火爆社区

Interdisciplinary-focused Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, is dedicated to undergraduate freedom, meaning students must take responsibility for designing their own courses of study via the Open Curriculum. Students sing the praises of the academic flexibility at this Ivy League institution and the accompanying emphasis on social action. 鈥淲e would not be...strong students and teachers without a proper system in place to encourage that,鈥� says one undergrad. Those who roam these hallowed halls are 鈥渃onstantly questioning what could make the world and our school a better place.鈥� Every person 鈥渉as their own interests and pursues it without any push from others,鈥� which is why Brown can be a 鈥渧ery intense鈥� place to go to school鈥攏ot because students are competing academically with each other, but 鈥渂ecause there are so many people doing so much and fighting so hard for it.鈥� Brown鈥檚 faculty 鈥渁re at the top of their fields and are working on research that pushes those fields forward.鈥� The 鈥渆ngaging, personal, and incredibly dedicated鈥� professors are 鈥渢he heart and soul of our strongest departments.鈥� They 鈥渃are so much about what they do and connect with students on a very human level.鈥� Undergraduates come first here, and Brown encourages students to 鈥渆xplore their academic interests independently in order to experience everything that academics have to offer.鈥� As one enrollee explains it, 鈥淣o other school I had looked at allowed students to...build their own academic journey without any general requirements.鈥� Graduates tend to 鈥渘ot just go to the normative career options,鈥� and 鈥渃areer and internship placement has become a top priority of the new university administration.鈥�

This 鈥渒nowledgeable and inspiring鈥� community is made up of people who are 鈥渧ery intelligent, care about global issues, and possess one or two quirks.鈥� The school 鈥渉as a way of molding people into their best selves,鈥� and the most common trait is 鈥渁 true zeal for whatever it is that we care most about.鈥� Although this is a liberal campus, there are 鈥渁 handful of conservatives,鈥� and 鈥渢he entire body has a general chilled-out vibe.鈥� As one student puts it, 鈥淚鈥檝e never experienced so many people willing to have a conversation about topics that usually make people uncomfortable.鈥� There is 鈥渁 prevailing intolerance of intolerance on campus,鈥� and the culture of activism 鈥渂espeaks an idealism and a strong moral code that drives a lot of the work students do on campus.鈥�

Students describe a nice balance between work and play at Brown鈥攁cademia rules during a week that is 鈥渇illed with countless hours of study,鈥� but it鈥檚 also an 鈥渆xciting鈥� and 鈥渧ery happy place with many activities and events going on all the time.鈥� Some go to parties or 鈥渄owntown for the weekend,鈥� while others make the most of the constant 鈥渓ectures, movie screenings, improv shows, dance performances, [and] a cappella showcases.鈥� Many here also do 鈥渋ntellectual activities or athletics over breaks,鈥� and 鈥渃ommunity clubs and special interest clubs (such as international student groups)鈥� are extremely popular. Students also often go to the lounges in the dorms to watch movies with friends. And, 鈥渂eautiful鈥� as the campus is, students can easily walk one minute to Thayer Street and 鈥渆njoy restaurants and excellent dining鈥� or walk 20 minutes to Providence Place Mall. Boston and New York are very close, but 鈥淧rovidence is busy enough that Brown never completely empties out.鈥�

The freethinkers at Brown are more likely to carve their own paths than 鈥渏ust go to the normative career options,鈥� and the school welcomes this approach with open arms. All post-graduate coordination is done through CareerLAB鈥攖he center for Careers and Life after Brown鈥攚hich arranges for on-campus recruiting, job fairs, skills workshops, boot camps, and more; students are encouraged to set up an appointment with a Peer Career Advisors聽as early as October of their first year. The center鈥檚 newest addition, BrownConnect, expands these opportunities beyond the campus, joining students to a network of alumni, parents, and friends, and acting as "one-stop shopping" for finding internships, research opportunities, and funding for those wishing to take low-paid or unpaid internships or research projects. Indeed, 鈥渃areer and internship placement has become a top priority of the鈥�university administration,鈥� and students enjoy the fruits of Brown鈥檚 reputation when applying for jobs. Brown grads who visited PayScale.com report a median starting salary of $82,400 and a mid-career median salary of $153,000.