Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island is a member of the vaulted Ivy League and has the most flexible curriculum and creativity-centric program of all of the Ivy League schools. The university challenges students to learn and act collaboratively in a way that is interdisciplinary. At the core of this is the Open Curriculum, which allows students to go deep on topics they are passionate about while exploring broadly without strict core or distribution requirements. The city of Providence nurtures this ethos. With nearly 200,000 people and nestled on the coastline, it is brimming with world-class creative and academic minds — and the seafood is also fantastic. Brown is extremely selective. They recently received 50,649 applications for the undergraduate college and admitted 2,560 for a mere 5% acceptance rate.
If you are looking for a way to stand out on your Brown application, you’ll need to look beyond standardized tests. Brown is not requiring SAT or ACT scores from applicants for the 2023-2024 application cycle. So, if standardized tests aren’t your jam, we recommend reinvesting the time you would have spent inching up your SAT or ACT score on something you’re passionate about that will help you stand out in your supplements. Brown loves passion, as you’ll see.
If you’re considering applying to Brown, send us an email. We have a proven track record of helping students get into their dream schools.
Below we break down the Brown supplement, but you should know that if you are applying for a specialized program, such as a joint program, you’ll have additional or different questions. If this applies to you, please refer to the Common App to confirm the questions in advance of beginning work!
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 pursue them at Brown. (200-250 words)
Brown absolutely adores their Open Curriculum, and they only want to accept students who will love it just as much as they do. So, for this prompt they want to hear about your passions academically — ideally, one or two that complement each other. But they don’t just want you to tell them about what you care about, they also want specifics about how you’ll pursue those passions at Brown.
At the core of this response, though, needs to be focus. They do not want you to seem scatterbrained, even as you are talking about how you will explore. To maintain focus, it’s important to have a strong structure for your supplement response.
We recommend structuring your response with a story at the beginning as a way of introducing your primary academic interest. As we’ll say a lot, this is a show-not-tell moment. Give them a peek into what you want to study through a story of you engaging with the subject in the lab, in the classroom, or in life outside of school. Then, give specifics about ways you’ll pursue this at Brown, which could include one or two courses you would like to take or a professor you would like to study under.
From there, and if you have room, you can weave in a secondary interest that is complimentary (but ideally in a different subject area). Share at least one way you’ll pursue it before you speak to how the two interests complement each other and why the Brown Open Curriculum is ideal for you.
Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community. (200-250 words)
First off, let us make one thing clear: this prompt is not a competition for hardship. If you’ve faced a significant uphill battle educationally or personally, that may be an okay fit for this prompt. But, again, this is not a competition for hardship so if you dig around for a struggle to write about it is more likely that you’ll sound like you are whining than that it will resonate.
Instead, if you don’t have something really pressing and important to share, think small. Zoom in on an aspect of your life that has been meaningful, inspiring, or challenging, but that isn’t huge. For example, inspiration could have come from a close relationship. Challenge could have come from familial responsibilities that you had to adjust to. In the vast majority of circumstances, though, you should not write about something related to the COVID-19 pandemic here.
And remember, they want to see how this connects to what you will do at Brown, so go through the clubs and student activities lists to find at least one ‘match.’ If you struggled in a certain way, for example, you may want to volunteer with an organization that supports those going through similar difficulties.
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)
For this prompt, we strongly suggest looking outside of straight academia or education. Maybe the thing that brings you joy is connected to what you want to study, but share something outside of the classroom. For example, if you want to study biology you may write about the octogenarian bird-watching group you are part of. Share a moment connected to that experience that highlights your passion.
As you do this, remember to show — not tell. Show the application readers what you love, don’t simply say, “I care about X.” This prompt is all about story, story, story.
You also need to keep in mind not to repeat something that is already in your Common App essay or anywhere else on your application. This is a place to inject an entirely fresh and new piece of your life that shares a side of you that they won’t see otherwise, and in a story format. Treat it like a mini short story, and we recommend reading example common app essays for inspiration.
Help us get to know you better by reflecting briefly on each of the questions below. We expect that answers will range from a few words to a few sentences at most.
Next up are a few “rapid fire” questions, but you’ll need to give them just as much thought as the longer supplements you’ve already conquered.
What three words best describe you? (3 words)
Out of all the supplements Brown asks for, this one stumps students the most. It’s hard to describe yourself! Ask friends and family for ideas, and compile a list of at least 10 options. Then, cut it back to three that resonate most. Speak honestly. Show who you are, not who you may wish yourself to be.
What is your most meaningful extracurricular commitment, and what would you like us to know about it? (100 words)
This prompt can be a bit of a conundrum because you have probably already talked about an extracurricular you love in your Common App essay, or in an earlier (and longer) supplement prompt. This is also very short, so it’s best to focus on something that doesn’t need much explanation. Finally, before you dig in, we encourage students to define “extracurricular” very broadly. You aren’t limited to writing about clubs or teams, but what you focus on should be a commitment — not a hobby — that you have given time to over a long period (ideally a minimum of six months).
Once you’ve landed on something, it’s time to tell a mini-story. For the record, our explanation of this supplement question is already well over 100 words, so you’ll want to go through a process of drafting, editing, cutting words, and then tightening language until you have a response that connects with the reader emotionally, communicates something core about yourself, and tells a story.
If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be? (100 words)
We love this prompt because it invites a creative answer. We recommend formatting your response as a course listing and description, and you should be sure to suggest something you could actually teach a course on, even if it would take some prep — which they would expect, as all professors have to prep before teaching a new class. What we don’t recommend here is trying to be funny. Many students, lost on what they should say, try to make a joke here but rarely does it land. Instead, be earnest, lean into your expertise, and be as specific as possible. If you are passionate about certain species of octopus or know a ridiculous amount about siege tactics, run with that.
In one sentence, Why Brown? (50 words)
This is a “Why Brown” supplement, but it’s also only 50 words and you’ve already talked a lot about why you want to go to Brown in the Open Curriculum supplement. So, what do you do here? Something interesting. We challenge our students to answer this prompt creatively. Use a creative format (yes, you can write a poem), dig into something about Brown that you’re ridiculously obsessed with but that’s also sort of totally random, or write a scene of your in your dream class doing your dream lab with your dream professor. Whatever way you answer this, make the most of 50 words by not simply saying, “I want to go to Brown because…” They’ll see plenty of that already. Do something different.
Brown is a creative, energetic, academic, and enthusiastic community of learners, artists, and entrepreneurs. If the idea of this type of learning environment excites you, Brown may be your perfect fit.
If you’re super psyched about Brown but feeling overwhelmed about how to make it happen, send us an email. We are experts at this.