Brown or Amherst???

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I have been accepted into both Brown University and Amherst College and I cannot for the life of me figure out which one I would prefer more. I am planning on majoring in psychology, although I am definitely not 100% sure that I won't change my mind. I've recieved very similar financial aid packages from both, so that is not much of an issue. Here are the pros and cons for each college that I've been pondering for the past couple of days:</p>

<p>Amherst:
Pros
-open curriculum
-small classes
-emphasis on personal attention from professors
-closer, tight-knit student body
-very nice rural campus
-great dorms</p>

<p>Cons
-Somewhat small town
-seems like it would be boring, not as much to do (if someone can provide some information about activities/entertainment around the area, that would be helpful)
-"eh" food, only one dining hall</p>

<p>Brown:
Pros
-open curriculum
-nice campus? (I haven't visited yet, but from what I've read it is a nice suburban-ish campus)
-located in a city
-more things to do around the area, more exciting
-better food than Amherst</p>

<p>Cons
-larger classes (I'm assuming)
-less individual attention (another assumption, any information from Brown students would definitely be helpful)</p>

<p>Other information regarding the following would also be helpful and much appreciated:
-Workloads at each college
-sports (in regards to intramurals and such, I'm not so interested in the emphasis put on serious athletics)
-diversity
-oppurtunities to socialize (I'm aware that Amherst does not have a Greek system, but I'm not really a partier so that's not of much concern to me)
-weather
-any other information about the surrounding areas of each college</p>

2

<p>I’ll do Amherst.</p>

<p>“-Somewhat small town”</p>

<p>Pop. ~33,000 residents, 1,750 Amherst students, 26,000 UMass students. Take a free bus ride to the bourgeois-bohemian town of Northhampton (pop. 295,000 + 2,600 Smith students), or to any of the malls close by.</p>

<p>“-seems like it would be boring, not as much to do (if someone can provide some information about activities/entertainment around the area, that would be helpful)”</p>

<p>Membership in the Five College Consortium gives you access to all social and cultural activities on other campuses. Student life is more campus-centric, yes.</p>

<p>“-“eh” food, only one dining hall”</p>

<p>I don’t disagree… you’ll learn to be resourceful and appreciate the variety you’ll have.</p>

<p>“-Workloads at each college”</p>

<p>Same, more or less.</p>

<p>“-sports (in regards to intramurals and such, I’m not so interested in the emphasis put on serious athletics)”</p>

<p>Plenty of opportunities; all intramural activities have substantial participation. Amherst students take athletic seriously, but no one is left out or feels uncomfortable.</p>

<p>“-diversity”</p>

<p>Amherst prides itself on diversity that surpasses ethnicity, what each individual can bring to the community. But, if you’re interested in numbers:</p>

<p>2013: 11.8 percent African-American, 10.1 percent Hispanic, 9.6 percent Asian American, 9.0 percent Multiracial, 10 percent international, 28 percent receiving Federal Pell Grants.</p>

<p>“-oppurtunities to socialize (I’m aware that Amherst does not have a Greek system, but I’m not really a partier so that’s not of much concern to me)”</p>

<p>You’ve complemented Amherst on its “small classes” and “closer, tight-knit student body.” You should have no problem meeting interesting people who will want to get to know you too.</p>

<p>“-weather”</p>

<p>New England weather. Enough said. Heavy rain one day, heavy sun the other. Unpredictable.</p>

<p>“-any other information about the surrounding areas of each college”</p>

<p>See above. All sorts of restaurants, necessities of life, theaters, boutiques. And, Northampton.</p>

3

<p>Pecent of classes under 10 students
Brown - 32%
Amherst - 26%</p>

<p>Percent of classes under 20 students
Brown - 71%
Amherst - 75%</p>

<p>Percent of Classes over 49 students
Brown - 9%
Amherst - 3%</p>

<p>Estimated Median Class Size
Brown - 14 students
Amherst - 14 students</p>

<p><a href=“Office of Institutional Research | Brown University”>Office of Institutional Research | Brown University;

<p><a href=“https://www.amherst.edu/media/view/169044/original/2009%20Instructional%20Faculty%20and%20Class%20Size.pdf[/url]”>https://www.amherst.edu/media/view/169044/original/2009%20Instructional%20Faculty%20and%20Class%20Size.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>Go for Amherst.</p>

5

<p>“-nice campus? (I haven’t visited yet, but from what I’ve read it is a nice suburban-ish campus)”</p>

<p>Brown does have a nice campus, but it is nice in an old-brick, city-streets kind of way. Very different from the country club look of Amherst. Brown is right in Providence, which is definitely not suburban, but rather a small city, with the pluses and minuses of small city. You’ll have access to more things to do in the community, but there are also areas of urban blight.</p>

6

<p>I’ve heard it said by several professors, including at Ivies, that Amherst offers probably the best undergraduate education available today.</p>