Brown University Top Questions

Once upon a time, there was a magical kingdom of knowledge where students from all over the world gathered to learn. It was a place of new ideas, of creating traditions instead of being imprisoned by them, of carving a path instead of following the trail. Students were made the masters of their own education, without general requirements and mandatory classes. The kingdom was built upon a simple, yet beautiful wisdom: Education is not a set of facts to be memorized; it is a never-ending journey. What is this magical kingdom of knowledge? Why, Brown University!

When people ask me about my school most times I find myself smiling upon my reply. One amazing thing about my school, Brown University, is it allows me to take whichever classes appeal to me. While many of my friends complain about being stuck in dull general education classes I boast (in moderation, of course) about my incredible class schedule. The freedom, academically and socially, that I have experienced at Brown so far is truly something remarkable, and if first semester foreshadows the rest of my time at school then words fail to describe my excitement for the journey.

The best thing about Brown, I would say, is that it is the most liberal of the existing Ivy League institution. The university does not have restrictions on classes and required distributional courses. You can graduate as long as you complete your concentration requirement and have enough credits. Therefore, after completing the classes that are relevant to your major, you are free to take any course you want to take. For instance, a student can graduate without taking any humanities courses if his or her major is economics.

The freedom to choose whatever classes I want to take, as long as I fulfill my concentration requirements which are also pretty flexible.

The best thing about Brown is the Brown experience: it's young, it's fun, it's intellectual, it's friendly, it's diverse, it's discovery-oriented. It's just a great place to learn and grow as a person.

I think that there's a very good balance of academic and social life at Brown. When you ask people how they're doing, the answer is inevitably "really busy" -- both with class work and whatever crazy extracurricular thing they're into -- but somehow, that constant state of business doesn't seem to hinder people's social lives. We share a mutual sense of guilt that we should be working, but we all know how unhealthy that is.

The large amount of racial/ethnic diversity, the international students, the open-minded campus culture, the open curriculum, the types of courses that are offered, the offbeat social scene.

The Department of Modern Culture and Media is a quirky academic beacon at the school. The department has an emphasis on critical theory and types of media. Some consider it pretentious, but the department has opened my eyes to the importance of cultural studies without lessening the importance of any other field. My worldview has literally changed due to a few of the MCM courses I have taken; it has given me a progressive, forward-looking perspective--one that can cope and embrace cultural, political, and technological change.

What all students at Brown have in common is passion. It's not something you see many other places. Everyone cares about something, everyone deeply cares, though the things they are passionate vary widely. It's incredibly refreshing.

The ecouragement and support you receive from teachers and fellow students gives you motivation to succeed at Brown University. Everyone is friendly and always willing to lend a helping hand. There are support services for any problem that you may encounter in your years at Brown. Brown University is fully equipped with the best faculty that will help prepare you for the future.