Brown University Essays 2025–26: How to Write the Supplemental Essays (with Examples)
Brown looks for intellectually curious, self-directed students who will thrive in the Open Curriculum and contribute thoughtfully to campus life. The strongest Brown essays reveal genuine interests, reflective self-awareness, and a collaborative spirit.
How Brown’s supplemental essays work in 2025–26
All first-year and transfer applicants write three short essays (200–250 words each) plus three very short answers. Applicants to PLME and/or the Brown|RISD Dual Degree submit those program-specific essays in addition to the three main Brown essays.
Main Brown Essay Prompts (for first-year and transfer applicants)
1) Academic Interests & the Open Curriculum (200–250 words)
Prompt: “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 pursue them at Brown.”
What to Do
Choose 1–2 interests with a clear throughline.
Show how the Open Curriculum helps you design your education (courses, research, groups, collaborations).
Map a mini-plan: classes + labs/centers + communities; end with a concrete goal.
What to Avoid
Name-dropping random course codes with no narrative.
Generic praise of “flexibility.”
Repeating your résumé without reflection.
Example Snippet
“I want to braid ethics and data storytelling—studying moral philosophy alongside computational methods to ask not only can we model, but should we. I’d pair foundational CS with seminars in political theory and join a student group that hosts open datasets workshops. My aim: prototype a public-facing dashboard that explains tradeoffs—not just outputs—for a local policy issue.”
2) Background → Contribution (200–250 words)
Prompt: “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.”
What to Do
Select one vivid aspect (language, family role, geography, identity, responsibility).
Use a clear arc: moment → insight → action you’ll take at Brown (clubs, partnerships, peer spaces).
Keep the focus on you—voice, choices, growth.
What to Avoid
Writing a social-issue op-ed that sidelines your story.
Generic “I’m a leader” claims without scenes.
Speaking for an entire group.
Example Snippet
“Being the unofficial translator at my grandmother’s medical visits taught me to read between words—the pause before she nodded, the glance toward me when jargon landed. On College Hill, I’d bring that listening to peer mentorship and community clinics, helping teams design materials that speak with patients, not at them.”
3) What Brings You Joy (200–250 words)
Prompt: “Whether big or small, mundane or spectacular, tell us about something that brings you joy.”
What to Do
Pick a small, specific joy and anchor it in a scene (sensory details).
Let personality lead; add 1–2 lines of reflection.
If you connect it to your broader profile, keep it light and non-résumé.
What to Avoid
Turning joy into an achievement or hardship essay.
Abstract musings with no concrete moment.
A list of likes—choose one and go deep.
Example Snippet
“Every Tuesday, I repair busted toasters for neighbors. The click of a re-seated spring, the warm bread smell after a clean rewire—tiny victories. Fixing things calms my brain and reminds me that problems are puzzles, not verdicts.”
Very Short Answers
A) What three words best describe you? (3 words)
Do: choose words that echo your essays. Avoid: clichés like “hardworking, passionate, dedicated.”
Example: “curious, neighborly, meticulous.”
B) If you could teach a class on any one thing, what would it be? (100 words)
Do: pitch a Brown-worthy micro-seminar with readings/outputs. Avoid: vague “life hacks.”
Example Snippet: “Maps That Lie: a seminar on how cartography shapes power. From redlining to election choropleths, we’ll remix historic maps and design ethical visualizations for local issues.”
C) Why Brown—in one sentence? (50 words)
Do: write one specific sentence linking you to Brown’s ecosystem. Avoid: “dream school” language.
Example: “Because the Open Curriculum lets me pair philosophy of science with community-engaged data work—learning to question the models I build and build the communities my questions serve.”
PLME Essays 2025–26 (in addition to the three main Brown essays)
PLME Essay 1 (500 words)
Prompt: Motivation for medicine and why PLME best meets your professional and personal goals.
What to Do
Distill 2–3 catalytic moments that shaped your physician identity.
Show why a liberal pathway matters (humanities/social science/art informing care).
Connect to sustained development across undergrad → Alpert Med (mentorship, research, service).
What to Avoid
Shadowing logs or “I want to help people” without nuance.
Treating PLME as a shortcut rather than breadth-with-integration.
Example Snippet
“In hospice volunteering, I learned how silence carries clinical data—the tempo of breath, the way a hand loosens. I want an education that trains that attention across anthropology and physiology, so that when I study diagnostics, I’m also studying dignity.”
PLME Essay 2 (250 words, choose one)
Prompts:
A) How will you, as a future physician, make a positive impact? or
B) How has your personal background uniquely shaped your perspective on medicine?
What to Do
For A: pick one focused problem and a plausible mechanism (policy, tech, community health).
For B: connect lived context to bedside manner, ethics, or research priorities.
In both, name a next step you’d take as a PLME student.
What to Avoid
Buzzwords without feasibility.
Global generalities with no local action.
Example Snippet (B)
“My grandmother rationed insulin when groceries spiked. That’s why I’m drawn to screening for food insecurity in clinics and testing ‘produce prescription’ referrals with community partners—tracking A1C changes over six months to argue for coverage.”
Brown | RISD Dual Degree (BRDD) Essay 2025–26 (650 words)
Prompt: Explain how the blend of RISD’s experimental, immersive art and design with Brown’s wide-ranging curricula offers an optimal education for you; how you’ll integrate methods from both; and how you’ll contribute to the BRDD community.
What to Do
Articulate a two-campus workflow (studio ↔ research) and a project that truly needs both schools.
Name specific studios/shops/crits at RISD and Brown departments/centers you’d tap.
Show iterative making + scholarly inquiry + community contribution (crits, exhibits, teaching).
What to Avoid
“I love art and science” without process.
A portfolio tour with no synthesis.
Example Snippet
“I prototype biodegradable textiles dyed with waste-stream microbes. At RISD, I’d iterate in the Nature Lab and Textiles studios; at Brown, I’d test durability with an environmental institute and model circular supply chains with entrepreneurship mentors—culminating in a joint exhibition and white paper.”
Final Tips for Brown University Essays 2025–26
Write like the architect of your own education: Brown’s Open Curriculum prizes student agency, exploration, and synthesis across fields. Show how you’ll use that freedom with purpose.
Make contributions concrete: name the communities, collaborations, or public-facing work you’ll join or start.
Let one essay carry delight (Prompt 3). It doesn’t need to validate your résumé; it should reveal voice and texture.
Prioritize scenes, then reflection. Specifics beat slogans.
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