<p>Is brown as happy as it always seems to be? I know it’s #3 on Princeton Review’s “happiest students” list… i just wanted to know if people really feel like it is that happy! i hope it is!</p>
<p>Well, I visited campus back in October, and yes! The students did really seem happy and quirky and content with their campus environment. It was a nice feeling.</p>
<p>I met several kids who go to Brown. One is even going to testify before Congress this spring! They all love it.</p>
<p>I'm happy to hear that!!! I'm currently at a school that I find to be... well... not very happy (it tends to be rather gloomy and self-deprecating, from my view anyway). I actually was accepted at Brown last year and visited it for ADOCH - it seemed to me to be, by far, the happiest campus I had been at! I thought that maybe this was partially because I went on ADOCH and not on a regular day, though I had been to other schools' opening days for accepted students and had not gotten the same impression.</p>
<p>In general, are students frequently very stressed about schoolwork? Brown seems to be, especially in comparison with the rest of the Ivies, less competitive - I like that it places more emphasis on learning for learning's sake. I'm sure students are stressed sometimes - that's a part of college - but is it excessive?</p>
<p>Starcatch, why didn't you choose Brown as a freshman?</p>
<p>Most folks are happy. PM me if you have any more specific q's</p>
<p>The real question is why is everyone happy at Brown? For current Brown students, what about Brown makes you happy?</p>
<p>-Open Curriculum
-Faculty Access
-A collaborative campus culture
- Providence</p>
<p>I know you've heard that all before. But, you get the sense from the president all the way down the line that the administration and faculty really care and value student input as they make decisions.</p>
<p>People are definitely happy at Brown.</p>
<p>Besides being a generally happy environment, it's self-selecting -- people who are already happy tend to be attracted to the environment here.</p>
<p>I agree with ILoveBrown. I actually hadn't thought about it, but now that you mention it, I think that's true- all the kids I know who go there or who really want to go (my S included) are rather happy, easy going kids. My S is very relaxed, easy to get along with and very accepting of all kinds of people - very non-judgmental. Also not very competitive - likes to do his best but only cares how everyone else does if he feels he hasn't been treated fairly in comparison.</p>
<p>Hi - S. is a HS junior interested in Brown. We have read many positive comments about the open curriculum. Is there adequate advising/guidance available for students who might not be sure what route to take academically, especially early on?</p>
<p>I'm definitely not the one to ask, just an admitted freshman for next year, but like everyone applying to brown, the open-curriculum was very appealing. but i wouldn't have chosen brown had I not known that you are assigned three very helpful advisors from the get-go.... 2 of which being faculty (one I believe is of your choice, someone currently attending may clarify that for me) and one is an actual student (known for giving the truth about classes/teachers/concentrations etc. etc.)</p>
<p>hope that helps, and good luck to that student!</p>
<p>Wonderful - Thanks very much.</p>
<p>MattyB -- Actually, for your freshman year you are assigned at least two advisors whom you meet with several times during orientation and over the course of the year. One is a faculty member who can be in a department of interest to you, or just the professor of a CAP (Curricular Advising Program) course you've chosen to take. The other is a student advisor who has been trained to help you out and tell you things the advisors can't (which profs are boring, which classes you don't really need to take the pre-reqs for, etc). These people are awesome.</p>
<p>Also, if you're considering a concentration, the advisor for that concentration will be happy to meet with you to answer your questions.</p>
<p>Once you've officially declared a concentration, you will have a concentration advisor. For some departments which have different tracks (for example, International Relations), you will also have an advisor for the particular track you are considering.</p>
<p>Unlike in some colleges, the advisors assigned to freshmen are actual professors, not people who are just payed to be advisors.</p>
<p>I'm sorry, my info was off. After all, I do have a lot to learn for next year. Thanks again :-)</p>
<p>Thanks again, both. Very helpful. We look forward to visiting this spring.</p>
<p>Wow!!! Everything seems wonderful... what I had thought Brown was, and more. I didn't know about the advisors either; that also sounds great!</p>
<p>Why didn't I choose Brown as a freshman??? Money, money, money... I was actually THAT close to doing it, and taking out the loans, but my parents strongly discouraged it. I ultimately chose somewhere else that I received a lot of merit money from, but I'm really just not happy there. I do regret my decision... because otherwise, I wouldn't be in the situation that I am in right now.</p>
<p>i'm not sure if this was answered or not already, but on the whole, how competitive is the atmosphere at Brown?</p>
<p>I heard the atmosphere was not cutthroat competitive. It was more laid-back yet intellectual.</p>
<p>Where u at now Starcatch?</p>
<p>Advising could be better but the faculty could not be more approachable and inviting.</p>