I’m off-campus, thank God! Thank God!

Introduction
What really amazed me about Brown was the campus. I came up here 4 years in a row for a Brown invitational, which is a track meet they have for high school students, and I was just amazed by the campus. I did a little research- the no curriculum thing is pretty enticing, so that was also a big factor.

Most schools have some kind of core curriculum or Gen Ed. We have none of that. By graduation, you have to complete the requirements for some major which is potentially a major you create yourself, but most of the time it’s in a standard discipline like Philosophy or Political Science, Biology whatever. So you’re only required to finish that. Everything else you take is up to you.

Creating your own major doesn’t happen very often, but it happens and I was actually thinking about doing the same thing. But basically, if you come up with an idea that you’d want to study, you have to come up with an advisor and get it approved by the college curriculum counsel. I’ve heard some interesting ones. There was somebody who last year graduated with Meditative Studies, which combined Philosophy and religious studies and God knows what else. The one I was thinking about doing was Under-Representation in politics and government. So I would create a lot of cultural studies with a lot of politics and philosophy.

Right now, I am working on my Senior thesis, which is studying Aristole’s view of personhood and property and how it fits into a Slave Paradigm.

I did not get my internship through Brown. I was looking to work in law firms—I’m thinking about going to law school next year. I went to a dinner party and there was someone who worked with Lexus Nexus, which is a large information database used by all lawyers, and I told him my interest and he told me I should talk to him on the phone and I guess I impressed him enough to get an internship. I’ve been with them for 3 years, worked with them in 3 cities- San Francisco, which was awesome, Boston, and this year, I’ll be working in New York City.

I started my freshman year working with the organization of United African People and I was an executive on that. And then I also joined an a cappella group. I work now as a columnist with the Brown Daily Herald. And I write an editorial about every two weeks. I’m working on the senior gift campaign- that’s the campaign to get the Seniors to start donating now and get into the whole idea of philanthropy and helping Brown and giving back. Tonight I’m in the Mr. Brown competition, which should be pretty fun.

I’m not sure what The Mr. Brown competition entails; I kind of got a vague email about it. They came by and took pictures of me, and my legs, and other things. But I know there’s a talent competition and a formal wear one, and a legs competition I guess. Its a fun way to get the Senior class motivated.

Campus Life and Social Life
Van Winkle gates are a campus tradition. Once you come in as a freshman, you walk in, and that kind is your commencement of your Brown Experience. And on your 4th year, or however long it takes you graduate, you walk out with your commencement class, and that symbolizes that you’re beginning to get out of the educational environment and put it to work.

Brown’s doing a lot better than when I came here. Brown didn’t have a need- blind program, so basically, if you checked on your admissions application that you need financial aid, that could be a strike against you. I believe next year, it will be fully implemented. Brown will be completely Need-blind. So that will help the socio-economic and racial dynamics of the campus.

I’m probably the poster boy for scholarships and financial aid. Without scholarship or financial aid, I wouldn’t be here. That’s why I’m very grateful and working on this senior class campaign, because that’s what the money goes towards. It helps people who are unable to come here who, actually have the potential to be leaders of the future.

Mild to wild, sometimes, it depends on the actual issue and the events going on. I would say it’s not as liberal as Berkeley or Santa Cruz, but I guess for the Ivy League it’s pretty liberal. My friends views more or less align with mine, which are pretty liberal. Academics
If you want to be in a the New England area, if you want to be at a school that has an awesome campus, great architecture, awesome people- you’ll meet cynics and idealists, you’ll meet people, realists. There’s just an awesome opportunity to meet the greatest people, have awesome, world-class resources, learn what you want. The no curriculum thing was a selling point for me. That worked out well. So Brown just has a lot to offer and I’d recommend it to anybody who’s interested.

Providence, from what I understand, went through a little renaissance. We’ve had a series of shady mayors and politicians, the Mafia, I guess is involved somehow. A recent Mayor, Buddy Siansi, is going to jail for a number of things, mostly fraud crimes.

It’s largely due to Brown that Providence does look great. Downtown’s totally revitalized. They’re really putting restaurants, world-class restaurants and hotels, building things up. Providence actually, for a small city, has a lot to offer and it’s an hour away from Boston. Worse comes to worse, when you get bored of a city of 2,000 you can go to a city of half a million.

Student Body
I’m off-campus, thank God! Thank God! You kind of get tired of dorm life after awhile, no matter where you are, I think. Off –campus for me has provided a residence that is more affordable. It’s also more of a home feeling. People like going home to go home. To have a house, have a kitchen, have a bathroom that you don’t have to share with so many people. I mean, I live with 8 people so it might as well be dorm living in that sense, but 3 bathrooms, 3 big common rooms and you can throw your parties if you want, without disturbance. It’s great.

A cappella groups, oddly enough, are more common than Fraternities around here. I was in the Bare Necessities all-male, all-suspendered a cappella group, so check that out.

We’re not a Big East or Pac 10 school, but we’re the Ivies and we have a tradition, a strong sport tradition. Particularly our men’s tennis team did really well, our hockey team does really well every year.

In Closing...
My favorite thing about Brown is definitely the people. I think I’ve met my best friends- I’ll never meet people this great ever again. I can’t see myself going very far or going too long without contacting some of these people that I have relationships with. They’re definitely going to be life-long.

My least favorite thing about Brown- I’ve never really thought about that. The Need-blind thing was a problem for awhile but they’re fixing that. With President Ruth Simmons on the prowl, I think good things could happen, and that could be fixed.

Nobody’s going to take you by your hand and baby you. Nobody wants to do that. We’re out of high school.

I think Brown is a good mix in size, and with that comes a good mix in relationships with the faculty. We have some bigger professors. There are some bigger names that we hear on campus, and those are harder to create long-lasting relationships with. But my thesis advisor, I have an awesome relationship with her. I have three other professors I’m planning on asking to write me recommendations for law school. I have enough professors that I think have touched me and who I have touched that it would make a difference.