Brown University Top Questions

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Best things about this school - The (in)famous Open Curriculum and undegraduate focus. It took me awhile to realize just how intellectually liberating and academically enriching Brown's take on a college education truly is. Because there are no university course requirements, except those of your concentration (major), you are essentially in charge of your own education. For instance, I've taken classes listed under the departments of engineering, economics, psychology, and biology, without filling out extra forms or going through a separate registration process like in other schools. I've also taken senior seminars as a freshman after talking to the professors, which shows just how flexible and undergraduate focused your academic experience can be at Brown. People's reactions to "Brown" - Unfortunately, Brown's perceived prestige is not tantamount to that of HYP. True, the number of people who would be immediately amazed if you tell them you went to harvard, yale, or princeton will probably exceed the number of those who recognize Brown. Nevertheless, many recognize Brown as an excellent institution with equally excellent students. Of course, when I tell people I go to Brown, there are those who will refer to Emma Watson. On Campus Life - Brown's campus is just a sight to behold, especially during the spring. The overall student size is in the goldilocks zone, not too big and not too small. On campus, there is always something to do, an activity to participate in, a workshop to attend, and a distinguished/famous person to see. Off campus, there are plenty of restaurants to explore (e.g. Thayer, Federal Hill). Downtown and the mall are just an 8-minute walk downhill. If you want to go farther, Newport beach, Boston, and NYC are just a 45-minute, 1 hour, and 3 hour bus trip away from Providence, respectively. Other stuff to consider - If there's one thing I'd change it would be the advising system. I understand that Brown wants its students to take initiative and be assertive with their academic plans. However, a more engaging and well-developed student-faculty advising system would be nice. School pride, as far as sports is concerned, is not as prevalent unfortunately. Moreover, food from the dining halls is not exactly five-star hotel worthy. Financial aid is sub-par compared to that of other Ivies and some parts of the residence halls could need a little bit of renovation and remodeling. Regardless of the aforementioned caveats, I still love Brown to death and I feel grateful and privileged to be a part of this wonderful institution. To say that Brown is bad ass would be one hell of an understatement.

Best things about this school - The (in)famous Open Curriculum and undegraduate focus. It took me awhile to realize just how intellectually liberating and academically enriching Brown's take on a collegeeducation truly is. Because there are no university course requirements, except those of your concentration (major), you are essentially in charge of your own education. For instance, I've taken classes listed under the departments of engineering, economics, psychology, and biology, without filling out extra forms or going through a separate registration process like in other schools. I've also taken senior seminars as a freshman after talking to the professors, which shows just how flexible and undergraduate focused your academic experience can be at Brown. People's reactions to "Brown" - Unfortunately, Brown's perceived prestige is not tantamount to that of HYP. True, the number of people who would be immediately amazed if you tell them you went to harvard, yale, or princeton will probably exceed the number of those who recognize Brown. Nevertheless, many recognize Brown as an excellent institution with equally excellent students. Of course, when I tell people I go to Brown, there are those who will refer to Emma Watson. On Campus Life - Brown's campus is just a sight to behold, especially during the spring. The overall student size is in the goldilocks zone, not too big and not too small. On campus, there is always something to do, an activity to participate in, a workshop to attend, and a distinguished/famous person to see. Off campus, there are plenty of restaurants to explore (e.g. Thayer, Federal Hill). Downtown and the mall are just an 8-minute walk downhill. If you want to go farther, Newport beach, Boston, and NYC are just a 45-minute, 1 hour, and 3 hour bus trip away from Providence, respectively. Other stuff to consider - If there's one thing I'd change it would be the advising system. I understand that Brown wants its students to take initiative and be assertive with their academic plans. However, a more engaging and well-developed student-faculty advising system would be nice. School pride, as far as sports is concerned, is not as prevalent unfortunately. Moreover, food from the dining halls is not exactly five-star hotel worthy. Financial aid is sub-par compared to that of other Ivies and some parts of the residence halls could need a little bit of renovation and remodeling. Regardless of the aforementioned caveats, I still love Brown to death and I feel grateful and privileged to be a part of this wonderful institution. To say that Brown is bad ass would be one hell of an understatement.

