How is Brown for Graqduate Work?

[mgorby]

Anyone have some insight on Brown's physics graduate program?

I'm interested in particle theory and they seem to have a nice group.

I'm more concerned if it's a friendly program, if the school itself is a welcoming place, how the town is, and then how well respected the research coming from the department is.

Thanks!

 

[mathwonk]

give me a break. this is like asking if superman is strong. is this a serious question? i.e. do you actually have a chance of admission?

forgive me but i grow weary of people asking whether the best schools in the world are worthy of applying to. count yourself lucky if you get into them.

 

[Asphodel]

Yeah. I couldn't think of anything better to say than "Dude, it's Brown."

If you get past the initial application stage, they'll invite you to visit so you can check each other out. Any grad school is going to do this. Until then, worry about getting invited.

 

[mgorby]

I grow weary of people replying to posts without paying attention to what the poster was getting at. So, no, you're not forgiven.

I could care less if it's Brown. Whoo, Brown! OMG, Brown! Of course it's a good school, that's why I'm applying. If I get in it's going to have more to do with my hard work than luck.

A school's reputation can go-to-hell if I'm not going to be happy spending 5+ years there. I'm not going to be one of the miserable graduate students who sacrifice their lives to go to a "top" program.

If you re-read my post you'll notice I was concerned with how friendly the program is, how Providence is as a town, if the school is welcoming, and very very last was "how well respected is the research."

Geez.

 

[Asphodel]

You think maybe reputations grow on trees? Can't guarantee you'll be happy, but they earned it.

 

[vincebs]

I don't get the hostility toward the OP

She or he asked a legitimate question about how good the setting of the university is.

 

[Laura1013]

I understand what the original poster is asking. I have a friend who is a grad student at a top engineering university in the U.S. (perhaps the top – I don't know the rankings), and she's miserable. She says that the professors don't care at all about the students, only about their own research, and that the environment is hostile. Even though an advanced degree from said university would look fantastic on a resume, she's looking to transfer out.

One of my professors told me that the graduate school he initially attended was also very unfriendly, so much so that the department actively tried to fail out its grad students. He said he received no support and failed. He then attended a grad school that cared about its students and he thrived.

I have no knowledge of Brown, but it's a good question. The atmosphere of the program is just as important, if not more important, than its reputation, in my opinion.

 

[Norman]

I don't know much about Brown itself, but I really like Providence as a city.

As a midwesterner born and raised I find New England to be in general unfriendly. BUT, New Englanders just have a different outlook on strangers than I do. So, the general public around you will be a little different if you were not raised in the northeast.

Providence is a really great town in my opinion. They have done a lot in the past 5 years to update and modernize the downtown. They have some great things to do and see. Boston is only about an hour away also and there is TONS to do there. In addition, you have a lot of great coastal towns to visit.

Overall I would give Providence an A-.

Hope that helps.

 

[vincebs]

By the way check out www.studentsreview.com

Most of the opinions are those of undergraduates from every program so you won't really know how it's like to be a physics grad student at Brown but you might get the idea of what it's like to be on campus and how life is like around the area

 

[mgorby]

Thanks to everyone who replied!

I've heard too many horror stories to not take atmosphere into account.

Also, www.princetonreview.com seems like a good site for judging the feel of a school. Thank you for the link vincebs.