<p>Hey guys! I'm very torn, and in an attempt to exhaust all my resources in deciding, thought I'd post my tough choice here and see what you guys had to say.</p>
<p>My areas of interest are neuroscience at Brown and illustration/graphic design at Brown, and some sort of double major in the two at Yale.
I've attempted to make a pro-con list, though it has turned mainly into a pro-pro list, but here's my thoughts so far regardless.</p>
<p>Brown-RISD:
Pros
- Brown has an amazing undergrad neuroscience program
- Very exclusive program
- RISD illustration is great, of course
- Less graduate students means more research opportunities
- I love providence!
- Seems inherently designed for my interests</p>
<p>Cons
- Lack of typical college experience due to division between schools
- Less able to take classes outside of my majors that I'm interested in
- Might be very difficult to actually schedule classes in my two areas
- inability to switch my concentration if I decide I don't want to study neuro</p>
<p>Yale:
Pros
- Amazing facilities
- Love the community provided by residential college system
- Good art program
- Able to take classes outside of my major (36 credits as opposed to 28 at Brown)
- 4 years instead of 5 at Brown-RISD</p>
<p>Cons
- No illustration major at Yale, offer BA instead of BFA
- No independent undergrad Neuro department (subset of Psych, not sure if this matters)
- More graduate students = less chance for research?
- More intense vibe at Yale?
- Science hill and art quad are on opposite ends of campus</p>
<p>What do you guys think? I'm really in a pickle here!</p>
<p>I think the Brown-RISD program gives a much more in depth study of art. You list the 4 years vs 5 as a pro, but you can also think of 5 years as a pro since it means delving deeper into both subjects rather than just scraping the surface. That said, Yale does have a good art program. Advice: look at art coming out of both schools. Decide if you want to spend the extra year at college. Figure out if your passions lie more in the arts or sciences or liberal arts.</p>
<p>I’d chose Brown/RISD because from what I know a) In the field of graphic design/illustration Yale is more famous for its grad art school rather than undergrad so you might pursue it afterwards. b) Combining art and science major in Yale might be as hard as getting dual degree at Brown/RISD especially because you have only 4 years instead of 5.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your acceptance into three fabulous schools! Of course there are many factors that only you can assess as you make your decision–things such as how certain you are that you want to pursue these majors, whether the $$ for an extra year of undergraduate study is no big deal for your family, etc.</p>
<p>I will say that my daughter, whose dream was to double major in East Asian Studies and Painting, LOVES Yale, but would probably advise you to seriously consider the Brown/RISD option. She has moved away from painting a bit and is now more seriously interested in illustration and graphic design and has found the lack of an illustration concentration at Yale to be a disappointment. She really hasn’t found a faculty member who is interested in illustration, though she has been quite impressed by the painting faculty and is loving her graphic design classes.</p>
<p>She has also found that double majoring while trying to seriously grow her art is almost impossible without giving up the vibrant social life and other aspects of Yale that she loves so much. There is just too much to do and not enough time! She would love to have another year of study built in and paid for by Mom & Dad!</p>
<p>I will also tell you that as she has begun interviewing for internships, she is learning that her limited studio time (due to the double major course load) has translated into a more limited portfolio. The people interviewing her have consistently told her that she shows great talent but needs a much larger portfolio. Yale’s art classes are pretty theoretical the first two years, and she simply does not have the volume of real-world type graphic design pieces that a typical art institute student would have by end of sophomore year.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision. You really can’t make a “bad” choice between such terrific options!</p>