In terms of size, Brown is just right. The campus is small enough to give you a sense of familiarity, but it is also large enough to meet new people on a daily basis. If I could change anything about Brown, it would be its lack of interaction with the greater Providence community. It's a great college town -- Brown, RISD, and J&W are all pretty close, but Brown quite isolated from them. Venturing downtown from "College Hill", where the university is located, is almost like entering an alternate universe. And visits downtown too often consist of trips to the mall.

Brown education is geared towards acquiring a sense of academic responsibility. Brown boasts an "open curriculum" -- there are no core requirements aside from your major, which gives you a lot of freedom. Students take their classes because they want to -- therefore, class participation is high and interaction between students and professors is rampant. In fact, professors are quite open towards spending time with their students outside of class. Unfortunately, the responsibility that comes with an open curriculum also has its downsides -- many Brown students are downright self-righteous.

Brown's campus is overwhelmingly liberal -- but most students are ok with that, and conservatives are often too scared to complain. The community of students of color and of LGBTQ students on campus is strong and active. Students who identify with these communities are happy to find that cultural/ethnic and LGBT organizations are inclusive, open, and welcoming to incoming students. In terms of class, most Brown students are upper-middle class, and it shows -- Brown girls and guys alike love to dress up for class.

Brown students are believed to be laid-back, weed-smoking, recycling, hummus-eating pseudo-hippies. But they are trendy, and they love to party. Also: a majority of them are gay.

Relative to other schools, there is some truth to them. But the biggest truth about Brown is that it is diverse: ethnically, politically, and just in terms of what a given person will do on a typical Friday night. There is something for everyone -- you just have to get yourself out there and find it. And putting yourself out there is something that Brown students indeed do.