<p>Hypothetical, but possible scenario: D loves both schools, but there is an energy and charm to Brown that is at a level she’s not seen elsewhere.
Brown, with great financial sacrifice is doable but Lafayette may have a COA of half.
Our love of Brown is great but difficult to put into dollars.<br>
Can anyone help with pros and cons?</p>
<p>First, that’s not a common comparison. Second, there really is no reason to make decisions on where to go when you haven’t been accepted yet.</p>
<p>They are not comparable schools in any way, shape, or form. You need to do a bit more research.</p>
<p>Agreed, but they are both very good schools that provide excellent undergraduate experiences. D is a recruited athlete at both schools and, for whatever reason, has narrowed the search to these two. The decision to go in one direction or the other is really down to 6-8 weeks.</p>
<p>pros and cons depend on what she’s looking for as it changes how a pro and a con are defined</p>
<p>There’s really no competition between the two.</p>
<p>Our situation may be unique, but there really is a competition between these two.
I don’t want to offend Brown faithful by implying that Lafayette is directly on par with Brown. I quess a better question is this: If it was your money, and there was not a lot to spare, would you spend double on Brown?</p>
<p>Yes. The opportunities that your child will have in next 10-15 years will pay back that money.</p>
<p>Wow, it is amazing how quickly you all are to get so snippy. He was simply asking for help, so keep sarcasm and your belittling under control until you have all the information.</p>
<p>And to the OP, I would first admit that I know very little about Lafayette, but being a Brown applicant, I would say that everything about it is wonderful sans the price. Great opportunities, academics, presitge, et cetera make it a hard choice to turn down to any school. I would say pay the extra cash, because really, saying you were an athelete at Brown would quite an accomplishment. Furthermore, while I know little about atheletics at these schools, I would IMAGINE that at Brown, with a nation-wide name and plenty fo donations, the coaches and money invested into which ever team you are on would be profound.</p>
<p>Honestly some of the people who frequently comment in this Brown board make me feel reluctant in considering Brown. This does nothing to counteract the stereotype of stuck-up students that I keep hearing.
The OP is just a mom trying to find out a little but of clear information for her daughter and I bet she really appreciates your post rmadden.</p>
<p>I think I am the only person who is a Brown student or alum who posted on this thread and I told her the (short) truth both times I posted. Only a few “Brown people” post on this board and we do try to help. It’s impossible to do if they a) have no idea/did not share what the student is looking for or interested in academically and b) have no idea/did not share what type of school/educational philosophy/environment, etc the student is looking for. More details are needed as I stated before. Not everyone is a fit for Brown.</p>
<p>Rmadden, Declanela, NewAcct & Wolf,
Thank you all for chiming in. It is clear that Brown supporters are passionate.</p>
<p>Being a Lafayette grad whose S is applying to both Lafayette and Brown, perhaps I can be of assistance in answering the OP’s question.</p>
<p>Lafayette is a small LAC with approximately 2,400 students. It is totally undergraduate focused with no grad students or TA’s teaching classes. Professors at Lafayette are required to teach as well as produce research. They will not only recognize your face, they will know you by name, and often dine with you in the dining facility. Brown, on the other hand, is an outstanding national university with an emphasis on cutting edge research with name brand professors at the top of their field. If you like the open curriculum and the opportunity to be a part of leading research opportunities, then Brown would be a great choice. Not that there are not opportunities for research at Lafayette. (i.e. History Channel documentary on WWII was written by a Lafayette professor, and researched entirely by Lafayette students and interns.) Brown, being much larger, has many more opportunities for both class selection and research.</p>
<p>A previous comment that the extra expense of attending Brown for the OP’s D “will pay for itself 10-15 years out” is simply false, and simply shows “ivy arrogance”. Lafayette has an outstanding record for placing its students in top flight grad schools and employment in engineering, medicine, law, and business. I for one, am a graduate of a top law school, and own a business. When interviewing job candidates, I don’t hire someone on basis of where one went to school, but what one “brings to the table” to help my business grow, and what that person has done with the opportunities afforded to him.</p>
<p>The athletic opportunities at both schools are very similar. Lafayette is a member of the Patriot League - a league patterned after the Ivy League - in which athletic scholarships are not offered for most sports. The two leagues, for example in football, agree to play only each other for their non-league games. I don’t know what sport the OP’s D is recruited for, but I am certain that she will get full support and funding at each school.</p>
<p>Remember, that all of this is only a possibility - and a remote one at that. Brown, for everyone, is a total reach with over 30,000 applicants, and if my S happens to be accepted, it will be like winning the lottery. But that would be a pleasant problem to have to solve.</p>
<p>I do agree it not where you are that is important but what you do and whom you are is the most important question?</p>
<p>If your daughter can reasonably say that she loves Lafayette, and tha she wouldn’t spend four years asking “what if?” then the extra money may not be worth it. Personally, I chose Brown and its crazy tuition over a school that would have cost me nothing, because I realized that with the open curriculum, and the focus on independence and choice, I’d have more of an opportunity to find out what I love in life, and pursue that, whereas at the other school (state school, so I had already attended their registration before I got into Brown) the advisor was telling me that I shouldn’t be wasting their time trying to find a way to fit Chinese into my science-major, because it wasn’t required.</p>
<p>I realize Lafayette is probably quite a deal different from my state university, but you need to sit down and examine what the strengths and weaknesses of both schools are, and where your daughter (and you, for that matter) will be happiest coming out of (and money is an issue, as going into debt will make life somewhat harder).</p>