<p>I keep hearing these stereotypes that Brown is the “artsy” Ivy. Not that there is anything wrong with that; in fact, that is one of the main reasons why I’ve decided to apply. </p>
<p>But my question is…what about Brown makes it seem so “artsy” to people?</p>
<p>(Just fyi, my main interest is Int’l Relations, and I’ve noticed that Brown has a pretty strong Intl Relations department…)</p>
<p>I've been wondering that, too.....bump!</p>
<p>That would be bad for me.. I'm not the artsy applicant. :(</p>
<p>there's a huge upward surge of applications from my school because we all think brown is "artsy" fartsy. haha.</p>
<p>It's an abused stereotype. Brown is for "out of the box" thinkers, sure, but that doesn't necessarily mean "artsy" students.</p>
<p>Although RISD is just down the street.</p>
<p>So maybe it's for those who didn't make it into RISD but still wanted to be close? ;)</p>
<p>I'm an artsy person and as soon as I told my friend I was applying to Brown she said that it would definitely be the best Ivy League for me. It is right next to the Rhode Island School of Design and you can take classes there. She also said that it was the most liberal of the Ivy Leagues, but I don't know if that's true.</p>
<p>I dont know much about the artsiness in comparison to other "Ivies" because it kind of drives me nuts when people talk about Brown with all that Ivy reputation nonsense. I definitely feel Brown's artsy vibe and that's what I love about it! I think a lot of it comes from the openness of the New Curriculum- you have so much freedom to study whatever you want, and if you look at the viewbook it has a thread of questions running through it. I think independence and a natural curiosity are qualities that flourish at Brown, and as with most schools, the student population's vibe reflects whatever the school puts out because (hopefully) that's what attracted them to it. I think Providence also breeds some of the funky, hippy-ness (example- Wickenden & Thayer street !) although that's sort of like the chicken and the egg scenario. The RISD connection definitely helps but my friend who's a RISD alum said that all the Brown kids go to the risd parties because they're artsy & hip, but it doesn't really reciprocate hahaha</p>
<p>^ lol about the parties.
And ogopogo, my friend told me the same thing. She said she could definitely see me at either Brown for my artsyness or Columbia for my political activism lol. I've read a lot about Thayer Street and I can't wait to visit it. I think I'd feel right at home at Brown.</p>
<p>My D is at Brown and will probably be a fine arts concentrator. When I asked her about the artsy vibe, she said that it is definitely a mix of all kinds of people. Yes, artsy types. But also athletes, science "geeks :)" fraternity/sorority members-- all kinds of people. The main thread, though, does seem to be independent thinkers and that's the attraction. It must be so refreshing!</p>
<p>Artsy does seem to be one of the words to use. I mean. I wish i could be better about explaining things but it is true in my opinion.</p>
<p>franglish - That seems to be the general vibe I am getting from people...that yes there are artsy people but it's a nice mix of every type of person. Which is awesome.</p>
<p>Even in the other groups though, it seems there is a certain artsy quality. It permeates the environment somehow</p>
<p>there is definitely a vibe at brown that is really hard to put into words. brown is a mix of artsy, earthy, sporty, insert any adjective here people. i go to school down the street from princeton, and everyone looks and dresses the same. brown kids are extremely varied. when i overnighted, i stayed with two typical CT boarding school girls, but they were really close friends with this asian hippy and this other girl on their floor who's from philly and makes beautiful charcoal drawings. there are definitely some artsy people there, but i wouldn't label the collective brown student body as artsy. the people at brown are absolutely wonderful, though, and if you're looking for that artsy crowd, you can most certainly find it at brown. it just doesn't dominate the student body, in my opinion.</p>
<p>I agree with xojenn.</p>
<p>Visit your top choices for a few days each, and then decide. You'll find that the stereotypes are usually far from the truth, and that the level and vibrancy of campus activity varies greatly from one campus to another.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. Brown seems like a really great place where I could fit in, and I will try to visit this winter. (perhaps a bad time to visit RI, but it's the only time I have!)</p>
<p>Actually, visiting in the winter is a good time to visit. That's what the weather, morale, etc. will be like if and when you end up attending school there. I remember one school we saw on our summer visits where the gardens were gorgeous, the grounds were pristine, the flowers were breathtaking, and it was in upstate New York! How realistic was that? The visit was in early July. Not many students take their classes in July. January, February, March are cold, wet and dark. If you like the feeling at a school in the dead of winter, it is more realistic than liking the feeling of a school in the summer!</p>