Best things about this school: - The (in)famous Open Curriculum and undegraduate focus. It took me awhile to realize just how intellectually liberating and academically enriching Brown's take on a college education truly is. Because there are no university course requirements, except those of your concentration (major), you are essentially in charge of your own education. For instance, I've taken classes listed under the departments of engineering, economics, psychology, and biology without filling out extra forms or going through a separate registration process like in other schools. I've also taken senior seminars as a freshman after talking to the professors, which shows just how flexible and undergraduate focused your academic experience can be at Brown. People's reactions to "Brown" - Unfortunately, Brown's perceived prestige is not tantamount to that of HYP. True, the number of people who would be immediately amazed if you tell them you went to harvard, yale, or princeton will probably exceed the number of those who recognize Brown. Nevertheless, many recognize Brown as an excellent institution with equally excellent students. Of course, when I tell people I go to Brown, there are those who will refer to Emma Watson. On Campus Life - Brown's campus is just a sight to behold, especially during the spring. The overall student size is in the goldilocks zone, not too big and not too small. On campus, there is always something to do, an activity to participate in, a workshop to attend, and a distinguished/famous person to see. Off campus, there are plenty of restaurants to explore (e.g. Thayer, Federal Hill). Downtown and the mall are just an 8-minute walk downhill. If you want to go farther, Newport beach, Boston, and NYC are just a 45-minute, 1 hour, and 3 hour bus trip away from Providence, respectively. Other stuff to consider - If there's one thing I'd change it would be a stronger approach to academic advising. I understand that Brown wants its students to take initiative and be assertive with their academic plans. However, an engaging and well-developed student/faculty advising system would be nice. School pride, as far as sports is concerned, is not as prevalent unfortunately. Moreover, food from the dining halls is not exactly five-star hotel worthy. Financial aid can be subpar compared to that of other Ivies and the residence halls need some major renovation and remodeling.

Best things about this school: - The (in)famous Open Curriculum and undegraduate focus. It took me awhile to realize just how intellectually liberating and academically enriching Brown's take on a college education truly is. Because there are no university course requirements, except those of your concentration (major), you are essentially in charge of your own education. For instance, I've taken classes listed under the departments of engineering, economics, psychology, and biology, even though many colleges don't allow you to take classes outside of your "school" or department. I've also taken senior seminars as a freshman after talking to the professors, which shows just how flexible and undergraduate focused your academic experience can be at Brown. People's reactions to "Brown" - Unfortunately, Brown's perceived prestige is not tantamount to that of HYP. True, the number of people who would be immediately amazed if you tell them you went to harvard, yale, or princeton will probably exceed the number of those who recognize Brown. Nevertheless, many recognize Brown as an excellent institution with equally excellent students. Of course, when I tell people I go to Brown, there are those who will refer to Emma Watson. On Campus Life - Brown's campus is just a sight to behold, especially during the spring. The overall student size is in the goldilocks zone, not too big and not too small. On campus, there is always something to do, an activity to participate in, a workshop to attend, and a distinguished/famous person to see. Off campus, there are plenty of restaurants to explore (e.g. Thayer, Federal Hill). Downtown and the mall are just an 8-minute walk downhill. If you want to go farther, Newport beach, Boston, and NYC are just a 45-minute, 1 hour, and 3 hour bus trip away from Providence, respectively. Other stuff to consider - If there's one thing I'd change it would be a stronger approach to academic advising. I understand that Brown wants its students to take initiative and be assertive with their academic plans. However, an engaging and well-developed student/faculty advising system would be nice. School pride, as far as sports is concerned, is not as prevalent unfortunately. Moreover, food from the dining halls is not exactly five-star hotel worthy. Financial aid can be subpar compared to that of other Ivies and the residence halls need some major renovation and remodeling.

Best things about this school: - The (in)famous Open Curriculum and undegraduate focus. It took me awhile to realize just how intellectually liberating and academically enriching Brown's take on a liberal-arts education was. Because there are no university course requirements, except those of your concentration (major), you are essentially in charge of your own education. For instance, I've taken classes listed under the departments of engineering, economics, psychology, and biology, even though many colleges don't allow you to take classes outside of your "school" or department. I've also taken senior seminars as a freshman after talking to the professors, which shows just how flexible and undergraduate focused your academic experience can be at Brown. People's reactions to "Brown" - Unfortunately, Brown's perceived prestige is not tantamount to that of HYP. True, the number of people who would be immediately amazed if you tell them you went to harvard, yale, or princeton will probably exceed the number of those who recognize Brown. Nevertheless, many recognize Brown as an excellent institution with equally excellent students. Of course, when I tell people I go to Brown, there are those who will refer to Emma Watson. On Campus Life - Brown's campus is just a sight to behold, especially during the spring. The overall student size is in the goldilocks zone, not too big and not too small. On campus, there is always something to do, an activity to participate in, a workshop to attend, and a distinguished/famous person to see. Off campus, there are plenty of restaurants to explore (e.g. Thayer, Federal Hill). Downtown and the mall are just an 8-minute walk downhill. If you want to go farther, Newport beach, Boston, and NYC are just a 45-minute, 1 hour, and 3 hour bus trip away from Providence, respectively. Other stuff to consider - If there's one thing I'd change it would be a stronger approach to academic advising. I understand that Brown wants its students to take initiative and be assertive with their academic plans. However, an engaging and well-developed student/faculty advising system would be nice. School pride, as far as sports is concerned, is not as prevalent unfortunately. Moreover, food from the dining halls is not exactly five-star hotel worthy. Financial aid can be subpar compared to that of other Ivies and the residence halls need some major renovation and remodeling.

