from the editors
Hi first-years,
Welcome to Brown! We are so excited that you made it to College Hill and hope you are settling into your dorms — whether that’s Keeney, Andrews or anywhere in between.
We’re sure you’ve been meeting countless new people these past few days, so we’ll keep our intro short: We’re the 135th editorial board of The Brown Daily Herald, Brown’s only independent, student-run daily newspaper. We work with a team of over 300 students to publish stories online Monday through Friday and distribute a print newspaper on Fridays.
You’re currently reading our Guide to Brown special issue, which we made specifically to provide you with some of the helpful tips and tricks we’ve picked up during our years at Brown. In these pages, you’ll find a comprehensive A-to-Z guide to everything Brown, explore data on the class of 2029 and catch up on some Brown-related news you may have missed over the summer.
If you’re looking to remain informed on all things Brown, make sure to follow The Herald on Instagram at @browndailyherald, download our mobile app and subscribe to our newsletters at browndailyherald.com. If you’re interested in joining The Herald, keep an eye out for news about our first open house this weekend. We hope this guide gives you a taste of all that lies in store for you in the years ahead. Good luck, new Brunonians!
Sincerely,
The Herald’s 135th Editorial Board
Tom Li ’26, Ryan Doherty ’26, Owen Dahlkamp ’26, Julianna Chang ’26, Anisha Kumar ’26 and Yael Wellisch ’26
that’s us!
Kaiolena Tacazon / Herald
class of 2029
5.65% acceptance rate 41% said making friends was their biggest worry about freshman year
are single and ready to mingle
2025 in herald
march 15
Brown professor, doctor held by customs officials at Boston airport after travel to Lebanon
Assistant Professor of Medicine Rasha Alawieh was detained at Boston Logan International Airport after visiting her family in Lebanon. Alawieh was later deported despite a federal judge’s order and holding a valid H-1B visa — a decision made after she “openly admitted” to traveling to Beirut for the funeral of a Hezbollah leader, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
february 10
Brown among universities suing NIH over ‘flagrantly unlawful’ federal funding cut
Brown, along with 12 other universities and several higher education organizations, sued the National Institutes of Health after the agency announced that it was cutting federal funds for research projects. Over the next few months, Brown would file lawsuits against similar funding cuts announced by the Department of Education, the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
headlines so far
april 3
Trump admin. set to freeze $510 million of Brown’s federal funding
The Trump administration announced plans to halt $510 million of federal funding to Brown over alleged antisemitism and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, a White House official told The Herald. Brown was the fifth Ivy League university to face federal funding freezes or cuts.
april 4
University investigating student who sent DOGE-style emails to administrators
Brown launched an investigation into Alex Shieh ’27, who sent emails in March to approximately 3,800 Brown staff members asking them to “describe what tasks you performed in the past week” to compile an online database called “Bloat@Brown” that aimed to evaluate the necessity of administrators’ jobs. Shieh was later cleared of the alleged student conduct violations.
Anisha Kumar / Herald
Kaia Yalamanchili / Herald
Courtesy of Alex Shieh
april 10
Trump admin. revokes visas from at least one Brown student, several recent graduates
The Trump administration revoked the visas of at least one Brown student and several recent graduates on work authorization status. One international student at the Rhode Island School of Design had their visa revoked just a few days prior. The revoked visas of students and recent graduates of Brown were reinstated in late April.
july 30
Brown reaches deal with Trump admin. to restore federal research funding
Brown reached a deal with the federal government to adopt federal guidelines on gender identity in athletics and housing, eliminate DEI initiatives in admissions and University programming and address allegations of antisemitism on campus. In exchange, the University received over $50 million in restored federal research funding, and the Trump administration closed its investigations into the University. Brown will pay $50 million to local organizations over the next decade.
july 1
House Republicans subpoena Brown in Ivy League price-fixing probe
Months after the House Judiciary Committee requested documents from all eight Ivy League institutions regarding their financial aid and admissions practices, committee members subpoenaed documents from Brown and Penn as part of their investigation into alleged price-fixing.
