For the four list questions that follow, we ask that you list each individual response using commas or semicolons; the items do not have to be numbered or in any specific order. No narrative or explanatory text is needed. It is not necessary to italicize or underline titles of books or other publications. Author names may be included, but are not required. You do not need to fill the entire space or use the maximum number of words; there is no minimum word count in this section, so please respond to the extent that you feel is appropriate.
Please list the following (150 words or fewer for each question):
- the titles of the required readings from courses during the school year or summer that you enjoyed most in the past year;
- the titles of books read for pleasure that you enjoyed most in the past year;
- the titles of print or electronic publications you read regularly;
- and the titles of the films, concerts, shows, exhibits, lectures and other entertainments you enjoyed most in the past year.
This is just a list, friends. Don’t overthink it. Depending on what your list actually looks like, you may want to make some intelligent trims to make sure the balance doesn’t work against you in any direction. Say you’ve read 100 graphic novels and three incredibly unusual biographies. You may wanna trim that list of graphic novels down so that the biographies shine a bit more. Find the balance that is most reflective of your unique preferences.
You can also read through our team’s analysis of the rest of Columbia’s application essays.
Learn more and explore each step of Brown’s undergraduate application process here.