<p>Because my blog ( <a href=“http://www.justpetehere.com%5B/url%5D”>http://www.justpetehere.com</a> ) has been mentioned three times now in Brown publications, I randomly get some e-mails from alums. Here are some tips that one '01 alum sent me.</p>
<p>-Get to know ALL the folks in your freshman unit. After your freshman year, you’ll spend most of your time with a small group of friends (largely b/c of the housing rules at Brown), so this is one of the last chances you’ll have to drag a wide friendship net.</p>
<p>-If you know you want to major in psych, get as many psych requirements as you can out of the way early (especially chemistry). There’s nothing worse than seeing a senior worried about graduating b/c they still have 4 classes left to take in the spring. (Applies for any major)</p>
<p>-Register and start taking 5 classes every semester, then drop the least interesting one after a month or so. You only need 4 a semester to graduate, and some classes start out well, but lose their luster after a couple weeks (Geo 5 did this for me).</p>
<p>-Take Engineering 9 (management, taught by Hazeltine, the best professor at Brown. Brown’s teaching award is literally named after him) and Philosophy 54 (logic) your freshman year. You’ll be happy about these decisions the rest of your life. They will help you in your other classes. They are also both pretty easy, so they compliment an otherwise rigorous schedule.</p>
<p>-Don’t graduate without taking at least one economics course (Econ 11), but I’d recommend both Econ 11 and Econ 71 (accounting). It’s very embarrassing, after college, to lose a political debate b/c someone stops you while you’re discussing tax policy and asks you if you every studied ANY economics and you have to say “No”. </p>
<p>-Take a look at Greek life. The kind of student Brown attracts tends to lack interest in fraternities, but it can be a great experience. I lived in Thete, the football house, and loved it, but living with meat-heads isn’t for everyone. There’s lot of other kinds of houses, and if you rush with a bunch of your buddies from your freshman unit you have nothing to lose.</p>
<p>-4 of the other classes that fall into the category of “everyone says you have to take” (translation = "take pass/fail if you have to but don’t miss) are:
-UC 11 (Hard Choices) [Used to be taught by a guy named Beiser, but I don’t think he teaches it anymore. The class was incredible, but impossible to get into. Only open to freshman, with a brutal lottery if you weren’t a PLME. Beiser used 100% Socratic method. Amazing]
-PS 11 (Political Thought) [Used to be taught by Tomasi, who was a gifted lecturer.
-HI 52 (American History since 1877) Prof. Chudacoff has a handful of lectures that were famous. Other professors would show up to hear his “Baseball and Birthdays” lecture.
-HA 85 (Modern Achritecture) I actually missed numerous attempts to work this into my schedule, but always heard great things about it. Students said it changed the way you view the world around you.</p>