<p>Hi!</p>
<p>Sorry if there’s another thread on this. I was just wondering what the main difference between Brown and Dartmouth is. They both sound like really awesome schools.</p>
<p>i'd choose brown anyday over dartmouth. personal preference though.</p>
<p>there are many differences (and also many similarities)</p>
<p>some key differences:</p>
<p>brown has an open curriculum--you have complete intellectual autonomy in choosing your classes. dartmouth does not.</p>
<p>the academic year at brown is traditional--two semesters. at dartmouth there is a quarter system. this is a mostly neutral point but there are some disadvantages to having quarters--the length of time you spend on each class is condensed and therefore you may feel rushed in processing the material (according to my brother who is a dartmouth student). also, your time away from campus does not overlap with friends and you are obligated to spend at least one full summer there.</p>
<p>there are some differences in relative strength in some esoteric areas. brown is stronger in egyptology and history of math. dartmouth is stronger in native american studies. brown may also be stronger in biological sciences, based on the research portfolio and research facilities.</p>
<p>brown has more of a liberal, artsy, romantic culture. dartmouth has a stronger conservative voice, and a greater dominance of greek life (frats, societies, and the like)</p>
<p>Dartmouth is really isolated, so if you prefer a more urban setting, opt for Brown.</p>
<p>They are socially extremely different.</p>
<p>Dartmouth has better science facilities. Dartmouth and Brown medical schools had a joint program where the MD candidate took science coursework at Dartmouth because it has more extensive science facilities, and then study clinical coursework at Brown for the last two years because of its location. The program was discontinued after the establishment of the new Medical Center. Even though they are both professional schools, they are relevant because of the fact that almost all of graduate programs are comparatively integrated with undergraduate education at both schools.</p>
<p>I really, really love both schools and think they are phenomenal. Dartmouth was one of the schools that I had to turn down for Brown, but I'm sure I would have had an amazing experience there had I decided to attend.</p>
<p>Academically, I think both are on par. They cater to the undergraduate students and the faculty has a direct interest in how you do as a student. You are not a burden to the professors whereas I felt this was the case for some of the other Ivy League schools I visited after having been admitted. You will be taught a plethora of new and fascinating information that will really get your mind working and, in my opinion, that is the point of college.</p>
<p>Socially, they are different. Brown is full of very INTELLECTUALLY stimulated individuals. These kids are amazing and can talk about almost anything. Everybody has a story and it is the accumulation of thousands of different stories on one campus that makes Brown so vibrant. Dartmouth, however, is very different. Beer pong is a HUGE component of the student life there. I really didn't understand how important one game could be to a student body until I visited Dartmouth. It was so much fun...but I don't know if I could do it every single night. Also, the kids there seemed to be a bit more monotonous. That is to say, they were all very similar. I'm sure this is not the case of the entire student body, but it was the general impression I got. Frats dominate the social scene and you will not find people to be as intellectual. By no means are Dartmouthians any less intelligent that those at Brown...it's just a very different feel. One of my good friends was also admitted into both Brown and Dartmouth and Dartmouth's atmosphere really won her over.</p>
<p>In terms of location, Hanover is beautiful. It's like a small town out of a movie. I loved the trees, architecture, and "quaint" feel. Unfortunately, though, I couldn't see myself in that little town for four years. My gut feeling was that I would get bored. Again, my friend LOVED the small town feel so it's definitely a personal preference. Providence, on the other hand, is a small city with a HUGE mall within walking distance of Brown. There are many nice restaurants that are extremely close to campus and Thayer Street (which is basically a part of the campus) is full of nice shops and restaurants, as well. Moreover, a trip into Boston or even to NYC is more than possible with railways located in Providence. I believe Boston takes 30-35 minutes to get to and NYC is about 2-2.5 hrs. I like having the OPTION of doing something other than stay on campus if I really want to do so.</p>
<p>Anyway, I think you should visit both schools because of the vast differences. You will know which one is right for you relatively quickly. Just remember that there is no <em>wrong</em> choice. You will attend a fantastic school either way. Just make sure you "fit".</p>
<p>Lol I always end up posting this, hope it helps...wrote this for another post. B vs. D comes up so much! Probably more than any other school I know...</p>
<p>This is so close to home, so I guess I'll write alot. Dartmouth/ Brown was my main choice and I ended up choosing Dartmouth but not after some serious thinking. The funny thing is that even after serious contemplation, I literally could not decide and choose Dartmouth basically after a coin flip of sorts lol! During college I visited Brown probably 7-8 weekends, however, so I know it really well. The great news is there is no wrong choice: I loved Dartmouth more than anything, but I am totally convinced I would have loved Brown just as much. These are by far my two of most favorite schools (throw in Stanford as the other). </p>
<p>1) Academics/ recruiting</p>
<p>They are both incredibly strong academically, with very similar placement rates into the top grad schools. Brown's widely known for having no distributives, which means you don't have to take any classes you don;t want to. Dartmouth's distributives are very broad but I liked being forced me to take a couple classes (like Acting for my art) that I might otherwise not have taken. Dartmouth is awesome in terms of teaching and professor engagement, and the school is absolutely focused on the undergrad. I was an anthro major and I got $10K for my thesis research and TWO incredibly active thesis advisors. I literally had some classes with less than five people at the upper levels. Dartmouth professors take you to dinner, they encourage you, and they are amazing. I think part of the reason Dartmouth grads do so well at grad school admissions is the fact that they know their professors so well. Frankly its amazing. I am sure Brown's academics are great too, but Dartmouth does have a terrific LAC-like feel. People love to discard the D-plan but I thought it was awesome. Sophomore summer is most students favorite term.</p>
<ol>
<li>Recruiting
Dartmouth does do better with traditional firms (investment banks, consulting) in my experience. Both are very strong, however. </li>
</ol>
<p>Study Abroad?
