Freshman, Seniors Most Likely to Take Classes Out of Concentration

The freedom to take classes outside of concentrations is a signature of Brown’s Open Curriculum.

By Jason Mao

One of Brown’s most distinctive characteristics is the freedom it affords to its students in course selection: students may drop in on any class for Shopping Period, the first two weeks of the semester. This allows undergraduates to explore disciplines that lie outside of their interests or intended career path. Yet many students, particularly in engineering and the hard sciences, find that stringent concentration requirements leave little room to pursue outside interests.

The latest Brown Opinion Project poll examines this question in depth. In the Fall 2025 semester, the average undergraduate took 1.28 classes outside of their concentration. The largest variation we observed was between different concentrations. Humanities and Art students took the most classes outside of their intended concentration, with an average of 1.54 classes per person. Physical sciences concentrators, on the other hand, took an average of 1.21 classes outside of their own concentration. Social Science and Life Science concentrators lie in the middle, with respectively average of 1.45 and 1.35 classes outside of their concentration. This could be because degrees in physical sciences tend to require more credits and have more courses with prerequisites. Interestingly, we observed little variation between students of different gender, race, and ethnicity. 

A second important factor was the class year of the student. Freshmen and seniors had the most classes outside of their concentration, with respectively 1.52 classes and 1.36 classes. Sophomore and Juniors, on the other hand, took less classes in other concentrations, respectively 1.19 and 1.12 classes. First-year students often take a wider range of classes outside their intended concentration because many are undecided and want to explore different academic areas. Seniors, having completed most of their concentration requirements, have greater flexibility to enroll in courses that simply interest them. In contrast, sophomores and juniors focus on fulfilling their concentration requirements, which limit their ability to explore other subjects.

Overall, the Brown Opinion Project results suggest clear patterns in how students approach taking courses outside their concentration: exploration happens at the beginning and end of the college career. For the sophomores and juniors who are struggling through the core requirements, don’t lose hope – things will get better!

The Brown Opinion Project (BOP) conducted its October 2025 poll on October 7, October 8, and October 9. BOP solicited responses from Brown undergraduate students near Faunce Hall and Sciences Park. BOP representatives asked every person who passed their location if they were interested in taking a quick anonymous poll. Responses were anonymously collected using Google Forms. Over the course of the polling process, BOP collected 349 total responses from Brown undergraduate students.