<p>I loved the idea of having almost no requirements to fulfill when I first heard it, and that classes are more enjoyable because people actually want to be in them, but then this thought occurred to me: I would think that, if given the choice, most people would take more courses in subjects that they might major in. So for, say, a science student to take classes in literature, the scientist might have some trouble doing well in the literature class since that class is mostly filled with people majoring in literature and so will be geared more towards those people. Is that a fair statement?</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s a fair statement. There are too many variables involved.</p>
<p>Back in 1969, when the New Curriculum was being developed, that was one of the questions raised. The answer was to allow students to take classes Satisfactory/No Credit, and insure that any grade of NC would not appear on your transcript. This would allow someone to take a class totally outside their comfort zone and not worry about the grade.</p>
<p>Most literature and social science classes at Brown are not graded on a curve, so the prof doesn’t decide ahead of time that only 5% of the students will receive As. So if you do A level work, you’ll get an A.</p>
<p>There used to be classes at Brown designed for the students you are describing – they were often described as “guts” and given nicknames like “physics for poets” and “rocks for jocks.” Perhaps current students can say whether these are still offered. I know that the equivalent course in economics is no longer offered, which is really a shame for students who are not planning on majoring in economics. I do know that there are plenty of courses offered that are not geared for majors – the freshmen year seminars are another example. </p>
<p>Ideally, Brown accepts students who are interested in exploring outside their academic interest area and willing to take risks. In a campus filled with these type of students, your scenario is not much of an issue.</p>
<p>Yep, I agree with fireandrain. If you want to take a class to learn more about the things you’re not good at (so that you can improve), you can choose the option of having the class S/NC. You still need to pass, but it won’t make your transcript look ugly.</p>
<p>Something like 93% of Brown students take two classes in the sciences, two in the social sciences, and two in the humanities.</p>
<p>People tend not to hyper focus (though there are certainly people who do), and instead use the Open Curriculum to take a wide variety of courses.</p>
<p>I took classes in 15 different departments by the time I graduated as a science concentrator with 20 concentration requirements.</p>