College Tour: Brown University

By Daniel Ein Alshaeba, 2025

10/11/2023

“Brown is an extremely collaborative place, both in academics and extracurriculars, and I think that’s the main reason that students are so happy here”- my Brown University tour guide.  

During spring break in 2023, I was fortunate enough to go on an in-person tour of Brown University, where I saw the campus firsthand and was able to get insight on the college from my tour guide, who was a sophomore at Brown.  

First and foremost, the university has a stunning campus with a calming and lively atmosphere that’s easily noticed, receiving an “A” from Niche.  The campus hosts numerous libraries, which according to my guide, each have vastly different atmospheres– some being ideal for quiet intimate studying, while others may have a more casual environment.  Similar to its libraries, Brown also has many fields, or “Greens,” which vary in mood– some being used mainly for outdoor studying, while others host club events or modern art displays.  To add, the surrounding city of Providence is wonderful in its own right, hosting the massive Providence Place shopping mall, as well as a plethora of delicious restaurants.  

A noteworthy aspect of Brown is its academics, especially its open curriculum.  The vast majority of universities have strict course requirements that students must follow to graduate, similar to Cheshire High School.  Brown University, on the other hand, is much less strict.  According to my tour guide, there are very few course requirements initially, and students do not have to decide on a major upon arriving.  Instead, undergraduates can select any classes and later decide on a “concentration,” Brown’s equivalent of a major, before delving into its required classes.  To assist in course decisions, Brown provides students with a “shopping period,” where students can experiment with numerous classes before fully committing to a course.  This flexibility allows students to explore new fields and have greater passion for their studies.  Moreover, Brown’s unique grading system allows students to experience less risk in trying classes outside their comfort zone.  As outlined in the university’s “Grade Options” site, students registering for a course can opt out of letter based grading and instead choose a pass/fail system that won’t impact GPAs.  

For students interested in medicine, Brown also offers an eight-year BS/MD program, the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME).  If accepted, students, after finishing their undergraduate studies, will advance directly to the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University without having to apply to other medical schools or even take the MCAT.  Remarkably, enrollment in the PLME does not affect curriculum flexibility for a student, so long as they meet basic pre-medical requirements, according to my tour guide.  This curriculum flexibility encourages passion-driven learning, as students can explore whatever fields they choose without the risk of damaging their academic careers.  

Lastly, Brown features outstanding student mental health.  Among all the ivy league schools, CollegeVine recognizes Brown University as being the happiest, due to students feeling reportedly less competition among colleagues, while also having considerable control over their courses.  In addition to this, The Princeton Review ranked Brown as the tenth happiest college in the entire nation.  This not only aligned with my tour guide’s commentary, but also with my own observations: students did not seem particularly anxious, and even the most studious students appeared to be at ease.  

Brown’s countless positive traits all culminate into a dream university for many.  Its stunning campus has atmospheres that suit all students and moods.  The curriculum is centered around encouraging students to enjoy learning, in addition to having a BS/MD program like no other.  To add, mental health at the university reflects its passion-driven course selection, with a content student body.  To get into Brown, academic factors such as GPA and application essays are paramount to admissions, as indicated by the university’s common data set.  However, as with all ivy-league schools, factors such as extracurriculars and volunteer hours still play a role in one’s acceptance.