Brown University is an Ivy League school located in Providence, Rhode Island. Perhaps the least stuffy of the Ivies, Brown prides itself on its Open Curriculum, which gives students the opportunity to study without any requirements outside of their major. There are about 10,000 undergrads. The acceptance rate for the class of 2025 was 5.4%. Here’s a bit of advice on how to tackle the supplement:
1. Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue them while also embracing topics with which you are unfamiliar. (200-250 words)
This prompt can also be read as “why Brown?” and more specifically “why Brown’s Open Curriculum?” We advise our students on developing expertise in highly specific academic areas throughout high school. This is your chance to tell Brown why it is the perfect place for you to continue developing said expertise. Talk about your many interests and how you couldn’t possibly be put in a box, but this is the key here: make sure those interests are highly focused. For example, you shouldn’t just tell Brown that you’re interested in math, English, and history. You should tell Brown that you’re an expert in logic, Russian Lit, and the history of U.S. foreign policy (or whatever academic areas interest you). Start out by telling the origin story of one of these interests. I.e. how you came to develop that passion. This should be a simple,1-2 sentence story. Perhaps you did a project in 7th grade on the history of American wars. Then, connect your interests to the Open Curriculum. Again, be really specific about why Brown is the logical next step for you to continue pursuing your areas of expertise. Cite specific classes (upper-level only) and then, discuss some extra-curriculars that relate. One word of caution: do not write this as though you’re undecided. Brown’s ethos is about freedom, but it’s not looking for students who are aimless. Be specific about your goals and have conviction.
2. Brown’s culture fosters a community in which students challenge the ideas of others and have their ideas challenged in return, promoting a deeper and clearer understanding of the complex issues confronting society. This active engagement in dialogue is as present outside the classroom as it is in academic spaces. Tell us about a time you were challenged by a perspective that differed from your own. How did you respond? (200-250 words)
First thing’s first: you must answer this question in story form, with beginning, middle, and end. Got it? Good. Next, we recommend reading the prompt a second time. The key question here is “how did you respond?” The story you choose could be almost anything. What you want to show here is empathy/compassion/growth/understanding when confronted with/by something. We recommend steering clear of big, existential tales. A simple lesson learned will suffice. The obvious choice is going to be something social justice-oriented and that’s okay. Just remember to keep the story small and personal.
3. Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy. (200-250 words)
This is just such a great question. And the good news is, there are very few ways to mess up your answer, unless you don’t have any interesting outside passions. If that’s the case, you should consider applying elsewhere besides Brown, because Brown obviously cares about its students being passionate. Write about literally anything that brings you joy. The smaller and more specific, the better! Things like reorganizing the pantry and labeling everything are great. Being a cookie fairy during finals week or waking up at 3:00am to see the Milky Way are good, too. Anything goes, but make sure it’s quirky and if you’re funny, let it be funny.
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