Undergraduate Attention

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
1

<p>First off, I’ll admit I haven’t read that much about how Brown works–I haven’t even visited for that matter–which is why I’m asking you all this.</p>

<p>I got into Williams as an early write a couple weeks ago. I really like Williams academically–the undergraduate focus, the attention from professors, the small classes, etc.–but I’m extremely unsure about the location. I’m more into a sort of artsy, bohemian scene as you would find in Providence and Brown as opposed to the jocky, outdoorsy scene found at Williams. I just don’t know about Brown academically. </p>

<p>How small are classes? How much attention can undergraduates get from professors? Are there too many TAs? Any information would be helpful. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>It really depends on what you're studying. TA's will be more involved in science/math classes, as well as lower level languages. (In languages though, they're often native speakers.) After one and a half semesters, I feel like I'm on good terms with 5 or 6 professors, so I got a lot of faculty interraction, but I'm in humanities.</p>

3

<p>For what it's worth:</p>

<p>Williams is a small liberal arts college, and Brown is a big one and that says a lot right there.</p>

<p>At Williams, I assume you'll find a slightly more nurturing environment, perhaps with a bit more handholding, and I'm certain the jock atmosphere is a powerful force on campus.</p>

<p>But I'm not sure that you're being fair to Brown by assuming it's a "bohemian scene." Part of the nice thing about being at slightly larger school is that if you want to avoid the athletes, you can. But, if you want to avoid the pothead bohemians, you can do that too. It's a mix of all kinds of people (you can even find hardcore religious conservatives at Brown—which most wouldn't expect). </p>

<p>As per academics at Brown, I know they have a semi-tutorial system at Whitman (they make a big deal out of it, but let's get real, Oxbridge came up with the idea in the first place) but at Brown, as you may have expected, there is a mix of class sizes/professor styles/number of TAs. However, the beauty of Brown is that you have no required classes. You could go through your entire undergraduate and take all small classes or all giant lecture classes, it's entirely up to you.</p>

<p>As per professor availability—I can't imagine professors being more available then I've found them at Brown. True, they don't seek you out (which they may at Whitman), but if you make even the slightest effort, they're extremely approachable and excited about teaching. Very few classes (I've found, but beware I'm not a math/science student) are taught by TAs.</p>

<p>You've obviously done well in highschool that you are considering both, and so congratulations, I'm sure you would do well at either.</p>

<p>In my college selection process, I also considered Williams, but was quickly turned away by one issue that's small or a nonissue for many other people. When they showed us the William's "tape" including different pictures of people around campus, I noticed that people were divided into different racial groups. The video even made a point to show how one black girl was working with a white professor on her senior thesis, and they showed pictures of this white professor with the girl's friends and the girl with the professor's. The pictures were either an all black room with the one white professor or an all white room with the one black girl—I was stunned. Now, I'm far from calling Williams racist, because it isn't, and some people don't think segregation is a bad thing, but I grew up in a mixed environment, and found that Brown, where most people mix regardless of race/gender/sexual orientation/what have you, fit me best.</p>

<p>And, that's all I have to say. At either one you'll end up with a great education and a degree from one of the top schools in the nation.</p>

<p>Oh ya, and Brown's mascot is a bear, and William's is a purple cow. Bear > Cow anyday.</p>

4

<p>Did you somehow switch Williams to Whitman twice in the middle of that? Or were you referring to some other place?</p>

5

<p>First, let me add my congrats! Williams has a lot of strong points recommending it and you should be very deliberate in your decision-making if it comes down to Williams v. Brown .</p>

<p>With that said, This semester alone at Brown I have two independent studies which are one-on-one with faculty and represent topics which I am interested in. Brown also has a quite tolerant independent concentration program with majors as varied as Western Esoteric Studies to the History of Science. These are not statistics, but they are not invaluable experiences either.</p>

