<p>I am deciding between attending Brown or a small liberal arts school (midd, amherst, williams…) and want to know what the major differences are between a Brown education and one from a smaller school.</p>
<p>Are teachers really accessible? or does the admissions office just say that…
How small are classes? (“it varies” seems to be the most common answer i get to this question, which is frustratingly vague)</p>
<p>With such a plethora of classes and activities to do at Brown, one person can’t possibly take advantage of all of them. But, does this aspect still make Brown a more “interesting” place to be than a very campus-centered smaller school?</p>
<p>I’ve also heard that advising is not so great, and since students are given such independent control over their education it’s kind of “sink or swim.” I am VERY undecided and generally awful at making decisions, and don’t know if this would be the best thing for me.
Is Brown’s “open curriculum” still beneficial for a somewhat more directionless (at the moment) student like me?</p>
<p>Most teachers really are accessible.</p>
<p>Class size really does vary. Classes are big because people enjoy them, and if the quality went down when when they got big, people would stop taking them and they would get small again. I can’t remember a time when I wanted a class to be smaller. I loved the variety of class sizes (and styles - seminar, small lecture, big lecture), and I don’t think I would have enjoyed my time in college as much if there was less variety.</p>
<p>You’re right that you can’t do everything, but the opportunity to do a lot of one thing that you love is wonderful. I’ll just give you my own perspective as someone who loved to go to - and did a little work in - theater at Brown. Over the course of my time at Brown, I attended more than 100 shows and worked in some capacity on at least 25. I loved it. At a smaller school, that simply wouldn’t have been possible.</p>
<p>I think the reason advising is cited as a problem at almost every school is that undergrads are not really into being advised 
My greatest advisers at Brown were my peers, although I also had the benefit of the single best freshman adviser at Brown (Jan Tullis). If you decide on Brown, you’ll figure things out. But, if you’re the kind of person who wants to be told what to do, Brown’s probably not the place for you.</p>
<p>PM me if you have any more specific Q’s.</p>
<p>
LOL. Are you an econ major? </p>
<p>mgcsinc makes some great points, I just have a few things to add:
-This is my first year here and I’m in two classes with under 10 students. It feels great to have the professor ask you what material you want to learn and then make adjustments to reflect that. I would say the professors (in my experience, at least) are extremely accessible and willing to make time for undergrads. And I’m not just talking about the smaller classes – I could say the same about a class I’m taking with over 30 students. </p>
<p>-Research opportunities for undergraduates are especially plentiful here. Also, I know lots of students here (even juniors and sophomores) taking graduate level courses. </p>
<p>
I agree completely. There are so many things I want to do, I would hate to have so many of my classes chosen for me by someone else. With such varied interests, I think Brown is a great place to be able to explore the course offerings to have a truly unique educational experience. </p>
<p>-As for the inability to make decisions, that’s what shopping period is for! You don’t have to decide on classes until two weeks after they start so you can get a taste for what the semester will be like.</p>
<p>Close actually - I’m a law student now. Economics is a huge part of legal theory these days.</p>
<p>Also deciding among Brown, Amherst, and Columbia. Leaning towards Brown now.</p>
<p>Did you go to ADOCH?</p>
<p>Unfortunately not. I live in Beijing.
I took a summer course at Brown last year, but I wasn’t madly in love with it back then, because of all the cultural shocks, language barrier and my somewhat introverted nature. It doesn’t bother me too much now, since I already knew what I’m up to.</p>