Kaia Yalamanchili / Herald
Kaia Yalamanchili / Herald
Owen Dahlkamp / Herald
narratives, arts & culture analysis, lifestyle guides, and multimedia pieces!). In our last volume we had articles on the nostalgia of Mama Instant Noodles (Tom Yum flavor), ruminations of a body in asymmetry, a playlist of alternative reguetón recs, a look into the teenage terror of Dress to Impress, a quiz to find out which Thayer restaurant you are, and truly so, so much more. We publish digital issues every week, which you can find on our issuu page or website
find our applications in the link in bio of @post__magazine
for my college house and other breaking things
by Ellyse Givens
Ours is the 1898 J. Nickerson House of Providence’s East Side, a Victorian-style estate featuring large Greco-Roman-inspired columns supporting the second-floor balcony and porch overlay. Dentil work runs along the roofline, a type of ornamentation that uses a series of small blocks in a row. Below, we have bay windows on the first and second floors that jut out in assured trapezoidal ways, creating an asymmetrical body that bulges in some places and not others. Today, it’s dressed in blue—a periwinkle flushed with grey— except where the clapboards’ paint chips, and lucky parts of the old ivory emerge to feel Rhode Island rain again.
In the photo, there are still two front doors. Now, inside the left-most one is the red-carpet-lined staircase to the second and third floors, the very peeling wallpaper a toile pattern—a narrative design made up of repeated scenes centering around an event or theme. Ours must be pastoral: In one recurring motif, you can see a woman lifting a lamb, showing it to a winged deity. Everything is a dusty blue, and if you look close enough, you can see two different shades of it—a lighter one like pale cerulean, and tracings of something darker layered on top, the two creating shadow, life. Puffy human cheeks and fleecy sheep bellies, all the way up to the third floor.
I texted the 1983 picture to the group chat with all of my housemates. A, who lives on the first floor, texted back: The stairs have not been replaced which makes sense bc every time I step on one I think abt how I could step through and die.
this edit kills facists or, why I love iMovie
by Indigo Mudbhary
Yeah, I think that’s it: Our house is breaking. The landlord has banned us from the second-floor balcony, locking the door and holding on to the key. I wonder what finally convinced him it was no longer safe to step on—if a person fell through, their body crumpled up on the front porch like one of my Amazon packages. I imagine wood rupturing under me, plunging fast with severed bits, each time I stand on the other balcony, the one overlooking the backyard. And on the inside of the house, each of the red steps groans underfoot, angry like something ought to be, I reckon, when it’s been stepped on for 127 years. At the top of these stairs one afternoon, I opened the third-floor door and felt the handle come loose, the brass knob suddenly in my palm, surrendering itself.
An American Werewolf in London love story at the center of the movie is decidedly heterosexual, and the two male leads have no sexual or romantic chemistry whatsoever. Yet, if you watched my edit of the movie, set to “Ribs” by Lorde, you’d think it was the gayest, queerest piece of queer media you’d ever seen.
I didn’t intentionally watch London. The whole thing happened by accident. One night, my roommate and I decided to watch Stopmotion, an indie horror movie that any A24 snob would love. It was my second watch, her first. After the movie ended, Amazon Prime decided to autoplay An American Werewolf in London. It was a Friday night, we had time on our hands, so we said “fuck it” and kept watching, despite the movie having the longest and most unnecessary opening credits sequence we’d ever seen.
As we watched the movie, we kept remarking on how it wasn’t made for us. “This is the kind of movie a father shows his son,” one of us said; I forget now if it was me or her. Though gender is more complicated than some things being boy and others being girl, we both thought the movie was very boy and it was funny to be two girls watching this boy film. I joked, “I should edit this to ‘Ribs,’” the joke being that “Ribs” is a girl song, and the overlap between “Ribs” listeners and An
viewers is probably very minimal.
I did end up making the edit using iMovie. I texted it to various friends, including my roommate. I even showed it to my mom, who asked, “So are they gay in the movie?” No Mom, but they are in your daughter’s edit.
American Werewolf in London
media by Rokia Whitehouse
media by Julia Park
brown, from A to Z
A
rch sings
A cappella showcases that take place under the Morris-Champlin, Wayland and Faunce arches. No shame in closing your windows if you don’t want some mid-afternoon shoo-wop infiltrating your study scroll session. And don’t be alarmed if you see some pirates sprint by — that’s just ARRR!!!
C oncentration
Be sure to use this instead of “major” with fellow Brunonians. Asking “what’s your major?” will inevitably result in a blank look and possibly banishment.
E go Thursdays
A rite of passage when there’s nothing else to do on a Thursday night.
