Maturity and Independence
Independence is central to the STEM 9/10 experience, and for many of you, this level of independence will be a new experience. You will need to find within yourself the self-discipline to manage your time, set priorities and be mindful of such things as eating balanced meals, getting enough sleep and doing your own laundry—all without parental assistance. The STEM 9/10 program at Brown is a great opportunity for bright, motivated young people to practice independently managing their daily lives in a supportive and structured environment.
STEM 9/10 is a more structured experience than other pre-college programs occurring simultaneously on campus, allowing you the opportunity to begin exercising a level of personal freedom that encourages you to grow as an individual. In addition to the academic course content, you are expected to provide a significant level of care and attention to your academic project. The program also includes some free-choice time for you to explore, as well as structured activities, study time and recreational co-curricular experiences. STEM 9/10 students stay together as a cohort in the evenings and on the weekend and are expected to engage in all structured program activities. Failure to do so may result in dismissal from the program.
Supervision
You will learn quickly how—and how necessary it is—to balance your academic responsibilities with responsible living in a new community. You will navigate these expectations with the help of a team of carefully selected and trained Student Life staff, Brown University’s Pre-College Student Life team includes year-round staff, Student Life Managers who often work with K-12 students throughout the year, Coordinators who are primarily enrolled in graduate degree programs in student affairs or higher education, Resident Assistants, who are generally college-aged, support the residential experience and live with students, as well as staff supporting campus-wide events and housing operations.
The skilled and caring staff support and guide you to resources around campus, accompanying you and your peers to mandatory activities and aiding you in negotiating challenges that may arise as part of living and learning in a new environment. RAs will help you balance the competing demands of academics and socializing, and remind you of and enforce policies when necessary. The RAs lead floor meetings several times throughout the program and facilitate community building among their group of STEM 9/10 students. RAs not only support safety, but they are there to be mentors and answer questions concerning high school and college life.
The residential staff's emphasis on community-building and individual responsibility encourages you to develop the necessary skills and capacities in a way that is as enjoyable as it is rewarding.
Contacting STEM 9/10 Students
The most reliable and convenient way for you and your parent(s)/guardian(s) to be in touch is through a personal cell phone. For this reason, we request that prior to the start of the program you and your parent(s)/guardian(s) agree on the frequency, timing and methods for keeping in touch while you are at the program. For example, you could decide together that you will text your parent/guardian every evening at a certain hour, or that you will call them every other day at a certain time.
It is common that within hours of parents’/guardians’ departure, students are so immersed in the experience that their sense of time, including when they last spoke to their parent(s)/guardian(s), is very different from their parents’/guardians’ sense. Please note that students spend the majority of their time in class and participating in extracurricular activities or working on their projects during which cell phone use is prohibited. STEM 9/10 students have free time in the afternoons every day. They will be available most afternoons between 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. ET and again in the evenings between 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET unless out on a group excursion. After 10:30 p.m., students are expected to observe quiet hours and go to sleep. Please work with your student to arrange mutually convenient times to be in contact. Please also ensure that you have updated the STEM 9/10 program with the correct cell phone number that your student will use while enrolled in the program.
Except in emergency situations, STEM 9/10 staff cannot generally honor requests to track down a student. For the safety of our students, visitors (including parent(s)/guardian(s) and family members) are not permitted to enter residence halls when the program is in session without the special permission of the STEM 9/10 Resident Directors.
If there is an emergency situation in which a student needs to be contacted, parent(s)/guardian(s) can contact the Brown Department of Public Safety: 401-863-3322 and ask to speak to the Student Life Manager on Call. If you have any non-emergency questions or concerns, please contact our office at 401-863-7900 Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.
Personal Health and Medical Emergencies
If you have a minor health concern, you can be seen at Brown University’s Health Services Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. Should you need to visit Health Services, you are encouraged to schedule an appointment by calling 401-863-3953. Nursing advice is available 24/7 at 401-863-1330, and certified first aid staff are also available to assist on evenings or weekends. If you require non-emergency care from a healthcare professional outside of Brown University Health Services hours, you may also be taken to a local Urgent Care facility. In the event of a medical emergency, you will generally be transported to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence.
