@TooOld4School In terms of the grade optional policy, any student at Brown (or any other school for that matter) would be unwise to take many classes S/NC Students should recognize that too many S/NC classes would be hurtful for grad school admissions and job hunting. It is fine to use that option now and again particularly for interesting classes outside of a student’s comfort zone (ex. a chem major taking music theory etc.) and students at many other colleges use a P/F option for a class in a similar fashion. Just because the option is there at Brown, it does not mean that students must or should use it.