In this article, we will cover how to write the Brown University supplemental essays.

Brown is a heavily coveted school, much like the other Ivy League schools. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, the school is known for its strong programs in Computer Science, Liberal Arts, Medicine, and Mathematics.

It also boasts 14th place on the US News and World Report’s ranking of best national universities.

The essays are no easy feat, and their short word count makes it even more difficult to stand out. Universities that have such short essay prompts will have a harder time sifting through which students truly deserve to get accepted.

So, your goal is to write the Brown University supplemental essays in a manner that is unique and can differentiate you from the rest.

But, how strong do your essays need to be?

We can’t really answer that without answering the acceptance rate of Brown University, plus many other details.

Thus, the focus of this article will be three-fold: covering how hard it is to get into Brown, how important the supplemental essays are, and lastly how to write the supplemental essays to stand out.

Without further ado, let’s get right to it.

Table of Contents:

1. How Hard is it to Get Into Brown University?
2. How Important are the Brown University Supplemental Essays?
3. How to Write the Brown University Supplemental Essays
   • Why Brown (and the Open Curriculum)?
   • Brown Differing Perspective Prompt
   • Brown “What Brings You Joy?” Essay

How Hard is it to Get Into Brown University?

So, how hard is it to get into Brown? Well, very hard as you can imagine.

For the incoming class of 2026, 50,649 students applied. Of them, 2,560 were accepted. That makes Brown University’s latest acceptance rate 5%.

895 of these students were admitted for Early Decision, making ED a wise choice for many. As of the admissions cycle. 95% of students belonged to the top of their class.

In terms of standardized testing, Brown’s accepted students are unsurprisingly impressive. The middle 50% of students earned a 1500-1570 SAT score, and a 34-36 score on the ACT.

The acceptance rate has also plummeted throughout the years, making Brown highly selective and difficult to get accepted into.

Here’s a visualization.

To make matters worse, Brown cannot accept students based on numbers and stats alone. It already receives plenty of students who they consider to be at the peak of their academic performance. Thus, they must follow a holistic admissions approach to better discern which students truly deserve a spot at their school.

The holistic admissions process not only means the extracurriculars will be taken into account with more scrutiny. It also means the essays will hold much more weight, as they must now look through your essays with a fine-tooth comb.

Don’t mistake this statement to mean that your academic performance will not hold as much weight. It’s still the most important aspect, as mentioned here:

“…your accomplishments as a high school student will have the most influence on our admission decision”

Brown University official website

But, the sheer number of high-performing students flooding in means you’ll need to take your essays more seriously to distinguish yourself.

This brings us to the importance of Brown’s supplemental essays.

How Important are the Brown University Supplemental Essays?

The essays are very important.

Okay, that sounds kind of obvious, right?

Well, it’s important. But, perhaps not in the way that you think. What we mean is that the Brown University supplemental essays are important because it’s a great opportunity to drastically increase your acceptance rate.

Why? Well, we’re going to be transparent here.

A lot of college essays, even the ones accepted into Ivy League schools, are quite bad.

That’s not to say we’re bashing high schoolers and college students here! After all, we can’t expect students to write like Shakespeare under pressure! But, if you truly looked at college essays, both accepted and rejected, you’ll notice that a lot of them are probably worse than you think.

What does that mean for you?

It means you can capitalize on this opportunity. The Brown University supplemental essays are important because few students can actually write them well. Writing strong essays will help you stand out amongst the rest of the talented admissions pool.

Also, note that the college essays are your only opportunity to truly speak with admissions officers on a deeper level. Instead of numbers and stats, admissions officers can actually listen to you. This makes the essay section crucial to turning the tide for the Brown Admissions process.

How to Write the Brown University Supplemental Essays

Why Brown (and the Open Curriculum)?

Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue them while also embracing topics with which you are unfamiliar. (200-250 words)*

Common Application Official Website: Brown University Application

Before you can answer this question, it’s important to do your research. What even is Open Curriculum? What does it entail?

Brown’s open curriculum puts students in a uniquely powerful position with much versatility and intellectual flexibility. It means that students can personalize their own course of study. At Brown, you can choose the courses you take on and pair them with other disciplines with much more freedom.

This helps promote better cross-disciplinary discoveries, innovation, entrepreneurial thought, and new ways of tackling the world’s issues. (Don’t forget this point for your essay.)

We highly recommend at least watching Brown’s YouTube video on Open Curriculum before tackling the essay. This ensures you can write about their educational structure and show you’ve done the research.

