Brown University Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Ashley

They have 27 course requirements in engineering.

Alexander

Brown is an amazing place. I have been so happy here (and when I haven't been for whatever personal reason, Psych Services is really great and generally quite helpful).

Ebony

I wish I had known that Brown had a place for everyone. From the partiers, quiet kids, and every human in the middle, there are friends and activities for everyone!

King

Don't explore too many classes in a semester and make sure to start fulfilling concentration and pre-med reqs.

Laura

I wish I had known not to be nervous about going to an Ivy League school. Some celebrities do go to Brown, but it really isn't a big deal. Students are treated equally, from movie stars and super rich legacys to average joe kids here on scholarship. Personality is way more important than anything else.

Adam

I wish I had had a better sense of Providence as a city. Sometimes I feel like people isolate themselves around the campus area, so I wish that I knew Providence a bit better. If I had possessed that knowledge before coming here, then I would feel like I had a better understanding of where I am in relation to Providence as a whole.

Brian

How amazing it would be, it would have matriculation decisions much easier. Also, how much this school would change me--but in a very positive way.

Sarah

How rich many of the other students were.

Annie

how to dress in cold weather

Matthew

While I do wish that I knew some people already attending the school to ease the transition, there is very little that I wish I had known before I a came to Brown University. I feel that it is important to let college shape you as a person, and to learn as well as mature while at school. I have never felt out of place when I am not versed on an issue or activity, and have had the ability to learn while at school; in general, at Brown, people and organizations are very accepting and welcoming to all people.

Sara

Brown taught me all I needed to know. Any help you need in anything is available. I wish I'd known more about the weather, if anything.

Benjamin

Winters are cold, dark, and long, but fall and spring are gorgeous.

Ryan

I wish that I was more myself from the beginning - it's a very welcoming place and if I 'd realized that sooner I think my time there would have been even better. Also realizing how much of a paradise Brown is compared to the real world!

Lauren

I wish I had known a little more about the workload. The chemistry and neuroscience classes here are some of the best in the country, but they are also the hardest, and I have definitely have to work very hard here.

Tristan

I wish I had known better about off-campus choices.

Anne

Don't rush through it. Take advantage of your professors and read your books. It only hurts you not to.

Justa

That people here are the weirdest fucking group of people that you will ever meet, not in a good way.

John

Take your first two years more seriously, and keep in mind your potential majors. Have fun, but not too much fun. Go to more shows, plays, speeches, parties.

Bryan

How hard it was.

Justin

Openness to other ideas.

Ashley

That it would be hard, crazy, and wonderful.

John

you have to be a self starter and motivated. If you don't know what you want to get out of your education, you will get very little out of it at Brown. Brown is not for the type of student that doesn't like to initiate their own course of study. The Open Curriculum sounds like a great idea, but it is not for everyone.

Hira

How lucky I was for having this opportunity and to savor and make the most of every opportunity.

Kurt

I wish I had known that academic exploration should really be limited to freshman year and that some definite direction is helpful when first enrolling, or at least by the end of one's sophomore year.

Jenny

I wish I had known that Brown wasn't filled with people who were as academically focused as I was. People at Brown often make a show of caring about what they are learning, but actually, many really believe that getting a high-paying career is the only reason for working hard. People like this make the learning experience unenjoyable. They don't participate much in discussions, because ultimately, they don't really care about the subjects. If I had considered some less prestigious schools, I suspect I would have found really intelligent people there who actually cared about learning.

Serin

I wish I had known that pre-medical studies are much more difficult than I had previously thought. If I knad known, I would have applied to Brown University's PLME (Program in Liberal Medical Education) program while I was sitll a senior in high school.

Carlos

I wish i had a better knowledge of how liberal Brown University is.

Yashua

Nothing in particular

kira

i cant think of anything I wish i had known right now...