The Yearly: Brown student taking questions thread

<p>Rabo, I stand corrected. I am having my first class in Wilson this semester and I've never brought my laptop there so I didn't know that was an issue. Technically, I don't think Sayles has wireless but you easily pick it up from Salomon.</p>

<p>would you say if I get accepted to brown, that a laptop is necessary, or a desktop will do fine?</p>

<p>I have both and really only use my laptop for when I go home or work in the library. It depends on who you are. Do you live close? Do you need the computing power advantages a desktop provides? Are you likely to bring a laptop to class versus taking notes by hand?</p>

<p>As a science student, not having a tablet capable laptop makes a big difference in terms of what I'm able to take down if I use my laptop...</p>

<p>I live fairly close to home. I live in connecticut, so transporting desktop will not be a problem. Plus I will be a statistics/econ student, so I dont think laptop will be too much of a use to me. Plus I am a heavy computer user and will prefer the powerful advantage of a computer.</p>

<p>Then by all means go for it. Like I said, I use a desktop primarily at school and wouldn't have it any other way.</p>

<p>What's Brown's queer community like, especially for girls? The Princeton Review says it's pretty segregated, but I'm not sure if that information is recent or accurate. Do people date, or just hook up? Is it a very activist community overall? (I know that there are tons of threads about glbt students at Brown, but they're mostly focused toward guys.)</p>

<p>Also, do vegans starve to death, or are there a lot of vegetarian/vegan food options (however crappy)?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance! :)</p>

<p>hey there.</p>

<p>i'm a queer student (male), so i figured id help out and answer the question. the queer community is really large and varied at brown, just like the student body as a whole. in general, the female queer community is not as "loud" as the male community, that seems to be changing especially with the class of 2010. i definitely think the community is activist, as there are numerous groups on campus that deal with queer activism (all under the umbrella organization of the queer alliance).</p>

<p>also, there's an entirely vegetarian line (one of four) in the ratty, and a late-night eatery that's entirely vegetarian open until midnight (the ivy room, which has bomb falafels!).</p>

<p>come to brown!!</p>

<p>How on earth does one manage to pay for this school?</p>

<p>the financial aid office is known to adjust packages substantially, especially if compared to other ivies...</p>

<p>Can you change your major once you get there? (Not changing between AB and ScB) I want to choose a different major from what I put down on my application originally.</p>

<p>how are internationals veiwed in the scene?</p>

<p>babybogus-- no one cares what you put on your app, AB or ScB. You don't have to do any kind of declaring until you register for classes for the first semester of Junior year (aka, April of sophomore year) when you fill out a short two page form declaring your concentration and meet with a concentration advisor to sign off on that form. After that point you can still change as many times as you want to whatever you want up until the end of your 7th semester at Brown by simply refiling hte same form.</p>

<p>Concentration filing and changing is a breeze and not a big deal. We don't have separate colleges, we don't have a lot of restrictions. You can do whatever you want to do provided you think you can complete the course requirements by the time you graduate.</p>

<p>I have a question guys. I am planning on going to med school. How does the pass-fail system works? Are there any courses that give letter grades, etc for a GPA? Thanks</p>

<p>Technically, Brown doesn't calculate GPA. Some classes are mandatory pass/fail, but those are usually the intro level classes or subjective performance type classes (like creative writing or orchestra). Any class that is not designated mandatory S/NC (the vast majority) you can take for a grade. The grades at Brown are A/B/C/NC. There are no +/-, and there are no D's. Most of the premeds I know take nearly all their classes for a grade. The ones they take S/NC are usually the ones outside of premed/major requirements. Brown has a very good acceptance rate to med schools.</p>

<p>^^^ Thanks. I was also reading that Brown has one of the highest percentages of students getting into their first choice med school while compared to the other ivies. Another reason why I want to go there!</p>

<p>With regard to students helping each other, I would say most do. A lot of classes are graded on what I call a capped curve (i.e. the A/B cutoff is set at the beginning of the year and can only go down.) In fact, Orgo is the only class I've taken where I think in theory if the class average was higher, your grade would get lowered. Even still, most people studied for tests in small groups anyway. It's also a great way to make friends.</p>

<p>i heard Brown has a 100% acceptance rate to business schools is this true?</p>

<p>the top ones that is</p>

<p>If you happen to know..
How is the goth/metal scene at Brown? Are there any metalheads on campus, or bars in Providence for such people?
How easily would one get his hands on pot? (w/o knowing anyone there beforehand) :-"
Is there any place I could play my electric guitar? (someplace already equipped with amps, loudspeakers, etc..not asking for thousand watt Marshalls, but hey anything's better than playing on headphones)</p>

<p>Simple question: what are the bandwidth limitations of Brown's network (as in, is there a monthly limit, are the speeds throttled, etc?)</p>