<p>any thoughts?</p>
<p>i dont really care about stanford being so far away (im from nyc)</p>
<p>im mostly worried about the academics... does stanford give enough attention to undergraduates? is brown "intellectual"? (you know, bc it sometimes has this rep of being the "happy" ivy... where ppl are at least happy, if not exactly "intellectually stimulated".....)
these are just things i've heard from (probably ignorant) people so if anyone could help me out, i'd much appreciate it.</p>
<p>I know a couple people from both schools and have heard from them that Brown places much more emphasis on undergrads than Stanford. However, maybe I'm wrong?</p>
<p>I have heard the same thing. This was one of the factors that compelled me to apply early to Columbia over Stanford because Stanford places little emphasis on the undergrad program. It is still an excellent institution however.</p>
<p>Both schools are great and I'm sure you will enjoy both.</p>
<p>My neighbor teaches at Stanford, and he was telling me how ridiculous they treat undergrads there. He says some of them rarely see anything but TA's, and that it is NOT worth paying the same price as a top LAC or similar school (like brown). Thats what he says...</p>
<p>well thanks you guys.
that was very nice and helpful.</p>
<p>gah. but stanfords so sunny. and i heard that even though they pay less attention to undergrads, they are more "intellectual" (according to my history teacher).</p>
<p>Stanford</p>
<p>Nicer campus, nicer weather, slightly better academically...although both are ridiculous.</p>
<p>I think, while how much attention they pay to undergrads is important, that you should also realize you can and will have to make opportunities for yourself. Professors aren't going to reach out and hold your hand. You have to make contacts and set up research/internships. This is true regardless of where you go to college. So if you really want to go to Stanford, it's not like they're going to refuse to speak to you while Brown professors will cuddle up with you. What's also is location, personality fit, student body fit: As for that, only you can decide.</p>
<p>They're pretty different schools in my opinion, and sure, Brown is more undergrad focused, but that doesn't make the education at stanford any less rigorous. What do you mean by intellectual?</p>
<p>If you look at US News, you'll notice that Stanford has a 7:1 student faculty ratio and Brown has a 9:1 student faculty ratio and class sizes (% under 20 & % 50+) are relatively the same. Among Ivy Leagues, Princeton is the most undergrad focused. Other Ivies like Yale, Penn, Harvard & Columbia have a greater percentage of classes under 20 than Brown does. Brown isn't as wealthy as these other schools, therefore it enrolls more students in its freshman class (needs tuition $) than ideal (considering Brown's smaller faculty). If you really want an undergrad focus, and a small school, you should attend Amherst, Swarthmore, Williams, etc.</p>