Brown University Visit Report by bpsbgs

Visit Activities:

Admissions Interview: Yes - Great interview with an adcom member. Really a fantastic guy. Conversation went on until he got tugged away by an aid to a meeting.

Information Session: Yes - Very informative, but it did feel quite rehearsed (as it undoubtedly is at every school), but the friendliness felt coerced.

Campus Tour: Yes - Tour guide was really kind and courteous; told us all the cool stories, traditions, etc. Really recommend taking the tour.

Classroom Visit: Yes - Prof was very engaging, class was extremely awake, overall an extremely interesting and pleasant experience (but it was the last class of the year, which might have accounted for just a bit the entire

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Campus:

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All the people looked really happy, of course it was a gorgeous Spring day (which is pretty rare in Providence)

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Every staff member was entirely appropriate and exceptionally kind.

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Campus had a very rugged feel to it, very natural. There was some grass over-running the paths, but, I think intentionally, it lacked the perfectly manicured look some other campi go for.

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Gorgeous old stone and brick buildings.

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I mean, I lived in Providence, so I know the East Side is really, really safe, but you need to remember it still is a City, so crime is everywhere, just be vigilant and you'll be fine though.

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I fell in love; so much so I applied ED.

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Off-Campus:

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Good food up by Thayer or down by the River or in downtown.

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Providence is a gorgeous little gem. Like all gems, it has occlusions, but it really is a wonderful city, big enough that you can avoid people if you want to do so, but not too anonymous either.

Campus Visit Notes for Brown University

Visit Description:

The people at Brown are truly fantastic. Each and every person was smiling and happy, and it all just felt like a really natural, laid-back place to study. I feel it is one of those places where if you want to over-achieve you can, but if you just want to coast along, that's entirely acceptable.

The New Curriculum (AKA Brown Curriculum because it's from like the 1960's) is a great tool that every school should mimic, and many have. S/NC ability was universally praised by every single person I met on campus.

At Brown, the prof I stepped in on, Dr. Remensnyder, was a brilliant woman with a litany of titles who really, really knew her stuff. She was a phenomenal teacher, and I feel she really got the class interested in a topic (early Medieval Europe) which lends itself to being rather boring and bland.

But my biggest piece of advice is to give it a shot. I saw several kids leave half-way through, and that's ok. Brown really is not for everyone, at all. Brown is for a distinctive type of student who doesn't want to be forced into doing things. Some people need the structure that Brown does not provide, but, by all means, you should give it a shot anyways. Show up and hear them out, who knows, you might convert, eh?

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

Westin by the mall is fantastic or the Renaissance is good too. If you're on a budget, there's a Mariott and a Courtyard around there too.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Paragon is a traditional Brown haunt, so I would highly suggest dropping in up on Thayer Street.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

RIPTA can get you up to Brown from Downtown, but it's entirely walkable from there too. Parking around the East Side is really, really difficult, so don't bother.