Brown University

Brown, academically, is stellar. Most of the students here excelled in high school, but everyone I know here is challenged by their classes. It's not uncommon to spend upwards of 8 hours in the library at a time just to get by with a B on a paper. The resources are great, faculty are brilliant (although not very accessible, because most of them prioritize their research projects over students), and you can definitely plan on having your degree respected.

The non-academic sides of Brown are sub-par, however. Crime is rampant. Quite frequently (once/twice a week), I would check my e-mail and find a university-wide crime alert about an armed robbery or rape that occurred in a Brown parking lot or outside one of the dorms. Brown's campus generally feels safe, but there is a lot of overlap between it and the surrounding area of Providence, which is NOT somewhere you want to be at night. I had my room broken into, my bike got stolen right off its lock (it was the fifth one that day), and my car was hit in a hit-and-run right behind my dorm-- and I'm just one student.

Socially, Brown was a poor choice for me, but plenty of people like it. A lot of my fellow classmates had never "experimented" with anything in high school as a result of being so focused on academics, so a large majority of the students here go dangerously out-of control with this newfound freedom. I did some research, and Brown has over 50% of the alcohol-related ambulance calls as Penn State, which is 8 times as large. I was quite the social butterfly in high school and enjoyed partying, but if you're even a semi responsible drinker, Brown is a bad match for you. Overall, Brown isn't about balance. It's about "Working EXTREMELY HARD, and playing EXTREMELY HARD." If you're a happy, laid-back, and well-rounded individual, it's not a good choice. It's hard to say "no" to having Brown's name on your degree, but I'm being brave and leaving it because I can't take this for the next couple years.

1st Year Female -- Class 2011

Extracurricular Activities: A, Faculty Accessibility: F