Hey guys, I was lucky enough to get into Yale, Brown, and Columbia so I am trying to decide between them now. I already have planned a visit but wanted some other opinions. A little about me: I will likely be going into the social sciences and I am pretty interested in doing research/study abroad during my undergraduate studies. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!
Beyond academic considerations, Columbia represents the ultimate urban experience from this group. In the end, this could sway your decision as much as other factors.
Bump
Three wonderful choices! Congratulations.
One huge difference is requirements. Columbia has all those required “core” classes; Brown has a completely open curriculum with no distribution requirements; Yale is the middle.
Other than that, look through the course catalogs to see which college’s courses most capture your interests, look at the lists of clubs and activities, and look at the different housing situations and orientation programs and community events and traditions. Do not be afraid to choose by your gut reaction after the visits; one may just plain “feel” best to you! You are looking for which is the best “fit” for you… because in terms of academic excellence and reputation, all three are as good as it gets!
Congrats - great choices - “can’t go wrong,” etc. My experience with / knowledge of Brown and Columbia is limited, so discount accordingly, but Yale (with which I do have a lot of experience) provides world-class academics while also fostering an amazing sense of community (in part, but not only, via the Residential Colleges) and … fun. I’ve never run into anyone who regretted going to Yale. I’d choose it over the other two. But, again, it’s a personal choice and each place has its virtues.
College hill and Providence overall is an amazing city for Brown students.
It really caters to them in a meaningful way.
The school itself appears to be super diverse and has socially responsible type vibe. It used to be pretty preppy back in the day but it’s like a big liberal arts college tucked away in the Ivy League now. It sits adjacent to RISD and the collaboration and shared energy seems real to me.
I really don’t know anything about the other schools beyond the world class reputations. And locations. Yale has a pretty good golf course too if that’s of interest. I’ve been there a few times and it is nice. New Haven doesn’t seem to be as vibrant as NYC or smaller Providence. But I am sure it has its qualities. Like pizza for sure.
@privatebanker @GoodPoint @TheGreyKing Thank you all so much!
I don’t think anyone would regret going to Yale.
Yale, unless you absolutely are in love with the Brown curriculum and vibe.
Congratulations, @NietzscheRules! We visited all 3. Although my daughter, husband, and I all loved Providence, the Brown vibe, and its college town, my daughter really liked Yale’s residential system and campus. Overall, she preferred Columbia’s core curriculum, though, and was somewhat concerned about Brown’s open-ended curriculum (which I love). You have wonderful choices. For my daughter, Columbia was the best match for her (double major in classics and international relations); she committed yesterday. Wishing you the best!
@privatebanker, I wanted to move to Providence after our visit. 
Frankly, Yale has the strongest bubble effect of any major university that I know, so much so that I doubt you will even want to go overseas to study. Columbia is almost on the opposite end of the spectrum from Yale; the city is its campus and the best possible introduction to urban life, if you’ve never experienced it before. Brown has the best town/gown relationship of the three.
I know something about Yale and Columbia and very little about Brown. In a heartbeat I’d choose Yale. It has a certain magic that will stay with you for life even if you tell no one that you went there. It’s internal and it lasts. As for accessing the urban wonders of NYC, Yale is also on the commuter trainline (MetroNorth) to NYC Grand Central Station. It’s very easy to make day trips into and out of the City.
with the limited info given, I’d vote Yale.
I d choose Yale in a heartbeat. really undergrad-focused with a lot of research opportunities for undergrads, super high quality and top professors in the fields you are interested in and just a great overall undergrad experience. Also the most prestigious of the three if you care about that.
I ended up choosing Yale!
Congratulations - you have loads of opportunities in front of you (including plenty of fellowship money for study abroad, if that’s what you decide to do). Depending on what area of the social sciences you’re looking at, there’s also a lot of expansion going on, notably the new Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs and Tobin Center.
https://news.yale.edu/2019/04/06/university-launches-yale-jackson-school-global-affairs
https://news.yale.edu/2018/06/11/new-academic-center-advance-economic-policy-research
All your choices were great, @NietzscheRules. Congratulations!