Brown University

I found everyone to be extremely open and friendly the first year, especially the first sememster. At some point through the second semester people were forming solid groups and reluctant to increase their social circle, maybe due to the sophomore housing/lottery. Adding another person to your friend circle might complicate how to arrange housing during your sophomore year, especially considering that your housing number would be awful, since sophomores have last pick. Anyhow, I went into the sophomore year lottery by myself and got a horrid number and was placed in Barbour, an apartment with three other people who were friends. Their fourth friend went abroad and they thought they'd have an extra bed and barely tolerated my presence. They were birkenstock wearing people and seemed to not like my nerdy/premed ways, but had we been freshman, they would have been nice to me. Something drastic changes from first to second year: people become hardened, much less tolerant and not willing to expand their social circle; they made no attempt to make me feel welcome (I felt really bad for being an interloper). Anyhow, I didn't like being in their apartment either, so I begged reslife to give me something else, and they said, if I could find something else on my own, they'd give it to me. So I found an empty room in the grad center, got the signatures of the other suite mates and got the room--yippee! Or sortof. When staying at the grad center, make sure you don't have too many walls in your room exposed to the outside. I had three walls and perhaps (can't remember) my floor might have been exposed also. So, in comparison to my other suitemates, my room was freezing and needed a portable space heater. What a terribly designed place! Anyhow, a good advice is to form lots of good friends your first year because you won't be making many more after that, unless you join a frat or other special interest housing. The freshman bonding is strong and carries long after college. Friends made after didn't seem to have lasting power. It's as if friends made freshman year are like family, you can be annoying and they'll still put up with you. Friends made after first year won't put up with your antics.

I stuck to the Pembroke side for housing during the remaining two years because it seemed safer over there and I felt more comfortable walking around at night by myself. Students got jumped closer to the freshman quad side -- not mugged, just beaten up for fun, but not too beaten up :)

I think that an emotionally mature and more sophisticated student could maximize the opportunities at Brown. I noticed that all professors were so available that it seemed such a waste that most students didn't use them better, to sponsor independent lab research, etc. Academically, you can literally make it whatever you wish, but for science-bent students who lag in emotional/worldly maturity, Brown seemed rather intimidating, especially in the liberal arts courses where a lot of the liberal arts students were extremely, extremely well-spoken and confident. I wouldn't discourage anyone from attending, though. But without that emotional maturity and strong self-awareness of what you want and where you want to go, it's hard to take the advantages (lots of facilities and access to professors) that Brown offers.

4th Year Female -- Class 1996

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Social Life: C