Further, many students realize upon entering the college that they have chosen the wrong course. They are forced to select classes in the summer and find later on that they have passed up more interesting courses.

On the whole, however, Shaw says that the advantages outweigh any disadvantages their system might have. About three quarters of first-year students enroll in CAP classes.

In addition, students are given peer advisers, much like Harvard's prefect program. And the peer advisers are linked with the faculty advisers.

"They get terrifically positive reviews," Shaw says. "Often they get higher reviews than the faculty advisers."

As for second-year students at Brown, they seem to share the same difficulties with Yale students. They too postpone selecting a concentration until junior year. This creates a year of advising slump, where students are not yet affiliated with a department and have lost peer advisers.

And once students obtain their concentration adviser, Brown students encounter spotty and variable advising, largely dependent on what concentration they chose to pursue.

"The key to the process of concentration advising is attention," Shaw says. "Smaller departments have a better time advising, as one would expect. Larger departments have a harder time. Departments must take advising as a particular responsibility."

"It's pretty casual," Zina A. Miller, a Brown junior said. "I feel like some people have amazing relationships and others don't even have one. Brown's advising system is very go-out-and-get-it."