I have not posted on here in a very long time, but am now in the hope of gaining some insight from other Brown parents/alumni. Recently visited son at Brown and husband and I were shocked at the neglect/condition of the dorm. We are not fancy people and both attended state colleges, but neither of us ever experienced anything close to this. Dirty walls, carpet, drapes, bathroom missing tiles, peeling paint, completely brown and rusted air vent. Dingy, dark, dirty depressing. Son has never complained and we would have never known had we not visited. Given the caliber of Brown (not to mention cost of housing) we were appalled. We live in a rural community across the country. Union Gospel Mission and Homeless shelters better cared for than this dorm. Son was sick and recovering so broke our hearts to leave him there in this condition. Upon our return home, we received an e-mail from Brown going on and on about the new Performing Arts Center they will be building. I think their priorities are in the wrong place. Freshman dorm great, but every year since has been a downgrade. Friend with HS junior wants to visit son but son embarrassed to show him his dorm. Next year he is a senior and if I could would love to guarantee him a better place to live but know that is not likely with lottery system and all. Any other parents out there with a similar view? Can alumni band together and do something to improve the dorms with the 3.2 billion dollar endowment?
HS student who applied to Brown here! I visited and did an overnight this October and was also shocked at the low quality of the dorms. It’s pretty terrible considering Brown is an Ivy with loads of money etc. My host’s dorm was South Casewell and the bathrooms were very cramped, the walls were peeling, and the doors were heavy and ancient (the doorknobs were below my hips even). The halls are extremely bare and narrow. But the double was a pretty good size and even had a cleared out fireplace, which was a very nice addition.
Another dorm I went in was an old hotel, which turned out to be even worse. The ceilings and walls were completely unfinished and peeling, the wood was cracking, it was not pretty. The room was a triple and it was HUGE, I have to say. It was suite-styled (and they are only sophomores so that’s very nice) and had one small bedroom with one bed and a huge room connected by a private hallway which was bigger than my kitchen.
Overall, I’d say the dorms are definitely deteriorating, but at least they’re big! It wasn’t really a turn-off for me and I didn’t mind too much.
Yes, my son’s previous dorm was large and somewhat private so I was willing to overlook the condition. This year, the dorm is extremely small. I don’t mind old, I just mind filth. My son’s comment upon hearing about the new Performing Arts Center that is planned: “maybe our kid can sleep on the floor.”
Edit: My “husband’s” comment not “son’s” in above post.
OP which dorm building was it if you don’t mind? I’m Brown ED admit and I’m just curious as to which dorms I should try to stay away from…
It’s called Grad Center. Fortunately they seem to put Freshmen into pretty decent dorms! Congratulations by the way! We have great things to say about Brown, just not a great dorm experience. My son met a group of friends freshman year (Andrews dorm - highly recommended) and they have tried to stay together as a group ever since.
As I have said numerous times in this forum – one most definitely does not go to Brown for the dorms. It is my go-to response whenever someone asks for a negative about the school.
As a point of reference, a friend of mine has a kid at Harvard, and she said his dorm is absolutely horrible.
I lived in the Grad Center a long, long time ago. Then, the worst thing about it was the poor insulation – in winter the rooms were freezing.
I haven’t been in Minden since it was renovated this summer, but it used to be in pretty bad shape. That’s probably the dorm ricka stayed in, and it sounds like the rehab didn’t do much. The place should probably be gutted.
Compared to the other Ivies, Brown’s endowment is small. As an alum, my priority for giving is not improving dorms. I’d rather my money go to financial aid.
@fireandrain it just so happens my kid was in Minden last year, hence my frustration with the declining quality of the dorms he had experienced. It was renovated? Well last summer would have been just after he moved out. Maybe the Grad Center will be next. The feeling I got is that no one has stepped foot into it since 1970. I applaud your contributions to financial aid, however. I think you are absolutely right in that being the priority. Just surprised at the quality of dorms at Brown and hoping it will improve for my son his last year there. Just frustrated when receiving notifications about what they ARE spending their money on, when it seems taking care of the undergraduates’ basic needs should be somewhat of a priority.
Peeling paint could be a concern as old buildings may have lead paint.
Heavy doors are hardly an important concern. Peeling paint and missing wall tiles are signs of poor maintenance.
I have visited many of the higher end private schools here in New England and would generally say the dorms are worse then lower ranked schools and state schools. However, this is comparing the dorms to others thru the lens of modernization. What people need to remember is the deep history with these colleges. People should not be so quick to tear down these historic dorms because they do not match the current “fashion” of the day. These historic dorms are a jewel that should be enjoyed. One develops a deep history to the college by following in the footsteps of so many talented students. Look at new HS’ being build; all chrome, glass and modern. Some people still appreciate the small wooden schoolhouse. The beauty of all this is that people can visit the various colleges and decide for themselves if they want historic older New England colleges or more modern colleges found in the western half of the country.
