Brown University Top Questions

Brown is designed for people who love to learn and want to guide their own education. It's famous for having an "open curriculum," meaning there are no core or distribution requirements. This doesn't mean students just take whatever they think is easiest -- but it does mean you will never find yourself in a class surrounded by people who don't want to be there. Interested and engaged students foster deeper, more involved discussions and, in my opinion, an overall more fulfilling academic experience. (And I took a class at BU that most of the students were using to fulfill a requirement, so i have some experience with the different atmospheres.) Learning for its own sake -- not getting a job.

INCREDIBLE classes in politics (I recommend Wendy Schiller and Roger Cobb)! Great history and spanish classes as well, and, form what I hear, unbelievably thorough science and engineering programs. Mostly work with professors, not TAs, even as freshmen.

Professors are very good so far, love having the open curriculum which I feel could be stressful if you don't have a good advisor (I did but knew many who didn't), class participation common in smaller classes, larger ones tend to have section once a week which is helpful and allows for more interaction, students are competitive with selves but not really others which creates a pretty relaxed atmosphere, pass/fail is great and really stresses Brown's desire to have students take a wide ranger of classes even things out of their comfort zone, education probably geared towards knowledge. Favorite class so far ES41 with Kurt Teichert, great professor, about 60 kids, knew all our names, very relaxed atmosphere, interesting reading, a lot of papers and big final project but definitely learn a lot, section once a week was nice too.

Classes at Brown are challenging, but my no means overwhelming. Professor's are very understanding in terms of workloads and reading. The open curriculum means that students only have to take classes that interest them. The pass/fail option gives the opportunity to take classes that interest you without out the burden on the student's transcripts.

Of course there are classes that are better than others and teachers that are better than others. There are big classes and there are small classes. What's amazing about the academics here at Brown is that the students play such an active role in their education. They choose their courses and so its evident that they want to be learning, not for a job, but for the sake of knowling. To be in class with such motivated people, such interesting people, is a gift. It's what one pays so much for. To me, though, its priceless

Favorite Classes: The Social History of Early Modern Japan wit the guy who did the research and wrote the book. Art and Engagement with a preeminent Woodblock Print Scholar -- we went on a silent Zen Meditation Retreat. Students work a lot but its very non-competitive - nobody talks about grades (almost) and study parties are the norm. How much time you spend with profs is hugely dependent on you and on the specific professor. Don't come here if you're not ready to be adventurous and careful in setting your own course -- the advising sucks, so take the bull by the horns.

Being an Ivy League college, Brown's academics are one of the highest in the country. Although there's always a boring class or an "uninteresting topic" everywhere, Brown does have a lot of popular professors. The neuroscience professors, in particular, I've learned, have been really popular amongst their students, as is a political science teacher for City Politics and an economics professor (who is blind, but, I hear, quite effective and funny!). Students are always very active in class and are rarely afraid to ask questions or make funny remarks or interesting statements. In the larger classes, it's difficult for teachers to really form a relationship with their students, but in smaller classes, that rarely exists. Students are not competitive in the sense that they try to outdo each other. It's hard to get in, and getting in is obviously an accomplishment - no easy feat. Students understand that and respect each other. Brown has NO core curriculum, which it emphasizes by letting its student body choose the classes and follow the interests that one wants to pursue. Academic requirements all differ across the array of concentrations, but most are possible if starting in the second or even third year, giving you a chance to explore your interests and try out new things the first year or so. It's a liberating feeling!

The open curriculum is FANTASTIC. I have felt no pressure to take any classes that didn't interest me. All of my professors in my smaller courses (20 students or fewer) have known my name. In my lecture courses, the TAs will often get to know the students, depending on if sections are discussion-based or simply times to hand in homework. Students study hard during the day (often on weekends, too), but at night the campus comes alive with shows, concerts, lectures, and parties.

All but two of my professors knew my first name - one of my favorite professor's actually knows my middle and last name even... it's easy to become close to your professors if you go up and talk to them after class or during office hours. And for the classes that are relatively large, if your professor doesn't know your name, your TA definitely will. Students study - students at Brown want to learn and so the majority usually tries to get all their work done, or at the least they study from time to time. It's easy to balance work and fun, and professors definitely understand how busy students are. Sometimes workloads can be manic - so it's either ALOT of work or ALOT of fun and partying. Work definitely comes in waves: some weeks I feel like I have so much work to do and others I feel so relaxed and can just chill. Students are more helpful than they are competitive - sure, everyone wants to do well, but everyone also wants their peers to do well. So, classmates often study together or help each other - whether someone needs tutoring, wants their paper edited, needs missed lecture notes - students are willing to help each other out. Although the curriculum is flexible, it requires students to be self-motivated and organized. First year academic advising is very helpful - my advisor gave me great tips when picking classes and strategies for shopping period. For example, before committing to classes, it's important to compare your potential classes' syllabuses to make sure you won't have 2 exams and 2 papers due on the same day. I'm plan on majoring in Education and am part of Professor Li's research team, so I am in the education department often. All the professors in the department are extremely friendly and helpful to students. They love when students come by to visit - to study in the student room, for office hours, or even just to chat. It's a great department and I'm glad to be apart of it.

Classes range from all sizes - from 500+ person lectures to 5 people sitting in a circle. Obviously, its hard to get to know a professor in a big class if you don't go to office hours, but I've have a professor from a 120-person class remember me simply from the questions I asked in class. Brown students are generally not competitve. People share notes, give advice, and honestly help each other out on essays, even if they're writing the same one. Academics are challenging and inspiring, but chill. I realize now that there is hardly any cheating at Brown, something everyone used to do in my high school, even in AP classes. I think its the very lack of pressure that reduces the incentive for people to cheat. In most classes I've taken its easy to get a B and challenging to get an A. You can take however many classes you want as pass/fail, but I dont know anyone who takes more than one pass/fail per semester, and I've never met anyone to audit a class. I know this might sound strange, but at Brown students have the hardest time choosing classes, simply because there are SO many good ones. The school reccomends we take 4 classes per semseter and allows us to take up to 5, and while taking 5 classes is a serious workload, people take that many because there aren't enough semesters in 4 years to take all the good classes. Such a problem. Best class? Global Security After the Cold War with Minh Luong