Current Brown PhD

[mrjd225]

I realize I'm a little late to offer advice on application stuff, but feel free to ask about other parts of the decision (notifications, visits, ...), I'm happy to help.

[starmaker]

You are not too late for me. I don't apply until fall '11.

Anyway, I do have a few questions about Brown, which is on my list, so thank you!

Do you know what the CS PhD program's attrition rate is? Why do those who leave tend to leave?

I am interested in Brown's Brain Science training program. I'm unclear on how exactly it works, though? Do students earn a PhD in their home department, and a certificate in Brain Science? Do they actually get a degree in, say, Computer Science and Brain Science? Do they get no formal recognition of their Brain Science experience at all on their degree/transcript? Or something else? How many classes does a student take in this training program?

According to the NRC 2010 study, the median time-to-completion for Brown CS students who completed the PhD was 7 years, and only 17% of all PhD students received the degree within 6 years. Both of those numbers are rather worse than average for CS doctoral programs. First of all, are these accurate numbers for the program as it stands now (I know the NRC had a few errors in their data, plus the data is four years old at this point)? If not, what, roughly, are the actual numbers? If they are accurate, and Brown students tend to be slow to get the degree, do you have any thoughts on why that is?

Also according to the NRC 2010 study, the percentage of Brown PhDs with jobs lined up at graduation was 61%, which is below average for CS programs. It did have one of the highest percentages of students getting academic jobs, at 30%. Are these (still) accurate numbers? If so, do you have any idea why the placement rate is low? Given the high rate of academic job-taking, and the difficulty in getting academic jobs, could that be causing the low placement rate? Is there pressure in the department to go into academia rather than taking an industry job?

Are professors good about helping the students get published?

What sort of input, if any, do graduate students have into how the department and programs are run?

Brown used to have an IGERT program in which the CS department participated, Computation and Mathematics of the Mind (which is still advertised on the CS website), but the program has expired (IGERTs usually only take five classes' worth of students). Do you know if Brown CS intends to participate in any more IGERTs in the near future?

[mrjd225]

You are not too late for me. I don't apply until fall '11.

Anyway, I do have a few questions about Brown, which is on my list, so thank you!

Do you know what the CS PhD program's attrition rate is? Why do those who leave tend to leave?

I am interested in Brown's Brain Science training program. I'm unclear on how exactly it works, though? Do students earn a PhD in their home department, and a certificate in Brain Science? Do they actually get a degree in, say, Computer Science and Brain Science? Do they get no formal recognition of their Brain Science experience at all on their degree/transcript? Or something else? How many classes does a student take in this training program?

According to the NRC 2010 study, the median time-to-completion for Brown CS students who completed the PhD was 7 years, and only 17% of all PhD students received the degree within 6 years. Both of those numbers are rather worse than average for CS doctoral programs. First of all, are these accurate numbers for the program as it stands now (I know the NRC had a few errors in their data, plus the data is four years old at this point)? If not, what, roughly, are the actual numbers? If they are accurate, and Brown students tend to be slow to get the degree, do you have any thoughts on why that is?

Also according to the NRC 2010 study, the percentage of Brown PhDs with jobs lined up at graduation was 61%, which is below average for CS programs. It did have one of the highest percentages of students getting academic jobs, at 30%. Are these (still) accurate numbers? If so, do you have any idea why the placement rate is low? Given the high rate of academic job-taking, and the difficulty in getting academic jobs, could that be causing the low placement rate? Is there pressure in the department to go into academia rather than taking an industry job?

Are professors good about helping the students get published?

What sort of input, if any, do graduate students have into how the department and programs are run?

Brown used to have an IGERT program in which the CS department participated, Computation and Mathematics of the Mind (which is still advertised on the CS website), but the program has expired (IGERTs usually only take five classes' worth of students). Do you know if Brown CS intends to participate in any more IGERTs in the near future?

Well that's quite the list of questions....I'll do my best but I can only answer about what I know (i.e. not the Brain Science or IGERT programs).

I'm not sure what the attrition rate is, but from my experience the people that the reason PhD students leave or are considering leaving is because they realize that they don't want a life of research, not because of something wrong with Brown or our dept. I also think it's because companies (Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, ...) are giving tech talks/recruiting pretty much every week here, so some people hear of something that interests them and leave for industry.

