Brown University Top Questions

Brown's campus is overwhelmingly liberal -- but most students are ok with that, and conservatives are often too scared to complain. The community of students of color and of LGBTQ students on campus is strong and active. Students who identify with these communities are happy to find that cultural/ethnic and LGBT organizations are inclusive, open, and welcoming to incoming students. In terms of class, most Brown students are upper-middle class, and it shows -- Brown girls and guys alike love to dress up for class.

I have been very involved with College Hill for Christ, the branch of Campus Crusade at Brown. I'd say that in general most Brown students will be quick to make disparaging remarks about Christianity, or some things associated with it like conservativism/intelligent design. If they learn that you associate with any of those things though, they will be pretty respectful of that and ask you about it. There are a significant number of people who just want to argue, however, and there are many people to argue with at Brown. Brown students are mostly from upper class backgrounds, although many are also from very low class backgrounds. It's hard to tell where people are coming from, since people don't often talk about their social status/family earnings. Students don't really seem to be concerned with making tons of money, but more concerned with financial stability and doing as well as they can in their field.

People are generally very tolerant, but your usual groups hang together-jocks, african-americans, latinos, and nerdy nerds. not hard to make friends though-especially freshmen year in your unit. career aspirations and discussions differ by major

The campus is really really really open to everything and there is really no student that would feel out of place at Brown because all the students, while there are a group of friends that you might normally hang out with, really don't divide too much by types. The financial background, I don't know. The students don't act a certain way and it's not a thing that people look at each other and thing. Brown students are from all over and they don't talk about how much they'll earn one day, just how much they will do the jobs that they love regardless of money.

a lot of rich stuck up people. poor people feel out of place at brown. most students are from the northeast. students are predominantly left.

I wish there were a better Jewish life on campus for Jews who are not religious. Hillel has a stigma which prevents a lot of Jewish kids from attending or meeting other kids there. I see a lot of mixture at Brown, a lot of athletes, a lot of preps and most are in between. I don't feel that girls try too hard to 'get beautiful' for classes, like i felt at other school.

There are student groups for every kind of person. I know a few people who felt unwelcome at Brown, but it was because of no fault of the university's. There are so many ways to meet new people that it is hard to not feel welcome. Most students wear jeans to class. Many different types of students interact, that's the beauty of Brown! Most Brown students are from the Northeast or California. Brown students are VERY politically aware and active. They canvas for campaigns, participate in protests, and petition the government for things that concern them (Darfur, AIDS, etc). Most students are on the left and it is frowned upon to voice a conservative opinion.

groups on campus. -there seems to be openness, but there isn't much openness and acceptance without one side not fully being themselves. that's with some people. with others, there actually is an intermingling and openness and exchange of ideas between groups and within groups. a Christian, a southerner and a republican would feel out of place here.

I have very little experience with student groups on campus. My experience has been with the campus newspaper's, the Brown Daily Herald's, business staff and with the Brown Investment Group. I have an interest in business and finance that is not shared by many of my fellow students. However, by participating in these groups I have had the opportunity to meet other students with similar interests. Politically the campus is very liberal. In the current election season, the vast majority of the students that I have spoken with strongly support Obama's candidacy. The students come from all over. Most of the people I know are from the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, or New England; however, there are students from all over.

The campus is really diverse, and the groups are generally really active in the community. The good news is that means no one is really ever out of place. Students here come from all sorts of backgrounds, but there is definitely an upper-class of students. Students here are also pretty politically active, if predominantly liberal.