Hi! I have not yet applied to colleges, but am looking to apply to Brown. Do u think Brown would be a good fit for me in terms of academics if I’m interested in Psychology and Business? (not business like finance, but more like marketing.) I’m aware that they don’t have marketing concentration since it doesn’t have a business college within the university, but are there concentrations I can take that are possibly fit for someone like me? I was thinking maybe double major in business econ and psych, but that seems super rigorous. I’ll appreciate any suggestions for courses that are interdisciplinary b/w business and psychology (maybe smth similar to Behavioral Econ cuz I know they dont have that) or possibly other options!
(I’m looking at Brown so far because of the atmosphere and the people that go there are just amazing&sweet and I wanna surround myself w ppl like them;))
I’m an incoming First-Year at Brown (Class of 2024) who plans on studying Public Health/pre-med.
Like you, Brown excited me because its students are super collaborative and the Open Curriculum/the undergraduate focused academics really means that students have the freedom to study whatever fields they want without the fear of getting a bad grade stopping them. I’m considering double concentrating in Biology and Public Health (both AB degrees,) and yes, while it would be more difficult to double concentrate (but not impossible) between a ScB and an AB degree, it’s very manageable to double concentrate between an AB and an AB degree (~12+12 courses on avg for AB degrees - 2 that can overlap, and you take 4 classes per semester on average * 8 semesters, so that leaves you with 10 elective courses. Also, at Brown, if the concentration that you’re interested in doesn’t exist, you can create your own concentration (it’s called an “Independent Concentration,” see examples here: https://www.brown.edu/academics/college/advising/curricular-resource-center/independent-concentrations/current-independent-concentrators/current-independent-concentrators .)
If you’re confident that Brown is your top choice as I was, I highly recommend you apply ED if ALL of the following are true:
You LOVE Brown and would 110% attend if admitted.
You're extremely confident that you can present a polished, well thought out, and crafted application by the early deadline of November 1st.
You and your family can afford Brown if admitted (run the financial aid calculators if applicable.)
@leftcoastmom3 Unfortunately, the BEO Concentration has been removed for students in my class (2024) and later. I’m not certain of the concentrations/tracks added to existing concentrations that Brown has created to replace them, however, the Brown Bulletin is DEFINITELY a great place to start: it provides you with a quick overview of Brown’s concentrations and their requirements. I also recommend Focal Point, which allows students to filter concentrations by field, interests etc.
Update: Here’s a page from the BEO Departmental website that details the new curricular pathways for students who were interested in concentrating in it.
The first order of business is to get accepted to Brown. With an acceptance rate of under 10% that is no easy task. IMO it is premature to think about majors at any particular college before you get in.
If you like Brown definitely apply and give it your all. But as I tell everyone, don’t get caught with one hyper-competitive dream school. Please spend the time and energy to research match and safety schools that appear affordable (run net price calculators) and that you would be excited to attend.
And in general if you are unsure of your major I’d suggest you apply to college undecided and once you are there you can take courses in different areas and determine where your interests and aptitudes lie. Many colleges also allow students to create their own major (needs to be approved of course).
I definitely agree with @happy1 's words of wisdom, ONLY apply to Brown ED if you LOVE the school AND you and your family can afford it (financial aid calculators can be found at brown.edu/financialaid .) Regarding concentrations, there is some value to researching majors, as the Brown supplemental essays require you to demonstrate your interest in field (s) and how that will tie into the Open Curriculum.
Definitely apply to a WIDE-RANGE of schools: reaches, matches, and safety schools; at least one of which is affordable, you would be happy to attend, is guaranteed acceptance at (80-90%+ acceptance rate or state automatic admit program in TX, CA etc.) and admits students on a ROLLING ADMISSION basis.
On the topic of creating your own major, Brown does allow students to declare an “Independent Concentration,” pending approval from the College and the support of a faculty member. Examples of some independent concentrations can be found here:
@PikachuRocks15 Sorry for the late reply, but thank you so so much for your inputs! I found your responses super helpful! I successfully applied ED, and am now just hoping for the best!