I'm not sure how accurate the NRC numbers are, but the 61% with jobs lined up after graduation seems low. There is endless recruiting for both undergrads and grads and I couldn't imagine someone graduating without a job lined up, unless it was by choice. Most grads that I know have several lined up. Basically, if you want a job, you will have countless opportunities to get one. As for academic positions, that number seems right....there are a lot of grads who get tenure track faculty positions right out of Brown. I think this is somewhat to blame for the longer than average graduation times. The students that are going for faculty positions will stay for an extra year or two to boost their resume, which they can do because most professors here are very well-funded. However, I also know people headed for industry that have graduated in 4 years, so it all depends. Unfortunately, academic positions are getting more and more competitive so a successful candidate will need that extra year or two to boost their publications. Some PhDs will leave to do that at a postdoc and some (if funding is available) will just lengthen their time at their PhD institution. I think Brown PhDs typically fall into the latter category. Ultimately, a PhD is your work, and you will determine when you graduate, not the school.

The relationship between grad students and faculty at Brown is the closest relationship of any dept I've ever seen. It is a very very relaxed dept with very little pretenses. From my experiences, faculty and PhDs work together as equals on a lot of projects. There are weekly faculty/grad get-togethers as well as several faculty/grad intramural sports teams both which promote an overall collaborative environment. It's amazing and in my opinion how grad school should be, but unfortunately often isn't. Along those lines, grad students have a HUGE say in how the dept is run. Every year we have several representatives that act as the liason between faculty and grad students. We also have our own funding for adding things to the dept that we see fit. Grad students also have a huge say in the faculty search process, as prospective faculty are requested to give a open talks to which the grad students will attend and submit their reviews of the candidate.

My best advice is to forget about the numbers/rankings/percentages... and choose a school that you fit in at. Students (me included) get so caught up in that during the application process and its funny how little it matters when you are at your school. You are going to be there for a long time and if you are unhappy you will never finish. Brown was not my first choice when I was applying (probably 4th or 5th), and even though I got into several of my top choices I chose Brown because I could see myself being happy here. The visits are the most important part of this whole process. I couldn't imagine being anywhere other than Brown, and I am 100% sure I made the right choice.

Anyways, I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask anything else. Good luck with the rest of the process.

[starmaker]

Thank you for your comprehensive reply!

This may not be something that you would know about, but, how does the department/the university do for students with families? Is it reasonably supportive for female students who have kids? Is there affordable child care on or near campus? Are there any formal or informal spouses' groups?

I know from the department website that there's a programming exam requirement. Do people generally pass that? It's not something that most programs seem to require, so I'm curious.

Thanks again!

[Zouzax]

mrjd, thanks a lot for offering to answer questions. I'm sure you have a really busy schedule.

Brown is one of my top choices for the field I'm interested in. I haven't heard whether or not I'm accepted yet, but I'm trying to stay positive and think ahead

My only reservation about the school is its location. I was considering applying to Brown for undergrad (this was 11 years ago), so my father and I took a tour of Providence. I must say, it wasn't my favorite city. If I'm accepted to Brown, this will probably be the one thing thatll hold me back from wanting to attend.

Then again, a lot can change in 11 years. How do you like Providence? How is the crime rate, etc? Do most students live near campus? How often do you make trips to Boston (if ever)? I would love to hear a current student's thoughts on this. Thanks again.

[mrjd225]

Thank you for your comprehensive reply!

This may not be something that you would know about, but, how does the department/the university do for students with families? Is it reasonably supportive for female students who have kids? Is there affordable child care on or near campus? Are there any formal or informal spouses' groups?

I know from the department website that there's a programming exam requirement. Do people generally pass that? It's not something that most programs seem to require, so I'm curious.

Thanks again!

I'm not sure about the resources available for students with children, but I do know that there are several students with children in our dept so I'm sure its feasible. Sorry, but I can't offer much more than that.

About the programming exam (good timing I'm in the process of taking it right now), I love it. I honestly think it's one of the best things about being a PhD student here and is really representative of the progressive attitude toward education that Brown is known for. The exam is very straight forward, and is meant to test your ability to think through a problem and code up with a solution. From what I have been told, it was originally much more difficult to solve (more like a puzzle), but in recent years it has become easier. The exam is more for people coming in without a CS background (there are always several) to make sure they can program. I've heard that most people pass on the first try and almost all pass on the second try (you get 2 tries), so I wouldn't worry about it at all. Comparing this to the qualifying exams that most people take at other schools and I'd definitely take this. For us, the absence of qualifying exams allows PhD students to focus on research from the very beginning rather than spending the first two years studying for a couple of pass/fail exams. In my opinion, that's why we came to grad school, so it's great to be able to jump right in.

