The ultimate "Why Brown" essay

It’s April! That means high school seniors have received their long-awaited college application decisions and now are facing the difficult choice of where to enroll in the fall. In the spirit of this stressful and significant time, it’s worth reminiscing about why we, current Brown students, ended up choosing Brown.Blog has gathered “Why Brown?” essays from current students of different races, genders, and passions and taken a single sentence from each to see how we as a community answered the fateful question: Why Brown? Without further ado, here is the ultimate “Why Brown” essay:My greatest passions involve Camus, quantum gravity, and Miles Davis. So far in my research, I have simply identified different disparities and behaviors that exist within organ donation. I have broad interests in history and political science, as well as chemistry and mathematics. After visiting Brown, I knew it would be the perfect fit.Brown’s open curriculum would allow me to explore and study all these subjects without the need to fulfill specific core classes or distribution requirements. Brown’s belief in interdisciplinary learning, exhibited in the open curriculum, gives me an unparalleled freedom in developing my own education. Brown is truly unique in the academic freedom provided to its student body. Brown represents all that I desire in a university-college.Yet, what draws me most to Brown is the student body: every Brown student I met was genuine, quietly ambitious and dedicated to their work. Not only is it one of the few elite research institutions to be prominently dedicated to undergraduate instruction, but it is also extremely diverse and inclusive, with students from all 50 states and over 115 countries. As an individual looking to become a part of a community that works together towards progress, Brown’s system of advising and supportive student-body reflects my values of cooperation over competitiveness.The ability to take many classes satisfactory/no credit also would give me the confidence to enroll in classes such as visual arts or literature outside of my comfort zone. As a person who is passionate about social change, Brown’s emphasis on local and global outreach highlighted at the Taubman Center for Public Policy and the Swearer Center for Public Service, provides the opportunities to pursue this passion. Brown’s dedication to undergraduate research would allow me to delve into music while exploring the frontiers of modern physics.Finally, Brown’s emphasis on learning itself makes it the epitome of the pursuit of knowledge. You know this is a place to think critically, to dare to be vulnerable, to be exposed to different ideas; a school where you can be untethered in your search for what excites you; where you have discovered home. If given the chance, I would benefit from the academic freedom, the diversity of opinions, and the collaborative community that characterize Brown – and, in return, would offer my wholehearted passion and determination.­ Thanks to all those who were willing to share a sentence so that this conglomerate could be created! As always, remember to be warm and welcoming to those ADOCH students on April 16th and 23rd – many of us were in their shoes not too long ago. Image created via.