If you go early in the morning on the first day of picture-taking there will be no lines to contend with and you should be done in five minutes. You will also have received letters from both the RUE dean and RUSA which should list RUE students to contact for help or information. You can arrange individual tours, etc. upon your arrival in Providence, and possibly beat the Orientation Week rush. Finally, all students are charged an Orientation fee, which includes meals during Orientation Week. Normally, this fee is not waived, but if you don't want to eat on campus during this week, and are persistent, you may be able to have the charge removed.
Financial aid comes in the form of grants, scholarships and student loans.
In order to be eligible for financial aid at Brown, the first and most important thing you must do is indicate that you need financial aid on your initial school application. On the application you are asked if you expect to receive financial aid. If you check no, you will not be eligible for any kind of financial aid package, and that includes school loans. Brown University offers some grants and scholarships based exclusively on financial need. No merit awards are given, such as scholarships for excellence in sports, music, academics, etc.