<p>A close friend’s daughter has visited a number of colleges and her two favorite schools so far are Brown and Vanderbilt</p>
<p>It seems hard for me to envision two more different schools and/or two top schools more likely to have more different campus lifestyles. </p>
<p>While I am not really an expert or super knowledgeable about either, and understand they are both top ranked/top tier institutions, are there certain types of people/interests that would be a better fit at one vs the other?</p>
<p>Is it possible for both to be a great fit for the same person and if so and you got into both how would you decide which one is best for you?</p>
<p>Both schools seem very different, but I guess there could be some similarities. I believe one can be happy at any school they decide on and it’s really just what they make of it. I went to Brown and my two best friends decided to attend Vanderbilt. </p>
<p>I visited them a few times over the past year (during weekends and some weekdays), and what I noticed was that Vanderbilt was just a little bit more socially intense. I feel like Brown’s students are more easy-going, and while that’s very generalized, it is the opinion I gathered from my own personal experience. Also, the Greek scene was substantially larger at Vandy (around 10% of the student body at Brown and 42% at Vanderbilt)… that’s a factor for a lot of people! </p>
<p>Academically, the two are obviously very wonderful. Some programs are more renowned at one school than at the other, but obviously great at either one. I wouldn’t take rankings to heart when the schools are so close in caliber. My friends did state that they felt my school’s structure allowed for more freedom and exploration than at Vanderbilt. They felt very confined, but enjoyed the experience nonetheless. As people, they never would have applied to Brown. It just wasn’t what fit them, which is why we didn’t end up at the same school. We even had a conversation about our differences and choosing schools, and one of them said that the more prominent conservative atmosphere at Vandy was attractive to her and Brown was just too liberal. However, I would like to add that there are certainly some students at Brown that are conservative as well and not everyone is super liberal. </p>
<p>Personally, visiting colleges just confused me even more. I don’t feel like tours really portray the school’s atmosphere too much, and I thought I liked every school I visited. It came down to the people I ran into, the professors, the area, and overall feel I got from being at the university (though I’ve heard the overnight events help a bit more). After finishing my first year, I’d even say my visits/expectations at Brown were nothing like the actual experience of being a student. If she is granted admission to both schools, regardless of her decision, she can make it worth her while and have a great time. They’re very good places to be!</p>
<p>The only visits that really tell you about a school are when you stay with a current student that you know (recent graduate of your school, neighbor, etc). And they show you around/let you hang out with them for the night.</p>
<p>Over night visits are a superb way to really find out more about a school. And they don’t have to be before you apply. My student did Brown and Harvard overnights after applications were done, before decisions, just because it fit better then. (and switched first choices.) Brown used to do this routinely, but now you have to set it up on your own. Friend, friend of a friend etc. (except I think ADOC still does this? But that is actually later in the year than is best for having time to think about things.)
I think Princeton and Vanderbuilt are actually closer/ alike. I think of both of them as being a bit “country club” atmosphere. But again, gross generalizations don’t reflect what anyone student will find to be their experience or options.
How similar: both high humidity? (Vandy hot and wet and Brown cold and wet?)</p>
<p>Vanderbilt and Brown have more similarities than differences and it’s not surprising to hear of a student interested in both. They both are 1%er’s. Top 1% faculty, rankings, bright students, endowment, selectivity, and both have top 1% happy students who report a very high “quality of life”.<br>
They both may be a victim of “old stereotyping” when it come to social issues but I suspect both work hard to have diverse students and offer enough diversity to make all students feel comfortable and happy.</p>
<p>Both are great schools, but it is important to factor in the intended major of the student in. Both are great schools overall, but for example, schools with the same and lower selectivity, are much much better at engineering.</p>