常春藤印象:幾個布朗學生合作才能換一個燈泡

What is the school's reputation like?

布朗大學的名聲如何？

There's an old joke about the Ivy League schools which asks how many students from each college it would take to change a lightbulb. At “posh”, “preppy” Princeton, you'd need two: one to mix the martinis, and one to call an electrician. At “elitist” Harvard, you'd only need one: he holds the lightbulb, and the rest of the world revolves around him. The joke has been told with knowing smiles by Ivy alumni for decades; there's an answer for each school, which plays humorously on their stereotypical “identities”.

常春藤盟校中流傳着一個老笑話：每個學校分別需要多少名學生來換一個燈泡？在高貴冷豔的普林斯頓需要兩個學生：一個調馬提尼酒，另一個打電話叫電工；在精英主義的哈佛只需要一個：他只要握住燈泡，整個世界都會圍着他轉。數十年來，常春藤的校友們都會帶着心照不宣的微笑講這個笑話，每個學校都有一種答案，每個答案都幽默地象徵着這所學校所固有的身份認同。

The punchline for Brown, however, is a bit cryptic. “Eleven: one to change the lightbulb, and ten to share the experience.” What on earth is that supposed to mean? The answer lies in Brown's reputation for being a very “laid-back”, “hippie” college: there is a supposed emphasis on “sharing experiences” and “chilling out”. Defenders of this ethos portray the school as “free-thinking”, and “liberal”; detractors describe an “easy ride” curriculum, and a “stoner” student population.

然而，布朗大學的答案卻有些模棱兩可。“需要十一個人：一個去換燈泡，另外十個分享經驗。”這到底是什麼意思？原因在於，布朗是以悠閒嬉皮而聞名的一所學校：學校着重強調“分享經驗”和“放鬆”。這種校風的支持者們把布朗描述爲“思想自由”和“態度開明”；反對者則批評學校的課程輕鬆放水、學生遊手好閒。

Brown certainly hasn't produced the same number of political giants as some of its more prestigious cousins: 4 of the 50 current state governors were educated within its walls, but it cannot name a single US president amongst its alumni. In fact, in keeping with its “laid-back” reputation, Brown's most famous students have thrived in more “alternative” careers. It is the alma mater of actresses Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Laura Linney (triple Oscar nominee), and Emma Watson (Harry Potter); and also of technology superstars John Sculley (Apple CEO), Thomas Watson Jr. (IBM CEO), and David Ebersman (Facebook CFO). The school does seem to promote success – just via a rather different path to the Harvards, Yales and Princetons of the world.

布朗的確沒有像其他幾所常春藤盟校一樣培養出那麼多的政治巨頭：美國50位現任州長中有4位畢業於布朗大學，但她的校友中一位總統都沒有。事實上，正如布朗悠閒的校風，它最有名的校友們在一些非傳統的行業取得了成功：布朗是朱莉·鮑溫（《摩登家庭》中飾演克萊爾）、勞拉·琳妮（三獲奧斯卡提名）和艾瑪·沃森（《哈利波特》中飾演赫敏）的母校；也培養了科技巨頭約翰·斯卡利（蘋果CEO），小托馬斯·沃森（IBM的CEO）和戴維·艾博斯曼（Facebook首席財務官）。這所學校確實能助人成功——以一種和哈普耶截然不同的方式。

What is the town like?

所在的城鎮是什麼樣的？

Travelling the short distance down from Boston to Providence – the town in which Brown is nestled – I wasn't expecting to find much of a contrast between two capitals of adjacent, affluent northeastern states (Massachusetts and Rhode Island, respectively). This preconception was quickly dispelled: the two towns share that famous New England drawl for an accent*, but little else.

在從波士頓到普羅維登斯（布朗大學所在城市）的短短旅途中，我原本以爲這兩個城市不會有太大差別，畢竟它們都是美國東北部兩個富裕且鄰近的州的首府（馬薩諸塞州和羅德島州）。不過這種錯誤的認知很快就煙消雲散：這兩個城市除了慢吞吞的新英格蘭口音以外，沒有太多相似之處。

Part of Boston's charm comes from its fusion of working-class history and a thriving modern business sector: crumbling warehouses and shiny skyscrapers are huddled together on a tiny peninsula. Providence, however, is still stuck in an industrial hang-over. The proud forge of America's jewellery and glassware was put out of business by foreign producers in the 1980s, and has never really recovered. Empty factories are dotted either side of the Seekonk River that runs through downtown; construction work dominates the western edge of Brown's campus. The teeming market streets of Boston's Italian and Irish neighbourhoods are nowhere to be found.

波士頓的魅力部分來源於它融合了工人階級的歷史和繁榮的現代商業：搖搖欲墜的倉庫和閃閃發亮的摩天樓都擠在這小小的半島上。然而，普羅維登斯卻還沒從工業時期的終結中緩過神來。它引以爲豪的珠寶玻璃製造業在上世紀八十年代就被外來企業打垮，至今也沒有復興。空蕩蕩的工廠星羅棋佈在橫穿小鎮的錫康克河兩岸；布朗校園的西側全是建築工地。波士頓的意大利和愛爾蘭社區裏那種擁擠的街道市場在這兒則無處可尋。

What does the university look like?

