<p>I posted something similar on a main messageboard but I thought those with firsthand experience at Brown could give me a better perspective. Well I’ve narrowed my two favorite schools down to Brown and Yale and I can’t decide which one I want to apply early to. I have legacy at both and I definitely want to apply early to one especially since it maximizes my chances due to my legacy advantage. I know at Yale it’s early action so theoretically I could choose between both schools if I were to get into both but Yale will also be near impossible to get into this year more so than ever and I’ll probably have a better shot of getting into Brown. I know that everyone says don’t do it according to chances but being that I pretty much can’t decide between them it might end up that way so please don’t preach to me about that. However, i was wondering which one y’all think I should honestly apply early to. Can you guys try to sway me to one side or another using specific examples, you know give me some pros and cons etc. Thanks.</p>
<p>Nope, we can't, though some will try.</p>
<p>What specifically is the most important for you? What do you think is most important for you to have the most optimal college experience?</p>
<p>Figure out those criteria, and compare yourself at either place and get a sense for where you think you're going to get the most out of those experiences.</p>
<p>Well, modestmelody is right. I am sure you know enough about Brown and Yale and have your "own version of pros and cons" ( since you are legacy at both)</p>
<p>Something caught my attention though. Be very careful about assuming that you have a better chance at one or the other. I do not think that there is any pattern of predictability whatosever. I have friends, class of 2011 who were rejected from Brown and admitted to Penn, Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, Harvard and/or ...Yale in different combinations!! </p>
<p>We can not sway you one side or the other. Talk to posterx. He will certainly sway you towards Yale with some of the most absurd and manipulated statistics and opinions...</p>
<p>well i just think brown would be easier next year due to the flood of ealry action applicants yale will get since harvard and pronceton did away with early action/decision</p>
<p>I wouldn't assume at this point that that flood will necessarily be wholly directed at Yale, especially after the significant drop in early applicants they experienced this year... But who really knows? I've read predictions that range from "Everyone's just going to apply to Yale" to "No one's even going to bother applying EA anymore." Personally, I'd expect it to be somewhere in between, but it really could go either way.</p>
<p>I'd agree with the above posts though -- there are enough differences between the schools (some fundamental) that, the closer you look, the more you'll realize which one is better for you. Also, VISIT. That's what did it for me when it came down to my decision to attend Brown.</p>
<p>Yeah, the truth is, other than being Ivy League schools and being in New England, the schools are quite different in agenda, policy, direction, pedagogical philosophy, etc.</p>
<p>My son was accepted to both Brown and Yale (applied SCEA and was deferred). Both are good schools and similar in many ways but there are differences. I agree that you should visit both schools again - pretend you'll be going there while you walk the campus, sit in on classes, etc. Where do you feel more comfortable? </p>
<p>Do you want to control your own educational choices (you'll have more freedom to do so at Brown - and will be expected to do so). Yale is more prestigious. Everyone told my son to choose Yale. Is that really important to you or your family? Do you have a preference for New Haven or Providence? My son spent 2 summers at Brown and KNOWS it's a good fit for him and his view of education...</p>
<p>Brown offered him a strong Neuroscience program and a guaranteed medical school program (PLME) - giving him even more freedom & flexibility during his undergrad years to study what he wants and do study abroad (rather than concentrating on "preparing" to apply to med school).</p>
<p>Both are good choices and it's not necessary to get in "early."</p>
<p>Brown is a better school. More interesting less BS. Apply to Brown over Yale. Listed as most satisfied students nationally. Brown all the way.</p>
<p>Be sure you like Brown for more than prestige before applying ED... otherwise, you may have doubts about your decision.. since you know the rules of Early Decision!</p>
<p>Also from people I know, I hear that many are satisfied with their Brown and Yale experiences.. you can't go wrong with either school.</p>
<p>Given your indecision, I would suggest applying EA to Yale which is not a committment to attend and applying RD to Brown. That way you have a chance at both and can see where you get in. If by chance you are admitted to both, you have more time to revisit and decide. </p>
