<p>So I got accepted into Brown and Bowdoin and I really don’t know where I should go. I’m thinking about doing art in college and I know that Brown has RISD right by it (but i heard you can only take 4 classes there??) and then there’s Bowdoin which also has a pretty strong art program. I really don’t know what to do?!? please help me!</p>
<p>they’re pretty different environments, so maybe that could help. brown also has greater name recognition and ivy league status if that’s important to you. my best friend from high school went to brown and i went to bowdoin and i can say we both received great educations. on the balance, i had closer relationships with my professors, whereas she did more interesting things during college. that may say more about our personalities than our respective alma maters, but it is worth noting that brown has all the advantages of being a larger school with grad programs and bowdoin has all the advantages of being a smaller school with no grad programs. and the vices for that matter. they aren’t too far apart; can you visit each and see which one fits? the feel of each campus will be very different. it should clarify your preference. </p>
<p>for what its worth, we both were at the top of our respective classes in college and went into the same field for graduate school and had roughly identical results with our admissions decisions. </p>
<p>oh, and i did a fair amount of studio art at bowdoin and can testify to how fantastic the department is. interestingly, i know a handful of visual artists from bowdoin who make their living by their art (they either teach at the college level or make a living on their work). there’s a tremendous amount of institutional support for the small number of bowdoin students who major in visual art. come to think of it, i can’t imagine a better community than the visual art program at bowdoin…and now i’m beginning to feel a bit of regret for not majoring in it. okay a lot of regret. kidding. sort of. just go, GO talk to mark wethli and the rest of the department when you visit. truly amazing amazing people who will change your life for the better.</p>
<p>Choose the college where you are most comfortable at. Have you visited them yet? I have a friend who didn’t feel Brown and Providence were where she would feel happiest and decided to go school at Bowdoin. </p>
<p>The art program at Bowdoin is pretty strong and the school is determined to put more money and effort toward it each year.</p>