Military-Affiliated Students

New Students

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New Students

While all undergraduate student veterans arrive at Brown with the life experience of having served in the military, the application process by which you enter Brown will impact your arrival and transition process.

Brown Gates For those entering as a Resumed Undergraduate Education (RUE) student, there is already more flexibility to accommodate your status as someone who is not coming to Brown right out of high school.

If admitted through the regular undergraduate admission process or as transfers, please keep in mind that almost all of the other students admitted through that process are attending Brown directly from high school or transferring to Brown from an institution they began attending right out of high school. Residential and campus experiences are an important and vital part of the complete Brown education; however, if there are components that present issues for you, don't hesitate to ask and to advocate for yourself. Brown students excel not only at tailoring the academic experience to their interests -- they also do this outside the classroom.

For graduate and medical students, systems and protocols are necessarily designed to be more tailored to students with more diverse life experiences.

Housing

The majority of student veterans - Resumed Undergradutes (RUE), graduate, medical, transfer, or freshman- come to Brown without any requirement to live on campus. Services and information are available to assist you in finding off-campus housing, including the Auxiliary Housing Office. There is a limited amount of on-campus housing available to some students in these categories. Please inquire with Residential Life for more information.

For more information, visit the Office of Residential Life.

VA Housing Allowance

For students using the post 9/11 GI Bill, a stipend is provided for living expenses at the rate of E-5 BAH (with dependents) which can be calculated here on the DoD website. Note that this will be an overestimate of benefits since as a student only school days are calculated when determining the duration of payments.

Additional Housing Resources

https://osdri.org/services/housing/

https://www.veteransinc.org/services/housing-programs/

Orientation

As an undergraduate, right before the start of your first semester at Brown, you will be welcomed to campus by a host of peer counselors and academic advisors. During these first few days, you will learn about the different resources available to you as a Brown student, and what to expect from your first year at Brown. Many of our current student veterans found this was a useful time to get to know other members of the non-traditional population, plan the first semester’s courses load, and learn about their new home in Providence.

RUE and transfer students participate in RUE, Transfer, and Visiting Student Orientation, offered at the start of the academic year and mid-year for those arriving at that time. There are also student counselors for these programs who themselves are RUE or transfer students.

Orientations are also planned for graduate and medical students.

Making More of Your Orientation

Many of our current undergraduate veteran students knew coming in that they desired opportunities to engage with fellow undergraduates through a more structured and/or intensive experience.

Many have found the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) Program, open to all incoming RUE and transfer students, to be a pivotal experience. As an incoming student, BOLT offers you the opportunity to get to know a small group of 10 Brown students as you venture into the White Mountains of New Hampshire for several days. While your outdoor experience may only last a few days, the BOLT program and the friendships you make will last much longer. In your first year, you will have the opportunity to frequently reunite with your group and attend a BOLT reunion later in the year. This program is a great way to get a first glimpse of the diverse groups of people you will meet at Brown.

Others have found that participation in varsity athletics to be a good option. Not all teams take walk-ons, but all students are encouraged to inquire with the Department of Athletics and Physical Education for more information.