Brown University Top Questions

I have been enrolled in 400-person economics lectures, 12-person spanish classes, and many things in between. Any class larger than about 20, larger than can easily facilitate a discussion that involves each student, will also include a weekly section led by either the teacher himself or, in my experience, highly-qualified TAs (often Ph.D. students or other graduate students). I have found that teachers are never satisfied to approach heavily discussed topics in the standard way, but seek new ways to make topics interesting or useful. I have found that my least satisfying class still has loads to offer, and it is more often an issue of my having found a subject that interests me more or less - teachers are, as I've found, unwaveringly qualified and insightful. I have never had any issue getting into a class, even as a freshman, or finding ways to speak one-on-one with my teachers. Even the teachers I've had in the largest classes make an effort to personally know as many students as possible, and have been extremely personable and excited to help in office hours. It is also a common occurrence for a teacher to extend a certain conversation outside traditional class hours, either meeting for coffee or inviting a student over to their house.

In many instances, professors will know students names. In the rare likelihood that they do not, many professors will know a student's name upon introduction. With the open curriculum, students are often only in classes that they want to be in, so there is a lot of participation in every class. Some of my favorite classes taken have been in the public health department, also my concentration. The professors really get to know the students and there is so much conversation that students almost feel like they are teaching the course.

Academics at Brown are challenging and fast-paced. Every class is relevant, and students must be responsible about attending class and doing assignments to succeed. There are serious discrepancies between the Humanities and Science course grading policies. The Humanities at Brown have much greater grade inflation, where the sciences do not curve, but generally are more competitive. Professors are easily contacted at Brown, as the school focuses largely on its undergraduates. Professors always give students opportunities to meet with them by appointment and during their office hours, and generally do a good job responding to their emails. Class participation in large lecture classes is less common, but there are a very large amount of small seminars for students offered in every department, and discussion is strongly encouraged in those courses. I am currently pursuing a degree in Biology, and the department has been very supportive of me.

Academics are stellar at Brown. Students in the sciences tend to have larger class sizes, especially at the intro level of classes (Chem, Econ, and Bio have huge intro classes), but they quickly get smaller until many senior-level classes are seminars, even in these concentrations. Students often study in groups, and the libraries have rooms you can reserve with white boards and good lighting for studying with friends at any hour of the day.

Although the professors vary in terms of teaching ability, I have not had one professor who wasn't, well, nice. So far, all have been very easy to reach out during office hours and were friendly. Some departments have notoriously bad professors (math) in the lower level classes. Thankfully, Brown offers free group and one-on-one tutoring services for popular classes like intro chem or intro math. My experience with professors have generally been quite positive. I credit this to shopping period and the Critical Review (which is like a ratemyprofessor for Brown) which has enabled me to pick classes with professors I like.

Introductory classes can be large, and professors vary in their willingness of see you in office hours. But most professors are excellent in answering your questions. If you don't get to know at least one professor well during your time at Brown, that's your own fault. The professors are receptive, and many undergrads do research with professors as we don't have as many graduate students as other schools. Class participation is heavy in seminars and smaller classes. If you have a dynamic professor in a large class, there can be participation. But usually the class participation is much lower in the large lecture classes. The New Curriculum means that you will have to design your own education, so advising would be essential. I would suggest you talk to upperclassmen in the first few weeks just to get an idea of the classes at Brown that students take/good professors. The faculty advisor won't necessarily know that, they're more for concentration advising and thinking about your future.

I took a lot of classes in the Psychology and Neuroscience departments. Both were top-notch.

This may be one of Brown's strongest offerings. Professors are world-renown--and accessible! Very few classes are run by teaching assistants. Many professors will get to know you personally. You can take nearly any class you want! Getting around pre-requisites is really not as hard as it sounds. There are so many "must-take" classes that you're only really limited by your own time. If what you're interested in isn't offered, start up your own class, or your own major for that matter. Students are not competitive, only hard working.

I'm a pre-med student at Brown, so I started off my freshman year taking lots of big lecture classes towards my pre-med reqs and for my major. While I enjoyed big lecture classes because I wasn't usually one to ask questions in class and therefore, didn't feel pressured to initiate any conversation, the downside is that the professors don't know your name, unless you go to him or her for outside help during office hours. I never really did that, until second semester for my Cell & Molecular Bio and Neurobio courses. However, classes do become smaller once you get into the higher level classes. Because Brown doesn't have any academic requirements (besides the ones towards your track / concentration), you're really free to explore. I really have a penchant for literature so second semester I took a Romantic Lit class and read King Arthur, Sir Gawain, and Chaucer, which I really did enjoy. You're free to audit classes as well, and last semseter I audited City Politics with Morone (so good-- totally recommended!) Students I found are generally not so much competitive amongst each other, but with themselves. Everyone is constantly striving to do their best, and seeing others aruond you being so motivated, you naturally want to be more motivated as well.

Very challenging, but can be negotiated quite easily with a bit of thinking. It really is what you make it. Professors and advisers are accessible and students are not super competitive. Intellectualism is rampant...sometimes annoyingly so.

Brown is designed for people who love to learn and want to guide their own education. It's famous for having an "open curriculum," meaning there are no core or distribution requirements. This doesn't mean students just take whatever they think is easiest -- but it does mean you will never find yourself in a class surrounded by people who don't want to be there. Interested and engaged students foster deeper, more involved discussions and, in my opinion, an overall more fulfilling academic experience. (And I took a class at BU that most of the students were using to fulfill a requirement, so i have some experience with the different atmospheres.) Learning for its own sake -- not getting a job.