G CB
Grad Center Bar. It’s a bar in a dorm called Grad Center. The dorm doesn’t house graduate students. It’s confusing. But then you slip into its concrete depths and it doesn’t matter so much anymore.
I C
Independent concentrations. Perfect for those who find the Open Curriculum a little too restrictive.
Keeney cough
Somehow the most devastating cold you’ll ever have. Guaranteed to leave you with a rib-cracking cough that lingers for two to 12 weeks. Everyone you know will get it except your friend who licks doorknobs and wears shorts in the snow.
B DH/BCC/BOLT/ BMP
Big student organizations that tend to slowly claim the lives of those involved in them. In a good way, though. In a reeeeeeally good way.
D ingle
Either a double room with one occupant, or a double split into two singles by a wall. Either way, the housing gods have smiled upon you.
F our-twenty (4/20)
A big day for all numerology enthusiasts on campus. Four represents stability, while 20 represents positivity. A very tranquil day, you might say. Positively blissful.
H
uck Farvard
Huck Farvard.
J osiah Carberry
The psychoceramics professor of legend whose silhouette is tastefully plastered onto a wall in Jo’s.
Lantern
A household name in student night life, which, at Brown, is akin to a shadow on the wall of the allegorical cave.
M eik
Meiklejohn Peer Advisor. They’ll either help you pick classes and then peace out or singlehandedly carry you through some of the most difficult moments of your life.
O MAC
N aked Donut Run
A biannual tradition where some of your securest peers will descend upon libraries en masse and in the nude. One of those moments that just streaks by in a flash. Often prompts some soul-searching: eat food handed to me by a naked person?
Pronounced “oh-mack,” the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center is a great place to play basketball if you also love being pelted by the occasional wayward shuttlecock.
Q
uesadilla night
The night that Jo’s serves quesadillas. (Q is a hard letter, please cut us some slack.)
S picy with
A spicy chicken sandwich with cheese from Jo’s. Order this to impress your sophomore crush that you run into at 11:47 p.m. while inches from rock bottom.
UHall
University Hall, which stands between the Main and Quiet Greens and houses the campus bell, has been the site of many a historic moment. Who knows what this next year will bring?
W ickle, Van
As in the Van WICKLE gates. Not Van Winkle, as in the guy who got drunk and fell asleep for 20 years. Although you might experience something similar over Spring Weekend.
P oono
A not-so-affectionate nickname for the “Large Concretised Monument to the Twentieth Century” installed on the Main Green. The sculpture bears an unfortunate resemblance to a knobbly, ambling bear made of … well, you know.
R atty, the
The widely used nickname for the Sharpe Refectory. Certainly not reflective of the dining hall’s hygiene. It has something for everyone, provided you like chicken and squash.
Thayer
The street you will spend the next four or more years walking up and down. Storefronts will come and go, but Baja’s is forever.
V agabonding
Attending a class without registering or doing any of the coursework. What a wild ride.
X CPa
A snappy nickname for Christina Paxson, Brown’s president. (X is also a hard letter, you guys.)
Y
What you’ll scream at your laptop when your course registration doesn’t go through.
Zete
Zeta Delta Xi is an all-gender frat with classic rush events like “Porn and Milkshakes.”
are you hungry?
eats on campus
1
breakfast and brunch at the blue room
The Blue Room is best known for their muffins, their sandwiches and their lines. Paired with an iced coffee, the cafe’s signature muffins by way of double-chocolate, blueberry or lemon-poppyseed make for a quick breakfast. If you need something more substantial, a yogurt bowl or customized bagel sandwich will also do the trick. For lunch, you should know that the best bread for a Blue Room sandwich is their ciabatta. It’s crusty, chewy and, as such, competently supports whatever you care to throw inside of it.
lunch at andrews
Beware the noon lunch crowds! If you have the time, queue up for the beloved yakisoba noodle bowl, with egg noodles, meat (plant-based options too), greens and a smattering of crispy toppings and sauces. All things considered, the pizza at Andrews isn’t bad, and the line is often pretty short. For vegetarians, the harvest pizza with butternut squash, arugula and red onion is colorful for the eye and the palette. Of course, there is always a place for an Andrews grinder — an affectionate Rhode Island name for a submarine sandwich.