大學校園風景如何？

Brown's “relaxed” ethos and Providence's economic slumber are both reflected in the layout of the campus: where Cambridge has reminders at every corner of Harvard's prestige, you could easily stroll through Providence without ever realising that you are passing a world-famous institution. Blank department buildings sit on quiet boulevards, surrounded by thrift shops, cafes, and the odd building site. There is an irritating lack of roadsigns, which seems to sum up the whole “vibe” of the place.

布朗大學悠閒的校風和普羅維登斯遲緩的經濟增長都體現在校園的佈局中：劍橋市每個轉角都有標誌提醒你這裏是高大上的哈佛所在地，而漫步在普羅維登斯，你甚至意識不到自己正身處一所世界名校。不知其名的部門大樓坐落在安靜的林蔭道兩側，周圍是樸素的小商店、咖啡廳和古怪的建築工地。令人惱火的是路牌太少，這似乎也是爲了營造這個地方獨特的氛圍。

But Brown also has its share of beautiful quads, if you can find them – more striking, in my opinion, than the over-hyped Harvard Yard (though perhaps not quite as impressive as the lawns at Yale). A trek up College Hill, which would certainly tone your calf muscles over a four year degree, leads to a number of stunning courts. Students looking for a peaceful spot to read are spoilt for choice, with plenty of room on the Main Green, Ruth J. Simmons Quadrangle, Hughes Court, Patriot's Court, Keeney Quadrangle, or aptly named “Quiet Green”. It's not hard to see why “chilling out” is such a popular option here.

不過在布朗也能找到美麗的四方形庭院，如果你有一雙善於發現美的眼睛——我認爲甚至比過度宣傳的哈佛庭院更美（儘管可能不如耶魯的四方草坪）。只要登上學院山，眼前就會豁然開朗，數個雅緻的庭院映入眼簾。若是在這裏上四年大學，光是攀登學院山就能讓你練出小腿肌肉。對於想要尋一處僻靜之所讀一本書的同學，布朗提供了太多選擇：Main Green，Ruth J. Simmons四方院，Hughes庭院，Patriot's庭院，Keeney四方院，或者是恰如其名的“僻靜綠地”（Quiet Green）。不難看出爲什麼“小憩放鬆”在布朗會如此流行。

What impression did you get of the students?

學生給你留下什麼印象？

Once again, I set myself the ridiculous task of assessing an entire student body on the basis of a few momentary encounters. Just as I found at Harvard (and the other Ivies later in this series), it was very difficult to look objectively at the place and the people without being influenced by their general reputation. I was also hindered by the fact that it was still orientation week, and only a handful of “Brunonians” were lounging around.

又一次，我開始執行一項有些荒誕的任務：以幾次短暫的相遇來評價整個學生羣體。就像我在哈佛（還有本系列之後的其他常春藤盟校）發現的，很難做到在不被常規印象影響的前提下客觀評價一個地方和一羣人。另一個阻礙是當時還處於迎新周，只有很少的“布朗人”在學校裏閒逛。

Were these students any different to those at other top institutions? They certainly struck me as more welcoming, and less wary of outsiders. Where in Cambridge (and later in New Haven) my touristy antics were greeted with mirth, in Providence they were hardly noticed – despite the fact that I had forgotten my tripod, and ended up using hedges, ledges and even my shoes to angle my camera. I was even mistaken for a senior by various misguided freshmen, who asked me for directions around campus. If most college visits made me feel like an outsider, then Brown created the opposite effect.

布朗的學生和其他世界頂尖名校的學生有何不同？我感覺他們更加熱情，不那麼提防外人。在劍橋市（和之後的紐黑文），我觀光時的滑稽行爲會引來陣陣笑聲，而在普羅維登斯幾乎沒人注意到我——儘管我忘記帶三腳架，不得不用籬笆、石頭甚至鞋子來固定相機。我甚至被一些迷路的新生當成了學長，來找我問路。如果說參觀大部分大學讓我感覺自己是個外人的話，布朗給我的印象則正好相反。

What were the admissions staff like?

招生處的工作人員怎麼樣？

At most other Ivies, I had lots of success getting hold of staff at my favoured department (English), and little when it came to approaching the “Special Student Office”, for visiting graduates; at Brown, the opposite was true. I made very little progress contacting the English faculty, but was offered a face-to-face meeting with the head of the Special Student programme, who was an utter delight, and incredibly helpful.

在幾乎所有的常春藤盟校，我都成功接近了我本專業（英語）的工作人員；但卻沒法接近接待交換生的“特殊學生辦公室”；但在布朗大學情況正好相反。我沒怎麼能聯繫上英語專業的教員，但卻獲得了和特殊學生項目負責人面對面對談的機會，這讓我十分高興，也對我相當有幫助。

I was given a number of insider tips about applying to Brown, and – quite selflessly, and unexpectedly – reminded to consider some of the limitations of the school as well. There was a real sense that the admissions staff were interested in me as a person, and what courses (even at other colleges) would suit me best. The various Ivy League admissions offices I visited were mostly excellent when it came to aiding prospective applicants – but Brown really stood out for me as the best.

我收穫了幾條申請布朗的內部人士建議——並且意外地，工作人員無私地提醒我也要考慮學校的一些侷限性。布朗的招生人員讓我感覺到他們是真的對我個人有興趣，並且推薦了真正適合我的課程（哪怕是別的大學的課）。我去過的幾個藤校招生處都非常不錯，樂於幫助有意申請的學生，但是布朗在這一點上的確是做得最好的。