Prescription Medications
You are responsible for safely storing and taking your own prescription medication. If you are not accustomed to managing your own medication you should work with your parent(s)/guardian(s) to determine the best approach to do so during the program.
Illness
You should inform program staff as soon as you are not feeling well and may be asked to self-administer tests for specific infectious illnesses and/or take your temperature, among other actions. If you are ill, you will need to be separated from others in the program to lower the possibility of any illness spreading and it is possible you may be asked to make plans to depart campus. Please note: there may be additional or different protocols implemented by a field trip location or local airport and are dependent on public health guidelines at the time of the program.
Curfew
STEM 9/10 students must abide by a 10 p.m. curfew—after 10 p.m., you must be in your own rooms for the remainder of the evening. STEM 9/10 Residential Assistants will make sure activities are finished and you are escorted back to your residence halls before curfew. Quiet time begins at 10:30 p.m. You must remain on your floor unit until 6 a.m. Students may not leave their residence hall after curfew.
Adhering to the curfew policy is your responsibility. While residential staff will take reasonable measures to ensure that you adhere to the curfew, once you have been verified as being within the residence halls at the designated time, you will be in violation of policies should you choose to leave your residence hall area. If we become aware of a curfew violation, you will be referred to our student conduct process. Repeated and/or serious violations of the curfew could result in dismissal from the program.
For more details, please read the Residential Policies section on our website.
Overnight Leave
Once students arrive, it is expected that they will spend every night on campus in their assigned residence hall room. While leaving campus at any point during the program is highly discouraged, families can contact us if they need to request an overnight leave only for the weekend in the middle of the program. In this situation, students must depart after the academic component is completed on Friday and must return prior to curfew on Sunday night. Please note that your arrival and departure times may not conflict with the STEM 9/10 Programming Schedule and any conflicts will be communicated to you upon receipt of your overnight leave form. Please note that any request for overnight leave must be pre-approved by the STEM 9/10 Student Life team and is only possible considering the conditions below:
- extraordinary, verifiable personal or family circumstances (e.g. illness, injury or other);
- religious beliefs and commitments; or
- significant, rare and/or time-sensitive opportunities (occupational, educational or other).
Please request overnight leave using the form linked in the Parent/Guardian Checklist. The Parent/Guardian Checklist can be accessed through emails (subject line: Action Required: Parent/Guardian Checklist). An Overnight Leave Form should be submitted for STEM 9/10 by July 14, 2025 to allow staff time to connect with students and parent(s)/guardian(s) to confirm the details.
Class Attendance
You are required to attend class. Instructors will take attendance during each class.
While we understand that many students have very busy summer schedules, you should not enroll in classes that conflict with commitments that would require you to miss any days of class. Brown Pre-College STEM 9/10 courses are intensive learning experiences where students spend three hours in class each morning along with two afternoon classes each week. Missing classes jeopardizes your ability to engage successfully and complete coursework. Many classes also involve group work, and missing classes can negatively impact the learning experience of other students in your class. Missing classes can also result in being dismissed from the program.
Outside of Class Expectations
You will be expected to complete 12 to 15 hours of homework over the two weeks. This work will complement the learning within the course and help you prepare for your final academic project which you will present on the last day of the program to your peers and families. This work may include readings, group projects, writing assignments and presentations. The details for the closing event will be provided via email.
Academic Resources
You should consider taking advantage of many of the resources listed below. In college, getting support and learning outside of class is a great benefit and does not necessarily indicate you are having challenges. It’s a good idea to start getting comfortable using these resources now so you are prepared to do so in college.
- Course Materials: You are notified via your student portal at least two weeks prior to the start of important items you should review. Course specific supplies will be provided, if applicable. You should come prepared with pencils/pens, a notebook, a laptop or web-enabled device, and any other essential items that you need for note-taking.
- Canvas: Canvas is the Learning Management Tool that Brown University uses for course materials, syllabus, communication with instructors and other resources for each course. Your instructor may use Canvas to provide you virtual access to course-specific resources.
- Libraries: All active students are able to access University Library resources virtually and in-person. To visit the Brown University Library, follow the link here. If you request to borrow books from the library, they can be picked up in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library Lobby at 10 Prospect Street.