2
3
dinner at jo’s
The late-night dining hall is far from the first-year dwellings on North Campus, but sometimes worth the walk. Expect long lines for anything with the suffix “night” — panini, quesadilla, grilled cheese, etc. It’s choose-your-own-adventure, but be careful of how many watery ingredients you add: A wet quesadilla is no man’s friend. If you’d rather eat a bowl of greens, make your own Jo’s salad and get a side of fries, for balance, of course.
If you’ve had a bad exam or were just freed from a boring seminar, here are some remedies: The Dole Whip from Jo’s is pineapple sunshine, and adding frozen mango and strawberries is non-negotiable. If it’s the weekend, drop by the Ratty, make yourself a waffle and top it with ice cream. Try to sample as many of the baked goods as you can: There are some real winners (and losers, often vegan) that come from the Brown Bakeshop.
4 and for dessert...
Stop looking at those Yelp reviews, pause your TikTok searches and close out of Beli. When it comes to finding places to eat, both on and off campus, turn to this list of recommendations from The Herald’s seasoned food columnist, Eleanor Barth Wu ’26:
eats off campus
1
coffee and pastries at coffee
exchange
Practically an honorary Brown dining hall, Coffee Exchange is the best study spot for those looking to escape campus — though you’ll end up running into everyone you know. Here, the coffee is good, the ambience is cozy and the tables are just barely big enough for your laptop. If you get peckish while you type, the gingerbread is squidgy and deeply comforting, and the banana bread is about as solid as it gets. Plus, if you get bored, sit back and people watch: There’s always a good selection of eccentric Providence locals (and RISD students).
3
dinner out at jahunger
2
Trade Andrews lo-mein for the noodles from Jahunger, a Uyghur restaurant on Wickenden. Only good things can be said about their appetizers, especially their kebabs and the samsa, a flaky pastry filled with seasoned lamb. For mains, the Jahunger Noodle and the Jahunger Meefen are chewy, spicy and superlatively delicious. Order some vegetables too. The Spicy Tiger eggplant practically glistens in ruby-red chile oil and the texture is almost custardy.
late-night slice from fellini’s
Walking into Fellini’s Pizzeria is like being transported back to 2010, as if the year got lazy and decided not to leave the deeply charming storefront on Wickenden. For such a well-loved Providence institution, Fellini’s doesn’t get too much attention from the student body. Change that! They’re open until 2:00 a.m. every night. Their pizzas change almost every hour, but grab whatever looks good and admire their case of rubber ducks.
ice cream at three sisters
4
When the Ratty’s soft serve machine is inevitably broken, make your way up Hope Street to Three Sisters. Peanut Butter Heaven — milk chocolate ice cream swirled with Heath Bars and peanut butter — is delightful. The Bohemian Rhapsody — chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate cookies — will also move you. Who are the three sisters? We aren’t sure, but let us know if you figure it out!
illustrations by Kaitlyn Stanton
talktotheperson nexttoyou
notTheywon’tbite—probably.Theymight becomeyourbestfriend,butthey’ll seebeafamiliarface.Afacethatyoumight theasyoutrekthroughThayerStreetin Andrewspouringrainorasyouwaitforyour salmon bowl. A familiar face cangoalongway.
shop courses in different departments if you don’t know what you want to study
Shop them even if you do. You won’t know if a course is right for you until you try it, even if you only go for 15 minutes.
taketheclassthatscaresyou. you’lllearnfromit
comereadytolearn
Whilesomeprofessorsspendshopping periodreviewingthesyllabus,othersdive rightintocontent.Beready,anddon’tbe afraidtoparticipate.
Asafirst-yearstudent,itcanbe temptingtotaketheclassyouknow you’llsucceedin.Buttakeaclassina subjectyou’veneverexplored,inanarea you’veneverexcelledat.TakeitS/NC. Youmightnotbethebest,buttheskills you’lllearn,insideandoutsideofthe classroom,willbeinvaluable.
take time for yourself
You’re triaging a hundred new pieces of information in any given hour. You don’t have to spend every second socializing or doing something new. It is ok to reset in your room, in Prospect Terrace Park, on the Main Green or wherever makes sense for you.
If there’s one thing you take from this, it is to explore — whatever that means for you. Go to a new building. Take a new class. Meet a new person. Put yourself in situations where you’ll think differently. I’ve found that is where you’ll grow the most.
Located at 450 Brook Street, Brown’s Student Health and Wellness Center is the go-to resource for student wellbeing. The center provides a range of preventative and treatment-based services that address both physical and emotional health. Here’s a brief overview breaking down all of Brown’s offerings, how to access them and what services are covered to stay on top of your health as you navigate your journey at Brown.
response line at 401-8636000.
