Brown University

Personal statement required (250-650 words), plus four supplements, plus more depending on your college or program:

1. Required · 150-250 words

   "There is something distinctive about Brown students. It is a blend of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and humility. A commitment to collaboration. An openness to new ideas and perspectives. A desire to make the world better. And it is resilience: the ability to recover and thrive after experiencing difficulties." From President Christina Paxson's 2025 Convocation Address. How will you use these characteristics or others to shape your approach to the Open Curriculum?

   Essay 1 of 4. Opens with a quoted passage from President Christina Paxson's 2025 Convocation Address, reproduced here in full.

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2. Required · 150-250 words

   Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community.

   Essay 2 of 4.

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3. Required · 100-150 words

   If you could teach a class on any one thing, whether academic or otherwise, what would it be?

   Essay 3 of 4.

   Short answer. We review full-length essays only.

4. Required · 100-150 words

   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.

   Essay 4 of 4.

   Short answer. We review full-length essays only.

5. Required (PLME applicants only) · 250 words

   Why medicine?

   Program in Liberal Medical Education applicants only, in addition to the four essays above.

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6. Required (PLME applicants only) · 250 words

   Why PLME?

   PLME applicants only.

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7. Required (PLME applicants only) · 250 words

   Tell us something about yourself, beyond your interest in medicine, that you think will make you a great doctor.

   PLME applicants only.

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8. Required (Brown | RISD Dual Degree applicants only) · 650 word limit

   The Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program draws on the complementary strengths of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to provide students with the opportunity to explore and engage with diverse spheres of academic and creative inquiry. Considering your understanding of the academic programs at Brown and RISD, describe how and why the specific blend of RISD's experimental, immersive art and design program and Brown's wide-ranging courses and curricula could constitute an optimal undergraduate education for you. Reflect on how you might integrate or synthesize content, approaches, and methods from these two distinct learning experiences. Additionally, how might you contribute to the Dual Degree community and its commitment to interdisciplinary work?

   Brown | RISD Dual Degree Program applicants only, in addition to the four essays above.

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