- Writing Center: You can make an appointment to request support with writing assignments. Please follow the link here for details and an appointment request form.
- Language Support: Brown offers support to students whose primary language is not English. To find out more and to make an appointment, please follow the link here.
Instructor Office Hours: Office hours are a regular part of learning in universities. They are not the same as needing to meet with a teacher in high school because there is a problem. During office hours you can discuss course content and assignments, ask questions to expand your learning and have the opportunity to build a relationship with your instructor. Instructors will share their available office hours, including your assigned time in the STEM 9/10 Collaboration Station, with you during the first course meeting and likely in the syllabus. We recommend you take advantage of these opportunities.
Academic Project
Faculty enhance the academic content through the inclusion of a challenging and comprehensive research project, activity or design challenge. You will spend time out of class during the two weeks working on this project and present your efforts on the final day to your instructor, peers and your parent(s)/guardian(s) and family. You are given the personal freedom to decide where and when to study within your given free-time. It is expected that you will participate actively with your group and produce a final project that will make you, your peers, families and instructors proud.
Activities
You will also have access to the Nelson Fitness Center, including their pool and fitness classes throughout the duration of your program. For more information about their offerings, please visit the Brown Recreation website.
Housing
STEM 9/10 students will live in Brown’s residence halls within walking distance of classrooms and dining halls. You will be assigned to live with another STEM 9/10 student, no more than 1 year apart in age. Roommate requests will not be honored. You are assigned a roommate so that you can build friendships with new people. Students who need to request housing accommodations based on a learning, psychological and/or physical disability should indicate they may require an accommodation when completing the Medical Authorization and Health History Form which must be submitted by May 30. Please email accessibility@brown.edu if you have any questions or concerns.
Meals
Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served in two of Brown’s dining halls daily. Three meals a day are included in the cost of residential program fees. STEM 9/10 students are also provided snacks regularly as a part of the program.
Dining Services Information
There are resources to help you with food-related allergies, dietary restrictions and other needs for accommodations to navigate the options in the dining halls. Prior to arrival, you should familiarize yourself with Brown’s dining website which provides information about the various dietary options available. This site also includes icons for specific food types (e.g. gluten-free) that are consistent with those found in the on-campus dining locations. Brown offers a variety of options and signage that allow many students to manage without additional accommodations. Students with any food restrictions are encouraged to utilize the Brown Dining site while on-campus. This site is designed to help you make educated food choices while navigating Brown’s dining halls.
If you have a food allergy, dietary restriction or a need for another accommodation please indicate this on your Medical Authorization and Health History Form by May 30. The University’s Dietician will reach out to you directly to offer to discuss your dining options. Options could include using an online special meal request system, access to the Allergen Friendly Pantry and guidance navigating the online information and dining halls. In addition, temporary dining accommodations can be provided using a Chef's card that is available on request when you swipe into the main dining hall, the Sharpe Refectory (Ratty). These cards can be used to request a special meal if you arrive on a weekend and have not yet formally arranged accommodations. These cards will enable you to request a meal that is gluten-free or free of the following allergens: shellfish, soy, dairy, nuts, peanuts, eggs, wheat, alcohol and fish. The menu options using this card are more limited and a meal is provided once the card is received, so these meals will take some additional time to prepare.
Laundry
There are laundry facilities in all residence halls. You will need to supply your own detergent. Students will swipe their ID card to operate machines. There is no additional fee for this service.
Mail Services
Mail may be sent to you during the program. Please do not send packages of bedding or clothing needed on move-in day in advance of your arrival, since the University’s mailroom is not open for package pick-up on Sundays.
Please note that mail sent to college campuses requires additional processing time for sorting and distribution, and any standard mailing or shipping delays may result in the mail or packages not reaching you prior to your campus departure. For those reasons, any mail/packages should be coordinated to arrive no later than one week prior to your departure. Mail should be sent to:
Student Name
Brown Pre-College Student
69 Brown Street
Providence, RI 02912
Lost and Found
The lost and found is located at the Department of Public Safety 401-863-1663. Items of value found in residence halls, such as jewelry, money and laptop computers will be turned in and students should call the DPS office to retrieve lost items.