Brown University Top Questions

Just the right size, love the open curriculum, great professors, wide range of classes, as an architecture student would prefer more studio type classes but they can be found at RISD, reaction of most people is like Brown, wow, you must be smart, Providence is great- lots to do and bars are very lax, good shopping, easy to get home to NY, Brown food could be better but Thayer food is good, spend a lot of time on the green in the nice weather, all in all feels like a college from a movie. Always remember sledding on cafeteria trays on Lincoln Field during the first snow, slip n' slide outside the Ratty during Spring Week, awkward moments at the Ratty every meal of life, and the last weekend with my friends freshman year- who would have though we could grow so close? Best thing at Brown- the people and the friendships

The best thing about Brown is the relaxed atmosphere. Professors are given a lot of leeway in the subjects they teach, and students are given a large amount of freedom within the curriculum. At Brown students are given the opportunity to decide for themselves what is important for them to learn. The administration and the campus police are also lenient, understanding and reasonable in terms of discipline.

Brown is perfect place to come of age. Providence is not too big and not too small. There is always something to do and interestingly most of the time one doesn’t have to venture very far from campus, which is rather beautiful. Students and professors are caring and involved if your want them to be. At Brown all you have to do is ask. Students quickly find their voice at Brown. It’s amazing to see how friends and classmates change, how they come in as timid high school students or boisterous teenager trying to mask their insecurities and they become genuinely good people. Education at Brown extend far beyond the class room and I think its precisely this that makes the students so contagiously happy.

Brown has been noted to be the more "liberal Ivy" out of the other higher profile Ivy League schools, and I find that to be true! While there are always people with more conservative leanings, the general consensus tends to revolve around having a liberal outlook. Even with this, both outlooks exist together in harmony, seeing as the vast majority of Brown students tend to be very relaxed and tolerant when it comes to such ideas. Brown is also a nice-sized university in a large town, while paradoxically having a "bubble-like" feel. It becomes very obvious once you leave the bubble of the Brown campus, but having the mall, the train station, and other amenities and pros around you makes it difficult, not that you'd always want to leave! There are a couple other universities in the Providence area, most notably RISD (a high profile art university) which lies RIGHT next door to the Brown campus (in fact, Brown and RISD have cross-registration, where students are able to take some classes irrespective of their universitiy). There's always something to do at Brown - on the weekends, there's always a party one can attend to. On the weekdays, a myriad of lectures and movies screenings, among other activities also take place. One can never truly get bored on the Brown campus! Although Brown isn't a Harvard or a Princeton (meaning it's not as immediately recognizable), it's still very widely known and even more so respected. After getting accepted there, my favorite reactions have come from doctors (especially!) and even some store clerks. However, there's always that weird reaction once can get, asking you if Brown is in New York City (no! It's in RI!). Brown's administration is highly praised. If anything, Brown's current president, Ruth Simmons, is an icon! A vast majority of students approve of her decisions and she holds a very high popularity rating. Likewise, her administration are equally loved, but are less heard of than "Ruth" ("That's so Ruth!" is a Brown inside joke). The most frequent student complaints, however, are probably the student dorms and the cafeteria food. Personally, I'm not a picky person, but others might not particularly find the dorm buildings themselves and the food the greatest thing at Brown. Most students complain about some (not all) of the old buildings, such as Keeney, and some of the more cramped residential halls like Grad Center, but all in all, it's not as bad as they say. The rooms are ample and sufficient, and the facilities are kept clean regularly. It all depends on the people you live with, really. As for the food, don't expect five star ratings. The main cafeteria, the Sharpe Refectory, holds several different lines of food (vegetarian, meat, etc.) and there's a large variety of thing to choose from. The other one, the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall, has more of a specialized meal choice. People complain, but it can get repetitive, boring, and even bland.

Although it's considered a mid-sized school, socially, Brown is a small, tight knit community. It's pretty common to meet someone new in a class or out at a party who knows a fair number of the same people as you do. There isn't much school spirit in terms of athletics, but ask any student how they feel about the school's President, and the response will most likely be along the lines of "I LOVE RUTH!" Thayer Street, which borders campus, is a popular spot for shopping, eating, and hanging out. Downtown Providence is also becoming a more developed, interesting area to visit.

I love Brown. The main green is beautiful, especially in the spring when everyone is laying out on blankets, resting in the sun, playing guitar, throwing a frisbee. It brings a real sense of community. The size of Brown is perfect. There's just enough people so that while you see a lot of different faces and have the opportunity to meet many interesting people, you always see the same people, depending on your classes, the clubs you are involved in, and your nightlife activities. My favorite thing about Brown is that it's PART of Providence, rather than a closed off campus - it's not a blob in the middle of the city. Rather, we have a nice strip of restaurants and stores in the middle of our campus; on one side of the campus we have the big downtown city of Providence; on the other side we have a beautiful residential area, where you'll most likely live as an upperclassman. Everything is spread out: residential buildings aren't clumped in one part of the campus; academic buildings aren't all in one place. I think the last biggest controversy at Brown was how two students threw a pie container filled with green whipped cream at New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman when he was about to give a speech. One offender was apprehended. While some believe Friedman deserved the pie, others think it was a rude and an uncalled-for way to express opposing opinions.

Oh god... I could go on and on. I think the best thing about Brown is how much everyone is genuinely happy to be at Brown. I really don't see what could make someone unhappy at Brown... there are no rules, you can do practically anything you want, you can take any class you want (pre-requsites might as well not even exist), and if you don't get what you want, yell loud enough and you WILL get it. Makes us sound a little spoiled... hmm.. that may actually be a valid analysis. Anway, point is, the school definitely doesn't give you a reason to be unhappy. As for me, the school size is just right. There are between 5-6 thouand students, enough to ensure that you will always know someone but will never know everyone. The campus itself is big enough not to feel clausterphobic, but small enough that you can get from one end to the other in about 20 minutes. Be careful though... College Hill is a bubble in disguise, I only realized in May that I had left campus (plus Thayer St.) only a totaly of three times the entire semseter!

The students are friendlier then I´ve heard of at many places, interested in learning not just to get good grades, resulting in a relaxed and fun attitude, with learning still at the core of everything. Solid campus. Frequent complaints are the slow encroachment on the so loved student freedoms. (still more then almost anywhere else, but look out!)

brown offers a unique experience to every student who enters. whether it be through the rugby team or the salsa dancing club, there is a chance for every individual to get involved on campus. the best thing about brown is the ability to partake in something that you are passionate about. say you enjoy doing yo yo tricks in your spare time and there is no club for that on brown's campus. what do you do? well here is a place where you can divulge your interests. with a little bit of work and a lot of passion brown allows its students to achieve anything they want.

Brown is about learning new information in classes for a major, but it is also a learning experience socially through peers, faculty, and perhaps coaches. In general, its not just an academic or athletic experience, it is a LIFE experience.