Brown University

Be Prepared

Lee Maxey — Thu, 26 May 2011 20:39:09 +0000

There are over 4000 colleges and universities in the United States, where incoming freshman bring a wide variety of backgrounds and expectations. As an admission counselor years ago, I interviewed hundreds of prospective students annually. Some had rigid ideas and were on a purposeful road map, others were unfocused and floating on the momentum of parental expectations, while others recognized the opportunity college would bring. Regardless of their hopes and dreams, most were unprepared for some aspect of college. Discipline, study habits and time management were obvious challenges for some. Furthermore, I noticed many students who had the basic skills, but lacked a prerequisite variety of experiences necessary to prepare them for college.
There are many discussions about what a college degree is worth since so many students get saddled with debt. Georgetown just published a study describing the value of a college degree by correlating individual majors to likely earning potential. However, I think many incoming freshman are not ready for that first year of college, and that impacts whether they take advantage of their college years. For instance, there have been many articles recently bemoaning college student’s ability to write or communicate. This Wall Street Journal Article for example.
Writing and communicating effectively transcends one’s choice of major and impacts one’s whole life. Not every college has a mission to prepare graduates for life, but as a society we expect schools to do so. One of my favorite mottos “Be prepared!’ doesn’t just apply to the Boy Scouts.
At Brown, we have crafted online precollege classes to help students prepare for the rigors of college. These online classes are taught by highly qualified Brown University instructors. The course topics vary to include:

• “So You Want to be a Doctor?”
• “Exploring Engineering”,
• “Lessons in Leadership”,
• “Writing for College and Beyond”
• “Anatomy, Physiology & Disease
• “DNA Science.”
• “Crafting a Video Essay”
Brown brings college level courses to highschool students through an online format. We want students to experience a successful transition to college level work.
Lee Maxey
Lee_Maxey@Brown.edu

Engineering Student Comments on Course

Lee Maxey — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:44:11 +0000

I liked learning about the various fields of engineering and
I loved the nanotechnology unit and also liked the renewable energy unit.
I was able to learn from the lectures in the comfort of my own home and to have the opportunity to watch them again at any time

Dr. Dale Ritters Anatomy Course

Lee Maxey — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:38:19 +0000

Dr. Dale Ritter

The Spring semester of 2011 will mark 10 years that Dale Ritter has served as the course director for Human Anatomy, which is part of the first-semester curriculum in the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He is a member of the curriculum committee of the medical school, was a member of the working group that redesigned the pre-clinical curriculum in 2004, and is a faculty reader for applicants to the medical school’s Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME). Dr. Ritter is part of a research team that is using a new imaging technique (XROMM) to study iguana rib movements during respiration: http://www.xromm.org/projects/iguana-breathing.

Dr. Ritter also teaches Anatomy in the popular online course, “So you want to be a doctor?”.

Why Brown Pre-College Online?

Lee Maxey — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:29:06 +0000

http://www.brown.edu/ce/pre-college/online

Prepare yourself for the academic challenges of your college freshman year

Brown online courses and summer programs are taught at the same level of academic rigor as a first-year college course
Include a pre college online course as a component of an independent study or senior project
Learn and practice college-level writing so you don’t get left behind
Improve your critical thinking skills and get constructive personal feedback from Brown University professors and TA’s

Build a better college resume and improve your college application

Build a stronger college resume by taking pre college online courses for high school students at Brown University
Prepare for college by demonstrating you can do Ivy League level academic work
Show academic initiative by taking an online college course beyond your basic requirements
Learn from the graduate students at Brown how they applied and got into medical school

Confirm your interest in a demanding profession or field of study

Find out whether you are really suited to be an engineer or a doctor
Learn what engineers and physicians really do
Practice medicine on virtual patients, or solve real world engineering problems
Explore the truths about medical school admissions and financial aid

Convenient access to premiere college-level courses from Brown University

Study from any city in any place you can get wifi – your home, school, or library
No need to change your plans – participate in your regular academics, employment, sports, and activities while taking your college course
Take Brown Online Courses any time of day and any time of year
Study in an immersive multimedia learning environment with simulations, virtual interviews, lab exercises, and in some pre college courses, local community involvement