THE TRUTH BEHIND THE IVY LEAGUE | My experience at Brown University

Topics covered in today’s video:
- What it’s like to be Black at an Ivy League (2:32)
- Networking opportunities (8:30)
- The social scene at Ivies (13:50)
- The pressure of going to an Ivy League (18:41)
This video only represents my personal experiences and to make sure this video didn’t get too long, I skipped a lot of other key aspects of my experience that I’d love to share in future videos. But, I hope this provides any aspiring high schoolers with some insight into what it’s like to go to an Ivy and anyone else with an idea of what it’s like to go to one of the eight Ivies.
Hope you enjoy the video!

[@jhpittsjr8073]

I too graduated with a degree in Engineering and Economics. Fortunately for me, I had two close family friends who attended Brown before me and they coached me on what to expect and how to manage my classes and campus life. By definition, if you are involved in anything where all the participants are A rated, A then becomes average and you have to work harder. All my engineering classes were graded on a normal distribution curve which made it even harder to obtain an A. During my years as a petroleum engineer, I encountered only 4 other Black petroleum engineers…4 out of 2500 nationwide !!! During my years as an investment banker in Energy, I encountered only 2 Black investment bankers. During my years as a management consultant restructuring the interstate natural gas transportation and electric power industries, I did not encounter any Blacks. Brown Univ prepared me for a truly great career.

[@abayomilowe]

That sounds like both an interesting, yet very fruitful career. I've also only met a handful of others who have done the engineering and economics combo at Brown.

[@pierrejoseph4797]

Hey Abayomi, as a black student who just got accepted early decision to Brown University (CO2028) I am glad to hear about your experience! Hopefully my 4 years goes just as well!

[@abayomilowe]

Congrats on your acceptance! All the best in your next 4 years!

[@Fay.777.]

Brown ED CO2028! Same here!

[@dunnowuttodo2603]

Thank you so much for making this honest video, really helpful!!

[@abayomilowe]

I'm glad it helped! Thanks for watching!

[@jasongim5332]

Thank you for sharing your experience at Brown. Congratulations on your achievements and I can clearly see why you were accepted and thrived at Ivy League. You have a bright future ahead of you.

[@abayomilowe]

Thank you, and thanks for watching!

[@gilbydog7350]

Great video. I enjoyef hearing your expeeiences. You've done really well.

[@abayomilowe]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed!

[@aviewer2871]

Abayomi, I am glad you survived and completed your education, in an environment that may or may have not been receptive to black people, or work along with black students to achieve your goals.

[@abayomilowe]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@swbrl2843]

Cry more

[@estherbradley3218]

Thanks for sharing. My daughter is currently at Freshman at Brown. Brown was also her dream school and she too, was accepted ED. She is currently majoring in Economics and I’m thinking she may be a do a double major but I think she’s still trying to figure that out. If I had to guess it would be either Africana Studies or Cognitive Science. She’s a Bonner Fellow. Again, thanks for sharing.

[@abayomilowe]

Congratulations on your daughter's acceptance! Econ is a great concentration to do a double major with. I hope that she has a great first semester, lots of great experiences and opportunities to be had at Brown.

[@snkrs-wrld123]

Thank you for this video! How would you see Denison University from an academic standpoint? And compared to other universities(Tufts,Brown or some unranked universities too)? Thanks for your help😀

[@abayomilowe]

Hi, I'm not very familiar with Denison University and can only really speak to my experience at Brown. When applying to schools and even during my time in undergrad I didn't spend too much time considering how those academics stacked up to other schools or how prestigious the name was. I found a lot more value in just finding a place that complimented my personality and challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone. In my opinion, those are the best metrics to consider when thinking about university. Hope that helps!

[@nadias8817]

thank uu

[@ks-ou3qu]

Do you receive full scholarship to the Ivy leagues you went to. And do you still have to pay back for your schooling?

[@jamesw4445]

It’s need based financial aid. If your parents make less than $60k per year, your tuition and room&board are all covered by the university. You don’t pay back. If your parents make over $200k, they pay all the fees.

[@rohanmuppa213]

What was your major?

[@abayomilowe]

Engineering and Economics

[@rohanmuppa213]

Was this part of Open Curriculum major?@@abayomilowe

[@abayomilowe]

Yep@@rohanmuppa213

[@jhpittsjr8073]

Your title should be “My truth” because it is not “The Truth”.

[@torifekete2426]

the title continues to say "my experience at brown university" -- let's focus on the importance of his words instead of haggling over a title when he does clearly state he is speaking from his own experience :))

[@ellisd.wilsonjr.4114]

Why would you give the man a hard time? U being a man of color should want to see the man & others who look like us #WIN & have #PositiveExperiences. Maybe his approach worked best for him having a positive experience opposed to U presenting in a standoffish tone which would open the door for a negative experience. It’s all about your actions. Your attitude determines your altitude. Food for thought.

[@ellisd.wilsonjr.4114]

“My Experience” mentioned in the Title & At the End of The Video. Poor response, Pitts. #ChangeYourWaysMan.