<p>I visited Brown and Princeton. Applied to Brown, not Princeton. I liked Brown better--although I don't characterize myself as "artsy," I do think I'll benefit from Brown's chill atmosphere. Princeton did not suit me. It seemed a little too (no offense to those who go there. it is a fine institution)...what's the word...stuffy?...I think it had a little more of that elitest flavor than Brown did. I think alot of what gave me that impression was the eating clubs. Definitely not for me. But it might suit you better. It definitely carries a little more prestige than Brown, if that matters to you.</p>
<p>Definitely visit Stanford. I visited and loved it. but alas, I was not accepted...</p>
<p>a group of my friends went visit princeton w me and we all agreed that Pton was hardcore workload and perhaps elitist, very rich rich environment (thats wonderful but made us feel somewhat uncomfortable). we all r study hard, diligent ppl but we agreed that Brown would be a lot more "chill" and a lot more room to breathe but again thats kinda bad for not trying to push ourselves to the fullest extent. </p>
<p>Pton : competitive , super hardcore studying, beautiful, grand, rich, big name for later job opportunity</p>
<p>Brown: more relaxing, communal, no cutthroat competition, beautiful, definitely a lot less stressful, lot of flexibility,
(the noncompetitiveness and laybackness really concerns me tho)</p>
<p>so whichever style appeals to you more</p>
<p>There are really two questions: </p>
<p>1.Do you trust yourself enough to use Brown's Curriculum to your advantage? </p>
<p>That is NOT a sarcastic question at all. You need to think about it carefully.</p>
<p>Most people here did and they love it. But, you have to be willing to put yourself on the line and invest fully in it. I don't care what anybody who hasn't been to college has to say about it because frankly they don't know. </p>
<p>Planning your entire program of study and perhaps your own major or research projects requires a lot of time and commitment. But, at the end of the day it is yours. You created it (with help). It is much harder than any set of distribution requirements. </p>
<p>BUT I think Brown's system when thoughtfully considered is good training for life post-college. You are being made to choose your classes, internships and the like on your own. As in, you need to prioritize and focus to a certain extent. </p>
<p>You aren't merely picking up a degree wherever you go. You're LIVING for FOUR YEARS and you NEED to be comfortable with your school and its atmosphere as much as is possible.</p>
<p>I have not yet seen any evidence about the difference in academic rigor presented most likely because people on this forum often simplify rigor to make it shorthand for prestige. </p>
<ol>
<li>Providence, RI v. Princeton, NJ
Which suits you?</li>
</ol>
<p>I wholly agree with Fredmurtz22 that Brown well prepares its students for life. Many of my Brown friends have pursued their interests even when it meant starting something on their own from scratch, which real life often demands when you want to live it to its fullest. They're used to thinking outside of the box and figuring out how to achieve something even when they have to build their own road to it. Even in a profession like law that is very fundamentally about form and convention, the kind of creativity that the culture at Brown creates is essential.</p>
<p>What about the Stanford name???</p>
<p>Princeton- Name, Network</p>
<p>Brown- Atmosphere, Curriculum</p>
<p>Stanford- Weather, Name (More regional than Princeton)</p>
<p>It depends on what YOU value the most.
All three will open 95% of the same doors.
The ability to drop your alma mater's name and be respected by 95% of the people you meet on the street is big. Shallow, but big.