Student Health Services is the main department for students seeking primary care and non-emergency medical attention including clinician appointments and pharmacy services. Students can call 401863-3953 to schedule a physician appointment or can receive health advice from nurses who are available 24/7. The department also offers annual flu vaccine clinics, which will be open to students before or on the first week of October, according to Vanessa Britto, the executive director of Student Health and Wellness.
primary care health promotion
To develop healthy habits in overall physical, emotional and social health, students can turn to BWell Health Promotion, which aims to cultivate holistic well-being through resources including in-person interactive workshops, online tools and a 24/7 sexual assault
More information can be accessed via BWell’s website or by calling 401863-2794.
mental health
Counseling and Psychological Services provides mental health support, including individual and group counseling, psychiatric assessments and care. Appointments can be scheduled in person at the Student Health and Wellness Center or via phone at 401-863-3476, which also offers 24/7 crisis support.
disability services
Students with disabilities can receive support through Student Accessibility Services, which provides resources that range from housing and exam accommodations to support groups. Obtaining accommodations requires students to first
emergencies
register with SAS via documentation on their website. In the event of an emergency, Britto added that students can call 401-863-4111 to receive immediate assistance from emergency services including Brown Emergency Medical Services, the largely student-run licensed ambulance service on campus.
Brown follows a medical amnesty policy for emergencies related to alcohol or drug use, meaning “no student seeking medical treatment for alcohol or other drug use will be subject to University disciplinary action for the sole violation of using alcohol or other drugs,” according to their policy.
a couple of books
I always carry a couple of books with me — at least one for class and one for fun.
Infinitely cooler than AirPods, but perhaps not as cool as wired earbuds. I love my Sony noise-canceling headphones that help me stay productive no matter where I am on campus. Without a good soundtrack, studying is always a drag. over-the-ear headphones
I sort of have an individuality complex about being one of the few students in my organic chemistry class not using an iPad … and I’m loyal to my paper planner, what can I say? notebooks, for courses and for planning
what’s in
by Elise Haulund Science & Research editor
ballet slippers
I dance in the Brown Ballet Company and usually don’t have time to run back to my dorm before rehearsal, so I keep my ballet shoes and dance clothes in the bottom of my backpack.
Believe me, you do not want to catch the Keeney cough (which, let’s be real, is probably COVID-19) during your first year. And believe me, you most definitely will. hand sanitizer and a pack of tissues
my trusty rusty-colored, enormous JanSport
Walking around Brown, I see a lot of people with stylish purses and messenger bags, but this backpack that I’ve had since high school works perfectly for me. I’ve seen one too many laptops damaged from the rain when water falls into a bag without a secure zipper.
my laptop
Sure, this item may not be the most unique. But realistically, it’s the only thing in my bag that I actually couldn’t get through my day without.
water bottle I struggled to drink water consistently for years. So I slapped a few stickers on my water bottle, and suddenly the problem was solved.
my bag?
by Sanai Rashid Metro editor
the bag
I got this bag in Paris with my mom. After my first year, I was ready to level up to purse territory, and since I always have a million things in my bag, this roomy Longchamp is perfect for me.
a well-read book
my laptop a red Moleskine journal
I’m a writer so I love to scribble my thoughts, to-do lists and poems whenever I have the chance. I only buy red Moleskine journals, though. It makes me feel edgy.
My trusted and true laptop has seen me through high school and now into my junior year of college! Each year, I decorate my laptop with new stickers — and as you can see, I rep The Herald wherever I go.
As an English concentrator, I’m always reading books. We read “If Beale Street Could Talk” in a class I took on James Baldwin last semester, and it’s one of those books that make you fall in love with reading all over again.
Aquaphor is the only chapstick I will use on my lips. Move over, Burt’s Bees and Carmex — the OG is right in my purse.
I am always cold, and Brown’s libraries — I’m looking at you, the Hay — are always freezing, so I bring a sweater with me to keep me warm. a cardigan
lobster
pencil case
I’ve had this pencil case since ninth grade. It’s ironic because I am allergic to shellfish, but I just think lobsters are so darn cute.
my digi cam
Buying my Canon PowerShot SD1300 off of eBay was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Even on the busiest of days, there’s always time to act like you’re still in the early 2000s and smile for the camera.
