I am deciding between Brown and U chicago to attend. I can get into them since I am an athlete and I do not care if I play D1 or D3. I am more consumed into which school is better for my future. I know of how great a school U chicago is but Brown has more of a “name brand” being an ivy. I ultimately want to work on wall st. Which school is better for me? Which school will give me more opportunities and be better for my resume when trying to get a great job on wall st? Thanks for you help in advance.
UChicago by a long shot. The economics program at UChicago is taught by several noble laureates and is definitely one of the best in the country. Although both are not cheap, I think UChicago will get you much further despite the cost. I would also look into more options, as UChicago is not an athletically motivated school, and thus your odds of admission are probably not as high as originally anticipated.
I have no idea what the athletics part has to do with anything, since Brown and Chicago are both D3. Has either actually recruited you as an athlete? Just saying you are an athlete means nothing for admissions if the coach of your sport isn’t pushing for you. Anyone can claim to be an athlete on their admissions form, it doesn’t mean they are good enough for college. But let’s say for argument’s sake that you are good enough to get into both, with or without an athletics hook.
I disagree that Chicago is such a slam dunk, or better at all. You didn’t say you wanted to be an Econ major, and lots of other majors (Finance, Physics, Mathematics, etc.) work on Wall St. And it isn’t like the Brown Econ Department isn’t really good as well. Having a bunch of Nobel Laureates means almost nothing at the undergrad level.
The bottom line to your question is that either school will serve you equally well for your current ambitions. While Brown is better known nationally and internationally in general, on Wall Street both schools will be equally highly regarded. You should pick the one that you think fits you better. There are a lot of differences that might or might not matter to you. Brown is on the semester system, Chicago is on 10-11 week quarters. Brown has a much more open curriculum, Chicago has a famous standard core curriculum. Obviously there is the differing locations. So go with your gut and pick the one that you feel is best for you, assuming you actually get into both. I hope it goes without saying that you need to apply to a few schools that you are virtually certain to get into as well.
UChicago has a better “brand” in Wall Street and business circles.
@fallenchemist Brown is actually a D1 school.
In reality, theses schools are worlds apart. While Brown is an Ivy League school, it is a considerably easier school (academically wise) than UChicago. Conversely, UChicago is known as “the school where fun goes to die.”
Are you sure you can handle the academics at these schools? They’re both difficult schools in respect to all of America’s universities. It’ll come down to which school you’d feel more comfortable with.
The schools are different, OP. Answers to these questions might help you decide:
- Would you prefer a curriculum that features some core requirements (Chicago) or an open curriculum (Brown)?
- In terms of academic vibe and workload, would you prefer an academically serious and intellectual environment (Chicago) or a more laid-back environment (Brown)?
- Chicago or Providence?
UChicago is hard and intense – probably two of the reasons its academics are so revered. You really need to love learning to fit into the academic vibe. In terms of quality, intellectualism and rigor, I’d put UChicago up against any university and even LAC powerhouses like Swarthmore, Reed and Carleton. UChicago gave birth to the Freshwater School of economic theory (via Milton Friedman, I think…). UChicago’s Core helps to provide each student with a strong, broad educational base from which to launch into their major.
Brown does have the Ivy brand, which is well known in the US. It’s known for being a relatively laid-back home to happy students. It’s quite politically liberal overall (compared to the other Ivies and UChicago, at least), but as at most universities, it’s large enough for you to be able to find your tribe. The curriculum is pretty loose: you basically can choose all your own classes with few, or no, distribution requirements.
One question you should ask yourself is how self-directed a learner/intellectual are you? I think brown’s admissions office does a great job selecting for kids who can handle being the architects of their college curriculum, whereas at Chicago, your curriculum plan will be handed to you. No better or worse here, just different. But that difference influences the fit of the school of you. Some kids could be overwhelmed by the responsibility for academic decisions, while others would thrive, feeling like a kid in a candy shop. At brown, nearly every single student is in a class because they want to be. They’ve chosen it, after all, without being directed to take it. That really changes the dynamic in the classroom in a positive way.
