Kevin's Day at Brown

Brown Through My Eyes

Hello! My name is Kevin Carter and I’m going into my sophomore year at Brown where I’m exploring the Open Curriculum but primarily studying Environmental Studies. I enjoy playing basketball, listening to music and reading and writing fiction. My high school GPA was 4.72, and in the midst of the pandemic, I opted out of submitting ACT/SAT scores.

I was matched to Brown through Questbridge, so getting in required a good, complete Questbridge application and satisfactory responses for Brown’s supplemental essays. For the class of 2026, Brown’s office of admission prioritized the rigor of the secondary school, class rank, application essay, recommendations, talent/ability, extracurriculars, and character/personal qualities in their decisions. I excelled in these areas and I’m certain that served a substantial role in my acceptance.

Brown University is an Ivy League institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. Famous for its Open Curriculum, the university offers a uniquely liberating academic experience, one that allows the student to focus more on how they want to shape their education to maximize their learning rather than conforming to a predetermined academic path. Student life is relatively diverse for a PWI (55% of people identifying as POC in the admitted class of 2021), and composed of people who are down to earth and laid back, yet still ambitious and passionate about their studies. There are plenty of student-led activities, programs and groups, from Greek life to intramural sports to music ensembles. The professors are very distinguished in their areas, and tend to be friendly, resourceful, and understanding. There are many on campus resources, like the CareerLab, and free tutoring offered for large uncapped classes. The food is decent, but if you ever get tired of the dining hall options, Thayer Street is filled with an abundance of food options (especially for those who love asian cuisine). Providence is a beautiful city and its location allows easy access to Boston, New York, and other neighboring east coast metropoles. All in all, Brown is a great place to explore, academically, socially, and literally! 

Let's Talk About Majors

My major is Environmental Studies. The Environmental Studies program at Brown is committed to addressing the myriad of pressing modern-day environmental challenges by composing degrees that give students exposure to an interdisciplinary learning experience that will equip them to solve these convoluted issues. There are five tracks in the ENVS concentration: Air, Climate, and Energy, Conservation science and policy, Environment and Inequality, Land, Water, and Food Security, and Sustainability in Development. Regardless of the pathway chosen by a student, concentrating in Environmental Studies means they will gain interdisciplinary takeaways from the natural and social sciences and from public policy.  They will gain critical skills in research and design analysis and develop a focused area of environmental expertise. Conclusively, they will complete an integrative senior project or capstone course. After obtaining a degree in Environmental Studies, students often further their education in the field or begin careers in consulting, research, public policy, education, data analysis, sustainability, conservation, and more. Needless to say, Environmental Studies at Brown opens up numerous lanes for students to apply what they’ve learned to impact the world.

The most popular majors at Brown are Computer science, Economics, Medicine, Biology, and Engineering.

• Computer Science is the most popular major for a reason: there is an exceptional program, one of the best in the world, with talented and knowledgeable professors. What makes it such a great program is the level of difficulty as well as the structure, which prepares students for tech-based jobs rather than CS research like other schools. The struggle of a CS major cannot be exaggerated, as they are faced with an overwhelming load. However, the CS program has resources to help students overcome that hump, and one of them is a large, supportive community that helps students find networks of friends that help each other, by struggling together. The challenge of CS prepares students for the real world, and it is undeniable that these struggles pay off in the end, given that Brown CS graduates are among the highest paid graduates with a median starting income of $140,000. 
• Economics at Brown is a widespread concentration that at least half of all Brown students dip into during their undergraduate years. The program provides a strong foundation but allows students to diverge through the electives they take that give them the autonomy to study anything they want. Not only are there quality faculty members, but high quality students as well. Economics has many research opportunities, from classes to work-study positions, and has been very accessible, doing a great job of transitioning and adapting to virtual platforms and other pandemic-provoked contingencies. The resources in this program include group tutoring, Econ DUG (Departmental Undergraduate Group), and a plethora of student TA’s along with professor open hours. Students involved in this program are equipped with tools to understand how the world works, how people respond to incentives, and how to address some of the public policy issues that are most relevant today. 
• Medicine at Brown is special because of the PLME (Program in Liberal Medical Education) program, an extremely selective BS/MD program and the only one of its kind within the Ivy League. It is an eight-year program that combines undergrad with medical school, so that members won’t have to apply for medical school upon completing their undergraduate degree. Instead, they’ll be enrolled right into Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School. It is especially unique because it allows students to have the freedom of majoring in anything they desire, as long as they fulfill their pre-med requirements. This policy is much more lenient than the average pre-med track, and it gives students the chance at a more enjoyable, well-rounded education with less stress from difficult classes because of the guaranteed acceptance into Alpert Medical School. 
• Biology at Brown is a program made up of six departments: ecology and evolutionary biology, molecular biology, cell biology, & biochemistry, molecular microbiology and immunology, neuroscience, and pathology and laboratory medicine. There are AB and ScB degrees in biology, an ScB degree for neuroscience, and master/doctoral degrees in several different biology-related areas, rather than their being a degree for each department. There are 150 faculty members, 10 research centers, and 10 institutes and programs in total. Students in this program are given exposure to a variety of independent study and research opportunities with the mentorship and collaboration of faculty. Many opportunities derive from the program's position as a component of Brown’s Division of Biology and Medicine, which includes the Warren Alpert Medical School. The close relationship between these two branches of the Division of Biology and Medicine brings opportunities to combine biology and clinical science to perform research at Brown-affiliated hospitals for those within the program. This demonstrated abundance of research opportunities is what makes the Biology program extraordinary. 

