<p>It can be done but you do have to put in a petition and get approval by the deans. It's not that easy to do, they actually have rigorous requirements essentially they look for before they approve you-- you must have taken what they consider to be a wide range of courses that have demonstrated a commitment to liberal arts education, etc. That one I mentioned tends to be the one that trips people up-- you can't take only courses in your major and then expect to go on to get your MA without diversifying your course load.</p>
<p>But it can be done.</p>
<p>FWIW, you can register for as many graduate level courses you want anyway in most departments.</p>
<p>hmm...
sounds like you have to really plan for it and even then the school doesn't really want you to do it..</p>
<p>any idea how many kids apply for it and how many end up getting approved?</p>
<p>I don't think we track those kinds of numbers.</p>
<p>If you want to suddenly move on to earn the MA you have to really prove that you've already accomplished all of the goals that the BA seeks to accomplish. It's rigorous because there is massive potential for abuse especially with the open curriculum which people occasionally read as the ok to avoid subjects. The point is not to encourage abuse of the system so that you've not actually sought out an education, rather, you've become a specialist and would be seeking only to increase that specialization. When that's the case, it's rather important to make sure that extra year working on a BA is not one sorely needed to complete/round out your education which had been too focused up until that point.</p>
<p>FWIW, I personally know one person who did it/is doing it and one person who was rejected.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure that this was asked, and I'm pretty sure that I can find it with a little searching, but I'll ask anyway. How easy/difficult is it to make one's own concentration? What do we have to do? Who do we have to go to? How common is it? (I recall having to write a mission statement I think) How in-depth does that have to be? Same goes with those classes/clubs kids can make for themselves. How often is it done?</p>
<p>Independent concentrations are more rare in recent years with numbers typically being less than 10 per class. We're trying to make the administrative aspect easier but you have to be approved by the CCC (which I will be serving on next year). You have to list the courses you're going to use and how they form a comprehensive, pedagogically sound concentration that is clearly not covered by the existing 100 concentrations. It requires significant work and thought on your part to prove that you have adequately differentiated yourself from existing opportunities and have met all of the qualifications of any other concentration.</p>
<p>As for coming up with your own classes that's far more common but the process is similar-- you have to create an entire syllabus, have a faculty member who's sponsoring you, etc. The syllabus has to include the exact reading and assignments you're going to do, etc. FWIW, most people just sign up for already established independent study courses that are on the books in all concentrations. The difference is those courses will come up as Independent Study on your transcript as opposed with with your formal class title. IS classes tend to require significantly less foresight and has 0 administrative burden, but the work load is about the same anyway compared to a CCC approved GISP or ISP.</p>
<p>To read more:
Resource</a> Center: Home</p>
<p>I don't want to spend 4,000 dollars for the meal plan. I think this is just ridiculous, even the 7 meal plan thing seems ridiculous (~$3,000). ****, this better be top-quality-iron-chef-food-network-challenge-finger-licking-good food. I was wondering if a current student could advise me on what the most flexible plan is. I don't eat much, and sometimes I fast (long story). Usually I can run all day on a fiber bar and a bottle of water, with a light dinner at night. Breakfast is good, but I'm not much of a cereal person (unless it is sugar free/nice fiber %). Any advice or knowledge?</p>
<p>Well besides the fact that your diet sounds completely unhealthy the only way to make the meal plan make economic sense is to buy more of it-- the less you buy the more you're paying for mediocre food.</p>
<p>The truth is our food fees are very middle of the road as is our food.</p>
<p>My D just finished her first year and she loved the food. She may have been a minority of one! But she really did. She found a good variety of hot food and salad bar fixings and enjoyed the food. Of course, nothing compares to home cooking :) and it was not, sigh, Iron Chef/Food Network. But she was very happy. We took the Flex 460 plan, because it seemed the most flexible and although she was left with some meals at the end of the year, she will do the same next year. Check out the meals plans on Brown's Dining Services web site.</p>
