From The Providence Journal: Brown University in Providence, R.I.,has received a record 30,000 applications, a 20-percent jump, for 935 open slots in the freshman class. Another 550 freshmen already have been selected through early decision. Admissions officers expect to say “yes” to just 9 percent of those 30,000 applicants.The university has also attracted more applications than ever before at the graduate school level. As of Feb. 1, a total of 8,649 students — a 27-percent increase — have applied to one of 69 graduate programs in the humanities and sciences.