My Mornings at Brown 

My mornings typically start some time between 7:30 am and 9:00 am, when I wake up from bed and start my morning routine. After I get washed and dressed, I either sneak a breakfast in at V-dub or head straight to class, which, depending on the day, could start anytime from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. Morning classes, as unappealing as they might seem when they become optional, can actually be good for getting you up and started early. However, if you know you’re not going to be able to manage them, then don’t force it. On the way to class, I might enjoy a stroll through the main green, where I can take in the iconic campus scenery that it holds as the mecca of Brown. Sometimes after class I’ll grab a pastry or breakfast sandwich from the blue room (a cafe in the campus center, a building in front of the main green) if I hadn’t gotten breakfast beforehand and wasn’t low on flex points (a dining currency opposed to meal swipes). After, I’d go back to my room to take a short rejuvenating nap before continuing with the rest of my day. Here is a picture I took of the main green on the way back from my Philosophy first-year seminar, featuring a sun-lit Sayles Hall, a building that hosts classes and organ concerts.

Afternoons In Between Classes

In the afternoon, I would either grab lunch from Andrews between classes or meet up at the Ratty with some friends. The Ratty is the largest dining hall on campus that naturally, also has the widest selection. You will always find burgers, hot dogs, fries, salad, pasta, some type of sandwich or snack bar, and pizza at the Ratty for lunch and dinner, but the main course is what is subject to change. If you’re a picky eater, I suggest checking the menu before showing up. The Ratty, along with V-dub, is a buffet-style dining hall. The others involve you getting a select portion for your meal swipe. After lunch, if I didn’t spend the entire time studying in the lounge at my dorm (Andrews has a wonderful lounge just above the dining hall, and there are study rooms in the dining hall as well) or attending labs and sections for classes, I would carve out some time for a work out at the Nelson Fitness Center. The workout facility is very nice, and has just about everything you need in terms of machines. It can get crowded during busy times though, so that is something to consider. Here is a picture of the Nelson from the outside. 

Evenings at Brown

I spent most of my evenings studying and working at the Rock, aka the John D. Rockefeller library, where the fourth floor served as a refuge for me and my friends. Depending on which side you chose, you could enjoy a picturesque view of either the Quiet Green or of Downtown Providence. I worked as a notetaker for Student Accessibility Services, so during this time I might pull up a lecture capture to take notes or revise the ones I had already taken from class. This job had mutualistic benefits because in helping other students by taking good notes, the obligation incentivized me to be more engaged in that class. When the time came for a study break, we would go eat at the Ratty (or Jo’s, a late night dining spot that serves burgers, chicken sandwiches and snacks) and if we finished enough work in time, we would go play basketball  at the OMAC, an athletic center next to the Nelson. It contains 8 Lane Sprint and 6 Lane Running Tracks, 3 Basketball Courts, 2 Volleyball Courts, and 2 Badminton Courts. On Wednesday evenings, I would attend bible study with BCM (Black Christian Ministries) where we would eat food, pray for each other and discuss different bible passages. Every few Thursday evenings I would have a meeting for the BSJ (Black Star Journal) where the members within my section and I would converse about our articles for the latest issue. My evenings usually ended anywhere between 12:00-2:00 am. There were definitely nights that I regretted going to sleep late, and one piece of advice I can give for those taking morning classes is to try to go to sleep as early as your schedule allows. It might not be the coolest choice, but you’ll thank yourself the following morning! This is a picture of me at the Rock after walking through pouring rain to get to my favorite studying spot. 

Weekends in Providence

On weekends, I would sleep in, do laundry, work out (or go to church if it was a Sunday), then get a breakfast bowl at Andrews. Andrews only serves breakfast on the weekends, but their breakfast burrito and yogurt bowl stations are heaven sent. After this, I would try to do some studying in the afternoon at the Rock, or if it was nice out and I had work that didn’t require internet, I’d go to Prospect Terrace, a windy park with a towering view of the city on north campus. Sometimes, I would take a study break to chill with friends on the main green and play spikeball.  Later on, I would find something fun to do in the evening, whether it be a function on campus or going to Providence Place mall to do some shopping or catch a movie. There are plenty of things to get into on the weekends, whether that be taking a trip to Barrington Beach when its nice out, going to mezzo (a night-spot in providence), or even seeing the Waterfire in Downtown Providence. Waterfire is a free public art performance where nearly a hundred bonfires are lit along the three rivers that cut through downtown providence, illuminating the night while music is played and people perform. This event is held May through November on Saturday evenings twice a month. Below, you’ll see a picture of me at my first Waterfire gazing in awe.