Aquaphor
your first-year
september
1st: The day you receive the most important gift of your first year (this issue of The Brown Daily Herald). Welcome to Brown!
2nd: Convocation, where the University blocks off College Street for hours so you can walk through a gate — a tradition you may only appreciate three years later.
3rd: First day of class (FDOC). Get ready to shop 10 classes in three days before ultimately deciding to stick with the four that were originally in your cart.
4th: Student Activities Fair. Sign up for 50 club mailing lists before deciding that you’ll just attend The Herald’s open house this weekend.
16th: End of shopping period. Your fate is sealed (until you remember you can drop any class with no penalty up until finals)
27th: Harvard–Brown. Get ready for Brown’s one (1) day of school spirit and secretly Google “what is a borg?”
30th: S/NC deadline, 5 p.m. Spend the final hour debating if you should S/NC ECON0110 or CHEM0330.
november
october
3rd: The day you accept that going out on a Thursday means you most likely will not make it to your 9 a.m.
10th to 13th: The long weekend that almost mandates an NYC/Boston trip. Alternatively, you spend the days rotting in bed, swiping through Instagram stories of said trips.
17th to 19th: Time to deep-clean your room in preparation for Family Weekend. Convince your parents to foot the bill at a restaurant you haven’t tried before running into all your orientation “friends” at WaterFire.
18th: Mid-semester, somehow?
20th: When you start to notice early cracks in your friend group as you plan group Halloween costumes.
30th to 2nd: Halloweekend …
3rd: Spend the day regretting your decisions from last weekend as you listen to lecture in Salomon DECI (don’t worry, you’re not alone).
14th: Spring Registration. Be prepared to stress out about getting into the one class you need before remembering that you’ll pretty much get into whatever you want.
24th: Experience intense jealousy of your high school friends who all have a week off for Thanksgiving (if you didn’t decide to leave Providence early).
27th: Explain to your relatives that yes, Brown is an Ivy League school, and yes, we call them concentrations and not majors.
Tom Li / Herald
Anna Semizhonoza / Herald
Jennifer Chen / Herald
calendar (probably) december
1st: Welcome to the awkward singular week of classes between Thanksgiving and reading period that feels like it lasts forever.
8th: Feel unreasonable anger for the one professor who continues to lecture into reading period.
11th: Drop deadline, 5 p.m. Debate if you actually want to study for your last final.
12th to 20th: Watch from the SciLi stacks with envy as your high school friends return home for break.
looking ahead
january
19th: Impatiently wait to head back to Brown as your friends abandon you one by one 21st: Tell everyone you know that this is going to be your semester and you’re going to really lock in this time.
february
14th to 17th: Take a NYC/Boston trip (again!), except you visit the city you didn’t go to the first time around.
march
14th: Ask ChatGPT for funny borg names, hop on a bus and head to Newport for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. 16th: The day the temperature hits 60º for the first time in months. Pick up your blanket and head to the Main Green just to wonder where 99% of these people have been all winter.
21st to 29th: Spring Break. Wonder how you’ve run into at least three other Brown students despite being hours away from Providence (you chose to go to Puerto Rico).
april
16th: Time to pre-register for sophomore year (how is freshman year almost over??).
20th: See page 12.
24th: Reading period begins, and you realize you’ll say “this is going to be my semester” every semester and it’ll never be your semester.
Spring Weekend: Spend more time talking complaining about the lineup than you spend at the festival itself. Either way, you’ll still flex to your high school friends that you saw X artist live before they blew up on TikTok.
may
You pack up your first-year dorm and think, “wow, I’m somehow going to miss this place.”
Max Robinson / Herald
Kaia Yalamanchili / Herald
Sophia Leng / Herald
how to get involved in research at brown
by Elise Haulund & Claire Song, Science & Research editors
So, you want to get involved in research as an undergraduate? Luckily for you, Brown is home to virtually endless opportunities to start your research journey. Not all researchers look like the scientists in white lab coats you see on TV. Whether you’re hoping to help make cancer breakthroughs or to spend hours parsing through archives, the word “research” at Brown covers a range of activities. Participating in research can feel intimidating as a first-year, but everyone starts somewhere. Here are some of the common ways to start getting hands-on research experience as an undergrad!
