<p>I am interested in the sciences and both MIT and Brown are good in the field of science. I want to become a doctor but I also want to do research in college and beyond. Which school is better for biology/psychology/neuroscience?</p>
<p>Both are really really strong. Its a matter of environment...</p>
<p>In addition to the particular departments you're interested in, consider the complete undergraduate experience you'll have at each school. At Brown, you'll be surrounded by students with all kinds of interests pursuing all kinds of majors. You'll be able to take fascinating classes outside your major in all sorts of interesting departments. There's definitely intellectual diversity at MIT, but there's such a huge range of different kinds of people at Brown, with a corresponding range of different academic and extracurricular activities, that you just wouldn't get at MIT.</p>
<p>My friend picked Brown over MIT, and a lot of her reasoning was that she loved the open curriculum and felt that she would get just as good an education at Brown without having to take anything she didn't want to. (She's a physics concentrator, btw)</p>
<p>MIT dude</p>
<p>For research purposes, Brown is the better option...also its lack of an open curriculum means you can take as many science courses as you want (ive done three each of my first two semesters so far, and I love it!)</p>
<p>Mit is also excellent, obviously, but you'll find that courses not really related to your major (math, etc) will take a lot more of of your time than what you might want to focus on.</p>
<p>There are many reasons to stay with Brown. One is that Brown is more forgiving of those who change their minds about their major. As a rule, I advise you stay away from any tech unless you're dyed-in-the-wool hardcore. A lot of grief and misery has come to those who've changed majors into areas that MIT cannot accommodate.</p>
<p>neuroscience is a great department at Brown. Congratulations on such an incredible choice! If you don't have a gut instinct, visit both school and overnight. They are so different that one will surely call you you and say, "this is your place and these are your people."</p>
<p>Vichella, you've got to be kidding. MIT blows Brown's science departments away in virtually all fields.</p>
<p>I personally love Brown and not MIT, but for a science-y person, I would definately say MIT...</p>
<p>i've spent the better part of six years at brown--my fiance has spent the better part of six years at MIT (undergrad and grad school)</p>
<p>we both know many people who had this choice and went to both places</p>
<p>there are very good reasons to pick brown over MIT, and very good reasons to pick MIT over brown</p>
<p>Brown: you are mainly interested in science or engineering, but also value (and have interest in) the social sciences, humanities and liberal arts in general. the open curriculum is important to you. you thrive in a "laid back" culture. athletics are important to you. </p>
<p>MIT: you definitely want to be an engineer. you have minimal interest in pursuing the liberal arts, and appreciate a directed course of study (all kinds of classes exist at MIT, but it is not part of the MIT culture to value non-science/engineering classes as important). you thrive in a culture of intensity and competition.</p>
<p>Is MIT's brain and cog department better or Brown's neuroscience department?</p>
<p>Heh, come on trop... If you are smart enough to get into both Brown and MIT, I think you should be able to realize that CC is not going to be an authoritative source for such information. </p>
<p>If you really want to spend a considerable portion of your life doing research at one of these eminent institutions, I'd recommend you do the research about their relative merits on your own. If you have questions about the social scenes at the two different places, the antecdotal evidence here might be very helpful. But, if you want veritable information about something particular and nuanced, such as the questions you've posed here, your best bet is to talk with academics in the field. </p>
<p>I am sure you can get unbiased information from professors at Tufts and BU, which stand geographically between MIT and Brown, and have extremely strong neuroscience/cognitive science programs. If they don't seem anxious to help you, I am pretty sure that the professors at MIT and Brown will be frank with you as an admitted student.</p>