Visit Report by cocoapunk (Member since December 06 2006 with 140 posts) Visit Date - August 2006
Visit to Brown University in August 2006 by cocoapunk (Student, HS Class of 2005)
Visit Activities:
Admissions Interview:
No - Brown doesn't do interviews on campus (I think they said it was considered unfair advantage); rather I had alumni interview Information Session:
No - (I went to the Info Session August 2005; this was my 3rd trip to brown) Decent; Nice hall, nice speaker. Campus Tour:
Yes - I took the science tour this time (the previous two times I took the regular tour/visted the biomed building); It was pretty in depth and nice; I was surprised at the size inside of the BM building Classroom Visit:
Yes - Visited an Econ class and a Calc 3 class. They covered a lot more in their calc 3 class than we did at school (syllabus wise) and the professor was a really nice guy. Econ class was standard
Brown University Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 5 - Excellent -
Amazing...there are 2 types of students at brown - those who love it, and those who are going there because they were rejected somewhere else. I'd say 95% love it 5% are just there
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 5 - Excellent -
Very nice hotel/inn staff; although there was little interaction they were friendly and guided us through thayer st. while we were waiting for out student "roommates"
Appearance of Campus: 5 - Excellent -
Quite frankly the most amazing campus I've been on. Ive worked at Univ. of Penn, and Univ. of De. and they don't even compare. Brown is the epitome of perfect integration of city and school
Dormitories: 4 - Very Good -
The dorms, while not amazing material, are more than sufficient and are cozy. The classrooms are impeccable, and the labs are quite nice as well.
Security/Safety: 4 - Very Good -
Many blue lights, cops; however, I have heard that there has been some aggression between students/cops over forced entry. Not sure if this is security threat, but I felt safe enough.
Overall Campus Impression: 5 - Excellent -
The first time I went there, Brown was my 1st choice, tied with a few others. The second time, it was tied with one other college. The third time I went there, it was by and far the most amazing univ
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 4 - Very Good -
Pretty decent; there is a cool shuttle bus from the airport that stops everywhere in Providence for about 1/5 the price of a cab. Nice big mall in providence, relatively safe city
City/Town/Community: 4 - Very Good -
Again, its pretty decent; I rate this a 4 because frankly I didn't spend enough time in the town (Brown has a LOT to do) to get a feel for Providence.
Campus Visit Notes for Brown University:
Visit Description:
This really was an eye opening experience, because it really made me love Brown (I hope i get in :p). There were about 18 students on this Thursday night, with some from California. When I first got to Brown, I expected them to try to keep us with high-profile students (I.E. student gov. members, high ranking seniors) like most other colleges do. However, we actually visited with normal Freshman (this is a lot different from other over-nights like Duke's program) and we got to stay in the dorm over night (Although the floor was a little uncomfortable :-p). Brown gave us 10$ each (which is more than enough) at the campus dining which I think are actually pretty good (although Thayer Street has some amazing, cheap, diverse food). We actually didn't eat till like 12, because we chilled with out roommates. I worked out with my roommate at the satellite gyms (which aren't great, but they definitely serve their purpose a lot better than some other satellite gyms I've seen) and then we went with a group of other "pre-frosh" and their roommates to Thayer Street. We came back later, went to a few parties and basically slept by 4am. The next morning, I wore up at about 6:15am to shower and see the first class of the day (Econ). The class was a pretty non-descript, lecture style class with an average professor (he was pretty funny). Next I saw the Calculus III class (honors, but I'm not sure exactly what the numbering system is at Brown), which was really amazing, because I had just taken Calculus III at school and I still learned a lot about the geometric proofs of some concepts our UD/High School teacher never went over. Since I'm interested in majoring in math this was a big interest for me, however there are literally 100 classes on the sheet you can choose from and all you have to do to go to one is walk in.
Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:
DO THE OVERNIGHT VISIT :)
Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:
Tealuxe is pretty amazing, as well as the kabob place. Don't let the Brown students down you on the school food (maybe this is because my school's food is terrible) but it is above average
Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):
The shuttle bus is a GREAT way to go from the airport to Brown (so much cheaper than a cab). I payed 15$ each way from philly, 8$ each way (shuttle) to go to brown; others paid 250$+ from Baltimore
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Amazing...there are 2 types of students at brown - those who love it, and those who are going there because they were rejected somewhere else. I'd say 95% love it 5% are just there
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The dorms, while not amazing material, are more than sufficient and are cozy. The classrooms are impeccable, and the labs are quite nice as well.