<p>In the other forums, people are bashed in every other post for not having high scores or good enough ec’s or some other stupid crap (esp. in HYP forums, or by HYP hopefuls in other forums). I haven’t seen a whole lot of put downs here, and it makes me feel good about Brown. I just thought I’d point that out.</p>
<p>Yes, Brown is a great school and in a great location. My daughter went to look at RISD, which is tied in with Brown as to courses and location. Brown kids can take some of the best art related couses in the country at RISD, and RISD kids can take courses at Brown and use all of the Brown facilities. The location where those schools are located are terrific with lots to do and great, reasonable restaurants. I have been to Yale, Harvard, and Columbie,but in my opinion, I like Brown overall the best and the location of Brown the best.</p>
<p>That's interesting that you consider its location to be the best. I love Brown and think it's great, but I think the locations of Yale, Harvard, and Columbia beat Brown's hands down. I've spent 14 weeks living on the Brown campus and the novelty of Thayer Street really does begin to wear off after just awhile and the location becomes a downside.</p>
<p>Admittedly, the following is my opinion. Although Columbia is in NY,which is a top notch fun city, Columbia's location in the city isn't that great. I also like the SOHO/bohemian nature of where Brown is located over that of Columbia. Admittedly, this is opinion. I do think, however, that Brown's tie in with RISD gives it a very special edge over both Yale and Columbia. RISD kids are fun, passionate,driven and smart. It does present a nice counterbalance. In addition, it offers any Brown kids that are artistically inclined a great access to one of the world's leading art schools.</p>
<p>As for Yale, I didn't care for New Haven. As one Yale professor noted, "Yale is in New Haven but not of New Haven." Yale is a very snooty school. Again, this is my opinion. Also, there wasn't nearly as much to do and as many top notch, reasonable restaurants in New Haven as in Providence, where Brown is located.</p>
<p>I also love the open curriculum at Brown vs. the strict core requirements of Columbia. Frankly, making one's own educational program seems more enjoyable than having to fit into a heavily structured curriculum that someone else chooses.</p>
<p>Well, in defense of Columbia, it has been voted as having one of the top ten college towns of all colleges and universities by Princeton Review... and that doesn't refer to NYC generally. It refers to Morningside Heights, a very collegetown-type neighborhood south of and separate from Harlem, in Manhattan. You might recognize it as the neighborhood in which Seinfeld was filmed. It's filled with coffee shops and little cute bookstores, and a variety of ethnic cuisines. 99% of Columbia students live on campus and the surrounding area is mostly populated by professors and grad students. An apartment in Morningside Heights can easily go for $1 million. Columbia has the second highest Ivy League safety rating, second only to Princeton. It has a beautiful gated campus which is fully protected by both NYPD and columbia's private security. The Harlem reputation is a myth, commonly forwarded by people who are frightened of anything north of 96th street, or basically anything in New York in general.</p>
<p>And the strict core requirements is a wonderful thing... students are attracted to Columbia because they embrace the idea of learning about literary, philosophical, artistic and musical masterpieces, regardless of their major. If you are a student at Columbia, you don't encounter the lopsided interests characteristic of students in other schools. You know that you have a common ground with your roommate, even if she is a mechanical engineering major and you are an art history major. A specific example of the benefits of the Core is found in law preparatory students... if you intend to go law school, but want to major in chemistry or something, you can do so at Columbia with the assurance that you will still be prepared for the humanities-based intellectual rigors of law school.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.columbia.edu%5B/url%5D">www.columbia.edu</a></p>
<p>Contessa, I really just don't understand. If you value the core curriculum, or more specifically, knowledge of "literary, philosophical, artistic, and musical masterpieces", why wouldn't you just take those classes in a free environment? In other words, why do you need your school to tell you how to do that best? Why do you have to go to a school that requires it, rather than just doing it on your own? Don't you find it paternalistic? Particularly, as someone who values the humanities, doesn't it impinge upon your sense of intellectual autonomy?</p>
<p>dcircle, I see where you're coming from, but I think your perspective is skewed. the Core Curriculum is not a form of slavery or anything close. I value the idea that all my classmates will be taking the same classes, and since they are entirely discussion based, I can get the perspectives of bio majors in a literature class, as well as the perspectives of econ majors, etc. Columbia College is one of the smallest Ivy League colleges, I think THE smallest, and this is yet another aspect of its unity and a shared Columbia experience. I don't need Columbia to tell me how to do it best... it's not like the school dictates your entire curriculum for your four years. The core is just a stepping stone from which students can get ideas of what they are interested in. Many students at columbia switch majors after discovering a passion for something they would have otherwise not known if it were not for the core. Compared to a school where would be taking such classes on my own, I know at Columbia there'll be a greater diversity of viewpoint and interests in such classes, and I know that by taking the classes, I will have established a common ground with which I can identify with any Columbia student, whether it be an alumnus who graduated 25 years ago, or a fellow freshman. I don't think it's paternalistic, I think it's logical and insightful... Columbia professors can refer to philosophers during discussion with the reassurance that all their students are familiar with his/her works through a Core class. My sense of intellectual autonomy has led me to apply early decision to Columbia College, knowing full well what that means in terms of the curriculum. I embrace the idea of a Core Curriculum.</p>