When early decision-admit Izzy Ahad of Reston, Virginia received her acceptance to the class of 2029, her friends showered her with praise.
“So happy for you Ivy Queen,” she recalled them telling her.
Ahad was matched to Brown through QuestBridge, a program that matches high-achieving low-income students with prestigious undergraduate institutions. Ahad told The Herald that she always wanted to attend a top college, saying that her “mom always called me her Ivy League daughter, sort of manifesting it for me.”
Her first thought after opening the decision: “I have to tell somebody,” Ahad recalled.
“I told my advisor, calling, texting all my friends,” she said. When she told her family, she and her mom were both overcome with emotion. “I was crying; my mom was crying,” Ahad added.
Brown accepted 17.9% of applicants last month for the class of 2029 — more than four percentage points higher than previous years’ early decision rounds. This year’s class is the first since before the COVID-19 pandemic required students to submit their SAT or ACT scores.
Following last month’s early decision admissions release, The Herald spoke with Ahad and five other students who were accepted to Brown this December.
Nick Burleson from Centreville, Maryland plans to concentrate in Computer Science-Math. When he opened his letter, Burleson and his family were busy traveling and the news was an uplifting moment, he said.
He said it was “surreal” to complete the college process in December, especially as some of his peers may have to wait until May to finalize their college decisions. “It’s a relief,” to be able to “enjoy” his social life in his last few months of high school, Burleson said.
Burleson, who wanted to attend a liberal arts school, is especially infatuated with the Open Curriculum. He believes it will enable him to make change as a result of experiencing “so many different things” during his time at Brown.
Other students, including Mackenzie Conway from West Bloomfield, Michigan, expressed an interest in Brown’s open curriculum. Conway, who wants to study international and public affairs, said she also has a newfound passion for physics.
Conway is committed to play for the women’s lacrosse team. She started playing lacrosse freshman year of high school after a bet with a friend, but soon “made it a priority” and began leveraging her success on the field to get into the college of her choice.
Conway, who visited Brown in the fall of 2023, said she loved the coaches, the campus and the facilities. “The day after I visited Brown, I committed,” Conway said.
Since then, she has gotten closer with her recruiting class. “We text literally every single day,” Conway added.
Another Michigander and future Brown athlete, Will Ciccio of Rochester, Michigan, was also admitted to Brown early. Ciccio plans to swim at Brown.
“I had reached out to other schools, but Brown was at the top of my list,” Ciccio said. “I had a great time on my visit.”
The team “seemed like a great group of guys,” Ciccio said, adding that he plans to study engineering and that Brown represents “the best of both worlds; I can swim and go to the best school in the world.”
Mariana Copeland, of St. Louis, Missouri, is also a member of the class of 2029. She was born in Spain and has lived in Argentina, Brazil and Singapore. With such extensive travel experience, Copeland plans to study international and public affairs.
While Copeland said she’d always aspired to attend a competitive college, she had never thought about the Ivies. Copeland said she didn’t plan to apply in the early decision round, but after making a pros and cons list of all the schools she was applying to, Brown came out on top.
“If I got into all these schools, which one would I go to?” Copeland recalled asking herself. She said that Brown came out on top for a wide variety of reasons, from its “beautiful” campus to its “amazing” atmosphere. Copeland enjoys researching Brown online to get excited about her next four years.
Eshan Alam of Florida liked that Brown’s application essays allowed him to talk about himself outside of the classroom Alam, a first-generation American, was admitted through QuestBridge, a program that matches high-achieving low-income students with prestigious undergraduate institutions. Alam plans to study Mechanical Engineering at Brown, a passion that began with a youthful fascination with model trains.
Like other students, Alam expressed gratitude for Brown’s open curriculum.
“Brown offers flexibility,” he said. “I really like history, but history doesn’t have anything to do with engineering.”
Alam and his family plan to visit campus for the first time in April when the University hosts its A Day on College Hill visiting program for admitted students.
Brown will finalize the class of 2029 with the regular decision round later this spring.
Teddy Fisher is a senior staff writer who studies International and Public Affairs and is passionate about law, national security and sports. He enjoys playing basketball, running and reading in his free time.