Best things about this school: - The infamous Open Curriculum and undegraduate focus. It took me awhile to realize just how intellectually liberating and academically enriching Brown's take on a liberal-arts education was. Because there are no university course requirements, except those of your concentration (major), you are essentially in charge of your own education. For instance, I've taken classes listed under the departments of engineering, economics, psychology, and biology, even though many colleges don't allow you to take classes outside of your "school" or department. I've also taken senior seminars as a freshman after talking to the professors, which shows just how flexible and undergraduate focused your academic experience can be at Brown. People's reactions to "Brown" - Unfortunately, Brown's perceived prestige is not tantamount to that of HYP. True, the number of people who would be immediately amazed if you tell them you went to harvard, yale, or princeton will probably exceed the number of those who recognize Brown. Nevertheless, many recognize Brown as an excellent institution with equally excellent students. Of course, when I tell people I go to Brown, there are those who will refer to Emma Watson. On Campus Life - Brown's campus is just a sight to behold, especially during the spring. The overall student size is in the goldilocks zone, not too big and not too small. On campus, there is always something to do, an activity to participate in, a workshop to attend, and a distinguished/famous person to see. Off campus, there are plenty of restaurants to explore (e.g. Thayer, Federal Hill). Downtown and the mall are just an 8-minute walk downhill. If you want to go farther, Newport beach, Boston, and NYC are just a 45-minute, 1 hour, and 3 hour bus trip away from Providence, respectively. Other stuff to consider - If there's one thing I'd change it would be a stronger approach to academic advising. I understand that Brown wants its students to take initiative and be assertive with their academic plans. However, an engaging and well-developed student/faculty advising system would be nice. School pride, as far as sports is concerned, is not as prevalent unfortunately. Moreover, food from the dining halls is not exactly five-star hotel worthy. Financial aid can be subpar compared to that of other Ivies and the residence halls need some major renovation and remodeling.

I absolutely love this school. The students are more different than I ever could have imagined, and yet they are united by a love for learning, a mutually supportive spirit, and a n upbeat community spirit. The school is large enough that one could never feel truly socially limited, but small enough that you can be sure to see someone you know when walking across campus. I have heard the occasional complaint about either the quality of the food, or feeling pressured to be socially active because it seems like absolutely everyone is doing some sort of community service, but these are so vastly outnumbered by the praise for some inspiring teacher or the new and exciting extra-curricular opportunity that someone never thought they'd try; I was not surprised at all when I heard that our students had been voted "Happiest Students in America." Providence is a city with much more to offer than it ever receives credit for, and if you have the determination to get off the hill, New York and Boston are easy, frequent destinations.

Being at Brown University is an amazing experience of itself. The size of the school is just right, and you can always know that on a leisurely walk, you will at least see a few familiar faces. Professors are often very friendly and like to work with students, even in a lecture of 300.One controversial point about Brown is that it is somewhat like living in a Brown Bubble. This Bubble isn't awful, just at points, one may forget what is happening in the outside world. The college town has many stores and restaurants, and one doesn't have to go far for nice dining or to reach the mall. School pride comes naturally, as Brown has some of the happiest students. This prides strays away when it comes towards sports, but is seen by how much students love the school!

My opinion of Brown is that it is a fabulous institution for many students, but that it is not for everyone. Brown's perspective on education is fabulous for self-directed, independent thinkers who know what they want to do before they go to college. Brown has an open curriculum, and often students find that they struggle to make decisions from the vast course options. Academic guidance is often purposefully vague to force students to make personal decisions based on their own reasoning, and this is a wonderful academic policy, but does put substantial pressure on students when they are freshmen. The school is in Providence, Rhode Island, which is a small city which is nice for college students. The size of Brown's undergraduate program is 6000 students, which is large enough so that there are always new people to meet, but small enough so that you always know someone in the cafeteria. One thing I would change about Brown is its school spirit. Most students are not active in attending sporting events, which is unfortunate, because Brown has some phenomenal athletic teams including Men's Crew, which is currently ranked first in the nation.