<p>Ok well then I will think about this, money is very important for my family and I am trying to cut corners here and there. Food is something I can easily sacrifice. That's good Franglish, I am glad your D enjoyed BDS, and I kind of forgot that you could also make salads and etc. (healthy things). I ate at the Refectory during ADOCH/TWW and I went to the "VDub," I thought the food was ok, but I can see myself eventually hating it. </p>
<p>One final question: Let us say I went to eat at Jo's would that be on meal point or 5.55 Flex points?</p>
<p>A meal credit not used during the day converts to some amount of buying power at Jo's. You can ask them to swipe up to two credits of that buying amount at a time and any overflow is points.</p>
<p>If you're not on the flex plan and already used your meal credits for the day, then you can only use flex points at Jos.</p>
<p>How hard is it, really? I mean obviously it's a great school. But like, around how many hours a day is it necessary to work outside of class (especially for science majors)? If you made a chart of your free time, what would it look like? (academics, personal health[eating exercising showering sleeping etc.], and free time/ECs/social life - what proportions are these in?) Thanks.</p>
<p>good god what an impossible question. </p>
<ol>
<li>most of us haven't been to other schools and don't have basis for comparison</li>
<li>every person is different</li>
<li>every person's study habits are different</li>
<li>every class is different</li>
</ol>
<p>all i can tell you is that it's hard!</p>
<p>Also, each week or month or semester is different. It depends on the demands of each course load. Again, my D. She said there were times when she felt a little uneasy because she really didn't have much to do, she thought, and she was right. Then, a couple of weeks or days went by, and she was spending a sleepless night reading, writing, or doing her work in the art building. She loved the work though. She said it was totally different from what was "hard" in HS. It was working for herself, and without ulterior motives (getting into college, pleasing parents, whatever). Working hard for herself gave her excellent results and she didn't resent it whatsoever. It was exhilarating for her to stay up all night, even though it was really, really hard. Especially since everyone around her was doing the same thing. There was time to socialize, but maybe not EVERY weekend. It is all in the balance and in the ebb and flow of the semester.</p>
<p>What banks are on campus or around campus? Where do most people have their accounts?</p>
<p>Does Brown ever send us books with courses/description or are we stuck with the less exciting online version? After the order form for longer bed sheets, are we going to receive anything more?</p>
<p>Sungchul, I emailed Brown about receiving a physical course catalog and they said that they would be sending it in the mail soon.</p>
<p>There are a couple of Bank of America ATMs close-- one in the Bookstore on Thayer Street and one in Faunce Hall (which may not exist for a while since it is being renovated). The actual Bank of America is not too far, but not in the immediate vicinity. There is a Signature Bank and a Citizens Bank, both with ATMs.</p>
<p>I would suggest that you NOT purchase the bedding and bathroom package. It is not a very nice set, in my opinion. The sheets are not cotton and they feel harsh. You can get just a twin X-long fitted sheet and use regular flat sheets and blankets. You don't need x-long for everything. Also, bring your own towels or get ones you like. The ones in the package are creepy feeling. At least to me! You will also get an order form for a Micro-Fridge to rent or buy. We did that and even though it was a little expensive, we would do it again. Share with your roommate when you get the name. It is worth the price not to have to move it in or out at the end of the year, and to store it.</p>
<p>It's actually a lot cheaper to buy a fridge and store it over the course of 4 years than to rent every year. You can basically buy one for the cost of renting the nicest fridge every year. And chances are, unless you live close, you'll have stuff to store anyways. </p>
<p>do NOT buy the bed / bath package. ewwww. go to target.</p>
<p>"Signature Bank"</p>
<p>I think you meant Sovereign.</p>
<p>And I second the "don't rent a fridge" idea. I bought one used on campus and the price I paid for storage (not through SpaceStation or the other who make themselves known on campus) included space for it (and my microwave). I only had to move it out to the curb outside of my room.</p>
<p>total cost for 3.- cu ft fridge and microwave was about 80 bucks or a tad more if I remember</p>
<p>Right right right.... Sovereign. Sorry.. and thanks!</p>
<p>hey i'm not sure if this has been asked before, but i'd like to know how popular study abroad is at brown. do a large percent of students study abroad? how difficult is it get into your program of choice? how many times can you study abroad in 8 semesters? does brown have a good selection of programs?</p>