<p>I’m not Jewish and so I’ve never been to any of the events, so I can’t tell you about attendance, but I have been inside the facility and it is gorgeous. I definitely perceive it as a well-funded organization.</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> to Hillel](<a href=“http://www.brownhillel.org/]Welcome”>http://www.brownhillel.org/)
You can check it out here.</p>
<p>Are there any drawbacks to the open curriculum ? Do you always get the classes that you applied for ?</p>
<p>Drawbacks: You have your education and preparation for a career in YOUR hands. This can be bad if you can’t handle that.</p>
<p>Classes go by seniority. You pre-register on a certain day the semester prior. The day depends on your class standing. I haven’t had much trouble getting what I wanted. Maybe one class slipped by because it was full and I didn’t see it in time.</p>
<p>
A ton of people show up the first Friday of the month when there is a free community shabbat (meaning dinner after services is free, not the normal $5 or something). Less people show up at non-community shabbats. I haven’t interacted with the local Chabbad, but we just started Meor programming here on campus and Rabbi Lurie is awesome and has an open house for Friday Shabbat every Friday that’s just awesome-- his wife is a great cook.</p>
<p>So there are definitely great options to spend shabbat various places on campus if you’re into that, though the 25% of us who are Jewish are definitely not taking part in shabbat activities every Friday.</p>
<p>For me, drawbacks on the open curriculum… I’d say it’s that I’m super aware of all of the great classes I wish I had time to take to fill in holes in my knowledge. Despite spreading things out pretty well, being so aware all the time of what you’re taking and why really paints the picture of how little you can do in 4 years to learn all of the interesting things out there.</p>
<p>“For me, drawbacks on the open curriculum… I’d say it’s that I’m super aware of all of the great classes I wish I had time to take to fill in holes in my knowledge. Despite spreading things out pretty well, being so aware all the time of what you’re taking and why really paints the picture of how little you can do in 4 years to learn all of the interesting things out there.”</p>
<p>modestmelody, my son says the same thing. 4 years is just too short. That’s one of the things he liked about U Rochester. They have/had a program where you can take a fifth year, tuition free to study something other than your major… Brown kids seem the type who didn’t take study halls in HS. Same dilemma. Thirst for knowledge. So many options, so little time. College isn’t a means to the end. It’s all about the journey.</p>
<p>Are there a lot of Koreans at Brown?</p>
<p>There’s a huge Korean community at Brown. South Korea is where we have the most international students from excluding Canada, IIRC.</p>
<p>My former roommate(who is half-Korean) commented freshman year that there definitely is a sizable Korean community along with a joked about Korean mob/mafia. At least…we hope it’s a joke.</p>
<p>Is it possible to ski down College Hill in the wintertime? :)</p>
<p>A question for Modestmelody: So I’ve read your a chem major(concentrator? whatever the crazy terms are at brown :P). How would you rate your professors/experience in this major at Brown? How were your research opportunities? And what would you consider some of the most enjoyable classes in the chem program? I’m wanting to do pre-med, and probably major in either Chem or Bio.</p>
<p>Chem professors are spectacular pretty much straight across the board-- CH114 and 115 (the “dreaded” PChem sequence) are two of the best taught courses at Brown, period. CH145 with Amit Basu is fantastic as well. I’ve really enjoyed 242 and 156F as well.</p>
<p>Research at Brown is so easy to get involved in it is laughable. In fact, to get an Sc.B. at Brown you’re required to do a year of research for credit.</p>
<p>Chemistry is easily one of the departments with the highest quality of undergraduate experience --great teaching faculty, fantastic advisors, independent research experiences aplenty, etc.</p>
<p>I am a Christian and my faith is important to me. Will I be able to fit in at Brown? Are the Christian clubs active?</p>
<p>However, for some inexplicable reason they manage to find straight terrible chem profs and stick them on intro chem. Whereas if you take intro bio, you get the fantastic Ken Miller.</p>
<p>“Are there a lot of Koreans at Brown?”</p>
<p>Seems this was answered but there is a very good little Korean restaurant within walking distance of the campus. It is very homey, seems run by a couple, but the quality was quite high. I’ve only had dumplings, kim chee and iron pot bibimbop, but my daughter goes regularly and says it’s all good, esp the Kim chee beef fried rice. </p>
<p>Solomon Restaurant
404 Benefit Street
401-621-9749</p>
<p>“probably asked this before, but is there a somewhat strong bike culture? Like are there ever any social rides on the weekends (of course during warmer months) where groups of cyclists ride through the streets?”</p>
<p>I’ve ridden on the East Bay Bike Path a couple of times. A very nice ride through some smaller towns and along the water, no cars. My daughter often rides it to Newport (usually with friends/aquaintances), and either rides it back or takes the Ferry back, that is a big haul. She can do it in 3 hours, though she said many take 5. She uses her bike around the hill. She can ride up the hill on the bike if she wants, but not everyone can do that.</p>
<p>“Have you taken any Creative Writing classes?”</p>
<p>My daughter is a sciences major, so didn’t end up taking much writing, but this semester she is taking a fiction writing workshop and loving it. She said wishes she took it earlier, cause she would have even considered a 5 year ScB/BA to double major, that is how great it is. She wrote a short story that blew my mind, and reported that she got great critique from her classmates and the teacher. This is a workshop for begining students and I think it is taught by a grad student who she said is very good.</p>
<p>“Do you always get the classes that you applied for?”</p>
<p>Yes in my daughter’s experience. The possible exception was the freshman capped classes, but she did have 2, so it might have been that she didn’t get first choice, iirc. But no other problems any other year. No problems getting allowed into classes without the prereq either. Has been in a class as small as 3 undergrads plus one grad. Has audited a grad seminar, and is taking a grad class now, her last semester.</p>
<p>“Do you always get the classes that you applied for?”</p>
<p>One of the most popular classes on campus, City Politics, is capped at 500, and some freshmen can’t get in at first. I’m not sure if everyone got in eventually, but my daughter and her friends did.</p>
<p>
Rose-Petruck isn’t bad, and Moulton was fanastic when he was hear to teach it. I don’t know Bazemore-Walker or Doll to comment, however.</p>
<p>Our Orgo professors are amazing.</p>
<p>
College Hill for Christ is probably the most active that I know of, but there are multiple groups on campus.</p>