Brown University Top Questions

Be prepared to completely change your lifestyle. You stay up later, study outside of class of more, and are responsible for everything yourself. Don't expect to keep in touch with all of your high school friends. Get involved with activties on campus right away. Sign up for everything, including things you didn't do in high school, and drop the things you don't like after a week but at least try!

Know that it will be hard, you'll feel lonely at times and you'll realize everyone in a classroom is either prettier/ smarter/ tougher than you. Know that it's normal to feel this way and that each one of those individuals are feeling the same way. Also know that despite these insecurities, you are about to have the best 4 years of your life- embrace it. Ditch that 10 page paper and go out with friends- you wont remember that all nighter you pulled but you will remember the crazy night with friends and all the people you met. Know that there's an 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} chance that he's just trying to get into your pants and if that's what you're into, then that's absolutely fine. Be open to new opportunities- think twice before saying no, you're not the same person you used to be the the key to finding out who you are is to jump right in and encounter new situations. Lastly, never lose focus of why you're here: academics. Life is about balance. You worked hard to get in here- enjoy it to the fullest.

Worry less, do more. College application is a tedious, mind-wrecking process. Know that regardless of where you go, you will enjoy some aspect of college and college-style education. But before then, enjoy the time you have--with your friends, family--enjoy the summer (or winter); get a job; learn a skill; read a book; pick up a sport. The more life experience you have going into college, the more fun you will have meeting people and contributing to your community. Be alive starting now.

The best advice I could give myself as a high school senior is to start applying for scholarships as a high school Senior. The one thing I regret most since I have graduated is waiting until my third year to apply for scholarships. I am not as far along to receiving my associates’ degree as I would like, and all because I could not afford to take more classes. I am in my third year of college, yet my credits make it seem like I am just starting my second year. Because I waited so long to start applying for scholarships, I am already a year behind, and counting. At the time I was a senior, I did not think money would be an issue while attending a community college so close to home. I did not account for extra expenditures such as books, a laptop, and school supplies. It is never too early to apply for scholarships, and I wish I thought like that while I was still in high school.

From perfect quiz scores to acing standardized tests, I always saw intelligence and success as directly proportional. I assumed natural brains were the foundation for climbing high in the academic world. After completing my first year at Brown University, I learned how inaccurate those thoughts were. I learned that the secret to limitless success is self-motivation. Surrounded by some of the brightest minds of my age, Brown showed me that inherent intelligence is extremely helpful; however, that will not take a student far. Instead, it is the personal desire to achieve that can carry any student to success. Success is not handed to you. Nor is it provided for you. Instead, success is chosen. In your senior year of high school, before embarking on your college journey, is the time to make that choice. I did not become a Brown student, nor did I become enrolled in a direct medical program. Instead, I choose to be. Being older now, I see how success is nothing but a choice, and it is a choice I made in the past and a choice I want to continue making in the future.

If I could speak to myself as a senior, I would warn myself that Brown is more liberal than the environment that I come from, and to brace myself. I would tell myself that the classes are more challenging than what I am used to, so I need to bring my A plus game, and to be on top of my studies every second of every day. I would remind myself why I want to go to school, and to remember that whenever the going gets tough, because it will get tough. Life away from home will be hard at first, but it will get better, and money is going to be tight, after paying for books, so stick to your meal plan. More importantly, I would tell myself to have fun, relax sometimes, and do the best that I can and be happy with that.

Having been homeschooled, I was never technically a senior in high school. Rather, I received my GED following 11th grade and enrolled in a community college. However, if I had the opportunity to go back in time and talk to myself in high school in order to prepare for the transition, I would insist on getting to know the instructors at my new school. Since I never had any need to adjust to different teachers at home, I struggled somewhat with this aspect. Had I sought to establish some sense of familiarity with my professors from the beginning, I believe that I would have been able to pinpoint important concepts more quickly, thereby smoothing the adaptation process. Beyond just classwork though, I would have advised my former self to talk with staff members as soon as I enrolled to ensure that I would be ready to transfer to a 4-year institution. Instead, I delayed until midway through my sophomore year and had to make up for lost time when considering potential schools. While I still found a good fit and was accepted to my college of choice, I could have avoided a lot of stress by simply planning ahead.

Relax! It's your senior year. Have fun. Kick up your heels. Enjoy life. Don't worry about your grades, your baseball stats, or your community involvement. You've already been accepted early decision, and it's only December. Wait a minute! What kind of advice is that? Yes, I've been admitted to Brown, but even if my senior grades aren't on my admissions form, I need that AP biology and calculus background for college courses. Slack off in baseball? Never. Athletics earned me a slot on Brown's Division I team. I need all the practice I can get, and I want MVP and All-District status again. As for community involvement, I can't quit after putting 3 years into the "Under Wraps" blanket drive I initiated in 2008 to help Middle Tennessee tornado victims. In 2009-2010, my effort went community-wide but with much more work. More volunteers meant more organization and coordination, publicity, logistics, and delivering over 1000 blankets for Haitian orphans and to Nashville flood victims. It comes down to this. Never skimp on effort, and you'll never have to look back. That's why I'm a freshman at Brown.

It has been so valuable to attend Brown University because even in the few short months that I have been there, I can already sense personal growth. I arrived in Providence, Rhode Island eager to be trained on my intended career--to gain insight into the medical field and try my best to prove my competitiveness as a future medical school applicant. As any student that resides on Brown's campus, I have come to realize that the most important education that I receieve at college is not in any way academic. I have learned life's most important lessons by interacting with people, living with strangers that become friends, being independent and making my own decisions. I walked through the Van Winkle gates eager and ready to grow academically--I have been lucky enough to have already grown morally, socially, culturally, ane genuinely.

I hope to be a development economist and I'm so glad I chose Brown. I'm glad not only because Brown is one of the few schools that has a major devoted solely to development studies, and not only because Brown has some of the most renowned development economists in the country, but also because of so many other things. Brown has a wonderful student body, full of altruistic, intelligent, and interesting people who can talk about MLB standings, Kant, and farm subsidies - all in one conversation. They are people who are welcoming, caring, and inspiring. I am also glad I went to Brown because of Brown's excellent professors. Even in my larger classes, with upwards of 100 people, my professors still know me on a first-name basis. They are effective teachers who make me want to go to class, not because I'll regret ditching when it's time for the next test, but because I know I'll regret not learning what they have to say. I feel that, at Brown, I've gotten an excellent and fulfilling academic experience, like I expected. However, I've also grown as a person, which I didn't.