Providence-area students experience a slice of college life at Brown’s annual College Day

At the opening ceremony for the day held in Alumnae Hall, Brown President Christina H. Paxson welcomed students and echoed that same sentiment on the value of exploration, possibility and discovery.

"What I would encourage you to do is really explore and think broadly about what's possible for you - there are so many opportunities you haven't even imagined yet," Paxson said. "As you're on campus today, be curious and engaged. Ask questions. Talk to Brown students. Discover what you love so you can build a life that you love - that's what makes college truly meaningful."

A look at life and learning at Brown

A pivotal part of the program gives students the chance to experience a "mini-class," designed to provide a taste of what a college classroom is like. Ahead of the event, students select the academic tracks they want to explore. This year's options included the humanities; math, technology and engineering; physical and life sciences; social sciences and civic engagement; entrepreneurship and communications; and fine and performing arts.

Early in the day, students break into those track-based groups and fan out across campus, each following a sequence of stops tailored to their chosen field. Some groups head to labs, while others spend time in libraries, studios and academic spaces, taking part in games, experiments and workshops led by Brown faculty, staff and students. Hands-on lessons this year spanned a wide range of topics - from investigating how water exists on the Moon's surface to composing a song, conserving fragile documents in a special collections library, and using fruit flies to study human disease.

In "Inside the Mind: A Tour of Psychology Labs at Brown," participants rotated through four interactive workshops showing how researchers, including undergraduates, study canine cognition, vision science and child development. The goal was to reveal the breadth of psychology, and for Alexandra Sanchez, a sophomore at Providence's Paul Cuffee School, it did just that.

"I didn't realize how many directions psychology could take you," Sanchez said. "I used to think it was mostly about studying the brain or becoming a therapist. This showed me there are so many different paths you can explore."

The day is also designed to give students a broader sense of college life. Organizers this year added a "college life fair," where participants learned about student organizations, campus traditions and academic concentrations. The fair also highlighted Brown's K-12 programs for local students, including Brown Summer High School, Pre-College Programs, medical pathways initiatives and other internships and enrichment opportunities.

By bringing more local students into those programs, College Day deepens Brown's connections within the Providence and Rhode Island communities, Sundaresh said.

"Brown is an institution that's part of the city, part of the community," Sundaresh said. "There can be real and perceived barriers to stepping onto a campus like this, and we hope this experience helps break those down so students feel comfortable, included and inspired."

After attending College Day, Nicole Lemire, a guidance counselor at Tolman High School in Pawtucket, hopes her students are motivated to explore more colleges and universities across New England. She said the timing of Brown's annual event - just before Rhode Island's April vacation - is ideal.

"A lot of our students haven't visited a college campus yet, and today gives them that first glimpse," Lemire said. "It shows them what a campus visit feels like and inspires them to explore other schools, plan additional visits and take those next steps on their college journey."