Hope that helps.

[mrjd225]

mrjd, thanks a lot for offering to answer questions. I'm sure you have a really busy schedule.

Brown is one of my top choices for the field I'm interested in. I haven't heard whether or not I'm accepted yet, but I'm trying to stay positive and think ahead

My only reservation about the school is its location. I was considering applying to Brown for undergrad (this was 11 years ago), so my father and I took a tour of Providence. I must say, it wasn't my favorite city. If I'm accepted to Brown, this will probably be the one thing thatll hold me back from wanting to attend.

Then again, a lot can change in 11 years. How do you like Providence? How is the crime rate, etc? Do most students live near campus? How often do you make trips to Boston (if ever)? I would love to hear a current student's thoughts on this. Thanks again.

I definitely know where you're coming from on this one. I am from Florida, have lived there all my life, even did my undergrad there, so I had similar reservations. In short, I really like Providence now. I've heard stories from neighbors and professors that it has changed a LOT in the last 5-10 years (the city has adopted the name "The Renaissance City" to try to convey that change to people). Coming from Florida, Providence is very inexpensive, though it still has all the amenities you'd expect from a city. The food is amazing (thank you Johnson and Wales), and often very reasonably priced. It is also a great place for pubs, both Irish and not, which is also a plus in my opinion. The east side (where Brown is) is beautiful and has a very academic feel to it. Most students reside and go about their lives solely on the east side, but downtown and the west side are also cool places.

I was also concerned about the weather, but honestly it is much milder than I expected. I have family in northern Michigan, and I think I expected something similar to that, but it isn't even close (i.e. much less snow and much warmer temps), mostly due to the close proximity of the ocean. I had several acceptances in California so it was a tough call but I am very happy with Providence and Brown, both have far exceeded my expectations.

Overall, I think Providence is a great place to be in school. It's inexpensive, there are less distractions than in a big city (though still things to do), and it has a very academic feel. Plus, like you mentioned, Boston is just a short train/car ride away. I go to Boston quite a bit for talks at MIT/Harvard (our dept works very close with both schools) or just to go out at night...its very accessible. There are also several students/professors that live in Boston and commute on the train. Personally I like Providence more than Boston to live (Boston is EXPENSIVE), but it is another option.

The best thing to do is visit again and see for yourself. If you do, feel free to message me so I can show you around. Good luck with the rest of the process!

[OH YEAH]

Perhaps we should just have a stickied thread where people can ask questions about specific schools and representatives from each school can answer said questions. I'd be willing to answer questions about Princeton; I know there was a Stanford MS student offering to answer questions as well.

[Zouzax]

@ mrjd: thanks for that. Even that much was enough to make me think that it's worth taking a second look. I actually went to undergrad in Boston, and I agree with how expensive it is. That's my major concern if I'm accepted to any universities there.

I looked into housing in Providence and wow, you're right! Its really inexpensive. Things are looking up I will certainly let you know if I'll be visiting

@ OH YEAH: That's a great idea. Maybe someone can suggest that to the admins?

[queller]

I have been lurking this board for quite some time as I plan to apply to programs either in Fall '11 or '12, with Brown as one of my top schools. Thank you so much for the replies to others questions as it has cleared up some of the nervousness I had about applying to Brown.

I was wondering if there are a lot of people, or is it rare for people to have been in the workforce for a considerable amount of time before applying to the PhD program? It took working as a programmer for a number of years (a bit under 5) for me to realize that I was more interested in the solving of problems associated with research rather than the implementation of others ideas.

Thank you for your time.

[mrjd225]

I have been lurking this board for quite some time as I plan to apply to programs either in Fall '11 or '12, with Brown as one of my top schools. Thank you so much for the replies to others questions as it has cleared up some of the nervousness I had about applying to Brown.

I was wondering if there are a lot of people, or is it rare for people to have been in the workforce for a considerable amount of time before applying to the PhD program? It took working as a programmer for a number of years (a bit under 5) for me to realize that I was more interested in the solving of problems associated with research rather than the implementation of others ideas.

