
  • Colby College (Waterville, ME)
  • Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
Tap/click a school logo above to view essays and advice specific to that school.

Brown University (Providence, RI)

Applied for a B.A. in Chemistry

Accepted and Enrolled Legacy: No

School Specific Essays

Rainbow flags hang from the walls of the cafeteria. I speak before a group of high school students about sustainable urban transit. I line up with four hundred thousand people on 8th Avenue to march for environmental action. These are the moments that have defined my life over the past two years. But they were only made possible by the one instant when I defied my own fear and told myself the truth. In that moment, facing the bathroom mirror,...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
200 Words
While exploring Brown, I attended Professor Oliver's class "Society and Population in Ancient Greece." I felt at home in this small seminar. Each student was eager to learn and contributed to class discussion. Professor Oliver didn't just teach, but challenged his students to develop their own theories about population growth in the Peloponnesus. My conversations with Professors Zimmt and Seto validated my interest in chemistry research. During the Physical Sciences tour, I saw the extent and sophistication of Brown's laboratories...
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Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
150 Words
On Tuesdays after school, when everyone else is going home, I go over to the Carriage House with Lily and Nick. At the door, we're welcomed with an enthusiastic "xaire!" from Mr. Gudgel and ushered into a world of tragedy, comedy and polytonic Greek. The Carriage House has always been our temple for Latin. It's where we first discovered etymology, discussed the Roman Emperors with whom we identified most, and sang songs like Simon and Garfunkel's Hera Robinson and Carly...
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Supplemental Essay: Diversity statement
91 Words
I have always resided on Caldwell Drive. But in my 16th year, I made a huge move. I took control of my own life and started living out of the closet. Finally daring to slide the door open and peer between the heavy layers of flannel, I marveled at how large the world could be for me. I felt naked exposing my sexual orientation to family and friends. But I could breathe at last, free from the suffocating piles of...
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Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
141 Words
When my sister finally gave me her Netflix password this summer, I immediately binge watched the first season of Gossip Girl. It's a juicy show. But as I started in on episode twelve, the monotonous storyline lost my interest. Just as the predictable excitement of those first few episodes kept me watching, the consistency of periodic trends and dactylic hexameter had hooked me on Chemistry and the Classics. For me, their organized foundations were perfectly comprehensible. But after an AP...
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Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
160 Words
I’ve always been excited by the nature of our world. I wonder why water droplets on a tabletop will suddenly coalesce when they touch. I wonder what makes rock solid, and what makes air not. Chemistry is able to explain my wonderings. People answer these questions for a living. I realized this when I toured Merck Laboratories during the Merck State Science Day award ceremony. Holding a high-pressure liquid chromatography cylinder, I understood that in my hands lay a...
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Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school
286 Words
Electrochemical cells never made much sense to me. Mathematically, half-cell potentials added up, but I didn't understand how the flow of current could induce a chemical change in a metallic anode or cathode. While reading Chapter 21, “Electrochemistry,” for my AP Chemistry exam, I was filled with dread. I attacked the chapter with flashcards and diagrams, without success. But I wouldn’t let the textbook defeat me. Rummaging through my desk, I found two small metal frogs and a handful of...
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School Specific Advice

5 adjectives that describe a typical student at my school (Feel free to elaborate!)
45 Words
Independent. Eager to forge their own path. Aware that life is about...
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Additional material sent in after waitlisted or deferred
40 Words
I sent in an application update after I won a big award...
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How to increase chances at my school
97 Words
BE YOURSELF. Don't try to fit into the stereotype, whatever one that might be. Brown doesn't want stereotypical kids. They don't want the Harvard-bound busybodies who sit around on...
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List of schools I interviewed with and my interview experience
70 Words
I interviewed with MIT, Brown, WashU, Wesleyan, and Colby College. All of my interviews were fantastic, except for my Brown...
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My extracurricular activities in college, and why I chose them
89 Words
In high school, I was involved with all sorts of academic, artistic, and political/social groups. Now that I'm in college, I spend my of my academic...
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What might make for a good “Why Us” essay topic at my school
30 Words
If you visited, definitely mention your visit. Otherwise,...
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My favorite course thus far, and why
190 Words
I took an introductory computer science course called CS15 my first semester. I didn't like one of the courses I signed up for, so during shopping period (when you can freely add and drop courses), I switched to CS15 on the suggestion of a friend. It was the best decision I ever made, because now...
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What I now know about my school that I never would have known prior to enrolling
47 Words
Brown has a party culture, just like most schools. However, none of the parties...
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Why I ultimately chose my school
118 Words
The Open Curriculum was the biggest pull to Brown for me. There are no distribution requirements and all the other requirements are really lax. People here forge their own path. I'm planning a career in...
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What I like about my school’s location and culture
127 Words
Providence is a really cool city. There is a lot of history here, and the East Side (where Brown is) is wonderful. You can ride RIPTA for free anywhere within the state of Rhode Island, so I use...
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More Essays

These essays haven't been tagged by school. Click school logos above to see tagged essays.

General Admissions Advice

Did you take a gap year? Tell us about your experience.
92 Words
I wanted to take a gap year before going to college, as did my parents. Without a doubt it's one of the best decisions I've ever made....
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What set me apart from other applicants
118 Words
I got good grades in high school, but I was not a straight A student. Instead, I marketed myself as an authentic learner. I don't really care if I get an A or a B;...
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What I’d change about my application process
176 Words
I had my parents, my sister, and a tutor look over all of my essays. They all changed things, disagreed with each other, and told me that they knew what the right way was. They were all wrong. The morning that my Brown application was due, I rewrote all of...
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My advice about getting recommenders
117 Words
There's only one thing to be said: ASK EARLY. I asked my chemistry teacher about a month before the application was due. That was a mistake. Luckily, he was able to write one, which...
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Recommended summer activities during high school and college
97 Words
I always spent half of the summer at Spanish immersion camps and the other half of the summer working at a camp that focuses on leadership and developing...
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High School Performance

Weighted GPA
4.26
 
Rank
Top 5%
 
Academic Performance in High School Steady

Test Scores

Highest ACT
36
 
ACT Score Details
 
Other ACT Scores
ACT Prep
Highest SAT
1560
on 1600 scale
Highest SAT
2310
 
SAT Score Details
 
Original SAT Score2310
Other SAT Scores
SAT Prep

AP / IB Classes and Scores

Details9 classes and scores

Sports

Extracurriculars

ActivitiesModel Congress / Model UN, School Theater/Plays, Gay/Straight Alliance, Student Council / Government, Science Club/Team, Local Orchestra / Symphony / Band, School Choir, Computer / Technology Volunteer, Quiz Bowl/Academic Bowl
Elaborate on Extracurriculars or Work

Experience & Awards

Awards Received

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