<p>Hi Brown students! I’m applying to Brown this year, but I can’t figure out if EEB is offered as a major (or Brown calls it a concentration, right?) or just a concentration (as in focus? this terminology gets a little confusing) in the Biology major. I’m applying either way, but I wanted to find out about this. I found that there was an EEB department with tons of staff, but is that just for graduate study? I shot the admissions department an email, but I got a generic reply saying that a specific reply might come later, but it could be delay. I know they’re really busy down there, so maybe one of you can help me :). Here’s the email I sent:</p>
<p>Hello!
I’m an applicant to Brown for this coming fall, and I had a few questions about the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department. Looking at the website, the department looks wonderful. However, I can’t find EEB on any of the lists of majors at Brown. Is EEB a major on its own, or is it a concentration in the Biology major? Also, if it is a major, I can’t find it on the lists on the Common App. Is there a way to express my interest in the program other than through my essays? I currently have my major listed as Biology.
Speaking of Biology, if EEB is a major, I may want to double major in it and Biology. How possible is it to double major at Brown? I know at some schools credits count for both majors, but I don’t know Brown’s policy.
Last question! I know you are all very busy. I noticed that there are many many labs at Brown. Are many undergraduates at the university involved in research? I noticed that there seemed to be plenty of opportunities that I would love to take advantage of if I attended Brown.
Thank-you for your time!</p>
<p>Its a little informal, but I didn’t think the admissions people would want to see yet another wall of text. Thanks in advance for your help!</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, there exists no such concentration (what you’d call a major). There’s no formal focus in it either - in doing a biology concentration, one can take a group of 3 of so courses in this area, but that’s it. It is possible to create one’s own concentration, though it’s hardly automatic and quite a bit of work to do so.</p>
<p>You’d be more likely to receive more concrete answers from the Bio department or the EEB department than the admissions office. I’d recommend contacting them instead.</p>
<p>Many students certainly do research (it’s required for virtually every ScB program, for instance). There are numerous opportunities if you want to do so.</p>
<p>I think it’s more of a focus area within the Biology concentration. You’d probably tailor your classes to focus more in this area that interests you, but you’d graduate with a biology degree. There are plenty of areas to express this interest throughout your application (“Why Brown”, “Describe an academic interest/endeavor”, etc.).</p>
<p>Also, it’s very simple to double concentrate at Brown. I doubt you can do EEB and biology because they are essentially the same thing in this case, but double concentrating is generally simple to accomplish. Lastly, research opportunities are there if you want them and actively look for them. I know people who only took one science course spring semester last year and immediately started researching (for pay) this semester; I was shocked at how simple it was for some of them!</p>
<p>This is right. Brown’s Biology program is flexible such that you can tailor your course load to suit your specific interests. Apart from minimal area requirements, any course within the department can count for concentration credit. So you can do as many EEB courses as you want, but at the end of the day you will graduate with a Biology degree.</p>
<p>Also, i doubt it is possible to formulate your own independent concentration in EEB. Indies are approved out for areas of study not adequately supported by Brown’s list of standard concentrations. Since you basically can do as much EEB as you want through the standard Biology concentration, this is the path you should take.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! This is all really helpful. You all answered all of my questions perfectly…its starting to sound like Brown is the place to be :).</p>
<p>I received a reply from an admissions officer saying that Brown does have an EEB concentration. They said to list Biology as my intended degree, and then specify in the supplement. They also said that sometimes courses from the two programs overlap.
Just in case any fellow potential EEB majors are reading out there :)</p>