<p>^I always think that this question is a bit odd – it’s like asking “what makes Brown so special, other than the thing that makes it so special?” Anyway, it has been asked and answered quite a few times, so you’ll find some good results if you use the search function. Here’s a thread to get you started:</p>
<p>I’m not a big fan of that question, either. To be honest – for the most part, with the exception of the curriculum, Brown isn’t “so special” or “distinctive.” Like most universities and colleges, it has thousands of smart students taking classes, doing extracurricular activities, having fun on weekends. There are some really good professors and some not-so-good professors. There are some innovative/interesting programs/activities – but most colleges have their variations of those, too. </p>
<p>I do love Brown, and I think it’s a great school, but I think it’s misguided to think that Brown is “special” and “unique.” </p>
<p>nguyengiangoc, and other students who ask this question – spend some quality time on the Brown website. Look at the websites for the academic departments you are interested in, read the class descriptions, the bios of the professors, department initiatives. What research are they doing? Look at the various clubs and activities – what appeals to you? This is what makes a particular university distinctive for you.</p>
<p>HERES WHAT I WANT TO KNOW: I love Brown-the curriculum, the location, the passion of the place, but I wonder: ARE YOU TOO MUCH ON YOUR OWN? I know being the architect of your own education can be exciting ( I love the idea) but what if you need help? Do they look out for freshmen who are overwhelmed by choices? And socially, is there any entry system, like at the LACS? If not, how do the freshmen get support if they need some? Thanks Brown students…</p>
<p>We have buckets of advising. Freshman peer advisors (Meiklejohns) that go through an extensive selection and training process, assigned faculty freshman advisors, drop-in advisors (who just sit around in a special area and wait for people to come in with problems 5 days a week), deans hours, faculty advising fellows events and office hours, faculty office hours, career advisors, peer career advisors, residential peer counselors (regular, minority, and women’s), diversity advisors, curricular resource center advisors, LGBTQ advisors, public service and volunteering advisors, local mentors, class and department tutors…</p>
<p>All of these people have formalized, university-sanctioned roles and training and are available to help you choose classes, make academic decisions and plans. They can help you study better, find study partners, meet with professors, anything that might help you with class.</p>
<p>Not to mention fellow students, particularly friendly upperclassmen.</p>
<p>Advising is EVERYWHERE, but unlike in high school, you don’t have mandatory semesterly meetings. You need to contact the person to help, but when you do, they will be there for you with a billion resources.</p>
<p>want to 2nd this. If I recall, (at least when I was a student), first years had to meet with their advisers before registering for courses and 2nd semester sophomores had to present a rough plan for their 3rd and 4th years with their newly assigned concentration advisor.</p>
<p>I do agree with holly though about the overall message of being proactive. Especially since I came from a small high school (47 in my graduating class), one of the biggest transitions for me at college was that profs and advisers didn’t automatically know me, and for the most part, people only go so far to make sure you are doing your stuff.</p>
<p>Being able to identify when one needs help is just as, if not more, important than actually knowing stuff. Not only at Brown, but in life.</p>
<p>These meetings (including the PIN handoffs) can take place over email or a 5-minute rushed conversation during an oversubscribed office hour session. They’re not mandatory because you don’t really have to go. If you want to have a heart-to-heart with your advisor, they won’t ask personal and deeply probing questions (like about your ultimate life goals) unless they know you want to talk about this.</p>
<p>You will need to ask if you want <em>real</em> advice, not just a list of things you need to do.</p>
<p>Hello everyone! I took a tour of Brown last summer and I loved it! I immediately just felt right at home and happy. I am intrigued by the open curriculum, PLME (I want to be a doctor),the student housing “auction” (which sounds fun) and more! I was just wondering about some of your, as Brown students, favorite aspects of the school (classes, “hot spots”, clubs, etc…) and if you have any stories about them I would love to hear them or anything you would like to recommend for me if I am lucky enough to be accepted.</p>
<p>Some students do have some difficulties being the architects of their own education, and some do not. My daughter graduated in May and several of her friends during the four years left the school. There were various reasons for this, but definitely one reason was that precise difficulty. One or two of them returned after a semester or two, but the overwhelm was real. Although my daughter did well and thrived there, she, too, said that it was difficult to navigate all of the courses and looking back on it now, she feels that she would have done some things differently. She had a couple of advisers, but she felt that they were not really very helpful. But don’t we all feel that way when we examine our lives in retrospect? With a course roster of 1000’s of offerings, and only 8 semesters to experience it all, one can’t possibly do everything that one might want. But it is certainly not a school for everyone.</p>
<p>Regarding advising: unless you are very lucky and/or know exactly what you want, you will need to seek out advisors if you want real help. There are plenty of resources in place, but your freshman advisor and Meiklejohns may not share your interests. My freshman advisor taught the language I was taking but didn’t know anything about the subject that I wanted to (and eventually ended up) concentrate in. Thus, she wasn’t able to advise me at all. Same went for my Meiklejohns. Thankfully, I was friends with some older students in my department and got involved with labs, enabling me to meet professors. But that was half luck, half initiative on my part.</p>
<p>One resource often under-utilized are office hours. Freshman fall, many students don’t go for a whole multitude of reasons. However, office hours can be extremely valuable because a) students can get their questions answered and b) they can get to know their professors or TAs better, which helps build a relationship as the semester goes on. It’s also a great way to find out about research opportunities, other classes, or even random advice that might prove useful someday.</p>
<p>I really appreciate these responses–I get it–I have to be proactive, but help is there for the taking. I guess if my advisor is not the best, there are others who might help–professors at office hours. I come from a small high school too, but the good thing about that is that I am comfortable seeking out teachers. Socially, have you guys found it easy to meet people? I mean obviously everyone is looking to make friends, but does the college do anything to facilitate this? Let me know if you can. thanks.</p>
<p>Just wondering, but is Brown a good option for someone who is VERY interested in majoring in Economics - and is looking into getting into the corporate world/get an MBA in the future? What about related opportunities available on campus? Is getting internships in Rhode Island easy? </p>
<p>Thanks so much, and sorry for the questions!
Thanks :)</p>
<p>Depending on what “corporate” world you’re getting into, there is a lot of business growth in RI in the last couple years [Providence</a> Knowledge District | RIEDC](<a href=“http://www.riedc.com/providence-knowledge-district]Providence”>Riedc.com) but if you’re talking about banking, then you’re going to want to do summer internships in NYC, which is what all my friends who are bankers in NYC did and as far as I could tell, they had no trouble. I was a senior in 08-09 and I knew people who even survived the Lehman collapse with their summer/early fall 08 offers intact under Barclay’s.</p>
<p>We have a VERY active pre-professional economics and finance community here. Similar with consulting. Fear not, it’s as good as at any other school.</p>