The Yearly: Brown student taking questions thread - Page 15

addy189 · 05-02-2007, 10:23 AM

How hard is it to study abroad at Oxford, as in being accepted into the program? Do you have to stay the whole year?

modestmelody · 05-02-2007, 11:22 AM

Oxford I'm pretty sure only offers a year long course of study, but the whole year/semester thing in the UK varies by school. I believe to be considered for Oxford you need a 3.7 or 3.8 GPA to be considered. Most programs are 3.5GPA (at well known top schools) but Oxford and I think LSE are higher. Other programs are far less strict.

eli19 · 05-02-2007, 02:03 PM

moviebuff, when are the forms due? i just sent my commit card yesterday

RaboKarabekian · 05-02-2007, 02:19 PM

I think the minimum GPA for oxford is 3.5. For Cambridge it's 3.75. I don't know how hard it is to get in. I have 2 friends going next year, and they both work hard and are extremely dedicated students.

forgettable · 05-03-2007, 05:48 PM

So I got my packet in the mail recently and I have no idea which meal plan to choose - can someone help me? I NEVER skip breakfast and I'll be staying on campus most of the time (meaning not going home that often). Should I get the standard 20 meals a week or a flex plan? How exactly do the flex plans work?

elpope · 05-03-2007, 06:37 PM

the flex plans give you slightly fewer overall meals (I think it's like 2.4-2.5/day instead of 2.85/day) in exchange for more flexibility in using meal credits (you can use as many in a day as you want, nice for stuff like the gate) and more meal points (you can use at the campus market, frisc, blue room, etc.) I'd recommend it unless you're hell-bent on having three square meals a day (which will probably change in college anyway)

modestmelody · 05-03-2007, 08:14 PM

If you want to pay less for more food I always recommend staying away from flex. Honestly, if you're positive you're never going to skip breakfast I don't see you as having any other choice. The additional flexpoints will not replace a meal unless you consider a meal a muffin or an apple or something like that.

elpope · 05-03-2007, 08:19 PM

Except you only pay a small amount more per meal, and if you're not on the flex plan credits are simply lost if you don't eat three meals ever day, which I sure as hell don't. I'd much rather have the extra flex points than wasted meal credits

modestmelody · 05-03-2007, 08:24 PM

The amount lost per meal is pretty large. When you calculate the 6 meals per week as 5.40 of flex points you end up with something like 1000 flex points as compared to 500. So even if you eat 2 meals a day and then spend the third credit along with your points you're going to have far more buying power. I simply make sure I pick up drinks or snacks when I have an extra swipe for the day, though I do eat three meals most day-- lunch, dinner, and then a later dinner around 10.

elpope · 05-03-2007, 08:46 PM

I still have plenty of credits left over to buy drinks from the gate and whatnot, and I don't particularly want to have a huge pile of junk food I'll never get around to eating from wasted meal credits; it's also nice because I can use more than three credits in a day if I get particularly hungry when I'm drunk. Furthermore, the flex points aren't valuable from stuff you can get at Jos or the Gate so much as what you can't get with credits--stuff from the market, frisc, and blue room especially

but if you regularly eat three meals a day, then the flex plan is a waste

modestmelody · 05-03-2007, 09:06 PM

Yeah I mean, I don't use the Market, Frisc, or Blue Room and find them to be a waste of use. I only really use the Ratty, the Gate, and Jos. It's not a matter of stock piling junk as it is I eat lunch and dinner at the Ratty 9/10 times and get something like yogurt or some other more snack like thing later at night.

justbreathe · 05-04-2007, 09:07 PM

Sitting down with my calculator, the 20meal/week plan seemed to be the best value for the cost of the meal plan by a long shot. I think I'll sign up for that and then change at semester if I find it to be too much. Does that seem about right?

Also, do you guys recommend that we sign up for the first-year seminars?

modestmelody · 05-04-2007, 09:17 PM

I agree with you too justbreathe, so however we're figuring must be the same.

As to FYS's, they can be great with a great professor and if you're actually interested in the material. Select one only if there is one you want to take.

MovieBuff · 05-05-2007, 08:25 PM

I am confused about the dorms.. Very simply, for freshmen, please:

which dorm is a zoo? ( party place, etc )
which one is the most comfortable, spacious, etc ( regardless of the proximity to the Main Green or not )
which one is close to the library?

Thanks!

modestmelody · 05-05-2007, 09:07 PM

The correct answer to all three is it doesn't matter because you're gonna be placed randomly.

The longer answer is that Keeney probably has the most partying, the places on Pembroke (not New Pembroke) tend to be a little nicer comfort wise (thought I thought Keeney was great), Hope/Littlefield are the best locations in terms of being on the Main Green and are also, as a result, probably closest to the SciLi and the Rock though not by much versus say, Keeney or Wayland.