Cold email professors from Researchers@Brown
One of the most direct ways to get involved with research at Brown is to cold email professors. To find professors with research interests that align with yours, you can utilize Researchers@Brown, a database where you can filter researchers by their affiliation or research areas. When writing your email, be sure to include what parts of their research interest you the most and how they align with your professional or academic goals. Ask the professor to arrange a meeting in person to discuss their research and determine if their lab is a good fit for you. While cold emailing can be a daunting task, networking with various labs can be helpful in the long run and is a great way to get involved with research.
Apply for UTRA opportunities
A great way to get into undergraduate research at Brown
(and not have to do completely unpaid labor) is to apply for an Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award, commonly referred to as an UTRA (pronounced oo-truh). These research stipends allow students to collaborate with a professor on a research project and are offered in a wide variety of disciplines. Many students who do research under an UTRA continue working with that lab throughout their time at Brown, as the structure is particularly conducive to forming a relationship with a faculty member. Just be sure to stay on top of the deadlines — applications for spring UTRAs start during the fall semester!
‘Network’ with your profs
While not all professors have the capacity to take on additional undergrads in their labs, it never hurts to engage with your professors in office hours — ask questions about the course material, probe them about what they study in their labs and use
them as mentors to help you navigate the research scene at Brown. Remember, your professors were once nerdy college students just like you, and most of them will appreciate the chance to go on and on about their studies.
For more research job positions, search on Workday
Platforms such as Workday, which is the system of record for open jobs at Brown, award grants and host research assistant position listings. After logging onto Brown’s Workday site, make your way to the “Student Job Hub” then click “Find Student Jobs” to peruse a wide variety of job listings. The research positions listed on Workday are typically paid positions. After filling out your personal information — such as your previous experience, resume and other information — you can submit the same application to other positions.
Take courses with a research component
Looking for a more structured opportunity to build your confidence in your research skills? Many courses at Brown include a research component, such as ENGL 1160P: “Writing Climate, Writing Community.” The Multidisciplinary Teaching Laboratories also offers a Foundations of Lab Techniques workshop each semester, which will teach you basic wet lab techniques required for biology research.
your guide to affinity centers on campus
by Sophia Wotman, University News editor
Brown has several affinity centers designed for a range of student identities and communities. These centers host events and programming, offer identity-specific resources and even provide places for students to study. Learn more about a few below.
Brown Center for Students of Color
For nearly 50 years, the Brown Center for Students of Color has served as a community space for students of color on campus. With a variety of workshops, celebrations and lectures, the center provides cultural and educational opportunities on issues of race and social justice.
Along with events, the BCSC has lounge spaces, a community kitchen, a cultural resource library and offices for both student and faculty advising. The Center also hosts several signature programs, including the MPC Peer Counselor Program.
Find the BCSC at Partridge Hall, located at the corner of Waterman and Brown streets.
LGBTQ Center (Stonewall House)
Also known as Stonewall House, the LGBTQ Center provides a range of resources for students who identify as LGBTQ+ as well as the broader campus community. The center helps students navigate name, pronoun, ID and email changes,
gender-inclusive restrooms or housing, and challenges with coming out to staff and faculty.
Past events hosted at Stonewall House have included gender-affirming haircuts, craft or movie nights and a lecture lunch series on issues of gender, sexuality and identity.
Stonewall House is located at 22 Benevolent St., directly across from Keeney Quadrangle.
Sarah Doyle Center
Named in honor of Sarah Elizabeth Doyle who led the campaign to admit female students to Brown, the Sarah Doyle Center provides a space for members of the Brown community interested in learning more about women and gender.
The center hosts programming on women’s history —particularly in March for Women’s History Month — and has an annual lecture on gender, sexuality and public policy. The Sarah Doyle Center is also home to a zine collection curated by student librarians. The collection is open for use and archival study.
The Sarah Doyle Center is
located next to Stonewall House on 26 Benevolent St.
The Undocumented, First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center (U-FLi Center)
The U-FLi Center is dedicated to empowering and supporting students who identify as undocumented, first-generation or low income. The center’s programs include a four-year community-building program, a peer counselor program and workshops related to economic justice, immigration and educational freedom.
The center hosts the Undocumented Student Program, which provides advising for undocumented students at Brown. The program helps students navigate recent shifts in federal, state and local policies.
The U-FLi Center is located on the fifth floor of the SciLi.
To learn more about these affinity centers and the resources they provide, check out their websites online or subscribe to their email lists.
