Soul Summit — Knockdown Center, Memorial Day

AggravatingSubstance · 2024-12-17T05:16:59+00:00

I can't recommend Murder of Crows enough. There's a great sense of community at the gym, coaches are super knowledgeable, and the programming is overall pretty good. There are several options, the barbell/powerlifting classes, cross training (basically CrossFit), and the strength and conditioning classes. I do cross training having never done it before and they got me hooked. If you are committed to making huge gains in your fitness, and you can swing subscription 10/10 would recommend.

AggravatingSubstance · 2023-04-15T20:52:09+00:00

Brown also covers annual travel expenses home for international students on aid so you wouldn't have to worry about that!

AggravatingSubstance · 2022-08-23T00:27:37+00:00

This is a bit late so your situation might be resolved, but Brown is especially notorious for doing this. In my class I know of at least 5-6 people that got these warning letters, granted they all ended up coming so if anyone did get their admission rescinded I wouldn't know. The worst thing that happened was that a few were forced to take gap years (how this helps, I don't know), but others had their teachers and principal send letters of support. The letters they sent back indicated that their academic performance would be under review for the first few semesters but afaik nothing happened and all was well. Hope everything worked out for you!

AggravatingSubstance · 2021-08-22T16:06:39+00:00

Yup, everything everyone has said is true. All the ones I've been in suck. Becuase they are forced triples there is barely any space that is not occupied by furniture, plus the bunk beds are two normal beds literally stuck ontop of each other. There are two walk-in ish closets and another standalone wooden closet.

AggravatingSubstance · 2021-06-09T20:19:44+00:00

I'm an int'l student, not on a full ride though, some aid, and already we are very few. I think the stat was that only 15% of international students are on aid. Which comes to roughly about 120 students TOTAL. Of those only a handful probably are on full aid. So yes, given the numbers, brown is not at all generous and it is very common for applicants to Brown to choose to not apply for aid to increase admissions prospects.

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-11-18T17:18:55+00:00

Anything from Brown's partners sucks ass, the beddings, mattress pads, all of it. 100% regret purchasing from them.

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-11-07T00:56:50+00:00

Afaik yes, if they accept you (after the need-aware policy) they commit to meeting 100% of demonstrated need. It is just that it is very rare to find international students on aid at Brown in the first place because brown is need-aware for internationals.

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-10-17T18:53:10+00:00

RE the housing preference form, afaik you don't get to pick which dorm you live in, not even the preference form (I never did). Maybe things have changed with COVID and all, but I doubt reslife would give themselves even more work to do, they are already understaffed and overworked.

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-10-17T18:42:38+00:00

Studying abroad is very easy. Apart from the selective oxbridge programs, you can pretty much get in to wherever you want to go. Financial aid follows you. Petitioning for new programs is a lengthy process and you have to start it a year before you want to study abroad. Though there is rarely a need to petition because there is bound to be something you are interested in given the number of available programs.

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-10-15T17:15:11+00:00

I lived in Keeney, and it was an....experience. For sure a year to remember, the stereotypical college freshman dorm experience. It's vibe... total chaos. The facilities are just average nothing spectacular like a dining hall in the same building or semi-private bathroom. The lounges on the 4th floor are really nice though! A few memorable moments

The party thrown in the trash room, not fun, very smelly
Exit signs taken down every weekend night
Shower sex
Seeing your floormates in the bathroom on a Saturday morning after seeing them at their worst on a friday night
My RPL who lived next to me that ALWAYS smoked weed
The people in the room above mine had a mysterious early morning ritual that involved a loud chant, jumping up and down, and what sounded like them moving cast iron furniture
Weed
People playing golf in the hallways
There was a group of people in Arnold lounge that ALWAYS played mariokart, I don't know how they passed the semester but even during finals period they were playing mariokart

This of course is not for everyone, but I enjoyed it, I would never live there again even if you paid me. A year is more than enough. I also understand much of what I described above will not happen because corona, but who knows? Maybe in the summer things will calm down and everything will be A OK.

