Brown University Admission
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The Facts

Brown University is a fairly small Ivy League school located in the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It is home to approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and about 1,900 graduate and part-time students. The school is known for being extremely unorthodox and consequently, there are no core requirements and students are allowed to take any class they wish on a pass/fail basis. Students are expected to create their own educational structure, and it takes a highly driven student who will set high standards for themselves in order to succeed at Brown. The school offers a wide range of majors, many of which are quite unique; some of the most popular choices are within biological and biomedical sciences, international relations and affairs, history, and economics.

Admission to Brown is extremely competitive and selective; last year, over 15,000 students applied for admission and just about 2,500 students were accepted; of those, approximately 1,500 matriculated. The admitted students are an extremely accomplished and intelligent bunch; they had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1290 to an impressive 1500, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 26 to 32. Furthermore, over 87% of those admitted were ranked in the top 10% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.98.

Brown University has a terrific student to faculty ratio of 9:1, and the students get some great one-on-one attention from their professors. However, don't expect to be coddled here; students are expected to hold themselves to very high standards, and are expected to show up to all their classes completely prepared and ready to contribute to the discussions.

The Social Scene

The city of Providence, Rhode Island, is a fantastic place to go to college. There are many other institutions of higher education in the area, so as a result, the city is very welcoming to students. A large amount of entertainment options exist, including cute shops, cafes, bars, clubs, restaurants, concert halls, movie theaters... pretty much everything you would associate with a city is in Providence. The city also has a great and easy public transit system, so cars aren't really necessary.

The school is not a place to come if you are seeking a typical party-heavy collegiate experience; only about 2% of the student population belongs to a fraternity or sorority, and the Greek organizations are generally looked down upon by the majority of students. There is a fair amount of drinking at Brown, as the campus has no “dry policy,” however, most students are too busy studying to devote too much time to intoxication on the weekends. Similarly, athletics aren't really popular either; most students don't even know an athletic program exists.

The dating scene is certainly an interesting one; expect lots of wealthy liberal students to sweep you off your feet with speeches on social justice.

What’s Good

“The school really puts your education back into your hands. They expect you to make your experience here whatever you want it to be.”

“The city of Providence is beautiful, and a really historical place. People are amazingly friendly as well, particularly to us students.”

“The school has a ton of clubs and organizations that suit every interest. They are a good place to meet other people with similar views.”

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