INCREDIBLE classes in politics (I recommend Wendy Schiller and Roger Cobb)! Great history and spanish classes as well, and, form what I hear, unbelievably thorough science and engineering programs. Mostly work with professors, not TAs, even as freshmen.

Professors are very good so far, love having the open curriculum which I feel could be stressful if you don't have a good advisor (I did but knew many who didn't), class participation common in smaller classes, larger ones tend to have section once a week which is helpful and allows for more interaction, students are competitive with selves but not really others which creates a pretty relaxed atmosphere, pass/fail is great and really stresses Brown's desire to have students take a wide ranger of classes even things out of their comfort zone, education probably geared towards knowledge. Favorite class so far ES41 with Kurt Teichert, great professor, about 60 kids, knew all our names, very relaxed atmosphere, interesting reading, a lot of papers and big final project but definitely learn a lot, section once a week was nice too.

Classes at Brown are challenging, but my no means overwhelming. Professor's are very understanding in terms of workloads and reading. The open curriculum means that students only have to take classes that interest them. The pass/fail option gives the opportunity to take classes that interest you without out the burden on the student's transcripts.

Of course there are classes that are better than others and teachers that are better than others. There are big classes and there are small classes. What's amazing about the academics here at Brown is that the students play such an active role in their education. They choose their courses and so its evident that they want to be learning, not for a job, but for the sake of knowling. To be in class with such motivated people, such interesting people, is a gift. It's what one pays so much for. To me, though, its priceless

Favorite Classes: The Social History of Early Modern Japan wit the guy who did the research and wrote the book. Art and Engagement with a preeminent Woodblock Print Scholar -- we went on a silent Zen Meditation Retreat. Students work a lot but its very non-competitive - nobody talks about grades (almost) and study parties are the norm. How much time you spend with profs is hugely dependent on you and on the specific professor. Don't come here if you're not ready to be adventurous and careful in setting your own course -- the advising sucks, so take the bull by the horns.

Being an Ivy League college, Brown's academics are one of the highest in the country. Although there's always a boring class or an "uninteresting topic" everywhere, Brown does have a lot of popular professors. The neuroscience professors, in particular, I've learned, have been really popular amongst their students, as is a political science teacher for City Politics and an economics professor (who is blind, but, I hear, quite effective and funny!). Students are always very active in class and are rarely afraid to ask questions or make funny remarks or interesting statements. In the larger classes, it's difficult for teachers to really form a relationship with their students, but in smaller classes, that rarely exists. Students are not competitive in the sense that they try to outdo each other. It's hard to get in, and getting in is obviously an accomplishment - no easy feat. Students understand that and respect each other. Brown has NO core curriculum, which it emphasizes by letting its student body choose the classes and follow the interests that one wants to pursue. Academic requirements all differ across the array of concentrations, but most are possible if starting in the second or even third year, giving you a chance to explore your interests and try out new things the first year or so. It's a liberating feeling!

The open curriculum is FANTASTIC. I have felt no pressure to take any classes that didn't interest me. All of my professors in my smaller courses (20 students or fewer) have known my name. In my lecture courses, the TAs will often get to know the students, depending on if sections are discussion-based or simply times to hand in homework. Students study hard during the day (often on weekends, too), but at night the campus comes alive with shows, concerts, lectures, and parties.

All but two of my professors knew my first name - one of my favorite professor's actually knows my middle and last name even... it's easy to become close to your professors if you go up and talk to them after class or during office hours. And for the classes that are relatively large, if your professor doesn't know your name, your TA definitely will. Students study - students at Brown want to learn and so the majority usually tries to get all their work done, or at the least they study from time to time. It's easy to balance work and fun, and professors definitely understand how busy students are. Sometimes workloads can be manic - so it's either ALOT of work or ALOT of fun and partying. Work definitely comes in waves: some weeks I feel like I have so much work to do and others I feel so relaxed and can just chill. Students are more helpful than they are competitive - sure, everyone wants to do well, but everyone also wants their peers to do well. So, classmates often study together or help each other - whether someone needs tutoring, wants their paper edited, needs missed lecture notes - students are willing to help each other out. Although the curriculum is flexible, it requires students to be self-motivated and organized. First year academic advising is very helpful - my advisor gave me great tips when picking classes and strategies for shopping period. For example, before committing to classes, it's important to compare your potential classes' syllabuses to make sure you won't have 2 exams and 2 papers due on the same day. I'm plan on majoring in Education and am part of Professor Li's research team, so I am in the education department often. All the professors in the department are extremely friendly and helpful to students. They love when students come by to visit - to study in the student room, for office hours, or even just to chat. It's a great department and I'm glad to be apart of it.

Classes range from all sizes - from 500+ person lectures to 5 people sitting in a circle. Obviously, its hard to get to know a professor in a big class if you don't go to office hours, but I've have a professor from a 120-person class remember me simply from the questions I asked in class. Brown students are generally not competitve. People share notes, give advice, and honestly help each other out on essays, even if they're writing the same one. Academics are challenging and inspiring, but chill. I realize now that there is hardly any cheating at Brown, something everyone used to do in my high school, even in AP classes. I think its the very lack of pressure that reduces the incentive for people to cheat. In most classes I've taken its easy to get a B and challenging to get an A. You can take however many classes you want as pass/fail, but I dont know anyone who takes more than one pass/fail per semester, and I've never met anyone to audit a class. I know this might sound strange, but at Brown students have the hardest time choosing classes, simply because there are SO many good ones. The school reccomends we take 4 classes per semseter and allows us to take up to 5, and while taking 5 classes is a serious workload, people take that many because there aren't enough semesters in 4 years to take all the good classes. Such a problem. Best class? Global Security After the Cold War with Minh Luong