Brown University
The time has come for you to begin your college search and the dreaded application process. Some of you are trying to figure out where you want to spend your four years of undergraduate life and what you should be looking for. Questions include: What type of education do I want? Does it have a big sports following? What about fraternities? Is the college known for arts or STEM or anything specific? What kind of extracurriculars can I expect to see? What will they give me? What can I study? How will going there contribute to my future?
Well since you’re here, you’re clearly wondering if Brown University is a good fit for you. Have no fear- I’m here to help.
Let’s start off with what made me apply to Brown in the first place. I was doing my college search and my mom was trying to get me to apply to and check out a bunch of colleges she had heard about like Swarthmore, Wellesley, and such. I had decided to apply to Yale and Columbia. My mother and uncle however, heavily encouraged me to check out Brown because they liked it way more than the other two. I had only gone to visit to see if I liked the university to appease my family. That decision to visit the university had a huge impact on my journey. I fell head over heels in love. The atmosphere and the attitudes of the people around me drew me in, and the school was absolutely beautiful. Then I learned about the open curriculum and the grading options. It was completely different than what I had heard in information sessions at other schools I visited. I loved everything about it so I applied through Questbridge and the Common App, I also went to an interview session and found it so easy to answer questions they asked including: “Why Brown?” When I found out I got in, I was heavily leaning towards Brown but Boston University had given me more financial aid. I ended up choosing Brown because after visiting both schools I realized Brown was a better fit for me.
Now let’s learn a little bit about Brown. It is a medium sized institution (~6000 undergraduates) located in Providence, Rhode Island on College Hill (it’s literally on a hill y’all). It’s integrated into much of the city of Providence so it’s not a closed campus bubble like Yale but it’s also not too spread out like NYU. I personally like the small city feel because it’s not overwhelming. You can also get to places like Boston and New York City relatively quickly (1-3 hour trip) because, you know, Rhode Island is small. Cost wise, Brown’s estimated cost of attendance (COA) is around 71K for the 2017-2018 school year (keep in mind that cost rises every year at every institution). This COA includes things they do not bill you on, which is important to remember, like books, travel, and personal expenses. Tuition along with room and board (what you are billed on) is about 65K. However, the school and the government grants you aid. Brown becomes A LOT more affordable after you receive scholarships and grants. Don’t let price deter you if you’re low-income like me, apply anyway. Just remember to have at least one safety school in terms of cost.
Brown University is an Ivy league private institution that prides itself on the open liberal education they provide. They have something called the Open Curriculum which means there are no core requirements you are forced to take unless it relates to your major (or at Brown, concentration). This means no general math, science, social studies, english. However, you are required to take two writing specific classes, one in your first two years and another in your last two years, to ensure that you write well (an important skill in life). On top of that, Brown is known for having a pretty liberal environment with active activism on campus. Personally, I enjoy this aspect but it’s not for everyone.
Brown has an abundance of resources for students. To list a few:
Brown Center for Students of Color
First Generation College Students Initiative
LGBTQ+ Center
Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life
Student and Employee Accessibility Services
Academic support
And more...
With these resources, you have the option to seek out help and support when you need it, and contribute to and improve aspects as you see fit (something can always be improved). As a community, we are always striving to push forward and become more open and accepting and accessible.
It’s important to remember that every school comes with good and not-so good aspects; no institution is perfect and Brown University is not for everybody. What I may love about the place, another person might hate. Make sure to do a lot of research for yourself. I found reviews to be most helpful for me in determining what college I want to go to. Use resources like niche.com, unigo.com, collegeboard.org, and the actual website for Brown itself to understand what the school is all about. Last thing, VISIT. Always visit. The feel of a campus is so important in decision-making. You’re going to be spending four years on this campus. It’s best to make sure that you enjoy it.
And with this I leave one final message: GO BROWN!
Yours truly,
A future Brown freshman
