Brown has been noted to be the more "liberal Ivy" out of the other higher profile Ivy League schools, and I find that to be true! While there are always people with more conservative leanings, the general consensus tends to revolve around having a liberal outlook. Even with this, both outlooks exist together in harmony, seeing as the vast majority of Brown students tend to be very relaxed and tolerant when it comes to such ideas. Brown is also a nice-sized university in a large town, while paradoxically having a "bubble-like" feel. It becomes very obvious once you leave the bubble of the Brown campus, but having the mall, the train station, and other amenities and pros around you makes it difficult, not that you'd always want to leave! There are a couple other universities in the Providence area, most notably RISD (a high profile art university) which lies RIGHT next door to the Brown campus (in fact, Brown and RISD have cross-registration, where students are able to take some classes irrespective of their universitiy). There's always something to do at Brown - on the weekends, there's always a party one can attend to. On the weekdays, a myriad of lectures and movies screenings, among other activities also take place. One can never truly get bored on the Brown campus!
Although Brown isn't a Harvard or a Princeton (meaning it's not as immediately recognizable), it's still very widely known and even more so respected. After getting accepted there, my favorite reactions have come from doctors (especially!) and even some store clerks. However, there's always that weird reaction once can get, asking you if Brown is in New York City (no! It's in RI!).
Brown's administration is highly praised. If anything, Brown's current president, Ruth Simmons, is an icon! A vast majority of students approve of her decisions and she holds a very high popularity rating. Likewise, her administration are equally loved, but are less heard of than "Ruth" ("That's so Ruth!" is a Brown inside joke).
The most frequent student complaints, however, are probably the student dorms and the cafeteria food. Personally, I'm not a picky person, but others might not particularly find the dorm buildings themselves and the food the greatest thing at Brown. Most students complain about some (not all) of the old buildings, such as Keeney, and some of the more cramped residential halls like Grad Center, but all in all, it's not as bad as they say. The rooms are ample and sufficient, and the facilities are kept clean regularly. It all depends on the people you live with, really. As for the food, don't expect five star ratings. The main cafeteria, the Sharpe Refectory, holds several different lines of food (vegetarian, meat, etc.) and there's a large variety of thing to choose from. The other one, the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall, has more of a specialized meal choice. People complain, but it can get repetitive, boring, and even bland.