<p>i visited colleges this summer, mainly ivies in the north, and i'm one of the many kids who fell in love with brown university. for a lot of reasons, i loved providence, i loved the proximity to RISD because I'm an art student, the happiness of the kids there was definitely detectable, and well overall i just got the feeling it was a very open environment.</p>
<p>my problem is this. my parents still want me to really apply to Princeton and yale, and i kind of want to also, i mean i'm pretty confident that i have a relatively good shot of getting into brown. obviously yale and Princeton are more of a risk, but i think i have potential. </p>
<p>but is it really worth applying to those? i visited them and they were great, but i just Loved Brown, and sometimes I feel like I should just apply Early Decision to Brown. But if I get accepted there, well than thats it, no even trying for Princeton or Yale. </p>
<p>Well, if you really love Brown and would have no regrets about being there, you should apply ED. Be wary of the financial aid package though, it may or may not be what you're expecting or hoping for.</p>
<p>Sometimes if you go back and visit a school a second time, new things pop out at you that you didn't notice before. I wouldn't write off Yale and Princeton completely.</p>
<p>However -- why are your parents so hot for those schools??</p>
<p>You sound a lot like me! I really liked Brown for all the same reasons... RISD, happiness, openness. I also visited Princeton and Yale, and I hated Princeton and loved Yale. I wouldn't write off anything, yet, but if you are IN LOVE WITH Brown and CAN'T SEE YOURSELF BEING AS HAPPY ANYWHERE ELSE, go ED. Otherwise, I would say don't.</p>
<p>Well I think my parents are interested in me applying to Yale and Princeton more for the prestige. I think at least. And the academics at those schools just happen to be a little more top notch than Brown. </p>
<p>I think I was in the same position. I visited Princeton and Yale, and I thought I would like Princeton more, but Yale just seemed like a much better atmosphere. The kids were really nice. </p>
<p>Not to mention Yale is phenomenal in the Arts, which really is my passion. And my other interests are political science and history which are both really strong at Yale. Yale does seem ideal, but the problem was Brown/RISD seems perfect also.</p>
<p>I agree with Ealgian - I'd apply to all of them RD.</p>
<p>You don't sound like you're quite ready to commit to ED, and this way you'll have a spectrum of options and can satisfy your own wants and those of your parents.</p>
<p>I second that^^. My school's valedictorian was accepted to Yale and waitlisted at Harvard. You just never what is going to happen...Bottom line: apply to Princeton, Yale, and Brown.</p>
<p>apply early decision to brown and if you don't get in, then apply to those other places. My parents didn't really want me going to USC, but now I'm going. I applied to U of O, (state school, Lewis and Clark, Stanford and USC. Go with your heart</p>
<p>If money is at all an issue, I would apply to all three regular decision. Brown did not offer me as good a financial aid package as other prestigious colleges, and I would hate to get stuck with that sort of financial burden.</p>