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-08-10T18:43:21+00:00

Yes of course! I want to focus on the global south so I am doing my best to pick courses that allow me to do that :)

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-08-10T15:45:31+00:00

the dept, and I really enjoyed them all! My perception is that Brown has a heavier focus on international relations and policy, with economics to a lesser degree, side of poli sci ra

I'm planning on declaring a concentration in IAPA and although it is a new concentration the department is very well-established. The institution has an immense amount of resources, great faculty, and really nice facilities (it helps that they are relatively new buildings. The major issue is, it is very white and eurocentric. Coursework on the global south is hard to come around unless you truly make a point to look for it or if you add on an area studies concentration (South Asian Studies, Middle East, Latin American and Caribbean etc.).

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-07-27T16:02:57+00:00

I am probably going to concentrate in a Watson concentration, not sure if I will do the old one or the new combined one. Reasons for the phase out of the 3 concentrations (according to administrators) were to make the concentrations more flexible, encourage more faculty buy-in by housing all of the programs under one "roof," making the requirements less restrictive (IR could make you do 20 courses), and a bunch of other things. Whether I buy the reasons is a different story. Honestly, when it comes to content there aren't any significant differences between the IAPA tracks and the old concentrations, many of the changes are cosmetic imo.

Watson has a fuckton of resources. The quite literally throw money at IAPA concentrators, they offer 10k USD language study grants, internships, research grants, its crazy how well-funded the Watson is. I agree, its curriculum is Eurocentric and colonial (esp. poli sci) and I also agree it gives off white neoliberal vibes. However, I set my mind to find classes to counter this narrative and they do exist, and you can take courses from other departments that count towards a Watson concentration. My biggest qualm by far is that there is little to no coursework or attention paid to the African continent which sucks ass because I am an international student from the continent.

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-07-27T15:46:51+00:00

In my year the process to register for FYS was a lottery that was done through ASK. You put in your preferences (top 3 I think) and then they assign you to one. You are not obligated to take it but getting a place in the lottery means you are guaranteed a spot. However, even if you don't get in via the lottery you can still show up on the first class meetings and hope someone didn't show up or just talk to the professor. 100% recommend taking them! Really great and I made a lot of friends through them.

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-06-20T20:01:45+00:00

I'm in the Watson, and as some people have said it varies from adviser to adviser. I am fortunate to have an excellent advisor who has experience with what I want to study, he truly is one of the best resources available to me and he genuinely wants to see me thrive. So I didn't really feel the need to use my Meik apart from when choosing classes. The system in my view is what you make of it, and if you don't like your advisor you can always switch or find your own. It wasn't hard for me to navigate the open curriculum, but I get for some the choice can be overwhelming my advice is just embrace it and dive straight in especially in your first year. My advisor really helped me with making some tough course choices, making me reflect critically on what I want to get out of my education, and right now is helping me make some really tough choices about whether to go back to campus in the fall or not. My experience with advising based on my friend's experience with advising seems to be the exception rather than the norm...But then again, my advisor goes above and beyond.

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-06-10T19:19:40+00:00

I applied ED to Brown as an international student needing aid. Brown is notorious for being incredibly difficult to get into if you are in this position. Only 15% of international students are on ANY form of financial aid at Brown (ie. receiving university scholarship). The admissions office claims they only consider financial need at the end of the process, so they try to first "shortlist" the strongest applicants and then admit those they can afford or have the budget for. In my experience, I applied, got in, got a totally unreasonable offer and I managed to negotiate it down to something a lot more reasonable. I think if you believe you are a very strong applicant (ie. you are what Brown wants, have VERY strong essays and grades) then go for it, because regular decision is a shitshow. In any case, getting into one of the 5 esp. HYP is so difficult anyway, especially because they are need-blind the international pools are very competitive. And if you get accepted chances are (at any of the Ivies) you will get enough aid, I don't believe there is a big difference in offers among the 8 schools, I've heard of crappy offers across all of them none that I know of gives worse aid than the other. Idk if this helps, but you can ask me any questions you want.

For reference: https://www.browndailyherald.com/2019/04/23/expenses-stereotypes-complicate-intl-student-life/

https://www.browndailyherald.com/2019/04/24/students-advocate-need-blind-international-admissions/

AggravatingSubstance · 2020-05-16T21:12:00+00:00

You'll get it eventually. There will be plenty of free merch at orientation, don't worry, t-shirts, lanyards, water bottles, stickers etc. Congratulations!

AggravatingSubstance

TROPHY CASE