Tales of an Ugly Duckling

That REALLY depends on the class. Intro to Neuro and Econ are the largest (around 350), but most are around 60-150. Plus, most of those classes divide into sections of about 20, where you get a lot more one-on-one instruction. The language intro classes (including English) all get capped at about 30.

I took an Introductory Psych class that was about 125, Introductory Chinese class that was about 20, Intro to Neuro (350 maybe?), and Intro to IR (250). 

Basically the more popular classes and ones that are required for a bunch of concentrations (chem, bio, politics) tend to get a little large. 

Note: Apologies, but can Brown questions be directed to Fuckyeahbrownuniversity from now on?

Open Curriculum Strengths: You don’t get weighed down by a lot of useless classes. If you hate math, it’s not required. If you hate English, you never need to take it again. This keeps you from wasting your time and prevents the creation of a classroom full of people who don’t want to be there. If you’re taking a class, it’s because you WANT to take it.

Open Curriculum Weaknesses: It can be super stressful to try and chose classes without any sort of guideline, especially your first year when you’re undeclared. You don’t want to wander around taking fluff classes, but you also don’t want to ignore the fact that you can be taking whatever you want. You need to be a real self-starter and confident in your choices. It’s also imperative to spend time with your adviser, who will keep you from making massive mistakes.

I don’t know much about the Environmental Studies program but my friend says its “what you make of it. The teachers are really good.” I know we don’t tend to make top ten lists in that field, but honestly, if you want to study it and you want to study here, then having a good teacher is all that matters. If it’s really important to you, you should try making some phone calls to the department and checking out the department website.

Note: my friend would like to mention that we do have requirements. You need to take one writing designated class your first two years and another the last two years. However, these are not necessarily English classes. There are physics classes, psych classes, Bio-Chem classes. That’s why I didn’t really count it. I fulfilled it my first semester without even realizing.

You’re not bugging me at all! I actually adore getting questions from prospective students. I’d rather not be redundant on the whole getting in process, since I talked about that already: http://deathofthefool.tumblr.com/post/20305151165/hi-im-a-junior-and-im-planning-to-apply-to-brown

Negative parts of being at Brown: It seems like just about everyone here is awesome and special and smart. You need to get used to not being one of the awesome kids anymore, and for most people who were top of their high school (about 47% of students were salutatorians or valedictorians in the class of 2016), that can be a massive adjustment. It was for me. I need to accept that I might be a B student here, not a straight A. Also, everyone here is super involved, which can make you feel a little lazy if you don’t have much going on. It sort of motivates you to do things though, so that’s good.

Other than that, not much? Our endowment is a little paltry compared to the rest of the Ivys, so we tend not to get all the cool shit that the other schools do. Our freshman dorm (where I live) can be sort of gross and the food is really hit or miss (but Thayer Street, the restaurant area of campus, is amazing). Also, I was recently screwed over in the housing lottery, so I can tell you I’m not a fan of that. Um…the math department isn’t as good as I hoped it would be (it’s impossible to get a good, English-speaking instructor). Financial aid can be a struggle for some.

But these are sort of minor complaints in comparison to how much I absolutely adore this place. I can’t even consider going somewhere else. My friend and I were discussing today what a unique place Brown is - everyone here has goals of changing the world or doing something special, not just making money and getting a secure job. I feel blessed every day to be here and I hope to see you join the class of 2018!

http://deathofthefool.tumblr.com/post/20175977264/hihihi-so-i-just-got-accepted-yesterday-and-i-am-sorry <— This is a post I made on financial aid negotiation. 

http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2010/02/18/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-the-full-financial-needs-of-students <—- This is an article declaring that Williams claims to meet full aid.

So I suggest you do what I did - haggle. Say “this is absurd, this school says they meet full need and they seem to think my need is a lot larger than you do.” Remember that Brown wants the highest matriculation rate possible and knowing that you have a better offer will probably motivate them to re-evaluate. BOMBARD the office with letters (make sure to send a copy of your Williams financial aid letter), emails, phone calls. If you’re in the area, go into the office in person. Although they can’t technically give you more money (no academic scholarships/matriculation bribes are offered at Brown, so all financial aid needs to be on a need-based basis), they can “assess your case in a different way” so that you get more money.

I….do? I have a good financial aid package, my parents help out a lot, and I have a job at dining services on campus. As of right now, I don’t need loans.

Yeah.

Okay, first off, it’s really good that you went to Summer@Brown and doing the UPenn program will probably look great as well. I know a lot of people here who did S@B, so it seems to really up your acceptance chances.

