Brown seems like a great fit for me. It truly has everything I want in a school and I have a decent shot at getting in. The problem is, I live in Providence, practically on the Brown campus, and I really want college to be an entirely new experience for me and a time when I change, grow, and venture out of my comfort zone. I am faced with a dilemma that although I really want to apply early there and am not excited about any other schools compared to Brown, the location thing is really killing me. Can anyone please provide thoughts on what he or she would do in this situation? I am pressed for time and do not know what to do. I have looked at many schools and wrote off Brown when I first visited because of location, but it is my favorite school otherwise. Thanks
Unless actually experiencing a different environment (e.g. you were hoping to find a school that is either super urban suburban/rural) is a major part of the statement above. I don’t think being in your hometown is going to limit you unless you let it (or your parents don’t respect boundaries). In other words, is your issue that you think if you stay in Providence that you’ll go home too often or rely on your parents to do things that you should be doing for yourself (e.g. laundry, buying toiletries etc)? Is the issue that you think your parents will want to stop by your dorm room frequently (and in particular, unannounced)? Why do you think being in your hometown will limit your ability to change, grow, and venture outside your comfort zone?
Hopefully you can live on campus and still have that college experience. But yes, your parents will have to respect your boundaries and you will have to resist running home for dinner.
My son has considered going to FAU which is almost walking distance from our house - and living on campus! And FAU certainly isn’t Brown!
I wouldn’t give up on Brown just because it’s in your backyard.
Don’t forget study-abroad opportunities as well.
Years ago, my husband, a Cranston native, attended Brown and fell madly in love with his alma mater. Although the campus is just 10 minutes away from his parents’ home, he and his parents treated it as if he were in another state. By senior year, when he was living off campus on Ives street, he chilled and went home occasionally to do his laundry because his apt had no laundry machines. He no longer felt like he had to prove he could live independently. (For the record, he began doing his own laundry in fifth grade because his mom worked.) After Brown, he went to grad school in the Midwest and then moved to New York. So clearly, going to college in his home state didn’t clip his wings.
Attending Brown is a privilege. It’s was an amazing experience for my husband and an equally thrilling experience for our oldest son, who just graduated. If you think it’s your best fit, don’t let its proximity to your home dissuade you from applying early. You will, with luck, have a long life ahead to explore living in other places. And it could begin as early as junior year abroad, as mentioned in the post above, or even doing a summer internship out of state. Brown students travel far and wide.
Yea, I’d have to agree with the post above. If you love the school, go for it. You’ll have many, many, many opportunities to travel and live in the U.S. and abroad even before you graduate.
I had several friends at Brown who grew up close by - two even with parents who are Brown professors. They all made it work and felt as though they had the best of both worlds - the “away” college experience, but the comforts of home close by if they were needed. I know it was great for one friend to be able to run home occasionally to grab a car if we spontaneously wanted to go to the beach. I think the important thing is to set boundaries with your parents.
Actually, just like Harvard which overadmits from Massachusetts, Brown overadmits from Rhode Island. You should actually see your location as an advantage!
I grew up in Providence and went to Brown. I lived on campus for a couple of years, which was every bit the ‘going away to college’ experience everyone else had, except I knew the city better than most frosh. I left for a bit and then came back and lived at home the last two years, more out of laziness in terms of finding an apt., etc., than anything else. Maybe like other posters, by then I had the ‘college experience’ covered and just fell into what was easiest. However, I had lived in Wash., DC, on my own, for a year, which may have made a difference. College does offer a chance to live somewhere different for four years, and that can be an adventure, but it’s not the biggest reason to pick a college. My daughter goes to Brown, about a half hour from our current home, where she grew up, and loves it there. She had spent considerable time in Providence growing up, but never had any regrets about not going farther away. Just the experience, if you haven’t had it, of being on your own living on a campus will be a big, hopefully exciting/enjoyable change, regardless of where you go. Don’t hold being in Providence against Brown – it’s really a great place to be. Good luck.
I live right next to Stanford, so I’ve been having a similar debate as well. I’ve lived in Palo Alto all my life, and want to experience something outside of the “Palo Alto bubble,” but it’s also such an incredible school, and close to home if I need it…
You are very fortunate to be from Providence since as stated this will improve your admissions chances.
Once you move out and into college, you will be away (ie, have your “own” life). Your new life will be so absorbing I don’t see how it will even matter. Except in good ways! You will be the one to show your freshman classmates around to your favorite local spots. And how convenient to be able to get paperwork, an article of clothing etc when you need it. Your parents would be so lucky! Imagine the hours of driving and the $ they would save on transportation!!
There is plenty of time to live far from home. If you love Brown, then go for it! You are required to live on campus for at least the first couple of years, right? That will give you a college experience different from being at mom and dad’s. You could also do study abroad if you want a change of scenery.
I assume you also have other colleges on your list in case you don’t get into Brown? I would identify the qualities you most like about Brown (size, open curriculum, etc) and see if there are other options that fulfill those criteria as well.
Good luck! My daughter loved it but it’s unlikely to be affordable for us.
I believe there is a ‘commuter’ exception to the mandatory on-campus residence requirement. I think it’s expressed in miles, and a little hard to find on Brown’s site, but is there somewhere. This just excuses the requirement. I would suggest living on campus if at all possible, even if your parents live a block away, as the experience of living away from home is, in my opinion, an important life event best experienced before you graduate from college, not after.
If you like Brown, you should apply, maybe RD. You can decide later. You would be in a good position to do Sophomore year abroad as you will be ready to go somewhere and you can save Brown classes for your upper div work.