Most students at Dartmouth go on a study abroad, many go on 2-3. Its not only a thing to do, its a way of life. The language programs are OUTSTANDING, you not only have small classes a preperation, you have drill with its "rassias method" which is an amazingly fun way to really learn a language. Study abroad programs include a professor and about 20 other Dartmouth students (which is different from other schools which have people from al schools). There are special trips every weekend and you get to become incredibly close to your fellow Dartmouth students. Also since Dartmouth is on the quarter system it allows for multiple study abroads.</p>
<p>3) Campus location and closest city/town location
In my opinion Brown's nearby Thayer Street blows Hanover out of the water. East Providence is hip, cool, and there are alot of great restaurants and it really does cater to students. Providence itself isn't that wonderful, but its awesome in the area where Brown is located. Conversely, Hanover is beautiful but I found the town to be more stodgy and its not catered to students. In terms of the city, Brown wins bigtime.</p>
<p>ON the other hand, Dartmouth's location in the mountains is amazing. The outdoor access is awesome, people ski during the winters on the skiway, jump in the river in summers. To be honest only a select group of students are into the hardcore outdoors. Its the casual outdoor stuff like snowball fights during the winter, riding your bike through the beautiful fall leaves, the swimming in the river during summers, BBQs by houses on the river, the awesome stars when you are out at night, etc, etc. During the summer the campus feels like a magical summer camp, during the winters its charming and warm.</p>
<p>4) Social scene
Brown is very active socially. The dorms restrictions are very lax so first-year parties abound. There are house parties, frat parties, bars, and people even venture downtown to clubs. Its a more cliquey scene, however. Different groups tend to stick together more, so its less community oriented. It feels more like a University than Dartmouth, which is a good or bad thing depending on what you are looking for.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is very community oriented. The Greek scene is huge, but its unlike any other greek scene anywhere. The houses are all open for parties to everyone and there's actually a campus list publishing the big parties that weekend. What usually happens is there will be two-three big dance parties a night plus lots of houses will have smaller groups hanging out. The cool thing is there is usally alot of energy as everyone is going to the same key places or are at least aware of the big parties. Its absolutely open and everyone is absolutely friendly. In addition to the greek scene there is a house party scene, smaller gatherings in dorms, plus niche scenes like the organic farm crowd or the Ledyard Canoe club crowd. The nights are full of activity. Dartmouth's downside might be that its jock culture does have power with the frats, places like Chi Heorot, Theta Delt, and Psi U are centered around sports teams and I think this can intimidating. The upside is there is a large social scene outside these places.</p>
<p>I think its safe to say Brown has smaller gatherings for niche groups (although there are big parties!), while Dartmouth has bigger parties that everyone goes to all the time.</p>
<p>5) Campus population
Both are equally diverse, although Dartmouth is conceived as less diverse than Brown the truth is they are about equal. But since its smaller the sheer number of members of these groups is smaller so it might feel less diverse. However, people interact between groups at Dartmouth amazingly well. Yet I think some minority groups find comfort in sticking together and someone who grew up only hanging out with a particular minority crowd might like Brown more. Also, Brown does "feel" more international in terms of student makeup.</p>
<p>In terms of student politics I would say there is a huge overlap of "liberal" students at both. Dartmouth is more accepting of people with a conservative (libertarian) point of view, but overall I'd say 75-80% of Dartmouth is liberal while 85-90% of Brown is liberal. Frankly its not that large a difference.</p>
<p>Overall thought the students at Dartmouth overwhelmingly are the playful, fun loving, brilliant type. People tend to play down themselves which is great and refreshing among the Ivies. My experience with Brown students is that they are very similar but a little more "edgy."</p>
<p>I've been to and know alums from many many schools and hands down these two seem to provide the best college experience. You just can't go wrong.</p>
<p>slipper1234, I know exactly what you mean. In fact, yesterday i was about to post...where is slipper1234??</p>
<p>I planned to copy and paste your post from earlier posts, giving you due credit, of course.</p>
<p>Brown and Dartmouth my two favorites also. However, I ended up choosing Brown.</p>
<p>for clarification, the reason the brown-dartmouth medical school collaboration exists has nothing to do with science facilities. it is because dartmouth historically did not have an adequately large patient base to support medical education (because it is so rural) and brown has excess capacity in this regard. students in the program spend the first two years of med school at dartmouth, the second two at brown, and then receive their degree from brown medical school. those who don't come to brown, rotate at various hospitals throughout new england.</p>
<p>in terms of life sciences, brown has a very clear edge--a recently opened $100 million research building on campus, a new 11 story public health building, a new genomics building, an enormous medical campus with a $100 million medical education building in the pipes. there really is no comparison.</p>