The ability to design your college experience, amazing.</p>
<p>I, having decided to attend graduate school, would go to Brown for undergrad and then Princeton for grad.</p>
<p>I might be biased towards Stanford because I will be attending in the fall. However, my bias should not be particularly strong considering my identical twin brother will be attending Princeton (we both got into our first choices---I do drama and dance, he is a jazz guitar player-----each school fits particular interests). I also loved Brown when I visited, but got into Stanford early and didn't end up applying. Anyway, I wouldn't argue that Stanford's name is more regional. There is, in fact, a Harvard article out that states that Stanford is Harvard's new competition (though this article was semi-intended to be a jab at Yale). Stanford also creates an amazing network, and is, in fact, more prestigious worldwide than Princeton is. Stanford has arguably the best overseas program of HYPS as well (BING Overseas Studies). I think, however, if you talk to most people in the west and the midwest, and most educated people in the east, they will tell you that Stanford's name is equally as prestigious. However, most people will tell you that both schools are incredibly elite, the best of the best, (though I do tend to disagree with choosing a school based solely on "prestige"), and that you will receive an incredible education at both institutions. Visit both. It just depends on the fit. Stanford is absolutely my type of school and Princeton is absolutely my brother's. Put it this way, do you want to study with Tobias Wolff, Eavan Boland (Irish Poet), David Kennedy, and Philip Zimbardo (Stanford), or Toni Morrison, Paul Muldoon (what a coincidence, another Irish Poet), Robert Fagles, and Cornel West? Congratulations! You have choices most people only dream of.</p>
<p>Ok, I wasn't demeaning in any way.
Saying Stanford in the west is different than saying it in the east.
Thus having a different reputation by region.
My uncle just graduated from Harvard Law School after undergrad at Stanford.
He too will attest to receiving different responses when mentioning his alma maters on the east and west coast.</p>
<p>"I think, however, if you talk to most people in the west and the midwest, and most educated people in the east, they will tell you that Stanford's name is equally as prestigious."</p>
<p>Well, most educated people will say that University of Chicago, Ameherst, and even Reed are the educational/prestige equivelent of schools such as Harvard/Princeton, while others will ****ing stare at you DEPENDING ON THE REGION.</p>
<p>That is a little extreme an example, but schools such as BROWN or STANFORD will receive varied responses BASED ON REGION in a way that PRINCETON does not.</p>
<p>Let's agree to disagree. I don't want to degrade Brown in any way, but if you talk to people on the east and west coasts they will tell you that Stanford is a more prestigious institution. It may not be a better school, but with its incredible undergrad and grad schools, the hoover institute, famous alumni and faculty, it is more nationally and internationally known (especially in psych. and the sciences.) Also, if you ask many people about name recognition, they will know Stanford because of athletics and the large grad programs, people who may not know Princeton because of the lack of a large grad school and a huge athletics program (Princeton does have an incredible undergrad, obviously). If you ask most people in Europe (especially eastern) and Asia, Princeton doesn't even compare to Stanford. In fact, until the mid-1990's, Stanford ranked above Princeton in the US News rankings (not that that is an accurate representation of how good a school is since the rankings change so widely from year to year.) Also, in a recent Gallup poll, the top dream school in the United States was Harvard, followed by Stanford and Yale, then Princeton. There is no doubt that there are many fantastic universities in the United States such as U. Chicago, Northwestern, other Ivies, but nationwide, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford have the most prestige. I do not disagree that because of an east coast mentality people might desire Princeton more than Stanford in the east, but if you ask people at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, I have no doubt they would agree that Stanford carries an extremely similar prestige. Stanford is amazing no matter where you go. I find it hard to believe that just because you are in the northeast Stanford is just another "very good school". Please, let's not be prestige whores. People have differences of opinion. I originally posted to give the person deciding a Stanford viewpoint. Keep in mind that I think Princeton is an absolutely fantastic school. My identical twin brother is going there next year!</p>
<p>clgbound, your post contradicted itself and made absolutely no sense. congratulations.</p>
<p>I think you need to stop worrying about the packaging of the product and start worrying about the actual product. Which curriculum and atmosphere do you prefer? Where's the beef?</p>
<p>Tell me how my post contradicted itself. I fail to see the confusion</p>
<p>Your entire post is dedicated to analyzing the prestige of each school. Then you tastefully conclude, Please, let's not be prestige whores.</p>
<p>Yes, my post was dedicated to prestige. However, my initial intention was to give a Stanford viewpoint, and argue that it's prestige was not necessarily regional. I apologize if you found my post contradictory (I still fail to see how it didn't make sense), and I apologize if you were offended by my word choice.</p>