<p>Ok, so I’m a junior and therefore I’ve thought a lot about college and after a lot of research, I’ve decided that my top two schools are Brown and Yale. However, I’m completely conflicted between the two, despite the fact that they are very different in some ways. I like Brown’s lack of a core curriculum, especially because I want to double major in Economics and Philosophy and still be able take a reasonable amount of courses outside of my majors, but I also love that Yale is more traditional and has a great residential college system and is close to NYC. So, it would be very helpful if you guys could post which school you think is better (this is a brown thread so clearly you guys would say brown but why?) Also, if you actually had to make the decision it would be great if you could tell me how you chose.</p>
<p>Honestly, neither school is "better." At this level, it's all about personal fit -- which school is better for you?</p>
<p>Obviously, I chose Brown over Yale. I visited Yale and liked the school a lot, but I couldn't imagine spending 4 years of my life in New Haven, so I didn't apply.</p>
<p>It looks like you've already got a basic grasp on the advantages of each school. The open curriculum is great, the residential college system is great, New York is great... you just have to figure out what your priorities are. Visit each school, get a sense of the student body and the academic culture. I imagine that's where you'll see a greater difference between the schools, and hopefully one will jump out at you and make you think, "this is the place for me."</p>
<p>Good luck! If you have any more questions about Brown, I'd be happy to help you out.</p>
<p>How is Yale more "traditional"? If you can provide a couple of reasons, I would be very surprised. Brown was founded in 1764 and Yale was 1701. Not a very significant difference. Over 200 years is enough (one would think) to develop traditions...</p>
<p>Yale's residential college system makes more sense to use as a differentiating factor than "tradition" when you're comparing two old East Coast Ivies.</p>
<p>Umm, actually, my college counselor is the one who said that Yale is more traditional - not quite sure what that means either. I think she may be referring to the fact that Brown's course are more modern - Brown would have a course like the Science in Poetry, whereas at Yale, they would have a course that mixes science and poetry - they keep different disciplines seperate.<br>
Also, for people at Brown, could you tell me what the Philosophy department is like/if you like it?</p>
<p>Yale is more academically "traditional" in the sense that it has a distribution requirement, calculates GPA, etc.</p>
<p>Oh, I gotcha... I thought you were talking about campus traditions...</p>
<p>the brown vs. yale discussion comes up frequently on these boards</p>
<p>both schools are actually very similar, particularly in terms of academic culture--i was admitted to both and had a difficult time deciding between the two</p>
<p>to me, the most important thing that distinguished brown w/ respect to yale is the open curriculum--you should think about how important intellectual autonomy is to you, and whether having complete freedom to choose your classes is appealing</p>
<p>the distinguishing feature of yale really is the residential college housing system--however you should know that it is both a blessing and a curse. most yale students are loyal to their particular residential college but have mixed feelings about the housing system overall--particularly because it very much limits the amount you end up socializing with. often make your best friends through activities and classes of mutual interest, not through who happens to live down the hall</p>