<p>Hi, I had some questions for the real situation at Brown. I don’t have the chance to visit, so candid feedback is sincerely appreciated! </p>
<li><p>What do you think the Brown experience is? What sets it apart?</p></li>
<li><p>Why did you choose to attend Brown over your other choices?</p></li>
<li><p>After you enrolled, what surprised you? Both positive and negative.</p></li>
<li><p>Whats your favorite aspect of Brown? Least favorite?</p></li>
<li><p>How are the professors? How close are students and professors? (Colleges That Change Lives bashed Brown professors a lot…wondering if that had any basis)</p></li>
<li><p>How are your classmates? Care about education or grade-grubby?</p></li>
<li><p>Activities? Events, clubs, social life?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you very much!</p>
<p>I'll answer some of them, out of order:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Brown students are not grade-grubby, at all (well, maybe the ones heading to medical school are focused on grades). It tends to be an internal thing at Brown, that students work hard for their own satisfaction, not to score a higher grade than their classmates. There's no GPA calculated, which helps. As a result, the focus is more on each student working hard to further their own academic interests or passions. I can say that it was like this when I was at Brown decades ago, and it hasn't changed.</p></li>
<li><p>Professors: As at any school, there are good ones and bad ones. Brown prides itself on hiring professors who want to teach and work with students. Applicants who just want to do research or avoid teaching aren't going to be hired. So many profs are accessible and open to talking to/working with students. OTOH, the student has to make the effort. It is quite possible to go through Brown without having developed close relationships with professors. Your education is what you make it to be.</p></li>
<li><p>Activities: There are tons of them. My daughter tells me that almost (not all, but almost) every student does something, often more than one thing. She contrasts that to her friends at other schools who are contributing nothing to their school community. </p></li>
<li><p>One defining aspect of Brown's experience is the "new" curriculum. It attracts independent, self-assured people. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>As for disappointments/negatives: There is a bureaucracy, as at all schools. I am not a big fan of one of the deans. The freshmen units are much too big to effectively work. There are changes made (by said bureaucracy and dean) that I think are not taking the community into account.</p>