Brown Undergraduate Admission

“I am forever grateful that I took the leap and applied to Brown. When I was applying, Brown stood out to me for its happy and inclusive student culture. After being here, I can fully attest to that! The culture of collaboration and the numerous resources on campus make even the most difficult classes rewarding and manageable.

Because of the Open Curriculum and the freedom to choose your own path, classes are filled with students who are genuinely interested in the subject rather than just taking it for credit. In a university that values curiosity and collaboration, I’ve found an incredible place to grow not only as a student, but into the person I always wanted to be.

Brown has opened so many doors to explore new academic disciplines and hobbies. From rock climbing and ceramics to martial arts and painting, there really is a club for everything, filled with passionate members who embrace you with open arms.

In Providence, my favorite thing to do is explore the city and try new restaurants! There are so many hidden gems if you look—from rain tunnels to cozy cafes, there is something here for everyone.

I love the people at Brown the most. I’m thankful for the connections I’ve made with kind, incredible people who motivate me to do better every day.

Looking ahead, I’m hoping to apply to medical school and become a physician. I am driven by the excitement of meeting and interacting with new people, and I hope I can use my interest in biochemistry to make a real difference in people’s lives!”

Renee K. ‘28
Neuroscience
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Summer info sessions and campus tours of Brown are in full swing! ☀️ Join us in Providence for an information session with an admission officer, a panel featuring current students, and a guided campus tour. We can’t wait to welcome you to Brown!

Register through the link in our bio.

“I transferred to Brown my sophomore year, right in the midst of COVID. Navigating a new campus community during a time of social distancing and in-person restrictions was certainly challenging. However, that experience made me even more grateful for the time I did have at Brown and the relationships I was able to build.

Being a student-athlete played a defining role in my experience at Brown. As a member of the track team, I navigated injury setbacks, mental blocks, and moments of failure. While those challenges may seem small compared to the life-or-death stakes of medicine, they gave me repeated opportunities to build resilience, discipline, and mental toughness. Most importantly, it taught me the importance of consistently showing up for others.

I was also deeply involved in Brown’s Alzheimer’s Activists. As Co-President during my senior year, I led a small group of students to Tockwotton Assisted Living Facility to spend time with residents in the Memory Care Unit. While I had studied Alzheimer’s in the classroom, interacting with residents living with cognitive impairment was transformative. Those experiences deepened my interest in neurology and reinforced the importance of human connection in clinical care.

After graduating from Brown, I started working as a clinical research assistant at the Berenson-Allen Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. I spent the summer traveling before matriculating at UMass Chan Medical School.

One of the most impactful experiences was working in Dr. Elena Festa and Dr. Heindel’s Aging and Cognition Lab. Through that work, I completed my senior thesis and had the opportunity to present at a major national conference. That experience significantly shaped my interest in research and has continued to influence my path since graduating.

I absolutely loved my time at Brown. The community felt incredibly warm and welcoming—a special place to grow both academically and personally. Brown students are deeply engaged, challenging one another thoughtfully and respectfully, pushing each other to expand their perspectives.”

Grace Desmond ‘23
Medical Student
Concentration: Cognitive Neuroscience
| Alumni 🐻

“Four years ago, I came to Brown expecting a community of academically driven students. Brown lived up to that, but what I’ve grown to love most is that for such an outstanding student body, we don’t take ourselves so seriously. The Open Curriculum creates a culture that balances ambition with humility and genuine openness to exploration.

I entered Brown thinking I’d dedicate my life solely to chemistry. As I graduate in a month, I’m leaving with an additional degree in English. Originally, I thought literary analysis was exclusively an intellectual endeavor, never a future. Luckily, the Open Curriculum allowed me to interact with English in a way that reshaped my view. Through the S/NC grading system, I approached classes as an exploration of who I am as a writer rather than writing for a rubric.

As an aspiring doctor, English might seem like an unconventional path. However, I believe it is vital to my success as an empathetic physician. If the sciences gave me facts, English gave me the lens to see their human significance. Literature offers lessons in empathy, humanity, and the balance between suffering and joy.

