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For Jordan native Natalie Rshaidat('20) that day was marked by remarkable jubilation but also would serve as the commencement for one of her most difficult tests ever...

"The day I got accepted into Brown was the day I also got chondromalacia patella on both knees. It is where both my knee caps have to rely on my muscles to keep them in place. When I got to Brown my knee pain only got worse to the point where I couldn't walk to the bathroom without using the wall for help and shaking profusely. I couldn’t attend class, and I was advised by so many people to take a medical leave that semester but I refused and stayed in physical therapy."

While the journey of overcoming significant physical challenge may be unfamiliar to some, what might be relatable is the healthy lifestyle plan that Natalie picked up as a byproduct of her pain and frustration.

"The first step was losing weight to relieve pressure on my knees and slowly my clothes didn’t fit anymore and I went to buy a pair of jeans and they actually had my size and I just loved the feeling.

I became obsessed with controlling my weight to be healthy and not feel the pain. Now, I eat what I want be it healthy or not and I just go to the gym everyday for at least an hour. I stopped checking my weight and based my healthiness on my happiness with what I saw in the mirror everyday."

because you still have time to procrastinate.

Like the unrelenting, achy feeling of getting a brain freeze from your favorite icy cold beverage, the moment you find out you failed a class or exam can leave you in temporary shock. Ask Vancouver, CA native Xiaoyu Huang('21) about the toughest obstacle he faced on his path to Brown and he'll be honest about the journey...

"I failed my IB Extended Essay and almost lost my diploma. I was teaching English and test prep at the time, and it was a shock to the system. I lost confidence for a long time."

For Xiaoyu the set back would teach him much more than he would have ever anticipated about..well..life. 

"Between disputing the score I received on the IB essay, being rejected by every university I applied to except Brown and then almost not being able to attend due to financial considerations I learned a lot. .
It taught me to 1) be more humble, considering the volatility of many circumstances in life and 2) approach things with more levity than gravity & 3) remembering the multitude of fortunate things that have happened to me, and realizing that setbacks are invariable lapses of good fortune that should not/can not cloud my overall optimism."