Brown University : who goes there?

[Akinetopsia]

So I have been researching about Brown lately for an admission and it is very difficult to get a sense of who goes there. Some says it is an Ivy and a very prestigious university, but it is low on rankings for most programs and that they have low research rates. Are those rankings reliable or is there some politics behind it? Who can advice Brown and who can criticize it? And for which programs?

[ameydhar]

I had similar doubts when I was applying. Hope this thread by a CS PhD student there helps. 

[uromastyx]

Hermoine goes there!!!!

 

It's an Ivy and yes, some programs aren't top notch. Some are. It depends entirely on your field. I applied for German

[AnthroPerson]

Hermoine goes there!!!!

Hermione transferred.  She couldn't take it anymore when people were shouting "ten points for Gryffindor!" in her classes after she answered questions.  No, really.  People did that.

[uromastyx]

Hermione transferred.  She couldn't take it anymore when people were shouting "ten points for Gryffindor!" in her classes after she answered questions.  No, really.  People did that.

No, she came back this semester!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/emma-watson-brown_n_2005694.html

[compiler_guy]

Hermione transferred.  She couldn't take it anymore when people were shouting "ten points for Gryffindor!" in her classes after she answered questions.  No, really.  People did that.

LOL

[Wangathan]

Brown's great! I only went there as an undergraduate, so I can't really speak to the graduate school experience, but I can back up the idea that Brown is an ivy-league with a huge focus on undergrads and less of a focus on grad schools. That being said, I know that the applied math and brain sciences programs are stellar, even though some of the other programs are vary around decent to great. I had a lot of friends in the CS department that seemed really great for the undergrads - lots of people ended up with great CS jobs at Adobe, Google, [insert start-up here], and I know that Brown's CS is strong in computer graphics and crypto... not sure about the grad experience. I used to work in the Ecology/Evolutionary Bio dept, and I've heard some of our own professors quietly admit that the program at Brown isn't that great. 

 

It's got some great humanities programs, too. Plenty of people from Brown have gone on to great things in theatre and literature (Sarah Ruhl!)

 

I can attest to Emma Watson being on campus, though she wisely went by another name. My friend was in the room when she got the "ten points to Gryffindor!" shout-out, as well as during a stern, condescending lecture from a professor attempting to humble her from her (assumed) "oh my it's Hollywood" attitude. We almost got her interested in one of the student groups I was involved with, which was definitely exciting for some of us.

 

I'm happy to answer more questions, but it's more likely to be along the lines of what life is like in Providence and what I've heard about the personalities of some professors in geo, CS, bio. 

[MadScience]

Brown's great! I only went there as an undergraduate, so I can't really speak to the graduate school experience, but I can back up the idea that Brown is an ivy-league with a huge focus on undergrads and less of a focus on grad schools. That being said, I know that the applied math and brain sciences programs are stellar, even though some of the other programs are vary around decent to great. I had a lot of friends in the CS department that seemed really great for the undergrads - lots of people ended up with great CS jobs at Adobe, Google, [insert start-up here], and I know that Brown's CS is strong in computer graphics and crypto... not sure about the grad experience. I used to work in the Ecology/Evolutionary Bio dept, and I've heard some of our own professors quietly admit that the program at Brown isn't that great. 

 

It's got some great humanities programs, too. Plenty of people from Brown have gone on to great things in theatre and literature (Sarah Ruhl!)

 

I can attest to Emma Watson being on campus, though she wisely went by another name. My friend was in the room when she got the "ten points to Gryffindor!" shout-out, as well as during a stern, condescending lecture from a professor attempting to humble her from her (assumed) "oh my it's Hollywood" attitude. We almost got her interested in one of the student groups I was involved with, which was definitely exciting for some of us.

 

I'm happy to answer more questions, but it's more likely to be along the lines of what life is like in Providence and what I've heard about the personalities of some professors in geo, CS, bio. 

 

Hey there! Not sure if you would know since you were in a different department, but did you ever hear any talk about the chemistry department? I really like Brown and the research there sounds very interesting, but it's always nice to get an insider perspective

 

Also, how did you like living in Providence? Is it safe? What areas are good to live in or should be avoided? Thanks so much!

[Ezzy]

Hey there! Not sure if you would know since you were in a different department, but did you ever hear any talk about the chemistry department? I really like Brown and the research there sounds very interesting, but it's always nice to get an insider perspective

 

Also, how did you like living in Providence? Is it safe? What areas are good to live in or should be avoided? Thanks so much!

 

Undergrad at Brown... Providence is a pretty nice city in general. The food's great, anyway! Thayer Street (right on campus) has a nice selection of various ethnic restaurants, and Federal Hill is full of really great Italian places.

 

Obviously the city has its bad areas, but if you're careful crime is not something to worry about. There's a shuttle service called SafeRide that will drive you home from campus until about 3 AM if you feel unsafe walking.

 

For housing, if you want to live close (walking distance), look up places on the East Side (NOT East Providence) and Fox Point. In that area, depending on whether you share a house with other people, expect to pay $600-$1000/month.

 

Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the Grad Center Bar: http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/best-college-bars?cm_mmc=Twitter-_-MensHealth-_-Content-MHU-_-20BestCollegeBars ...Grad students get a free membership!

[Wangathan]

It's far from necessary, but it's kind of nice to have a car. If you're looking for cheap rent, going off College Hill, over by Federal Hill, can be pretty affordable, if a little sketchier - okay with a car. Agreed with Ezzy, though the East Side and Fox Point are wonderful places to live, full of other college students, and the Grad Center Bar is fantastic. When I lived on the East Side, I paid between 450-550/mo.

 

So, geology shares its building with chemistry, but I didn't really interact with chemistry all too much. They do some pretty interesting stuff, from what I could tell, and actually have some nice facilities - the geochem building is 2 floors of geo and 3 or 4 floors of chem, tons of labs for teaching and research. I didn't have many chemistry major friends, though, so I can't provide any juicy insider perspectives. I don't think Brown is particularly well-known for chemistry... like many departments at Brown, chemistry is decent, but not famous. My perception of the chemistry classes is that they can be good, when they're not too full of premeds, in which case they're a chore.  But that's just undergrad.

 

Easy access to a Boston is a huge plus. And yes, the food is really, really good in a variety of styles, especially once you start finding the little hidden gems. 

Edited February 25, 2013 by Wangathan