<p>tigrael: aaaaawesome.</p>
<p>It’s nice for potential students to see current students as they “really” are but frankly, as a parent who has to take a day or several days off from work, the goal is also to obtain information not only about the “feel” of the campus and students, but also to obtain information about the actual programs and admissions. I realize Brown has a lot of applicants but this is my second time around and I wish that admissions departments would recognize the sacrifice that parents make to get their kids to schools for visits and make sure that the tours and information sessions are worthy of that time. I had a number of disappointing experiences when my first son applied. The cost involved in visitng, the time off from work for parents, and often the logistics are considerable. I have been on too many tours with ill informed guides I cannot hear taking huge groups to a few places. I have recently been on an engineering tour where we could not see the engineering facilities except by peering through a glass door with the lights inside turned off. To me, that is just disrespectful to the parents and the students. I often wonder how many admissions officers/committee members have been parents and have had to go through this process themselves. Yeah, just cranky about this process.</p>
<p>Is this complaint specifically about our tour? The girl and I who run the tour don’t stop talking for 2hrs spouting facts and information constantly…</p>
<p>I’m not sure how your rant, truthful though it may be, applies to this thread or my tour. Honestly, we walk right up and touch a lot of the equipment…</p>
<p>Reread the rest of the thread and realized what you were referring to. Everything I’ve already stated on the issue is true, and honestly, never hesitate to contact admissions. It’s likely that person would get fired.</p>
<p>But realize, these are students who are volunteering and doing their best and want to get other people excited about their school. The tour should be nothing like Ceeli described and I’ve never seen or been on a tour at Brown or anywhere else that was like that and my tour definitely isn’t. That being siad, we’re encouraged to bring in as much personal experience as possible to our tour because time and time again so-called “usage” studies show people need the facts and numbers to feel like the tour guide is knowledgeable, but rarely remember them and rarely actually care about them. The truth is, the best tours and most memorable use facts and numbers to gain legitimacy on the part of the tour guide, and use personal experiences and stories about places, professors, events, etc to make the lasting impression.</p>
<p>If you’re coming on my tour just to learn we graduate 100-120 engineers in 7 areas (biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, materials, mechanical, electrical), that 50% of our engineers go to grad school directly from undergrad, that we offer a 5 year combined degree, that 37% of engineers are female and 40% of all physical science students are female, that there are 25 requirements for engineering, 21 of which are math/science/engineering, etc etc etc-- well then you’re missing out on the meaningful part.</p>
<p>I took the science tour recently and it was wicked helpful. I had always thought Brown was much more concentrated on the humanities than anything else but this showed me how strong their physical sciences are. modestmelody, this must have been a day when you weren’t there because a girl was the tour guide. She was good though.</p>
<p>modestmelody - haven’t been to Brown - yet - but exploring it with son. I think you may have taken my comments too personally as I am really writing about admissions offices and how they construct the tours, therefore how they orient the students, what they include in a tour, etc. I do not feel valued or respected when I drive 700 miles to attend an “engineering tour”, for example, and we cannot see the facilities or we are given a tour by a student who is not knowledgeable about engineering. I hear you that this is not typical for Brown - just responding that I have indeed had tours like the other described on this thread and that I find it disrespectful to the effort that parents and students make to get to the school. Admissions has two audiences to consider with the tours, the student and the parent. Each has input into the selection process (I would have a hard time agreeing to spend $160k over 4 years for a college that did not show me it’s facilities). Re: two audiences, the students may not remember the numbers but the parents may. I agree with you that having a chance to talk with a student is a very big part of the tour but typically it is only one student. How “typical” that student or that student’s experiences should be considered as well. Please, no offense here. I haven’t been to Brown but I have been on oodles of tours and have more to go! I would love for admissions to think about the effort parents make. That’s my rant.</p>
<p>Psued, what day was it? I’ve missed like three all summer. It stinks I wasn’t there.</p>
<p>I understand, Riley, I read it out of context.</p>
<p>I toured yesterday. Unfortunately I had to slip away at the end to go to the info session. Would you mind answering a couple questions I wanted to ask the guide at the end but didn’t get a chance to? Feel free to tell me to start a new thread…
Do you know what the ratio of men to women is in physics?
And do you know about how many people concentrate on astrophysics within the physics major? Is that even possible to do when you’re an undergraduate?
Thanks!</p>
<p>I don’t know the specific number of women in physics, the closest I have are the numbers for physical sciences and engineering, but not physics separately. The OIR doesn’t report that breakdown as far as I know.</p>
<p>I don’t think there is a specific astrophysics major. You can major in physics and take more astonomy. You can also do an IC (independent concentration) and easily get approval for that. As it says on the physics webpage: Though a standard concentration program does not now exist, an independent study concentration leading to an A.B. Or Sc.B. in Astronomy can also be arranged. For advice on such a program, see Prof. Targan, Department of Physics. For those students desiring an excellent undergraduate preparation for graduate work in astronomy, the recommended courses listed below, or their equivalents, should be taken.</p>
<p>Yesterday(Friday) until Wednesday I’m home in NY for the only time all summer. I hope Kaylie was helpful, she’s wonderful and quite knowledgeable.</p>
<p>Astronomy isn’t quite astrophysics.</p>
<p>All of our astronomy is taught through the physics department by our physics professors. You’re not learning hte names of the stars nor the rules about constellations.</p>
<p>At Brown, Intro to Astronomy, at least ph27, is very little learning about the structures out there and very much about applying math and physics to those structures.</p>
<p>About 25% of physics concentrators at Brown are female, with a total average of about 15 physics concentrators each year. Within the physics concentration, you can focus on astrophysics (an increased number of courses will be offered next year). FWIW, though, graduate programs in astrophysics generally recommend having majored in physics but aren’t too concerned about students having a background in astrophysics, per se.</p>
<p>okay, thanks for the info, sounds good.</p>
<p>Does anyone have a link for providence to nyc buses and costs? ould there be anything to do if i came on a saturday?</p>
<p>How long is the trip?</p>
<p>Also I am not from a really well offf family so will I be reimbursed for my ticket. I know Vanderbilt does this for up to $100.</p>
<p>I’d contact admissions about reimbursement, I’m not really sure of their policy but their may be something there. There are all kinds of cheap busses, something like Bonanza (whatever it’s currently called) is supposed to be solid.</p>
<p>As far as I know, tours are not being offered on Saturdays for the summer, so you’d have to come M-F to take a tour, see an info session, etc. On Saturdays you’d like just walk around an empty campus.</p>
<p>This is, of course, only applicable to the summer. I do think there are tours on Saturdays during the year, but I can’t confirm that.</p>