Thank you for your time.

It is actually fairly common here. I would say the majority of the students either were coming in after doing a masters or after a couple years in industry. Assuming you can still get strong LORs from at least one or two faculty from your previous institution, I think if anything it will help you. Think about it from their perspective. They want to accept students who are interested in, and capable to do research and you clearly know more about what you are interested in after being in industry. In some sense, every accepted PhD student is a gamble...they have to be fairly confident that you will be successful and won't leave with a masters (a waste of two years of funding for your adviser). Having been in industry, they may see you as less of a gamble than the idealistic undergrad who dreams of a life of research but hasn't spent any real time doing anything else (note to people applying from undergrad: I fell into this category myself, so don't despair).

Anyways, this is all speculation and in the end a strong applicant is a strong applicant and that can depend on a vast amount of different factors. Believe me, the students coming in here are extremely varied so there is no guaranteed formula to getting accepted. In your application, sell yourself as a successful future PhD student and you'll be fine. Good luck.

[wayfaerer]

Sorry if this is slightly off-topic, given the title of the post.

I have applied to a Masters program at the CS department in Brown, and I was wondering if you know what the chances of an assistantship (either teaching or research) are in the department.

I know for a fact that they don't offer "automatic" financial aid to Masters students, so I wont get any aid with my admit, but are there any Masters students in such positions? If so, do you know approximately how hard it is for these students to get the assistantship (i.e. is it one exceptional candidate, or is it normal to see).

[reelsun]

I have also applied to the Masters program at the CS department in Brown, and was admitted recently. As I plan to apply for PHD afterwards, I'm wondering how many graduated CS master students in Brown are admitted as Brown PHD students each year?

Thanks a lot!

[mrjd225]

Sorry if this is slightly off-topic, given the title of the post.

I have applied to a Masters program at the CS department in Brown, and I was wondering if you know what the chances of an assistantship (either teaching or research) are in the department.

I know for a fact that they don't offer "automatic" financial aid to Masters students, so I wont get any aid with my admit, but are there any Masters students in such positions? If so, do you know approximately how hard it is for these students to get the assistantship (i.e. is it one exceptional candidate, or is it normal to see).

I really don't know the exact numbers. My intuition is that it is possible if you actively seek it out. I know several Masters students who are TA's and several more who are doing research with professors (though I'm not sure that all of these are hired as RAs). Overall, I think a lot of Masters students are involved in either TA or research positions, though I don't know their compensation/assistantship level. Sorry I can't offer more insight, but I'll ask around and possibly post a more informed reply later.

[mrjd225]

I have also applied to the Masters program at the CS department in Brown, and was admitted recently. As I plan to apply for PHD afterwards, I'm wondering how many graduated CS master students in Brown are admitted as Brown PHD students each year?

Thanks a lot!

Obviously, that depends on the year, though I know it is not uncommon. In my research group, 3 of the students were originally Masters students. However, there are 2 sides to this. If you are a Masters student here you are going to have to do research with a professor and convince them that you are a better choice than any other applicant (the PhD students that I know that were originally Masters students are all amazing researchers). If you do that, you will be considered less of a gamble for your adviser, so your chances of moving into the PhD program would be improved. If you under-impress the adviser in your research, an acceptance might be pretty tough. Hope that helps.

[reelsun]

Obviously, that depends on the year, though I know it is not uncommon. In my research group, 3 of the students were originally Masters students. However, there are 2 sides to this. If you are a Masters student here you are going to have to do research with a professor and convince them that you are a better choice than any other applicant (the PhD students that I know that were originally Masters students are all amazing researchers). If you do that, you will be considered less of a gamble for your adviser, so your chances of moving into the PhD program would be improved. If you under-impress the adviser in your research, an acceptance might be pretty tough. Hope that helps.

That really helps. Thanks very much! I also checked personal pages of PHD students listed in Brown CS department website, and I found that the proportion of PHD students who were Master students in Brown before is indeed relatively high.

I still have another doubt. As I have received master admissions from Brown and UPenn (the program in UPenn is Robotics), I need to make a decision between them soon. I'm interested in computer vision and my major concern now is that the size of CV group in Brown is relatively smaller than that of UPenn. For a PHD student, how do you think of the importance of research group size he is in? Besides, do you have any opinions about these two programs?

Thanks for your time again!