<p>Both are great schools and it is a matter of which one more closely fits what YOU want. I would not go by chances. In fact, it is hard to get into either school and it is more important to go to the school you want. Some students have been admitted to Yale but not Brown and some have been admitted to Brown but not Yale. So, I wouldn't go by your perceived chances. Since Yale is the one that offers EA, however, I would do the EA there for the "early boost" and then RD for Brown. Doing ED at Brown is a commitment which I am not sure you are ready to make. Doing ED should only be considered when there is a clear cut first choice. </p>
<p>By the way, I have a daughter who had three favorite schools and was not willing to apply ED anywhere. She did apply EA to Yale just to do an early school without a commitment involved. She was deferred. She applied RD everywhere else, including Brown. She was accepted to Brown and almost all of her schools and then denied at Yale in April. She VERY happily attends Brown. It could not be a better fit. Yale, however, is on her graduate school list.</p>
<p>brown actually has the lowest ED acceptance rate in the ivy league, and chooses to defer the vast majority of qualified applicants. since most people fall it that boat, there really isn't some sort of "gaming advantage" to applying ED over RD.</p>
<p>i agree with others, that you should choose the school you like best and avoid ED at any school where hedging your bets is a large part of why you are applying</p>
<p>well when i visited brown i met with this former admissions officer who now acts a college counselor for the children of brown alumni it's a service the school offers for brown alumns anyways she said that for a legacy applying to brown RD is roughly 22% whereas ED skyrockets one's chances to almost 45% Now i dont know how realistic that really is but thats what this women said anyways whats the greek life like at brown is it minimal or does it dominate the social scene</p>
<p>Minimal, less than 5% of students are in the frats, though there are plenty of big parties open to the whole campus each weekend, it's just one facet of life here.</p>
<p>Don't assume that Brown will be easier to get into than Yale. Both are extermely selective with numbers similar to each other. </p>
<p>Furthermore, Yale is not all that more prestigious!! If you want to impress truck drivers, go to Harvard. To anyone that knows anything, they will know that both Yale and Brown are amazing schools on par with each other academically. </p>
<p>As for choosing between the two, from what I've heard from a Brown friend that's spent a lot of time at Yale as well, is that Brown students are both incredibly acadmeically and socially capable, wherease Yale students, while academically smart, are a little more awkward, a little less social, that kind of thing. I'm sure many Yale students would disagree with this, but it's what I have heard.</p>
<p>I've heard the pompous egos are common at Yale. </p>
<p>As far as Brown goes, everytime someone asks where I'm going to school next year and I say Brown they either have no idea what or where it is...or say, "BROWN MACKIE????" </p>
<p><sigh></sigh></p>
<p>brown mackie?</p>
<p>use your googles claysoul!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.brownmackie.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.brownmackie.edu/</a></p>
<p>hahaha that's just like Brown College in Minnesota</p>
<p>I feel that Brown should file for trademark infringment.</p>
<p>I've spent a lot of time (i.e. years) going to both campuses and would actually say Yale is much more social. Don't take anyone's word for it though. Visit each for 2-3 days, including a weekend day, sit in on a half dozen or so courses in different areas, talk with a couple dozen or more students and professors. That's the only way to really understand how they are different. </p>
<p>Don't worry about your chances, either - apply to the one you MOST want to go to. You'll either have a great shot at getting into both, or a not so great shot at getting into either -- it depends on how much time you spend crafting your application and making it one of the best they receive.</p>
<p>To offer my own opinion, in my experiences in searching through CC and seeing the preferences of many students, to me, Brown basically seems like one of those schools that satisfies the conditions most people are looking for. It has a small to medium sized student population (not a small LAC but not a large state U), it is in an urban environment (but then again Providence isn't NYC so you get that city/small town feel), it is undergrad focused (especially since there aren't many graduate students), the greek system exists but is not overwhelming, and the social life is diverse. Yale is more prestigious than Brown but that's just another reason to choose Brown, I don't know about you but I would rather be in an intellectual environment where people want to learn than go to classes with a bunch of prestige whores who are just in a school to use the prestige. </p>
<p>As everyone will say, they are both great schools, but I know how hard it is to choose between two schools (especially with ED). If you can visit do an overnight, take a couple course, if you can't I would recommend you apply SCEA to Yale if you really like it because its nonbinding. Or just don't don't apply SCEA if you want to apply EA to some other places.</p>