Nestled in a neighborhood a few minutes from historic downtown Providence, Brown University has a relaxed feel compared to the other Ivies. It is quieter and escapes the hustle and bustle of the other urban schools. One of Brown’s primary characteristics is its open curriculum in which Brown undergraduates have virtually no required courses. Unlike most liberal arts schools which require students to take multiple interdisciplinary classes, Brown leaves the choice up to the students ensuring that they are never forced to take a class they do not want to take. Brown's iconic Van Wickle Gates open only twice a year - inward for Convocation, when first-year students are welcomed by the Brown community, and outward for Commencement, where graduating seniors pass through. According to superstition, any Brown student that goes through the gates more than these two times will be cursed with bad luck. Princeton actually has a similar superstition. Brown University was originally named “The College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” but was renamed after Nicholas Brown donated $5,000 to the school in 1804 when tuition was only $5.