At 5 p.m. Thursday evening, Brown released decisions online for thousands of anxious high school students across the globe — bringing the number of admitted students to 2,804, or 9.3 percent of the record-breaking 30,136 students who applied, according to a University press release.
The prospective members of the class of 2014 include students from all 50 states and 81 countries, according to the press release. University administrators expect to enroll about 1,485 in the incoming first-year class in the fall, after a highly competitive admissions cycle that saw a 21 percent increase in applicants compared to last year.
"We were deeply impressed and at times awed by the candidates we were privileged to review over these many months, and we are grateful for the opportunity to get to know so many inspirational and promising students from across this nation and around the world," said Dean of Admission Jim Miller '73 in the press release.
Chance Craig, an admitted student and senior at Marvell High School in Marvell, Ark., has not visited Brown yet, but said he is excited to attend A Day on College Hill in April.
"I applied to nine schools, and that's a lot for where I'm from because nobody has ever gone to an Ivy League school," he said. "It's a big thing that I got in. It's crazy."
Another admitted student, John King from North Haven High School in North Haven, Conn., also applied to nine colleges — but in his school, many seniors are admitted to selective universities, he said.
"By the end of sophomore year, through junior year, people got really competitive about colleges," King said.
Throughout the school day Thursday, seniors were anxious about their impending admissions decisions, King said. "My friends and I kept looking at the clock in school, and a lot of my friends were just on the computer right away when they got home, even though the decisions weren't going to be up for a while," he added.
While both Craig and King are excited about their acceptances, they said they are not entirely sure whether they will choose Brown.
Sohum Chatterjee '14, an early decision admit from Calcutta, India, couldn't visit schools in the U.S. but said he was initially attracted to the opportunities for interdisciplinary study at Brown.
"I really wanted a blend of the humanities and the natural sciences, which my country's system simply doesn't offer," Chatterjee said.
Chatterjee also attributed his interest in Brown to interacting with a Brown alum who graduated from his high school and told him about the unique campus culture.
Michelle Migliori '14 took a less conventional route to College Hill. An applicant for the class of 2013, she was waitlisted and later offered a spot in this year's incoming class. Migliori is a Providence resident and said budget cuts in Providence public schools often prevented her from fully pursuing her interests in music, theater and art.
"For the majority of my education, I couldn't even study the things I loved," Migliori said.
"So for me, Brown was a place where I could go and actually have the flexibility to study all that, and I know I'd be getting an amazing education for it."
Migliori, who has been involved with Providence's Trinity Repertory Company for the past few years, hopes to pursue a graduate degree in theater through the Brown/Trinity Repertory Consortium after completing her undergraduate studies.
Will Peterson, a regular decision admit who hails from Orange County, Calif., said his interest in Brown stemmed from talking to graduates of his high school who had matriculated as well as the New Curriculum, which he called "a big deciding factor."
Peterson is deciding between Brown and Stanford, though he is currently leaning towards Brown.
"I think I could see myself more in the Brown student body," Peterson said.
Jeff Handler '14, an early decision admit from Newton North High School in Newton, Mass., looks forward eagerly to arriving on College Hill in the fall.
"I spent a week visiting all these schools, but when I got to Brown, I knew it was the right place. I could go down the list of reasons," including the academic freedom Brown provides. "But overall, it was really just the feel more than anything else," he said.
"It was raining when I visited and I still liked it," he added. "And if you like a school in the rain, you know it's the right place for you. I'm thrilled about the next four years."
— With additional reporting by Claire Peracchio
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