How can I assess whether Brown and Notre Dame are reaches for me?

The biggest practical difference is that Brown’s applicant pool is especially concentrated with students who combine near-top academic preparation with a distinctive intellectual or creative profile, while Notre Dame evaluates equally strong academics alongside a clear fit with its mission-centered, residential community. Neither should be treated as a target simply because your numbers are near or above published middle ranges. At both schools, outcomes depend heavily on how your record compares with students from your own school and opportunities.

Start with your transcript, not just your GPA. Ask whether you have taken one of the most demanding schedules available to you and performed consistently well, especially in core academic subjects. Then compare your testing, if submitted or required for your application cycle, with each college’s most recently published enrolled-student information rather than using an old online cutoff. Being in or above a typical range makes you academically credible; it does not move either school out of reach territory.

For Brown, look for evidence that your activities, recommendations, and writing show genuine curiosity and self-direction. Its Open Curriculum makes it important to explain how you pursue interests across subjects without needing a prescribed path. For Notre Dame, assess whether your application shows sustained contribution to community, service, leadership, faith or ethical reflection when authentic to you, and interest in the university’s particular academic and residential culture. You do not need a particular religious background, but a generic application can be a weaker fit.

With fairly strong grades, rigor, scores, and activities, Brown should be categorized as a reach, and Notre Dame should also be treated as a reach, though it may be a somewhat more attainable reach for some applicants. Build the rest of your list around colleges where admission is more likely even under an unpredictable review.