^I see what you’re saying, but I was very unimpressed with Amherst’s facilities, too. My son was recruited for running, and the coach showed us where the kids run indoors when the weather is bad - an old building housing a volleyball court. The coach had to put down rubber mats around the edge of the building for the kids to run on! That was 2009, so hopefully they have better facilities by now, but really?? This was just after the information session when we were told, “We’re happy you came to visit, but most of you won’t get in.” (And yes, my son was accepted, but he went elsewhere.)
Interesting thread! My niece looked at Brown and was turned off by the icky dorms. My daughter is headed to Brown this fall (having been accepted, miraculously, via early decision) and she swears she does not care about the dorms. She has stayed on campus at Grad Center for a summer class and so really does have that personal experience. When I was moving her into that dorm, I couldn’t stand the smell - just VERY stinky. But she did not mind at all. I’d guess that it is very costly to renovate dorms (rather than just building something new), and there’s no space at Brown nor any desire to construct brand new housing. I guess…it is what it is!
This post brought back memories—back in 1987 when I was starting freshman year I lived in Keeney Quad (since renovated, I believe). I lived on the first floor, and I know my mother was shocked when she moved me in at the state of the place given the cost. But it was also a safety concern, as the window had broken panes. Luckily this was quickly fixed, but yeah, even though I didn’t mind so much, my mom didn’t want to leave me there!
@MassDaD68 as I mentioned in my previous post, I do not mind old, just filth. In fact, I love the character of the old buildings on campus and would love it if my son was able to live in one of those. Minden, in fact, did have some of that character, being a former hotel, so it did not bother me as much. I actually took photos of the original mouldings in that building. I am not in favor, at all, of “moderninzing” old historic buildings. Grad Center was probably built in the 70’s, and has apparently suffered from extreme neglect. Cleanliness and lighting are what I view as important (and a warm and dry place to sleep in the winter). I think what bothers me the most is that the funding and promotion of “flashy” projects, viewed with favor by donors or the public, seems more of a priority than providing basic living conditions for the undergraduates they are educating - they should be their number priority. I think the bathroom turned me off the most. One toilet, one sink and one shower not separated, shared by all, filthy and stained in a dimly lit bathroom. Tile in shower painted over rather than replaced, and paint peeling. Dirty grout, and, like @profdad2021 mentioned, VERY stinky.
I see your point. Yes. I agree. There is no reason why the place needs to be dirty and unclean.
My kids both lived in Keeney quad dorms for first year, and they were utilitarian and clean. Nothing to write home about, but not too bad either. Bathrooms are cramped and disgusting, but I’m not sure that is any different than other schools. I generally think Brown’s housing is below average–not enough rooms for upper class years and old. They have some issue with the tradition of students moving off campus at Brown; investing in more housing is probably a money-losing proposition for the school. They want land acquisition to go to other priorities like science buildings and labs and leave luxe student housing to private outfits like 257 Thayer. Top LACs generally have better housing I have found (Dartmouth, Bowdoin, Hamilton, Wellesley, Smith) because they tend not to have the same space limitations and endowment $$ per student are higher than Brown.
Related to the issue of renovation of old dorms is the issue of building new dorms when needed. On college tours, we have been surprised at the size of some “forced triples”-- three students crammed into a space that would have been small, albeit workable, for two students. For three, it was hard to imagine using the room for homework or socializing; it would have to be a sleeping and storing location only. If schools are going to accept more students, they need to have space for them!
I agree completely @TheGreyKing. It’s not as if they’re living there for free. I think it is entirely appropriate to expect a certain level of standards. Even institutional, bare bones if necessary, but not kids crammed into a dark and dingy closet they hate to come home to every night. @spayurpets, that is true. My other kid went to one of those “Top 5 LAC’s” which makes the comparison in standards even more “night and day.” He visited his brother and mentioned to me how shocking it was but I disregarded it figuring his standards were unusually high based on where he was attending.
I visited Dartmouth last summer and was really surprised at how beat up and old one of the dorms was. I was thinking the kids were going to be staying in some nice spots, nope!
I have visited about 15 schools in the north east over the last 2 years and I don’t think I’ve seen a dorm I’d like to live in.
Living in a triple must be brutal.
@RightCoaster have you seen the dorms at Bates? Gorgeous! Northeastern has primo urban living. I was surprised by how run down Dartmouth is too.