<p>This is a pretty simple question. I’d bet that 90% of “why Brown?” essays focus on a few things – the freedom of curriculum, the pass / fail system, etc. – with probably some mundane language to describe them. Like: “Brown lets me explore my interests.” And so on.</p>
<p>My problem is: these perhaps cliche things are what drew me to Brown from the get-go. So would it kill my application to talk about them? How much of the success of an essay like this comes down to topic, and how much of it lies in the voice / personality / originality of the writing?</p>
<p>I was going to use something specific, personal… But I knew that I couldn’t express it all within 1000 characters.
So my 2 reasons stated for why brown: you stated them ! lol (pnp and oc)</p>
<p>Photographer, you’ve read my mind…
Of course, we wanna stand out. But I feel like I’m being dishonest if I don’t mention the Open Curriculum. I mean, that <em>is</em> a huge reason why I want to go there.</p>
<p>Same here. The freedom to mature on my own and choose my own path and the pass/fail are so amazing…tbh Brown is so unique in those ways that I feel like those are the two qualities that attract me the most with PLME being a bonus.</p>
<p>Photographer, I am a recent 2015 admit and I can say with 100% honesty that my thought process was the SAME as yours. Talking about open curriculum, pass-fail, and blah blah blah are all things Brown ALREADY knows draws people in. IMO, they want to hear about more than that - go personal.</p>
<p>My “Why Brown” essay was EXTREMELY personal and went far beyond the things that Brown already knows it has to offer. Simply put, my Why Brown essay was about me. It’s the only thing I can say that I was really selfish in. And I think that’s the mindset you should take with it.</p>
<p>maybe thinking of it this way might help: talk about why those characteristics that you have learned about Brown match you and your learning style/personality/approach to life, etc. Get as specific as possible-- tell how you can imagine that your passion for learning be realized at Brown; or how you are excited about the prospect of being around other bright, curious kids; or how you have always wanted to take classes that piqued your interest vs what checked the right boxes for graduation, etc.</p>
<p>I second what carman said. I was very personal as well. I am also a recent admit. Maybe mention it, but apply the open curriculum to yourself in some unique way. And then do more. Good luck!</p>
<p>Yes, I think that 90% of Why Brown essays talk about the open curriculum and diversity and strong academics. </p>
<p>So if you write a really strong essay that is very personal and shows that you did some thorough research about the university, then your essay will stand out. It will be memorable. And isn’t that what you want?</p>
<p>For example – let’s say you want to major in engineering. Go to the Brown website and read all about the program, including going onto the pages for the faculty. Search the Brown Daily Herald for stories about the engineering program. You’ll discover that every year Brown engineering students build a race car from scratch. Maybe that’s something you’ve always wanted to do – maybe you’re a car fanatic, or you’ve done soap box derbies. Connect your interests/talents to something special that Brown has to offer – and now you’ve written a compelling, unique essay.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The Open Curriculum (with the associated grading system, etc.) is the best thing about Brown, hands down. It is my sincere hope that the admissions office doesn’t see essays about it as ‘tired’ or ‘boring’. If an applicant isn’t excited about the curriculum at Brown, they simply shouldn’t be admitted.</p></li>
<li><p>If you’re gonna write about Brown, use Brown terminology. Some of it’s is admittedly stupid and not even used by current students, but you’d probably still be advised to use as much Brown-specific terminology as you can to demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about. It’s concentration, not major; S/NC, not P/F; First Year, not Freshman; the New Curriculum, not Open Curriculum, when referring to Brown’s incarnation of an open curriculum; etc. Take your cues from Brown websites and the BDH.</p></li>
<li><p>Notwithstanding #1, try to find some stuff that’s a little off the beaten path. Learn about a cool organization on campus. Learn a little bit about the history of the curriculum. Go look up the Critical Review, which I think is one of the least appreciated but greatest complements to the curriculum. Infuse into your essay something that other people just haven’t found out about.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My test scores and ecs were weak [lowest of i’ve seen among others], decent grades…
so I essentially had to rely on my essays [and recs].
I couldn’t write about my experiences at brown cause i didnt have enough room.
I talked about the overmentioned things, but I presented myself in ‘why i am perfect for brown.’</p>
<p>I think most colleges use the “why this school?” question to get a sense for your level of investigation into the institution. Consequently you probably want to emphasize aspects of the college that are specific to that school and avoid talking about general positive qualities (i.e “the amazing educational program”, the “awesome facilities”, etc.) the that could easily be applied to other institutions.</p>
<p>If 30,000 people all explain what they like about Brown then it’s pretty much unavoidable that there will be overlap in people’s responses. So I would not try to think of a way to make the response to this question stand out. I would try to make the response personal to myself and specific to the school…and leave it at that.</p>
<p>For the why Brown essay, I focused on one specific program that I really liked at Brown that related very closely to my intended major and current extracurriculars that I am involved in. It wasn’t really a popular program either so it showed that I really researched Brown. I also briefly talked about a few of the more general things that attracted me to Brown like the open curriculum and the traditions…haha, I ended it with the Naked Doughnut Run.</p>
<p>Don’t forget, the “Why Brown” essay is not the place they expect you to shine. Be truthful and honest, and let the rest of your application make you stand out.</p>
<p>I’m a recent admit as well, and for my essay I described how the two visits I made to the school basically sold it for me, the diversity of the students, and why I was the perfect student for the college. They basically want you to suck up to them while at the same time expressing what YOU will bring to the university.</p>
<p>Certainly, it makes sense to mention the New Curriculum and S/NC, but don’t center your essay around it. There are other schools with similar curriculums and education ideology–why, out of the schools with open curriculums and the opportunity to take classes P/F, do you want to go to Brown. Your answer will need to extend beyond the style of the curriculum to adequatley answer that question.</p>
<p>“Certainly, it makes sense to mention the New Curriculum and S/NC, but don’t center your essay around it.”</p>
<p>If you’re really interested in Brown for the curriculum, and that’s what makes you passionate about the place, then ignore the advice above. There are no schools that are direct peers of Brown’s (same size/prestige/etc.) with open curricula, and there fewer than ten colleges in the country with true open curricula.</p>
<p>I pretty much centered my essay around open curric [and s/nc]… even though i had more specific and different reasons [from what many people say] to go to brown.</p>
<p>I’ll admit, I centered my essay around the open curriculum in my year: and when asking people who applied last year, the people I knew who were accepted did mostly the same thing. Why? Because it’s not that tough to explain why the open curriculum is the best thing ever, and how you’d take advantage of it and such.</p>