<p>MODEST SIGHTING!</p>
<p>I’ll throw in my course distribution the past two semesters. The nice thing about the open curriculum is one can focus more in a field and/or get a broader education, if one makes good use of one’s time. A core/distribution requirements do ensure you get a broad view (though not necessarily the broad view most useful to your situation) and could increase camaraderie since everyone has the same sorts of requirements.</p>
<p>I’m a Math-CS/Classics concentrator:
Junior fall - Math, History, Latin, Greek, Linguistics
Junior spring - Math, History, Greek, Computer Science, Computer Science (in many ways, a pedagogical course)</p>
<p>Okay, so I’m playing cynic again, but here are a few things to keep in mind (if I reiterate someone above, I’m agreeing with you––I’m running on not enough sleep):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>There’s a difference between core requirements and distribution requirements. Distribution requirements can typically (though not always) be stretched s.t. you can take a whole handful of things to fulfill requirement X. For example, in ilovebagels’ example, she took Psych to fulfill a sciences requirement. Psych is arguably a science, but definitely not what first comes to mind. On the other hand, core requirements are going to insist that you take certain classes. This is not necessarily a bad thing! As ilovebagels’ says, sometimes the core (or those taken to fill distribution) classes can actually be quite useful. Look at what Penn asks you to do and decide whether you would like to do it. </p></li>
<li><p>Even within your major, you may be taking classes you don’t like. I can think of at least two courses out of my 18+ that I would really rather not have taken. They weren’t even useful. Nonetheless, I liked everything else I did, so it was a good choice of major. Obviously, pick a school that has interesting classes and majors that appeal to you, but you may change your course of study over time. You may also find that a class looks exciting in the course catalogue but becomes a nightmare when you take it (or vice versa).</p></li>
<li><p>Despite everything I’ve said in favor of cores/distributions, the open curriculum really is a blessing. You can pepper your schedule with English courses AND LitArts courses (though usually you can take both to fulfill certain requirements of each concentration) and if, halfway through, you decide that you’d really like to do geology, then you can take some classes there. It comes in handy for science majors with a lot of requirements, but it’s also very nice for smaller concentrations because they have lots of space to explore.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>anyway, good luck. PM me if you have questions!</p>
<p>I’ve heard Brown has a great English department. And I believe it’s a more prestigious institution to get into.</p>
<p>^ Penn and Dartmouth are both more prestigious than Brown, though the difference is virtually nil. Penn and Dartmouth are the more prestigious institutions to get into. </p>
<p>Penn is ranked #5 with a tie with Stanford, while Dartmouth is tied at #9 with UChicago and Duke.</p>
<p>Brown is tied for last among the Ivies at #15 tied with Cornell.</p>
<p>Admissions would say differently. Dartmouth and Cornell are known as safety ivies and Penn’s acceptance rate was nearly double brown’s this year</p>
<p>^No, Penn RD was 9% while Brown RD 8% overall Brown 9% and Penn 12%, nearly the same. Anyhow acceptance rate doesn’t equal prestige, rankings and job placement do, in which both Penn and Dartmouth are superior. Penn and Dartmouth are more prestigious than Brown.</p>
<p>^ Your claim that rankings and job placement equate to prestige is generally imperfect and has significant exceptions. Brown comes to mind.</p>
<p>Being merely perceptual, this is a better indicator of prestige than the overall US News ranking, if that’s what you’re after: <a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/high-school-counselor[/url]”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/high-school-counselor</a>.</p>
<p>By that metric, Brown beats Cornell, which beats Penn.</p>
<p>^ Penn ranks #5 in the USNWR and Dartmouth #9, Brown is last at #15 Penn and Dartmouth > Brown</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Restating the US News rankings of Brown, Dartmouth, and Penn in response to a rejection of the claim that those rankings necessarily indicate relative prestige is puzzling to me; I make no claims of the factual inaccuracy of what you assert the schools’ US News rankings to be.</p>
<p>lol I quit, all the Ivies are elite and great etc.</p>
<p>re: post 27</p>
<p>The list you posted has Brown and Cornell tied, one didn’t beat the other there. </p>
<p>Point is, looking for truth in where to go to school next year won’t be found in silly stats or rumors floating around the internet. Figure where you’ll be happiest, then go there.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m sure if they were to go to the hundredths place… My mistake. :)</p>
<p>After applying all the parameters and sources Brown>> Penn >> Dartmouth. Please see –
[50</a> Top Colleges](<a href=“http://www.50topcolleges.com/Rankings.html]50”>http://www.50topcolleges.com/Rankings.html)</p>
<p>^ I heavily disagree, the most accepted and official is the USNWR Rankings in which Penn and Dartmouth rank higher at #5 and #9 respectively, in the national rankings. </p>
<p>These are the most accepted and official World Rankings in which Brown ranks much lower than Penn. Penn Ranks #12 in the entire world while Brown is at #39
<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/worlds-best-universities/articles/2010/09/21/worlds-best-universities-top-400-[/url]”>http://www.usnews.com/education/worlds-best-universities/articles/2010/09/21/worlds-best-universities-top-400-</a></p>
<p>so Penn>>Dartmouth>>Brown</p>
<p>[50</a> Top Colleges](<a href=“http://www.50topcolleges.com/Rankings.html]50”>http://www.50topcolleges.com/Rankings.html) also includes USNWR rankings as one of parameters in their ranking calculation. And I would correct to as Brown(#12)>>Darmouth(#15)>> UPenn(#28).</p>
<p>^ Those rankings aren’t as accepted, the one which people actually look at and accept are the USNWR national and world rankins</p>
<p>Penn>>Dartmouth>>Brown</p>
<p>National:</p>
<p>Penn #5> Brown #15</p>
<p>World:</p>
<p>Penn #12> Brown #39</p>
<p>Penn>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Brown</p>
<p>^ lol that link doesn’t even exist or is broken</p>
<p>“These are the most accepted and official World Rankings in which Brown ranks much lower than Penn. Penn Ranks #12 in the entire world while Brown is at #39”</p>
<p>You’re still not getting it.</p>
<p>But the real joy of all these rankings is that you can split them in so many ways that you can almost always make your point – whatever it is. Hence the string above. I fondly remember one of the texts from my undergrad statistics class – Statistics – How to Lie with Numbers.</p>
<p>In the end, as one of the earlier posters said, the most important is fit. These ARE all great schools. You are looking at these ranking now, but they change over time…the most important thing in the end will be the experience that you create for yourself using the resources that these great schools put at your fingertips and the friends (hence future network) that you make.</p>
<p>All three are great choices and I would bet by now, you’ve made your choice.</p>
<p>Good luck and be happy with your choice and don’t look back!</p>
<p>The standard rankings for USNews are based in large part on the total university offerings of national universities - which tends to undervalue schools that focus on undergraduate education and thus is of marginal value to the prospective undergrad. USNews also ranks undergraduate teaching standing alone. Dartmouth comes in #1. Brown - #6. In other words, both are world class. So between those two, you really just need to focus on ‘fit’.</p>
<p>See:
[Best</a> Undergraduate Teaching | Rankings | Top National Universities | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/undergraduate-teaching]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/undergraduate-teaching)</p>