In this video, we will explore what makes Brown different from all the rest.

So here I am today on the campus of Brown University one of the eight Ivy League schools. And sometimes it’s hard when I’m giving presentations to explain the difference among the Ivy League schools, and of course, the Ivy League is really nothing more than a football club. It was established so that athletes could play against one another, not because the schools have anything in common academically. Of course, a lot of really great students go to places like this, but they’re all very different and structured differently. Brown’s claim to fame is that it really has no structure.

Way back in the 1960s, 1968 and all of the—let’s call them reforms that happened in education around the ‘60s. The idea was that there was no need anymore to teach the old canon of academia. Prior to that a lot of students took Greek and Latin, took a very prescribed curriculum and the push in the 1960s was to eliminate all requirements.

Brown still embodies that decision to eliminate all requirements and allow students to study whatever it is they want. So you have a major at Brown but beyond that, you can take anything and everything you want.  So there are no curriculum requirements other than completing a major. You also have the option of taking classes without even ever getting a grade. Again, this idea of the 1960s of we can do anything we want, where ever we want, it’s for us to decide and not the man; that is still very much the tradition at Brown.

Other Ivy League schools have a different set of priorities and a different curricular structure. But Brown really is that freewheeling, do whatever you want; you don’t even need to get grades if you don’t want to kind of place. It’s a very wonderful place. Providence is a fun town, an interesting town. Thayer Street is kind of fun and funky and of course, the campus is beautiful and the academic facilities are remarkable.

But don’t think that all the Ivy League schools are the same. They’re very different not only in look and feel but in the academic priorities set by the institution itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Brown’s Open Curriculum and how should my child address it in their application?

Brown’s Open Curriculum is a distinctive educational philosophy that eliminates general education requirements, positioning students as the architects of their own education. To address this effectively, an applicant must transcend superficial mentions of ‘freedom’ and instead present a sophisticated ‘Intellectual Trajectory.’

This requires demonstrating two key components:

1. A Coherent Intellectual Narrative: The applicant must connect their past pursuits—academic, extracurricular, and personal—to a future, interdisciplinary path of study that is uniquely possible at Brown. The goal is to show that their interests are not random but form a foundation for advanced, self-directed inquiry.
2. A ‘Provisional Blueprint’ for Exploration: A top-tier applicant will articulate a potential, yet flexible, course of study. This blueprint should reference specific departments, research centers, institutes, and even professors. For example, a student interested in the ethics of artificial intelligence might propose combining courses from Computer Science (e.g., ‘CSCI 1420: Machine Learning’), Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences (CLPS), and Philosophy, citing a desire to engage with the Data Science Initiative. This demonstrates proactive research and intellectual maturity.

Expert Strategy: The application should frame the student not as a consumer seeking freedom, but as a future scholar prepared to build something meaningful with it. The blueprint should convey excitement for exploration, not a rigid, predetermined path. It proves they possess the self-motivation and maturity to thrive with the autonomy Brown grants its students.

Learn more about Brown University and why Brown is so different from the other Ivy League universities.

Great College Advice Will Help You Get Accepted to Your Ivy League Dream School

Understanding how selective colleges like Brown actually evaluate GPA, course rigor, extracurriculars and your standardized test score is the foundation of a competitive application strategy. If you are ready to understand exactly where your academic profile stands and what steps will strengthen it, connect with our team to start building a strategy grounded in how admissions offices at elite universities actually make decisions.

The post What is Brown University Known For? first appeared on Great College Advice.

I asked my friend Bill Worden, a professor of Spanish at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, about these prejudices.  Bill and I were pals at Dartmouth, and he grew up in Massachusetts. He received his doctorate at Brown.   So when he landed a job a UA, he had to make some adjustments in his academic worldview.

So I asked him about his experiences at the University of Alabama, and his impressions of his students, and his discoveries large, public universities in some parts of the United States.

The point is that all types of universities offer excellent educational opportunities to those who take advantage of them.  What’s important is finding the college or university that fits you best–a place where you feel comfortable and welcome.  For many, the flagship university of your home state may be the best fit for you.  For many others, however, a smaller, more intimate setting may be best.

But whatever you deem best for you, don’t let parochial views of your peers, neighbors, or acquaintances influence your priorities too much. Take the time to investigate the types of schools that fit you best.  Be willing to think outside the box and look at other regions of the country. Don’t make uninformed judgments based on stereotypes.  Determine your own, personal educational priorities, and take the time to find the best college for you.

College Counselor and Southern College Enthusiast

The post Large State University vs. Small Private College first appeared on Great College Advice.

I had a private tour, led by a dashing gentleman from Mexico. He began to list off his interests: classical Spanish literature and was studying Persian and Hebrew in his spare time (he listed these as his “extracurricular activities.”
He told me about the fixed, four-year curriculum that leads students through a chronological study of Western civilization; philosophy, science, mathematics, literature, music, languages (start with ancient Greek, and go forward from there).

Math classes are not about memorizing formulas. Instead they read the original works of Euclid and Pythagoras. In music, they start by singing Gregorian chants and end up analyzing–and composing–in nearly every style of western music. Students take three years of lab science, but they do not use textbooks: they use Kepler and Ptolemy and Lavoisier and Darwin.

St. John’s has no professors, only tutors who guide and engage in learning with students. Said my tour guide: “professors at other universities profess the truth; here we all explore the truth together.” In class, everyone uses last names and the title of Mr. and Ms. (no “Professor or Dr. So and So,” even when your tutor is a Nobel laureate). You will find few computers. You will find no “smart classrooms” with the latest gizmos. Powerpoint? No, blackboards are sufficient. Enormous online databases? Available, but who needs them when you’re reading the classics? No need to listen to your professor interpret these texts, when you can interpret them for yourselves.

I was smitten. I wanted to start over and go here and I want to get the sort of education that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had. As my tour guide said, in some ways, their education is highly indulgent. They can explore all the great ideas of Western civilization in detail and with relish. No need to consider the outside world.

Yet many still do. The career center is tremendous. Eighty percent go on to graduate school–many to earn doctorates–and many go on to become doctors and lawyers and architects and government officials.
Most colleges and universities in America have abandoned the ideals and traditions of the liberal arts. What we, in this country, now call “liberal arts,” has nothing to do with the 19th century academic traditions–which still live on at St. John’s.

Today’s “liberal arts” education is generally an enormous smorgasbord, from which students can pick what they fancy and leave what they do not. At St. John’s, there remains a coherent vision of what it means to be “liberally educated.” Since the 1960s, however, American education has veered from its roots in the Classical, humanist tradition. Now just about anything goes, with some colleges (like Brown) allowing students to take pretty much whatever they want without any real guidance whatsoever.

St. John’s is not going to be for everyone. In fact, only about 130 students matriculate to the Santa Fe campus each year. But for those few for whom this is a good fit, the opportunities to stretch your mind and train your intellect are immeasurable. If you’re looking for the smorgasbord and all the electronic bells and whistles, this is not the place for you.

But if the life of the mind is paramount in importance to you, this college is worth a second look. And a third. And maybe a fourth. St. John’s is special.

Mark Montgomery
College Counselor

The post St. John’s College: Defining Liberal Arts first appeared on Great College Advice.