The value of the open curriculum is the versatility it provides to students. In fact, it’s a crucial element of student intellectual exploration, as it allows them to dive into topics they otherwise would not have the time to explore.

Thus, this is not just a “Why Major” essay.

The “Why Brown” open curriculum essay wants you to describe both what your academic interests are and how you’ll use the Open curriculum to explore unfamiliar territory. In simpler terms, how will you pursue your major whilst exploring other things?

One way of going about this prompt is taking on the interdisciplinary route.

Take your intended major, and explore some of the resources available at Brown that may support that major. Then, think of the other disciplines available at Brown and how they may benefit your major and intended future career or entrepreneurial aspirations.

So, this isn’t just something that will turn your education into a free-for-all of fun and games. Think of how the flexibility and potential for interdisciplinary innovation and unique perspectives can help support and revolutionize your career.

This essay is crucial because the point of an Open Curriculum at Brown is to foster innovation and creative thought. They don’t want someone who is going to get into their field with a straight and narrow thought process. Instead, they need students who can pursue their intended field of interest with an innovative mind that is willing to look at things from a different angle. That’s what makes the program so powerful.

Of course, it’s common for students to therefore come up with something random and on the spot.

I want to learn about “x”… but “y” is also cool I guess.

More often than not, you can’t force your way into writing about how Open Curriculum helps your major. You need to do some actual research. Take some time to think about it, and if need be, consider speaking with a professional admissions consultant for feedback.

Brown Differing Perspective Prompt

Brown’s culture fosters a community in which students challenge the ideas of others and have their ideas challenged in return, promoting a deeper and clearer understanding of the complex issues confronting society. This active engagement in dialogue is as present outside the classroom as it is in academic spaces. Tell us about a time you were challenged by a perspective that differed from your own. How did you respond? (200-250 words)*

Common Application Official Website: Brown University Application

One of the crucial elements of any college experience is the ability to engage with those with differing experiences. Differing perspectives constitute the foundations of learning and general fulfilling discourse.

It’s also what makes the college experience unique and different from any other. Unlike many other places, the university setting is a place for unique ideas to be shared and discussed with an open mind and critical thought. This makes Brown especially unique compared to many other schools. The culture and community of ever-challenging ideas make for deep thought and abstraction of ideas most others can’t reach.

In this case, you’ll need to explain an instance when your perspective differed. How you respond demonstrates whether you’ll be a net positive to the school.

This means showing that you can have an open mind about ideas and truly think outside of your own box, no matter how right you are. Remember: this is not a test of how smart you are. This is a measurement of whether your temperament is the right fit for the Brown community.

You may need to consider asking yourself what constitutes proper intelligent communication. It’s not easy, and often times it’s quite painful having to truly listen and abstract complex ideas without short-circuiting your mind at least once.

To impress the admissions officers, demonstrate how you can articulate other people’s ideas and use your empathy to see perspectives from multiple sides. Show that you can deconstruct different perspectives and see how others come to conclusions based on what they say and what they feel. This maturity in temperament and listening skills is truly what the school is looking for in their community.

Brown “What Brings You Joy?” Essay

Brown students care deeply about their work and the world around them. Students find contentment, satisfaction, and meaning in daily interactions and major discoveries. Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy. (200-250 words)*

Common Application Official Website: Brown University Application

This is a great time to get creative with your essay.

Students often get too caught up in impressing the admissions officers that they assume their essay needs to look for grandiose, powerful topics to write about. In truth, that’s not the case. In fact, they can write about just about anything that brings joy to show admissions officers that they’re human.

Use this opportunity to show more imagery and passion in your writing. You may have unharboured feelings of joy and happiness that you don’t know how to articulate without getting deep into your psyche. Perhaps there’s something nice about the train you take every day as you view the rural side of town before heading to school. Or, there’s a simple joy to looking at everyone go about their day outside your apartment window whilst you create digital art, knowing that everyone has their own unique lives they’re living.

Go with what you think is the most meaningful answer to you. It doesn’t have to be grandiose. More often than not, you can draw out some interesting ideas the deeper you dive into your topic.

If you have any other questions about how to write the Brown university supplemental essays or are struggling to stand out from the rest of the Brown admissions pool, look no further. Our expert college admissions advisors have helped countless students get into elite institutions. Schedule a free 30-minute phone consultation with us, and we will help advise you on how to move forward with your Brown essays.