How to get into Brown

What is Brown’s reputation?

“inclusive” “progressive” “ultra-liberal” “chill” “collaborative” “non-judgmental” “free-spirited” “welcoming and supportive” “not hyper-competitive or stuck-up like Harvard or Princeton” “LGBTQ+ heaven“ “vegan” “radical” “non-athletic” “lots of social activism” “amazing professors” ‘“excellent writing programs” “lots of man buns” “the weird Ivy”

Brown has solidified its reputation as the most liberal and open-minded Ivy League, almost like UC Berkeley in California. It attracts students who are progressive and individualistic, and a 2023 report in the Brown Daily Herald found that a whopping 38% of Brown students identify as LGBTQ+. If you’re someone who likes to live and think outside the box, Brown might be the perfect Ivy League for you.

The Open Curriculum.

Without a doubt, Brown attracts a lot of students for its famous Open Curriculum. Whereas all the other Ivy Leagues (and most top universities) require undergraduates to take a certain number of “core classes” or “distribution requirements” before they graduate, Brown doesn’t require any. Students can take whatever classes they want, and they can even take them pass/fail. (Don’t worry: if you happen to fail a course, it will never show up on your transcript.)

This level of freedom is extremely rare for a leading university, but it encourages students to chart their own course, explore their varied interests, and design their own interdisciplinary education rather than stressing all the time about grades or other course requirements. (Notably, Brown only gives full letter grades like A, B, C, etc.; there are no A-’s or B+’s.) You can even take art classes across the street at the world-renowned Rhode Island School of Design, or even earn a dual degree from both institutions.

The Pros of Brown…

Brown students love the Open Curriculum, and they love their passionate, quirky classmates. They rave about their top-notch professors, and the school’s emphasis on undergraduate teaching the same way they do at Princeton and Dartmouth (unlike at Harvard, you won’t find graduate students teaching your courses). They say that the vibe on campus is extremely collaborative and humble. They routinely point out that while some of their friends at Harvard, UPenn or Princeton complain about a cut-throat, competitive culture, they never see this at Brown. There’s a real emphasis on students helping each other, and a sense that we’re all here to improve ourselves.

They also like the fact that the campus is walkable to downtown Providence, which is a small, rather artsy city, and it’s a quick ride to the beaches in Newport, a ritzy seaside city. Also, since there’s only one Brown University — and not a bunch of different colleges for engineering, business, etc. — it’s really easy to change your major (they call it a “concentration”) anytime you want. Notably, there are no “minors” offered at Brown.

The Cons of Brown…

Some students complain about the campus facilities, saying the dorms are run-down, there’s not enough quality housing, and there aren’t a lot of good study spaces. They also gripe about the mediocre campus food. Other students lament the lack of school spirit; this just isn’t one of those schools where students rally together for the big game like at say, Cornell or Dartmouth. There isn’t a strong central social scene either; students kind of do their own thing (similar to Columbia). Fortunately, Boston is only an hour away by train; and NYC is 3 hours. Also, there’s much less of a pre-professional support system than you find at other Ivies. At UPenn, for example, seemingly everyone gets involved in a career club from Day 1, which can really help you land key internships and jobs.

Depending on your political leanings, Brown can either seem refreshingly progressive or oppressively woke. While all of the Ivy Leagues feature liberal campus communities, Brown, Yale and Harvard are arguably the most so, and Brown probably wins the prize. If you support “safe zones” and “trigger warnings,” you’ll feel right at home; if not, you might feel out-of-place.

What does Brown look for in applicants?

Like all the Ivies, Brown is looking for straight-A students who have crushed their standardized tests (average: 35 ACT, 1540 SAT) and have some remarkable extracurricular achievement. But Brown seems to put a particular emphasis on social service; they’re looking for students who have made a real difference in their communities, such as through social activism. They’re also looking for students who are self-directed; the kind of students who chart their own course, think outside of the box, and will take advantage of the freedom and flexibility afforded by the Open Curriculum.

Like Columbia, Brown puts less emphasis on athletic achievement than schools like Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Dartmouth. Brown’s athletic teams are generally less competitive than their Ivy rivals, and only 14% of Brown students are D1 athletes, compared with 21% for Dartmouth and 20% for Princeton.

Brown’s supplemental essays.

Brown requires several supplemental essays and short answers. They can change year-to-year, but none is more important than the first one which asks: How will you use the Open Curriculum to pursue your interests at Brown? It’s important that you spend some time on the Brown website to familiarize yourself with how the Open Curriculum works, so that you can pinpoint how you intend to blend together different courses or different academic fields to craft your own tailor-made education plan. Remember, the Open Curriculum — and Brown in general — is ideal for students who think outside the box and don’t fit a traditional one-size-fits-all mold. They’re looking for passionate, self-directed leaders who will make the world a better place.

Final tips for getting in.

If you know that Brown is your first-choice, then you should apply Early Decision (ED) because it gives you a strong statistical advantage (13% acceptance rate for ED vs. 4% for Regular Decision). There’s a variety of reasons for this, and some of the math is funky, but there’s no real downside — unless you don’t want to commit to a school until you’ve compared all of your various financial aid offers.

Brown now requires the SAT or ACT.

Starting in Fall 2024, Brown will once again require either the SAT or ACT, joining Dartmouth and Yale in requiring standardized test scores.