Question about Brown essays... didn't want to hijack another thread

[fringey323]

Hi there, quick question about applying to Brown and, more specifically, the essay about "Why Brown?" and academic areas of interest, etc.

Is it bad to be undecided in your major when applying to a school with an open curriculum like Brown? Or if I validate why I am still undecided and why the open curriculum is perfect for me will I be OK? I just want to make sure that "Undecided" is not an automatic no-no.

Also, how specific did you guys get with the Why Brown? essay?


Thank youuuuuuuu very much :-)

Fringey

[tompucer]

Generally, with "why" essays, I've been told that the more specific the better.

[mattgriffin]

While I didn't apply as an undecided major, I don't imagine it would be an automatic rejection. I personally could see being undecided as a perfectly OK thing, and since I know a number of people at Brown who have changed their majors, I imagine they aren't expecting everyone to know exactly what they want to study. Of course, this abilityto explore and change is probably one of the reasons you like the open curriculum, so I guess you may justify it that way.

I was very straightforward with my essay on "why brown?" I knew I wanted in Brown because of the research and volunteer opportunities and the ability to study a broad array of material, and that's more or less what I elaborated on. This probably contradicts with tompucer's answer, but I felt like saying just one of those things wouldn't have made me seem as well-rounded as I wanted to appear.

[fringey323]

Thanks guys... Yeah I have specific stuff as in departments, different things that they offer, and why the open curriculum is good for me, but I don't have like "oh i want to work with professor X in the Y building"