<p>^ Agh I dunno! </p>
<p>Similarly: I'm assuming that the adjective "academic" applies to everything on the list, including "book," and I can't write about a book that I read outside of school...?</p>
<p>Ok, now I'm having doubts.</p>
<p>Writing about my research contributions would be considered an "academic experience" would it not? Sure, it was out of school, but it was in a university's lab. God if I have to rewrite this.....</p>
<p>I dunno! I think it's okay. Brown is chill; they're not gonna reject you for semantic reasons...</p>
<p>This is the first time Brown has requested this essay topic, so this is new ground, both for applicants and the admissions staff.</p>
<p>I'm not on the admissions staff, so I can't speak for them. But I've been involved in admissions work for Brown for a long time. Here's my intuition: I think Brown will accept a wide range of topics for this essay; I don't think anyone is going to be rejected simply for writing about an academic experience that was not school-based. </p>
<p>My guess is that they want you to address something very different than what you wrote about in your common ap essay. They want to see how you became revved up about an intellectual experience. They want to see evidence that you have a sincere love of learning, that you will contribute to the academic environment at Brown.</p>
<p>So, writing about research, as sak did, seems fine. That is clearly an academic topic, and will demonstrate devotion to an intellectual pursuit. Topics like teaching music or an exchange program are a little riskier, since both of these would seem to be perfect common ap essays. I think you can make it work -- for example, if you show that by teaching music you learned a lot about music yourself. But writing an essay about how teaching music made you a better person because you learned about the importance of community service ... that might not work because it doesn't speak to your own intellectual growth. </p>
<p>Brown wants its classrooms filled with intellectually curious people. It wants students willing to take risks. It wants engaged learners, independent learners. This essay is your chance to show them that school means a lot more to you than grades. Convince them that you will make a vital contribution in the classroom.</p>
<p>great post fireandrain, you made me confident in my topic for the essay!</p>
<p>You're welcome, tnb19! I hope it helps other applicants, too.</p>
<p>i think i may have pushed the topic a bit too far. i wrote about trying to get into a private school. it made sense when i wrote it, because the main reason i applied was to challenge myself academically, and going to the school really influenced my outlook on education as a whole. plus i was 12 and applied before asking my parents, so i guess it shows my intellectual desire/risk-taking ability/independent..ness? so im hoping i interpreted this somewhat correctly.</p>
<p>hmm...i chose to write about my contemporary world affairs class and how an experience in there awakened me to the inherent decency found in everyone, think that'll be fine fireandrain?</p>
<p>i incorporated my thirst for knowledge into my common app essay though, which was about my arab-american immigration experience</p>
<p>Which is the Why Brown statement anyways? The first or the second short response?</p>
<p>Also for the second short response, does it have to be this formalized response or can you just say that you had a friend there and he told you about it?</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing as swang... it seems like a really straightforward answer, not something you could dress up and make pretty to show off your writing talent or character o_O</p>
<p>And then I have the additional problem of not having anything to put there, really >_></p>
<p>yea i thought it was pretty direct...so i just told them how i became interested, made it a little flowery</p>
<p>Wait so are BOTH the Why Brown? essays? 0_o OH NOES!</p>
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hmm...i chose to write about my contemporary world affairs class and how an experience in there awakened me to the inherent decency found in everyone, think that'll be fine fireandrain?
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<p>As I said, I'm not an admissions officer. But this seems like a good topic, and it will all depend on how you write it. </p>
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Also for the second short response, does it have to be this formalized response or can you just say that you had a friend there and he told you about it?
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<p>That's fine. You can elaborate -- what is it your friend said that appealed to you? Most students say their guidance counselor. </p>
<p>Brown doesn't have a "why Brown" essay specifically. Closest it gets is the first short answer.</p>
<p>In response to fireandrain's comment about the first short answer, how are most of you guys approaching this? I wrote mine mostly about why I want to go to Brown and only a sentence or (considering the space limitations) on what I want to study, but I'm beginning to have second guesses about whether I should elaborate more, or as much I could without going over the limit, on what I want to study. :/</p>
<p>can't help you cb...i wrote mine and included both and it ended up being 1000 characters over. love it</p>
<p>Well I wrote my "influential academic..." essay on what I want to study (tied it in with a book I've read), so I think for the first short answer I'll talk more about why Brown.</p>
<p>would life drawing class be considered academic?? it's a school class...</p>
<p>I'm writing mine about this project I did in US history where all of the honors junior classes combined to create this website with all of these interviews with people who remember the Great Depression. I was the head webmaster, so I'm hoping I can find a way to make this essay exciting and different... I'm really bad with not uusing cliches.</p>
<p>Do you think it would be alright to write about my extracurricular pursuit of learning foreign languages, or is that a stretch? I mean, I'm pretty sure it would be classified as an academic experience.</p>
<p>Do you think it would be alright to write about my extracurricular pursuit of learning foreign languages, or is that a stretch? I mean, I'm pretty sure it would be classified as an academic experience.</p>