Application Criteria
As long as your TOEFL score is equal to or higher than 105, I believe you can apply. I remember when Brown University sent out admissions, it felt quite stable, as it seemed like everyone around you who could apply received offers (personal experience may vary!).
For domestic applicants, it seems like most people I know have taken the GRE, and their GPAs are generally high. Basically, if your school is from a top-tier university in China (usually part of the “985” category), you can give it a try.
Course Selection
You only need to take 2 courses per semester, totaling 4 semesters over two years. In the last semester, you can choose to take only one course to maintain student status (which means you can take an extra course in a previous semester).
Moreover, if you want to graduate in 1.5 years, you only need to take a total of 8 courses within 3 semesters, which I find quite flexible.
It’s important to emphasize the impact of Brown’s courses on job hunting. Although the number of courses is not too high, with around ten courses offered per semester, there are both easy and excellent courses with heavy workloads. Additionally, we have a website where you can check course evaluations and professor ratings. You can even visit past course websites to decide whether to enroll in a particular course.
The main reason I recommend Brown is the two-course per semester system, which is truly significant. Other friends attending different universities may need to take 3 or 4 courses per semester, and they may even have required courses. Through conversations with them, it becomes clear that this demanding workload at other schools has a significant impact on job hunting.
At Brown, course selection is relatively flexible as long as you meet the basic requirements. This means that when searching for employment, you can directly choose two easy courses.
Moreover, if you genuinely want to study some hardcore courses, you can focus on selecting two rigorous courses without needing to balance your workload by including easier courses. In my personal opinion, this is a way to avoid wasting time.
However, it should be noted that these hardcore courses are truly intense! Choose wisely.
Expenses
The annual insurance costs around $4,000, and each course is around $10,000, so the total tuition is approximately less than $80,000. Living expenses amount to a little over $2,000 per month (personally, I spend between $2,000 and $2,300). As for meals, fast food typically costs around $10-15 per meal, while dining out with friends is additional.
Rent is usually within the range of $900 to $1,500! Students paying over $1,000 for rent tend to have more options.
Campus Atmosphere
I must say, Providence is truly remarkable in terms of safety. You don’t need to worry even when coming home late at night. There are almost no major incidents here.
A 30-minute bus ride to Boston costs around $10, and it takes about three to four hours to reach New York.
Although some may find it boring, as someone who is more of a homebody, I quite enjoy it here. It may be small, but it’s not a village. There’s a sense of tranquility in this cozy town. Personally, I feel the climate and urban atmosphere resemble that of Dalian, China.
Brown offers free on-call bus service after 7 PM. Additionally, Providence hosts events like WaterFire, which is incredibly beautiful! There are also local markets and performances. I am personally very satisfied with this leisurely feeling.
Job Search
Firstly, I believe that the connection between finding a job and the university you attend is not significant. Based on my internship search experience this year, having a solid internship experience is more important than the title associated with your school!
In my opinion, the job search atmosphere at Brown is similar to that of other Ivy League schools. The importance of the competitive programming environment depends on your personal circle. Brown’s career fair is not very useful, but I feel that the usefulness of most career fairs is limited.
Regarding internships, I am not familiar with other students because I tend to be introverted, but I sense that many of those who focused solely on finding a job around me have successfully landed positions.
Of course, there are also students who are busy experiencing life or taking classes this semester and haven’t paid much attention to job hunting. I expect that during winter break and the next semester, more students will secure internships. Stay tuned for updates from me on this. However, I believe that the best support Brown offers for job hunting is the assurance that the university won’t hinder your opportunities, coupled with the flexibility of taking two courses per semester.
Ultimately, whether one secures a job or not depends on the individual, luck, and early applications.
Additional information about classes: At Brown, there are quite a few courses that do not have a final exam or midterm exam, which is incredibly satisfying. Who understands the joy of peacefully sleeping while friends are busy with job hunting during peak season and midterm deadlines? However, there are also courses that do have these assessments! It ultimately depends on personal choice.
Among my friends, some have been gradually interviewing and receiving job offers, but the proportion seems to be quite small. It feels like many companies are not actively recruiting this semester, which is indeed a challenging situation.
Another point to note is that the general career fair at Brown is practically useless, and it seems that only Intersystems gives special treatment to students attending the career fair in the field of computer science. Some companies also organize webinars, but I haven’t attended any, so I’m not sure how effective they are.
I am aware that some companies at other universities, at least the ones I know of, provide online assessments or interview opportunities.
