<p>I recently read that girls are often seen wearing pumps at Brown. I go to a high school where people show up to class in sweat pants and flip flops, and wearing heels is reserved only for formal presentations. Do people (girls especially) at Brown feel like they can just roll out of bed and go to class without spending a lot of time on makeup or clothes? How preppy is it?</p>
<p>I think you heard an exaggeration. Walking from class to class, especially in the winter, I don’t think you get a lot of little black dresses, lol. You get all types at Brown, and all is perfectly acceptable. It is not that preppy at all.</p>
<p>Thanks! I hear a lot of East Coast stereotypes, but I’m never quite sure whether something I hear is based on truth or not.</p>
<p>Plenty of people dress up. More don’t.</p>
<p>My first week or so, I put thought into my clothing. I even wore dresses a few times (everyone who knows me in real life can attest that I tend to wear jeans and t-shirts every single day). Then I started climbing trees with my friends and realized that I should probably wear something better suited to my pastime of choice. I stopped caring.</p>
<p>But that’s me. One of my friends wears skirts and dresses every day; another spends at least an hour getting ready every day. And then I have a friend who wears homemade chain mail. So you really have the whole spectrum.</p>
<p>Bottom line: whatever you wear now will be perfectly acceptable at Brown.</p>
<p>My impression was that it is casual in the extreme, excepting for occasions.</p>
<p>that’s encouraging cuz i have no sense of fashion whatsoever.</p>
<p>This may seem like a strange question, but I have a very distinct style. I tend to look a bit like a hippie. Some people at my school tease me about it, and I was wondering if st Brown I will stick out like a sore thumb and be ridiculed, or if different styles were kind of the norm.</p>
<p>Different styles is the norm. I get up to College Hill fairly often and I see everything from 1950’s preppy to total grunge. The only norm is that there is no norm.</p>
<p>@HannahKailey: lots of my friends dress like hippies; really, don’t worry about it. I know one girl who makes her own tie-dyed clothes. I think you’ll be fine :)</p>
<p>I hope I am not disturbing the flow of thought, but do we need to bring formal suits to Brown for some special occasions?</p>
<p>You don’t need to (I didn’t wear a suit my entire first year), but I’m sure there are some things that would be nice to dress up for, so you might want to bring one anyway.</p>
<p>Agreed. Should always have a suit in the closet just in case.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot guys!</p>
<p>Could you also recommend some good, long lasting overcoats to battle the Providence winter?</p>
<p>What you need depends on where you’re from, but I tend to use a longer Lands End jacket for the winter.</p>
<p>I would second the advise on having 1 suit (or at least a nice shirt and tie) for guys; you never know when you need one. I’ve had a couple occasions where I’ve needed at least nice pants and a collared shirt, and one where I needed a suit in two years.</p>
<p>Uroogla, how many long jackets does one require? I am sorry for asking such juvenile questions, but I will be coming to Brown from a tropical country!</p>
<p>That really depends. I was able to survive with 1 heavy winter jacket and one “lighter” winter jacket, but I’m also from a climate slightly colder (and definitely more prone to snow) than Brown faces. I’m one of the few people wearing shorts into November. It’s worth noting that if you find what you get to be insufficient, you can go to the mall (15-20 minute walk away) and potentially buy another jacket.</p>
<p>Edit: to clarify, I’m not wearing those jackets at the same time. I do know some people who wear multiple jackets at once.</p>
<p>harvard: I was going to suggest you browse the Lands End and LL Bean online catalogues for ideas now, before you come – but then I looked, and saw that they have little up now for winter. REI does have some down jackets online to look at, so go there. Don’t buy anything yet, because selection will be limited. </p>
<p>I recommend that you come to campus with some long-sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, a thick fleece (many like Northface, but both Lands End and Bean carry good fleece), gloves and a scarf, which will last you into October. See what other students have for winter coats, and then buy something either at the mall or online from Lands End, LL Bean or REI. It shouldn’t snow until December, so you can wait on boots, too.</p>
<p>And by “long” jacket, I hope you didn’t mean knee length. Most men’s down jackets cover the butt, and not much more. (You are a guy, I hope??)</p>
<p>As for the OP – if my daughter had seen too many girls wearing pumps when she visited as a high school student, she wouldn’t have applied! There are a lot of girls wearing jeans and sweats and flip flops (skinny jeans and boots were big this winter). If you see someone dressed up, it might be because they have an interview or are doing something that requires better looking clothes.</p>
<p>Yes, I definitely don’t want to go to a school where people care what kind of jeans I’m wearing. I think I’ll try to visit, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to before I apply.</p>
<p>Does the snow stay on the ground for a while? I’m from a place that gets a ton of snow but it’s so sunny that a foot can melt in less than a day.</p>
<p>Yeah the snow sticks around for a little while, depending on how heavily it snowed. But a foot definitely doesn’t melt in less than a day in Providence. Bring along rain boots if you are a girl, but I’ve never seen a guy wear them my entire time at Brown.</p>
<p>Another great place to shop are is the outlet mall at Wrentham. It’s out of state (Mass.) but only about an half hour drive from Brown. Lots of options (for winter stuff as well) at reasonable prices.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot Uroogla and fireandrain for the valuable input!</p>