[Amogh]

That really helps. Thanks very much! I also checked personal pages of PHD students listed in Brown CS department website, and I found that the proportion of PHD students who were Master students in Brown before is indeed relatively high.

I still have another doubt. As I have received master admissions from Brown and UPenn (the program in UPenn is Robotics), I need to make a decision between them soon. I'm interested in computer vision and my major concern now is that the size of CV group in Brown is relatively smaller than that of UPenn. For a PHD student, how do you think of the importance of research group size he is in? Besides, do you have any opinions about these two programs?

Thanks for your time again!

In my opinion, the size of the research group is upto you. Are you a highly socially motivated person or do you hate crowds?

[queller]

Thank you for your response to my question above, and for all the other responses you have made that have provided useful information to me.

In researching Brown further I came across some references to a foreign language requirement. Is it required for one to learn/know a foreign language to graduate from the Brown PhD program in CS?

[reelsun]

In my opinion, the size of the research group is upto you. Are you a highly socially motivated person or do you hate crowds?

Actually both are OK for me currently, but I'm not sure whether size of research group will become a problem in the future after I have some experience in research. Therefore, I think a current PHD student may be able to give me some useful advices.

[Amogh]

Actually both are OK for me currently, but I'm not sure whether size of research group will become a problem in the future after I have some experience in research. Therefore, I think a current PHD student may be able to give me some useful advices.

Now that you put it that way, i'm interested in seeing what he has to say too!

[nobody2008]

I have been admitted to ScM Computer Science at Brown recently. I am a bit confused because I have no way of understanding how good Brown is simply from the ranking.

1) I am mainly interested in Machine Learning and AI. How good is Brown in those areas?

2) I would like to pursue a PhD later on but am not sure at this point. What are the chances of pursuing a PhD in Machine Learning after Masters?

3) What are the chances of getting a job after graduation? Could you also hint what kinds of jobs people get?

4) This question is mainly out of curiosity. Is there any advantage of attending Brown because it is an Ivy League as opposed to say other equally ranked computer science programs?

Looking forward to your reply.

Cheers,

Rahul

[mrjd225]

On 2/18/2011 at 3:08 AM, reelsun said:

That really helps. Thanks very much! I also checked personal pages of PHD students listed in Brown CS department website, and I found that the proportion of PHD students who were Master students in Brown before is indeed relatively high.

I still have another doubt. As I have received master admissions from Brown and UPenn (the program in UPenn is Robotics), I need to make a decision between them soon. I'm interested in computer vision and my major concern now is that the size of CV group in Brown is relatively smaller than that of UPenn. For a PHD student, how do you think of the importance of research group size he is in? Besides, do you have any opinions about these two programs?

Thanks for your time again!

There are definitely benefits and drawbacks to both, but I think that there is a "right" one for each individual. I've seen both sides. My undergrad was done at a large public institution where research groups were usually relatively large, which contrasts greatly with Brown where research groups are usually very small (2-4 students). In a small research group, you will usually have more 1-1 time with your adviser (which in my opinion is priceless). In a larger group, I usually see a hierarchical approach where the younger PhDs work closely with the older PhDs who work closely with the adviser. Thats not to say that you would never get time with your adviser, just probably less (or at least less 1-1 time). Believe me, a professor's time is occupied by a LOT more than just research with his/her grad students, so time to discuss research is always a limited resource. However, working with other grad students in the beginning may not necessarily be a bad thing, as I think (remember I'm in a small group) it would be a gentler introduction to grad school (collaborating on existing project is usually easier than creating your own). Another thing I notice in large research groups is that because of that collaboration with each other's projects, the students usually have more 3rd/4th author publications (whether 3rd/4th author publications are worth anything is a topic I won't delve into here). Also important to note is that not all large groups or small groups are the same, i.e. just because a group is large doesn't mean it is hierarchical or just because a group is small doesn't mean you will always work 1-1 with the adviser. It depends greatly on the professor.

Overall, I really think this is a matter of personal preference and you need to figure out what you think you would work best in. I chose Brown over some very large schools (e.g. Wisconsin, UW) simply because on the visit I really felt like I could work here and work well with my adviser. I was neutral to the large/small group thing before my visits, but after them I really got the sense that a small group was right for me. In particular, I thought my adviser was a good fit both research and personality wise. In the end, your adviser will be much more involved in your graduation than the school in general, so you should definitely find someone you think you could work with (again, the visits are important!). At Wisconsin I was looking at groups with 8-12 people, which now I couldn't imagine working in. Actually, I work with some people at MIT who are in 11 person groups so I see it first hand. Brown was right for me, but it may be different for you. Keep an open mind and hopefully eventually you'll "know". Hope this helps. Good luck!