<p>I've had a professor serve as a TA on alternating weeks with a grad student. I would be careful to worry about TA's too much. A class I'll forever remember was taught by an awesome graduate student (~10 students). </p>

<p>One or two professors fly from the southeast or New York on a weekly basis for their classes and yet they find time to hold office hours.</p>

<p>In short, they won't come for you but if you come for them most are tremendously decent and truly helpful people </p>

<p>Best of Luck</p>

6

<p>Just to add to the insightful comments above-- </p>

<p>You DO get a nice 'bohemian' bump from RISD. Among my closest friends from Brown days there are quite a few RISD grads. Also, Providence has a reasonably healthy arts community because many RISD grads stay on after graduating.</p>

7

<p>I'm in the exact same boat as commandeconomy.</p>

<p>Since Brown is huge--what is the community like? {i]Is* there a really great sense of community? I don't mind seeing new faces everyday, but with a larger school, you get more detachment (usually).</p>

8

<p>Yeah, I want to hear about Brown vs. Amherst (and Williams).</p>

9

<p>Brown is NOT huge. </p>

<p>It is a great size-- small enough to be intimate, but large enough that you will continue to meet new people in your class through all four years. Small enough to get personal attention, large enough to offer a wide variety of available classes, even in odd academic niches.</p>

<p>Depending upon your patterns-- where you like to study, and when; where your classes meet, what time you eat lunch, when you work out, etc-- you will quickly see lots of familiar faces who have the same general patterns. Virtually every time you walk across The Green after the first two weeks on campus you will run into someone you know. This snowballs, and soon you feel very at home.</p>

<p>You will become particularly intimate with a sub-group of people, but can always branch out and find new sub groups. So the main "negative" of a small LAC, the "fishbowl" aspect, is not a problem.</p>

<p>In fact, I remember thinking that I knew 'everyone,' by graduation, only to be surprised by many brand-new faces wearing mortarboards.</p>

<p>Besides Brown's size being a happy medium, the city location makes Brown very different from Williams and Amherst. Options for leisure time, internships, & access to public transportation are all very good.</p>

10

<p>I love Amherst (the town) AND Providence, but I have to admit that Williamstown was incredibly beautiful.</p>

<p>I'm trying not to get my heart set on Brown until I hear back from them.</p>

11

<p>Good to keep an open mind.... All are great schools. If I had attended Amherst I'd probably be here praising Amherst! ;)</p>

12

<p>5,700 undergrads is not huge; cornell has 13000 and berkeley has 24,000, those are some big schools</p>

<p>a big ditto to SBmom's post</p>

13

<p>lol, i totally flipped williams/whitman... sorry, i was talking to my friend from whitman online when i wrote that. it's all about williams btw.</p>

14

<p>When you talk about community and detachment, could you narrow down what you mean some?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

15

<p>cypris</p>

<p>one interesting point you made was that Brown feels reasonably well integrated to you-- I am glad to hear that... because 25 years ago, the school was not quite as integrated as I would have wanted. The "Third World" activities pre-freshman year led to all-black social groups that were up an running when the rest of us arrived, and these groups stuck together... </p>

<p>I did not have very many black friends (expept wealthy elite black kids who had gone to prep schools) until my sophomore year, when I had a boyfriend who played basketball and who had many black friends from the team... then, suddenly, the black world of Brown opened up to me. </p>

<p>It was much more the experience that I had been hoping for, in terms of integration, but I do not think all social groups were as mixed as that particular group was. Is it still sort of a group-by-group thing, or would you say the integration is better now in general?</p>

16

<p>I definitely feel that there are groups of different ethnicities...perhaps owing to the many cultural organizations where lots of freshmen meet friends upon arriving on campus. However, I don't find that they're particularly exclusive (although maybe it's just because I am, according to the bi/multiracial group on campus, ethnically and physically ambiguous...don't even get me started on that...)</p>

17

<p>Yes, agreed, the groups weren't exclusive back then either, but it was a matter of finding a 'point of entry.'</p>