I have been able to narrow my college choices down to two schools- Brown and Dartmouth.
I hope to study government or English and want to go to law school in the future.
I’ve really been stuck between the two and I can see myself enjoying both schools.
Just a bit of background…
I really like Brown’s friendly and open student body and atmosphere. However, I am a bit apprehensive with the open curriculum because I don’t think I would be the one to truly challenge myself with classes outside of my realm of study. Furthermore, I feel that I would like some direction and structure in my studies especially my first year out of high school.
I like Dartmouth’s D-plan and the fact that they give some structure (broad course requirements) without a rigid curriculum that hinders students. The size of the school is also very appealing as I value accessibility of professors. However, the Greek scene scares me off. I don’t consider myself a social butterfly and I’ve heard that rushing for frats and sororities is an admissions process of its own.
If anybody could shed some light here and make some suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. May 1st is coming around the corner and I am still torn between the two.
Both are great schools. I attended Brown and loved it. Was not in Greek system. Open Curriculum is huge plus. Also liked pass/fail option. Lots of great writing classes. Writing was my weakness before college and my strength after. Cannot speak to relative pros and cons of the schools’ departments. Most people who attended Brown loved it and did very well afterwards. Probably same could be said for Dartmouth, though maybe more people who weren’t crazy about Greek scene and location. But some probably not big fans of Providence either.
The deciding factor should be the setting: where you can see yourself for years of your life. Dartmouth is in VT, in the country, while Brown is in the city. You have to decide which environment is right for you and that you would enjoy. Unless there is a deal breaker in either college or one stands out in a certain way, go with the setting, as they are so drastically different.
They are both fantastic colleges with undergraduate focus and opportunities. I think most people will only know one or the other intimately. Of course they will each have special features you won’t find at the other so you just have to make a gut decision at some point and not look back, and you won’t go wrong either way.
At Brown everything is pretty wide open until you declare your major sometime before the end of sophomore year. Then you and your advisor draw up a contract outlining the classes you will take each semester until you graduate. Of course it can be changed, so it is not set in stone, however you have to change the contract so that might give you some feeling for formality about having an overview of what seems logical and valuable ahead of time.
You could sit now and plan out what you might take the first year or even two to explore those majors and compliment your further goals. For instance you could start with a freshman seminar* whichever sounds interesting, a class that fills your writing requirement, govt, plus a modern culture and media. Next semester a philosophy course, a statistics for social scientists, economics, one of the literature courses. Next year you might try one of the classes that a famous because of the prof or department, like geology and take more classes in govt or english towards the majors as you decide.
My D went through the same choice last year and chose Brown. I don’t think you can go wrong in either case, but here are some of the factors she considered, in no particular order: (1) Brown is more urban, in the northeastern corridor, Dartmouth is more out of the way, bucolic. My D has really enjoyed the opportunities to hop on the train to Boston or NYC, and it seems to be in the center of the college corridor and you get a lot of visitors. (2) The semester system vs. the quarter system. The Dartmouth plan seems a little more disjointed, as you have so many people “off” or studying abroad on a staggered schedule from you. One of my D’s friends at Dartmouth will have 3 consecutive quarters off campus, and she’s only a sophomore. It makes it a little complicated to maintain and plan for the same friendships and roommates. (This is one of the reasons why the Greek system has been justified as necessary at Dartmouth, because otherwise the social connections would be too fractured without fraternities). (3) Dartmouth is wealthier and whiter than Brown, which is more diverse racially and economically. (4) Dartmouth is more undergrad focused; classes are smaller and teaching is by professors. But the short term of the class means that you have to jump right in and instruction is intense; if you’re not prepared for it, it can be overwhelming. My D’s science classes at Brown have all been huge lectures and the smaller classes are over-subscribed. Even seeing a TA for one class requires waiting in line. (5) Brown has been substantially more selective than Dartmouth in the last few years. (6) Dartmouth is the center of the maelstrom over the greek system and the administration is occupied by the debate; the school seems to be taking some hit to their reputation over it. Some students may enjoy being on a campus roiled by debate, some may blanch at that. (7) I don’t really understand a person’s fear of the lack of structure to the Brown curriculum, because it really is whatever you make of it. Are you really saying that you wouldn’t take an English class or a social science unless forced to by the school? That doesn’t make sense to me. At Brown, you certainly are given a lot of advisors who can help guide you in your course of study but really they give you the freedom to choose how much you want to hone in or to broaden out.
Brown and Dartmouth are both great schools and you’re not going to lose out with this decision. Besides the academic differences, there are some differences between campuses. Brown is a little bit more urban than Dartmouth. You can avoid the Greek scene at Dartmouth obviously but if that’s a turn-off for you, then go with Brown. You’re going to have to truly compare nuts and bolts with this decision and figure out what you want to do. It’s not going to make much of a difference academically so it’s down to comfort/fit.
Both schools will be academic fits for you (and offer equal post grad and career options) so in my opinion you need to go with what fits you more on a social level and it seems Brown is the clear choice given your aversion to the Greek scene. Clearly it is an issue at Dartmouth since a strong Greek presence does not appeal to you.