My only tip for calming down would be….breathe? Make sure you find some back up schools that you’d love, because if you get too committed to one school, it can be sort of crushing to not get in. There are a lot of liberal arts schools with similar programs to Brown but higher admission rates.

HOWEVER, I personally love Brown with a passion, so I understand how anxious you must be to get in! I was one of those people who got in on grades (good school ranking, good SATs, lots of APs), but that is not the only kind of student here. Sure, your scores are important, but they want a DIVERSE class. If your grades aren’t perfect but you give back to your community or you’re a leader in your school or you’ve done some really cool things in your life, make sure you highlight that in your application. Just make sure they see why you’re special. A great way to do this is through your personal essay. I didn’t really have anything like that, so I just went out on a limb and wrote a risky essay (it was about Doctor Who) and I think they really loved that because it showed that I was quirky. Speaking of which, WRITE YOUR ESSAYS EARLY, FOR GODS SAKE. I didn’t. It was horrible and I submitted my application shaking and crying.

Also, your teacher recs are pretty important, so ensure that you develop some strong relationships with faculty members. 

So here’s my advice, in a nutshell: Try your best in school and on standardized tests, highlight your best features in your application, and do something that makes you stand out. Everyone is a member of National Honor Society and played an instrument in Junior High. Find something that makes YOU special. This rule applies to most schools, but Brown especially wants people who are interesting and will add something to the community. 

I always like to finish off my advice to people who are applying with this tip: don’t be too upset if you don’t get in. We turn away plenty of qualified students just because there aren’t enough spots. Sometimes it’s just luck of the draw. That being said, good luck and I hope to see you join the class of 2017 <3

The first thing I would say is be honest. If you’re loud or messy, you do NOT want to say that you’re not just to get a neat roommate, because they will grow to resent it. That being said, don’t underestimate yourself. I said I was pretty messy, but once I got to college I realized I’m not that bad. My roommate, however, is downright gross sometimes. 

There are some situations where people love their roommates with a passion and some where they sort of just give each other space. I fall into the latter category. It’s VERY rare, however, for people to actually fight with their roommates.

If it happens, it’s possible to request a room change. I know someone who has done this, mainly because lifestyles were incompatible (aka drug addict who doesnt sleep paired with a straightedge academic who needs to get up at 7 am to go to sports practice). You put in a request and once a room opens up, you’re allowed to go to the room, meet a prospective roommate, and either take or pass up the room (passing up means you go to the bottom of the list again). The guy I know passed up the first room, but he’s happy with the second. So it’s not an impossible process.

Basically I just recommend not worrying about it. You probably won’t hate your roommate, but chances are you won’t be best friends, and that’s sort of the way it should be. More emotional commitment to someone you live with leads to more awkwardness when you fight over the state of the trash.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Brown has been amazing for me. The way I explain it is that I finally feel like I belong somewhere. I don’t think I have ever been happier in my life. Let me know if you need any advice or help as you approach the beginning of the greatest years of your life! 

P.S. My ADOCH offer stands. As we get closer to the date, I’ll remind people, but just know that I’m willing to meet up with whoever and show you a good time while you’re on campus, if you can make it!

OKAY. ITS GOING TO BE OKAY. JUST BREATHE. 

I had equally freaked out doubts about Brown at first. What if I was the dumbest one there? What if everyone was all awesome and cool and I was some weird nerd? Why did they even bother taking me?

Trust me, none of those doubts have any basis in reality. 

What if you fail out or its too much? I doubt it’ll happen. Brown is REALLY GOOD about making sure they only accept students who can handle the workload. If they think you should be here, they think you can handle it, and they’re right. 97% of students graduate, and I can pretty much guarantee that the ones who didn’t did not drop out because they were failing. There is an incredibly good support system for struggling students and your advisers will also be able to work with you on your curriculum to make sure that you’re not taking an overwhelming course load. 

Social life: Brown is all about diversity, so trust me, you’ll find people you fit in with. Most people have a group that they live with that they’re super close to, although sports team members tend to form friendships with each other instead. If you want to drink once a week, you’ll find people who drink once a week (or go out partying from Wednesday to Sunday). If you want to smoke weed all afternoon, you’ll find people who do that. If you just want to sit in a room and hang out and watch Modern Family, there are people who do that too. Your first few days will be a struggle and who you thought were your friends will not always be your friends, but by the second week, you’ll settle into a groove. Also, if you take small classes, those groups tend to bond well (especially in languages, because you see each other every day, work on projects together, etc).

In summary, just relax and ACCEPT THEIR OFFER! If you want to hang out during ADOCH because you have questions and your host ditched you (happened to me last year), you can latch on to my group or I can buy you lunch or something <3 Have fun on this journey, and don’t hesitate to ask me any more questions.