Brown University is arguably best known for its Open Curriculum, which gives students the freedom and flexibility to create their own academic paths.
Unlike institutions with a more organised academic programme, Brown allows the proper sort of student to have the most academic flexibility.
You’ll be asked how Brown’s Open Curriculum will aid you on your academic path, as well as how you’ll interact with your classmates and contribute to the larger community at Brown, in the necessary additional essays.
Finally, students must describe “home,” whether it is a physical or abstract concept, as well as discuss one of their extracurricular activities.
What is Brown University’s admission staff looking for?
Brown is seeking for students who have a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to make a difference. The institution avoids any sort of formulaic evaluation in order to determine which 5.4 percent of the extremely brilliant and successful candidate pool best matches this criterion, opting instead for a full-fledged holistic admissions procedure.
Prompts for Brown University’s Supplemental Essays:
Prompt-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)
talk in depth about your hobbies, and you won’t be able to do so if you pick more than two. Try to link a personal experience to your prospective field of study. You may also discuss how winning a competition felt like an amazing payoff.
Finally, the challenge asks how you’ll use the Open Curriculum to embrace things you’ve never heard of before, so your response should demonstrate that you’re thinking about how to broaden your academic interests to incorporate new subjects while at Brown.
Prompt-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)
It might be difficult to get others to participate in meaningful discussions on significant topics. It may either be educational or, regrettably, divisive. Brown wants to know about a moment when you were confronted with an opposing viewpoint. So, recall a moment when a chat with friends, family, or even strangers provided you with a new perspective on a topic or situation.
You must demonstrate open-mindedness and a commitment to lifelong learning to impress admissions officers. Brown does not expect
you to have the knowledge and life experience of someone three times your age, but it does want you to take advantage of opportunities to learn about other people’s lives and brains. Show admissions that you’re willing to have difficult conversations. Brown University will provide you the opportunity to meet and connect with people who are significantly different from you.
Prompt-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 a fun challenge that allows you to showcase your uniqueness and the situations that have had the biggest impact on you to the admissions committee. You should write what’s on your mind. The admissions committee should sense your strong attachment to whatever it is that brings you delight. Rather than describing why your particular stuff makes you happy, share a narrative about you experiencing that happiness in real time. Include detailed explanations of how the event or object makes you feel, as well as what about it makes you look that way.
Lastly, attempt to relate your pleasure-bringing object to how you’ll experience delight as a Brown student. This will demonstrate to Brown admissions that you really are ready to find value in
Prompt-4: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 words)
This prompt will appear in the “Activity” area of your Brown application, but don’t worry – it’s not that shocking. This type of activity essay is rather frequent, and it is actually as simple as it appears. Choosing which activity to discuss is generally the most difficult aspect. As a result, we go back to our old mantra: tell admissions something they won’t learn anywhere else. If your Common App essay
focused on your time as cricket team captain, you should focus on a different activity that demonstrates a different aspect of yourself for this topic. It is an excellent time to emphasise your leadership abilities as well as any awards you may have won as a consequence of participation in a certain activity. Have you ever received a community service award? Now is an excellent moment to expand on your work. Whatever you select, it should ideally be something you’ve been doing for a long so you can show your progress and the influence you’ve had on others.
3 Tips for Writing a Great Brown Supplemental Essay
Regardless of whatever Brown supplementary essays you’re replying to, the following guidelines for
writing a superb Brown essay should be kept in mind.
1: Make Use of Your Own Voice
The purpose of a college essay is to allow the admissions committee to learn more about you than just your test scores, grades, and accolades. Your admissions essays are your chance to bring yourself to life for the essay readers and show yourself as a fully developed individual. As a result, you should double-check that the person you’re presenting in your college essays is you. Don’t attempt to be someone you’re not by imitating what you believe the committee wants to hear. Your essay will come off as insincere if you lie or exaggerate, which will reduce its efficacy. Stick to sharing true tales about who you are, not who you think Brown wants you to be.
2: Cliches and overused phrases should be avoided.
Try to avoid utilising clichés and overused statements or phrases in your Brown essays. These include overused phrases or idioms in everyday life, as well as statements that have been repeated to death. The Brown admissions committee is likely to have read in a number of essays, make an effort to be unique. Avoid clichés as well, as they detract from the depth and authenticity of your writing.
3: Make sure your work is accurate.
Make sure your writings are edited and checked before submitting your Brown application. Spelling and grammatical mistakes should be avoided in your work. Before you submit your writings, put them through a spell and grammatical check. Someone else should read your Brown writings as well. A parent, instructor, or friend can provide you with a second view on your work. Inquire about how your work reflects you as a student and individual. Check with them to see if you’ve overlooked any typos or minor faults in your work. Getting a second opinion might help you make more informed decisions. It
should almost go without saying, but you want your Brown essays to be the best representation of your writing abilities.
Conclusion:
Due to the word restrictions for each prompt (50-250 words per response), it is imperative you think deeply about your most poignant values and communicate this in a way that reflects how Brown’s values and your unique traits are interconnected.
Hence, by following the above guidelines, you can assemble an excellent admissions package that will help you stand out from other applicants.