Outside the classroom, I’ve loved Providence’s food scene. As an avid Beli user, I’ve enjoyed dragging friends to new coffee shops and participating in statewide coffee competitions. The community here constantly reminds me that life exists outside the relentless pursuit of a career—that developing as a good friend is just as important as developing as a student.

In the fall, I’ll continue my studies at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Through the encouragement of my peers, I hope to incorporate my love for writing into my future as a doctor. Brown has shifted what I believe to be important; it is a community focused on the betterment of the world through activism, showing up for each other, and spreading joy.”

Amber W. ‘26
Chemistry and English
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“When I first heard about Brown, I was a teenager at a boarding school in Southern Africa, applying to colleges from halfway across the world. Someone told me it was the happiest Ivy League. For some reason, that stuck with me. I applied Early Decision and was lucky enough to get in.

What I didn’t realize then was that Brown would become the perfect place for me in ways I couldn’t have predicted.

I graduated with concentrations in Behavioral Decision Sciences and International and Public Affairs, but the Open Curriculum let my education stretch far beyond that. I took classes across more than a dozen departments, from entrepreneurship and economics to psychology and public health. In Behavioral Decision Sciences, I studied heuristics, biases, and decision-making. Today, I use those same concepts to build a content platform that has grown to over 260,000 followers across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Brown introduced me to entrepreneurship almost immediately. I became determined to take ENGN 1010 with Professor Warshay, a course typically filled with upperclassmen. I was told no several times but kept showing up until I got a seat. I loved it so much that I went on to TA it for five semesters, coaching student founders and learning from incredible entrepreneurs along the way. More importantly, it showed me something uniquely Brown: if you’re curious and willing to take initiative, professors are often willing to take a chance on you.

Beyond academics, Brown became home. I found mentors who genuinely invested in me, roommates who became lifelong friends, and a community that pushed me to dream bigger while staying grounded.

Brown gave me space. Space to explore, to fail, to grow into myself. I arrived as a teenager from across the world and left with a sense of self I didn’t know I was searching for.

I came here because I heard it was the happiest Ivy League. Four years later, I think that reputation comes from something deeper: Brown gives students the freedom to build a life and education that is entirely their own. For me, that made all the difference.”

Janya K. ‘26
Behavioral Decision Sciences and International and Public Affairs
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“My life after Brown has opened doors I could never have imagined without the guidance, resources, and connections I gained while at Brown University. The Brown Alumni Network runs DEEP; immediately after graduation, I was connected with alumni who helped make my jump into the real world easier. I graduated in late May, and by June, I had already started a part-time job as a Jr. Celtics coach.

After finishing the summer with the Jr. Celtics, I faced a decision: continue my basketball career overseas or pursue an opportunity in the NBA. I chose the NBA. I am currently the youngest member of the Cleveland Cavaliers coaching staff.

I am grateful for the mentorship of my basketball team captains, David Mitchell and Tamenang Choh, who pushed me to step out of my shell and make the most of the Brown campus. Through Brown, I traveled to El Potrero, Panama, to build a basketball court from scratch, and then flew to Los Angeles a week later to attend the Black Student-Athlete Summit. During my junior year, I began making short films with Brown Motion Pictures and Brown Original Series, eventually achieving a dream of mine—having a film shown at the Avon on Thayer Street.

What shaped me most were the people who challenged me to take full advantage of every opportunity. My piece of advice: When you are offered opportunities, do them. Challenge yourself and go for it. From the highs and lows, you will experience every emotion as a student, but enjoy it. We only get one life, so why not fill the picture frame with as many memories as you can!

From giving high-fives to elementary students to speaking on panels, participating in leadership programs, and receiving academic support, I got to experience the world because of Sean Hendricks and Victoria Mealer-Flowers of Student Athlete Development. I’ll always shout them out for giving a kid like me the chance to take full advantage of the cards they were dealt. Best four years of my life, proud to call the Brown community my home. ”

Aaron Cooley ‘25
Assistant Video Coordinator, Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Concentration: Modern Culture Media
| Alumni 🐻

As we reflect on this past weekend’s Commencement, we want to honor our graduating tour guides, whose passion and dedication have helped shape our program and the experiences of so many prospective students and families.

We are endlessly grateful for all they have given to Brown and know they will continue to make a lasting impact wherever they go next. Congratulations, Class of 2026 🤎🐻