<p>Virtually every applicant admitted to both Harvard and Brown opts for Harvard. It has ever been thus. </p>
<p>Just deal with it.</p>
<p>Doesn't mean Brown is a bad school; but it can't compete with Harvard.</p>
<p>Because most people that apply to Harvard don't mind that the school is a ridiculous place filled with self-centered nerds.</p>
<p>Brown is a very different school. Most people that apply to Harvard just want the Ivy name, so they apply to some safeties even if they aren't a good match.</p>
<p>...Now, back to the original discussion.</p>
<p>Rory on Gilmore Girls didn't go to Harvard. What does that tell you?</p>
<p>Please note that I have not uttered a single negative word about Brown, which is a very fine school. </p>
<p>One ought to be able to discuss Brown's strengths without relying on the usual anti-Harvard cliches to enhance the argument, as so many - including "dcircle" seem to chronically unable to avoid.</p>
<p>Don't do it. Betrays a certain lack of confidence in your case.</p>
<p>Potpurri, I guess the best advice I can give you is to visit both campuses. While you're visiting, do some research into each cog sci department, and try to imagine yourself as a student at each school. And then, follow your heart.</p>
<p>Just remember that Brown and Harvard are both wonderful schools, and you'll probably be happy (academically and emotionally) no matter where you end up. If all else fails, consider Harvard's amazing prestige, and go there.</p>
<p>Byerly: the point that you are failing to acknowledge is WHY students tend to choose Harvard. Is it because of the name? Or is it because it is the best school for them? The latter may be true for lots of people regarding Harvard, but many people choose Harvard only because of the name, with no regards to the quality of life or the quality of undergraduate education. So, the % that choose Harvard doesn't say much.</p>
<p>So we have this very ironic situation in which Byerly notes the fact that most cross-admits between Brown and Harvard ultimately choose Harvard. Nothing wrong with that and it is a fact that the non-PLME cross-admits usually end up at Harvard. However, the contradiction in his statements appears when he expresses anger or casts our comments as insecurity when in fact they are opinions which merely seek to challenge the mass assumptions. If pointing out statistics in a Harvard published document and pointing out university policies constitutes an attack, I suppose I am guilty. </p>
<p>Now if you are trying to get both perspectives, as anyone in this position should be trying to do, it falls to the unconventional wisdom side to present a counter-argument to the conventional wisdom. Byerly has not yet presented a counter-argument to my statistics. So, until and unless he presents a counter-argument, his prestige rationale is used to brush away concerns about the quality of undergrad education. My point is to get the OP to consider both sides. In economic terms, an opportunity cost exists in most life situations. So long as you are thoughtful and informed about your decisions, you will be fine. I'm just trying to get you to see the other side which becomes very easily obscured by preconceptions. </p>
<p>From my perspective, Brown isn't Harvard. And Thank God. </p>
<p>However, I am as I acknowledged elsewhere am very biased. What works for me may not work at all for someone else. That's the beauty of individual choice. Check out both places and go with the one that you feel most comfortable with. In one year you'll be living at the school. Remember that.</p>
<p>Best Wishes</p>
<p>opportunity cost.. I smell an EC11 taker. lol</p>
<p>Nah, Econ is too dry for my taste. I was never good with drawing all those lines and curves. But, I did run a business of sorts so you know you do what you can to pick up the lingo :0) -- Econ tries very hard to bridge the social sciences to the everday which is where it comes in handy though.</p>
<p>If you are in EC11, Good luck on the midterm! Many are engrossed in their texts as we speak.</p>
<p>fredmurtz, I remember reading an article about the US News undergrad teaching rankings you reference, but I can't remember where it was. Do you have a link to any info about it or remember what issue it was in?</p>
<p>It was in the 1995 USNWR Best Colleges Issue , The only one to my lights, to take on the issue.</p>
<p>I think the simple answer is find a school where a student can enjoy their four undergraduate years and have the prestige generally associated with Byerly's place...........</p>
<p>PRINCETON</p>
<p>Couldn't help myself:)</p>
<p>Oooooooh... Princeton...</p>
<p>If I wanted to be surrounded by a bunch of homophobic, self-centered elitist asses, I'd go to a GOP rally.</p>
<p>College? I'm going to Brown.</p>
<p>okay... I'm sorry if I over-generalized in my last post.</p>
<p>Not all members of the GOP are homophobic. McCain, for example.</p>
<p>Pete....I think a famous writer from Rolling Stone once said....</p>
<p>Show me a conservative under thirty...he has no heart.
Show me a liberal over forty.... he has no brain.</p>
<p>Sorry...I didn't mean to generalize.....Zell Miller for example. LOL:)</p>
<p>Not a Rolling Stone writer. That's a paraphrase of something said by Winston Churchill in explaining why he had swtiched from the Liberal to Conservative political party.</p>
<p>so all republicans are still self-centered elitist asses? Besides, being a communist, you should dislike the democats and the republicans.</p>
<p>i have a friend who's also debating harvard vs brown, and here's what i told her (although my opinion is definately biased cuz i'm going to brown)</p>
<p>i spent 3 weeks this past summer at brown and i've never had a better summer. the campus is amazing, my professor actually made the subject interesting, and everyone was incredibly friendly. at the info session, students talked openly, and they touched on both the strengths -and- the weaknesses of brown. i looked at harvard, but it felt too graduate student oriented. maybe for grad school, you can't beat harvard, but for undergrad? brown wins :) (not to mention, brown has antonio's pizza place on thayer street...)</p>
<p>one of my best friends chose Brown over Harvard, and is so glad that he did. He has many friends at Harvard, and says that when he visits he is constantly reminded that he made a good decision.</p>