And finally, I think it’s true that relative to uchicago, brown has a more laid back vibe, but I don’t think that laid-back vibe and academic seriousness/intellectual environment are mutually exclusive. remember, the kids who enroll at brown graduated at the top of their high school classes and with top scores…they are wicked smart and motivated. You’ll be working at a challenging level at brown & with kids who love learning for the sake of learning. However, Chicago is more intense by virtue of its 10 week trimesters. That’s 4 weeks shorter than brown’s semester (and every other school that operates on a semester schedule). At Chicago, your first exams will be about 3-4 weeks into the trimester. You’ll have finals 3 times a year rather than twice. That is what I think makes Chicago more intense.
Re: #2
Brown is part of the Ivy League, which is an NCAA Division I conference.
Not for football. I guess it depends on the sport. But the real point is that they don’t give athletic scholarships. No Ivy school does. Usually that is the main issue, not what level they are competing at.
@WildestDream Do you have anything that supports that statement, or is that purely your opinion?
@ap012199
]I love these opinions, but again, do you have anything at all that supports such a statement?
In 2012, the average GPA at Brown was 3.63. In 2006, the average GPA at Chicago was 3.35. While I can’t find more recent data for Chicago (but I really haven’t looked that hard), I think it highly unlikely that it has increased to the levels of Brown. Data can be found on the bottom of this article, under the heading “four-year schools.” http://www.gradeinflation.com/
@fallenchemist I am a recruited athlete so the coach will support me in admissions and have basically said that I will get in with their support. The reason I mentioned D1 and D3 was for people not to favor brown because it’s D1 athletics. I’m more focused on the academics and the advantages each school will have on my future
Thanks for the clarification. D1 or D3, if you play the sport at college it is a time suck. Not saying it isn’t worth it, it can be very rewarding. But I think you are very wise to focus on which is the better fit. Personally I would still say that the academic level and reputation of each school is exceedingly high and not the basis on which to make a decision. I think @RenaissanceMom summed it up quite well.
You are mistaken…Brown IS a D1 school in football as well. They are an FCS school.
@fallenchemist check out what this article has to say about Brown’s grading:
http://www.thecollegesolution.com/colleges-where-the-professors-are-easy-graders/
Also, Brown’s average GPA hovers around a 3.6 while U Chicago’s is about a 3.3 (from what I could find). Here is another article about a student from U Chicago who wants to work on Wall Street (note the title):
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/gpa-at-grade-deflated-schools-uchicago
There’s a reason U Chicago is known as “the school where fun goes to die.”
False.
Probably Chicago. But the fact is, how you do at either school will be more important than which one you go to. So you should think about which one you personally want to be in and feel you would be happier (and therefore a better student).
The Ivy League (which Brown is a member of) is an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision conference.
http://www.ncaa.com/standings/football/fcs
http://www.espn.com/college-football/standings/_/view/fcs
Back to the question…The bottom line is that both schools can get you where you want to go. You are in an enviable position where you can choose the school where you feel the environment, curriculum, student body, coach, location, and anything else you care about is the best fit for you.
Be aware that the athletic demands at a D1 school (even an Ivy like Brown) will demand a lot more of your time than the athletics at a D3 school like UChicago. When my D was in the recruiting process, she talked to Ivy coaches and to D3 coaches (including coaches at both Brown and UChicago), and it was clear to us that the Ivy coaches expected a level of dedication to athletics that was going to put a serious crimp in the academic side of her college experience. Things like course selection, lab scheduling, possible overseas study - all were expected to give way if they might interfere with the needs of the sports team. At UChicago and other elite D3 schools, sports take a back seat to academics in every way. We preferred that, but some super-dedicated athletes might not. Ultimately, she did not choose either school.
I also agree with the general consensus of the thread that UChicago is the more prestigious name. Brown is a great school and it certainly benefits from its association with the other Ivys, but it is not generally considered the most elite of those Ivys. Chicago built its academic reputation on its own, and it is considered to be top tier in every field of study it offers. It’s college grads go on to get more PhDs per capita than any other national university, it places extremely well in professional schools and it is a target school for Wall Street recruiting. Brown is a truly great university too, and to be honest it probably is more fun to attend. Chicago has changed a lot in the past 20 years and is no longer where “fun goes to die,” but it still is extremely intense and intellectual.
All of this is anecdotal and I can’t prove any of it, so take it for what it’s worth.