[BKMD]

I'll add to this discussion that the size of the group might not be as big of a factor as the people who are in it. Some important questions to consider: how often can you meet with your advisor individually (and how useful are the discussions? this can certainly vary). Does the entire lab meet as a group on a regular basis? (I find these meetings very useful; not all labs do this.) Are there other opportunities to interact with the advisor? How well do the members of the group collaborate? Do the students teach each other and learn from each other? Do you personally hit it off with the advisor and the other students? These are the people you'll be learning from and working with, so how well you interact with them and enjoy their company is actually an important factor.

I also find that you can often learn a lot from other labs and departments, since after a while your immediate circle will have already taught you everything they know, so this is another thing to look for.

If you have an opportunity to visit the schools you're choosing from, you definitely should.

[reelsun]

On 2/23/2011 at 4:53 PM, mrjd225 said:

There are definitely benefits and drawbacks to both, but I think that there is a "right" one for each individual. I've seen both sides. My undergrad was done at a large public institution where research groups were usually relatively large, which contrasts greatly with Brown where research groups are usually very small (2-4 students). In a small research group, you will usually have more 1-1 time with your adviser (which in my opinion is priceless). In a larger group, I usually see a hierarchical approach where the younger PhDs work closely with the older PhDs who work closely with the adviser. Thats not to say that you would never get time with your adviser, just probably less (or at least less 1-1 time). Believe me, a professor's time is occupied by a LOT more than just research with his/her grad students, so time to discuss research is always a limited resource. However, working with other grad students in the beginning may not necessarily be a bad thing, as I think (remember I'm in a small group) it would be a gentler introduction to grad school (collaborating on existing project is usually easier than creating your own). Another thing I notice in large research groups is that because of that collaboration with each other's projects, the students usually have more 3rd/4th author publications (whether 3rd/4th author publications are worth anything is a topic I won't delve into here). Also important to note is that not all large groups or small groups are the same, i.e. just because a group is large doesn't mean it is hierarchical or just because a group is small doesn't mean you will always work 1-1 with the adviser. It depends greatly on the professor.

Overall, I really think this is a matter of personal preference and you need to figure out what you think you would work best in. I chose Brown over some very large schools (e.g. Wisconsin, UW) simply because on the visit I really felt like I could work here and work well with my adviser. I was neutral to the large/small group thing before my visits, but after them I really got the sense that a small group was right for me. In particular, I thought my adviser was a good fit both research and personality wise. In the end, your adviser will be much more involved in your graduation than the school in general, so you should definitely find someone you think you could work with (again, the visits are important!). At Wisconsin I was looking at groups with 8-12 people, which now I couldn't imagine working in. Actually, I work with some people at MIT who are in 11 person groups so I see it first hand. Brown was right for me, but it may be different for you. Keep an open mind and hopefully eventually you'll "know". Hope this helps. Good luck!

On 2/23/2011 at 7:23 PM, BKMD said:

I'll add to this discussion that the size of the group might not be as big of a factor as the people who are in it. Some important questions to consider: how often can you meet with your advisor individually (and how useful are the discussions? this can certainly vary). Does the entire lab meet as a group on a regular basis? (I find these meetings very useful; not all labs do this.) Are there other opportunities to interact with the advisor? How well do the members of the group collaborate? Do the students teach each other and learn from each other? Do you personally hit it off with the advisor and the other students? These are the people you'll be learning from and working with, so how well you interact with them and enjoy their company is actually an important factor.

I also find that you can often learn a lot from other labs and departments, since after a while your immediate circle will have already taught you everything they know, so this is another thing to look for.

If you have an opportunity to visit the schools you're choosing from, you definitely should.

Thanks very much for sharing your precious experience! I really appreciate that you spending so much time answering this question.

Besides, after reading your answers, I think I tend to prefer Brown now.

ps: As far as I know, Brown seems to have a good interdisciplinary environment also.

[CreamandSugar]

Anybody know how the masters students do in the job market? I'm fairly certain Brown is the best school I've been accepted to but is it worth the "nearly $65000" expense?