<p>I will be entering as a transfer student this fall and was curious about this policy. I’ve heard any class can be taken as a P/F and I’m assuming the term Brown uses on their website and brochure “S/NC” is the equivalent to P/F. </p>
<p>I’m mostly concerned with how this will be viewed for law school admissions. Can I literally take every class S/NC and have it not count against me? Can this even be done?</p>
<p>Also, does anyone know how hard the Chinese classes at Brown are? More specifically, the advanced level of Chinese. I completed the intermediate level at my previous university and am scared of being completely overwhelmed if I were to continue at Brown.</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>Yes, you can take every one of your courses at Brown S/NC if you so desire.</p>
<p>I can’t promise that it won’t count against you (because taking everything S/NC will probably raise eyebrows somewhere down the line), but no one will stop you. In general, though, S/NC isn’t supposed to be used just so students can avoid receiving grades. Brown advises that you take classes for your concentration/grad school/med school/law school for a grade. However, if you want to try a new area or take a class that might be over your head (so long as it doesn’t fulfill any requirements), then you could certainly take something S/NC. Many people I know have taken one class S/NC most semesters.</p>
<p>For more information, go here: [Brown</a> University - Dean of the College](<a href=“Grade Options | The College | Brown University”>Grade Options | The College | Brown University)</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Law schools use a version of your GPA that is calculated by the LSAC. The LSAC ignores grades of S for this purpose. So, for example, if you have a 4.0 coming in and take all your Brown classes S/NC (which you are entitled to do), you will have a 4.0 according to the LSAC. Because LSAC-calculated GPA is an important factor in determining law school rank, it plays an enormous role in determining law school admissions. Take a look at the graphs on lawschoolnumbers.com.</p>
<p>Now, taking all your classes S/NC probably isn’t for the best, since it can get you branded as lazy and cast doubt on your credentials at schools that do a more individualized review of your transcript. One or two classes a semester S/NC is probably a good rule of thumb to follow. I followed that rule (mostly keeping it to one a semester), and ended up doing rather well for myself.</p>
<p>However, the S/NC system has been around for a long time, as has Brown University (duh…). I would guess that most if not all schools know about Brown’s system reputation, and it seems to me that this mitigates the raised eyebrows quite a bit. It’s not as if it’s an unknown school with a radical new system that no one has ever encountered. And, to repeat a story that has been told here and in other places many times, there is a rumor (apparently it’s true, though) about a Brown undergrad who took every single course S/NC and was accepted to Harvard’s Medical School. Go figure…</p>
<p>I actually have a friend, who will be a senior next year, and he has taken all of his classes S/NC. He plans on applying to law school at some point in time. For some reason, I have a feeling he will do just fine–he’s a great critical reader/thinker.</p>
<p>While top law schools will have heard of Brown’s curricular options and presumably understand how they work, they won’t know whether an “S” denotes an A, a B, or a C, especially since not all departments award S* (S with distinction) for A-level work in an S/NC course. The choice to take every course S/NC need not jeopardize a student, but a transcript full of S’s will look very different than a transcript filled with letter grades, and how a law school (or grad school of any sort) handles that will vary.</p>
<p>AmbitiousMind - I wonder what your friend’s LSAC GPA will be!</p>
<p>Re: S’s with distinction</p>
<ol>
<li><p>They should not be designated S* - this causes confusion with the transcript designation S*, which means S in an S/NC-required course.</p></li>
<li><p>High Distinction is not reported on an external transcript, so it can’t make a difference.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>^That’s what I thought too.</p>
<p>Hmm, good point mgcsinc. Lol, I wonder if LSAC will report it as “N/A” or “0.00” or “error; system malfuction”? Hahahaa!</p>
<p>I hope they report it as SEGFAULT</p>