What is life like at Brown? What do students do for fun? Do they mainly stay on campus or venture off? What is the surrounding area like?Are the academics cutthroat, so much so that free time is rare? What do you think is the best thing about Brown and what do you think the worst is? Thanks so much!
Currently a first-year. My experiences are my own and may not apply to everyone, etc.
“What is life like at Brown?”
It’s alright. It could be a lot worse, but I haven’t really found my place here, and there are definitely times when I feel that I might never, and I would be much better off at a different school. (I’m also potentially depressed/seeing someone about that, so that’s probably something to take into consideration lol)
“What do students do for fun?”
Mostly what they do at other colleges, I think. There’s a lot of partying, both on-campus and at clubs and such, but there are also people who stay in and watch Netflix. There’s always a lot going on on campus in terms of performances and events, so chances are on any given weekend, there will be some sort of show to attend. I don’t really go out much, so I guess I’m still trying to figure out what people do for fun 
but that’s been my impression so far.
“Do they mainly stay on campus or venture off?”
Again, it depends on the student. Like I said, things are always happening up here, so if you want to stick around College Hill, you probably won’t get bored. But it’s easy enough to go into the city proper, and it isn’t hard to take the train to Boston. It all depends on what you want.
“Are the academics cutthroat, so much so that free time is rare?”
I wouldn’t classify the academics that way. Yes, there’s a lot of work, and students do get stressed sometimes, especially around midterms when we’re using CC as a way to procrastinate on a paper that’s worth 35% of our grade. But the environment is much more collaborative than cutthroat. I don’t feel like I’m competing against my classmates at all. I think that’s largely due to the S/NC option, as well as the lack of GPAs and the fact that you literally can’t get below a C on your transcript. And the professors and TAs strongly encourage you to go to their office hours, and there are a lot of academic resources available. I’m not really one to ask about the average amount of free time – I have a bit, but I’m working two jobs, so those impact my schedule a lot.
“What do you think is the best thing about Brown and what do you think the worst is?”
Umm honestly, my favorite thing here is the libraries. I love libraries, and we’ve got some great ones. The food is also pretty good – decent quality, though it sometimes gets repetitive. The Open Curriculum is okay; I haven’t fully developed my feelings on that. The noncompetitive environment is also a plus.
The worst? It’s such an extroverted campus that it can be really hard to fit in if you’re the quiet type. It feels very large and it’s hard to keep track of people. And the partying is also really annoying, and I feel like I harp on that too much, but like… I’d like to be able to take a walk and not see someone pee on a statue, thanks. I know it’s part of ~the college experience~, but there are quieter, drier schools than this, and those would probably suit me better.
It’s all subjective, though. My experiences aren’t really typical, from what I’ve heard, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt.
Thank you so much!!
@SpringAwake15: since you like libraries, have you checked out the ones down the hill? The RISD Fleet library is astonishingly beautiful, and the Providence Athenaeum (on Benefit St) is super quirky.
@bruno14, I haven’t yet! Thank you for the recommendations.
The Athenaeum is stunning.
springawake – I’m really glad that you said you are seeing someone for your possible depression. It sounds like you are having a tough time adjusting, and I hope you do figure it out. I also wonder whether your dorm is impacting your experience – some freshmen dorms are quieter than others (does Brown still have a dry/quiet freshman dorm?)
It’s very early for freshmen to be able to judge life at Brown – they’ve been on campus for 6 weeks. While many students feel at home immediately, others take time to find their people – and this happens on every campus, not just Brown.
bbbaaa: You might want to search this forum, because there are definitely old threads that discuss all the questions that you’ve asked. In brief:
Most students stay on campus for social activities.
How much free time you have and how cut throat the academics are can be two different issues. Most Brown students are motivated by an internal drive to succeed, and work hard for that reason rather than to get the highest grade in the class – it is not at all like a competitive high school.
Yeah, you can search my old posts. I graduated 6 years ago so I’d put more weight in younger posters but I doubt that much has changed.
@fireandrain, I think the dorm has definitely made settling in more difficult. I got stuck in Keeney, which has lived up to its reputation. I know there are quiet and sub-free floors, but my floor isn’t really that bad – I think my main issue is that I got stuck with a room overlooking the quad. There are often people out there late into the night, engaging in rowdy revelries. It is still early, though (and hopefully the quad drinking will diminish as the temperature falls!) Right now, I’m just trying to stay engaged and keep up with my classes. We’ll see what happens.
Oh dear – I figured you were in Keeney. Not good. I know a lot of first years want to be in Keeney, but for someone who almost went to Wellesley, not necessarily a good thing.
@SpringAwake15: Let me know if you want any other study space suggestions - I have a long list of places that I choose from. I’d encourage you to shop around in the student groups that fit your interests - there are a lot of niche communities at Brown that students take a while to find, but could be really beneficial for your situation.
My good friend was in Keeney first year and absolutely hated it/didn’t get along with her roommate. It gets a lot better once you can choose your own housing situation and who you spend your time with.
“Providence Athenaeum (on Benefit St) is super quirky” Oh yeah, I stumbled upon that my daughter’s first year and forgot to go back. What an interesting find.
@springawake15 thanks for coming back and answering questions. It really adds much to the conversation when former CC HSchoolers do. But sure everyone has personal bias. I just want to say hang in there, things will change. The campus will be small your Sr year, I guarantee it. My dd really settled in sophomore year. Now it is a regular thing for her to mention how happy she is to have gone to Brown. And she is in town now at her 10yr HS reunion.