Among peer institutions, Brown uniquely embodies freedom, creativity and openness. With over 100 nationalities and 60 languages represented, our university exemplifies the very best of contemporary liberal arts education: a multicultural, cosmopolitan campus where every student has a unique perspective and story to share.
Perhaps it’s therefore only right that we as Brown students are uniquely shocked to see the rise of pre-professionalism in our own backyard. I would know myself: As a board member of the Bruno Finance Society, I, alongside numerous other club leaders, observed the skyrocketing interest in our organizations among first- and second-year students.
Let me first be unequivocally clear: With rampant pre-professionalism comes inevitable loss. I agree that a barrage of first-years firmly declaring a study of applied math-economics and creating uncharacteristically active LinkedIn profiles while Bruno Leaders are still on duty is surely contrary to the relaxed academic spirit we all love. But while it is undeniably tempting to criticize these students for eroding our freewheeling and whimsical culture, such criticism is fundamentally imprudent at best and downright hypocritical at worst.
Brown is the quintessential representative of the philosophy that college is a place to find oneself. Yet “finding oneself” on College Hill costs nearly $100,000 per year. Considering that around 45% of Brown students receive financial aid and graduate with an average debt of nearly $30,000, the days of pursuing an Ivy League degree with no regard for prospective employment are long gone for many. Even students outside the lowest-income brackets find education here increasingly difficult to afford. Combined with the crises of youth unemployment and economic stagnation, they have little choice but to carefully consider the practical applications of any potential concentration.
I should also note that pre-professional juniors and seniors have the least right of all to levy such criticism. For those of us who have secured our postgraduate careers and now have the privilege of leading student organizations, it is particularly hypocritical to ridicule today’s first-years for not having enough “chill,” for we would do no differently if faced with so much competition for club membership.
It is time for us to confront the possibility that pre-professional culture may indeed be incompatible with a traditional liberal arts education. Learning for the sake of learning, however important, is largely no longer pragmatic amid economic difficulty. It is therefore unreasonable to expect all students to choose loyalty to these values over future job security. The unfortunate truth is that the Brunonian spirit and Open Curriculum have become luxuries that few students interested in financial service careers can afford. Since junior summer internships recruit more than a year in advance, students must pack relevant courses and internship experience all into their first year to ensure a competitive resume. Consequently, they are left with little or no time to embrace the free-spirited nature that has historically defined a Brown education.
Disheartening as this trend may be, it is one we are powerless to stop—particularly when a degree becomes less affordable and the threat of unemployment lurks outside the comfort of College Hill. I cannot claim to have derived a perfect solution to this problem, but only when we fully understand the root of this development can we contemplate how to reconcile it with the spirit we all hold dear. I write this not in defense of those entirely consumed by recruiting, but with concern that we have become intolerant of pragmatism.
The core promise of a Brown education is that each and every student has the right to shape their own education. Therefore, pre-professionalism is nothing more than this exact spirit at work, even if the architects of the Open Curriculum may have envisioned a very different use of their creation. Perhaps what we must remember going forward is that there is nothing more Brunonian than tolerance and acceptance for all.
Lucas Guan ’27 can be reached at lucas_guan@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
