Columbia, Brown, Amherst or other?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Amherst College
1

<p>I’m an international student from Beijing, China, interested in literature, language, anthropology, philosophy, cinema, writing, art history, etc. What I look for the most from college, i guess, are the possibilities and freedom of study. I have no intention to get down to the job market very soon (very likely that I’ll go to grad school), nor do I desire to pursue a specific academic/career path. I’m not too aggressive or ambitious, though I do feed on challenges and fresh ideas, and search for intellectual growth and artistic exploration. My problem is that I’m not committed enough, have no strict, set goals, constantly swinging. </p>

<p>The schools I’m considering attending are Columbia, Brown, Amherst. (The artistic vibe at Vassar and Wesleyan also attracts me so much, and the oh-so-beautiful Middlebury!) Given my nationality and my parents’ lack of recognition for LACs, I’m almost bound to choose an Ivy, but I’m not sure they are the best for me. So here I list some of the pros and cons I can find or think of, and sincerely ask for alum or peer advice. And please correct me if any of the following is false.</p>

<p>COLUMBIA
pro:

  1. Prestige
  2. NYC: the city that stirs and inspires me. Resources, fun, stimulation.
  3. Core: solid basis of “Western Canon”
    con:
  4. NYC: $$, major distraction
  5. Core: time-consuming, not very flexible, leaves little freedom for self-exploration, everyone takes the same courses
  6. More aggressive, competitive, over-achieving, pre-professional</p>

<p>Brown
pro:

  1. Open Curriculum: much freedom in course selection, less pressure, pass/fail classes that allow me to venture into unfamiliar disciplines.
  2. More laid-back, family-like, nurturing, happy
    con:
  3. Providence is not NYC, though it’s a nice place
  4. From what I heard, Brown’s academic reputation is slightly less celebrated (do correct me if it’s not true)</p>

<p>Amherst
pro:

  1. Open Curriculum: much freedom in course selection, less pressure, pass/fail classes that allow me to venture into unfamiliar disciplines.
  2. Small, serious, tight-knit, class interaction, personal attention
  3. Beautiful nature & peaceful, quiet lifestyle, which I’ve never tasted in my 18 years of life
    con:
  4. Lack of proximity to a major city
  5. Lack of name recognition in general public or in China, not that I care a lot, but my parents do consider it a problem.
  6. Cliquish, preppy, more homogeneous (please correct me)</p>

<p>I think it’s also worth mentioning that I haven’t yet gave up my UChicago WL. To me, UChicago is like a secluded ivory tower in Chicago, another great city. The Chicago core is also demanding but a lot more flexible, and the students are more nerdy than preppy, which is fine for me. The drawback, I guess, should be the terribly long winter and academic pressure, since I’ve suffered from depression and anxiety for quite a long period of time. Should I stay on WL?</p>

<p>BTW, I didn’t get any FA from either school, but odds are that I could receive some from need-blind Amherst, due to family financial changes next year. But I don’t think it’s possible with other colleges. </p>

<p>This decision is one of the most important so far in my life, and considering that I’m going abroad into a totally different culture and way of living, I must be very prudent.
Appreciate every comment and suggestion.</p>

2

<p>I’m not sure about the other colleges, but you can only take 2 classes pass/fail over your entire 4 years at Amherst. I don’t think you’ll find a big difference in the “preppiness” of students at Amherst, Brown and Columbia, and Amherst is no more homogeneous than either of them.</p>

3

<p>I think these are all wonderful choices for you and you have a good grasp of the differing lifestyles. It’s your choice. I would forget about U of Chicago when you have three wonderful choices to be excited about. But that’s just me.</p>

4

<p>I just have to say, as someone with absolutely no “skin” in this game, that I’m absolutely blown away by how accurate the OP’s perceptions are of American class, pop culture and college minutiae are for someone who’s never been outside of Beijing!</p>

5

<p>Amherst is pretty famous, even in the general public. I don’t that think should be a con for you. Another pro for Amherst (in my opinion) is the five-college system. </p>

<p>Brown also has great academics. I would say its as good as Columbia’s. Amherst may have the best of all three if you consider personal attention part of an academic grade (I do). I personally like people at Brown the most of the three, but at all three places there are groups of people you’ll love and people you won’t really like to be around. </p>

<p>I’ve heard UChicago is cutthroat and competitive, which may not be want you want (thats just a rumor though). </p>

<p>Is Amherst really need-blind for international students? That would be strange.</p>

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<p>Hey ConnieKang! I’m an international student starting at Amherst this coming fall in the class of 2014. I’ve also had excessive anxiety due to large workloads at my high school, and Amherst’s free curriculum means that I can take a set of courses that aren’t too tough, but allow me time to relax and enjoy life. Also, it’s bound to be less competitive than an Ivy League school, and the suburban setting should lend it a comforting, home-like feel. I think you will thrive there. Go for Amherst!!!</p>

<p>@santeria: Yeah, Amherst is need-blind for international students. I was admitted to Amherst with a full financial aid award! It’s really fantastic</p>

7

<p>"Amherst is pretty famous, even in the general public. I don’t that think should be a con for you. "</p>

<p>I’m Chinese and although I don’t live in China anymore, I can tell you that my parents will have a hell of a time explaining to our relatives why I went to a college called Amherst rather than a Cornell or a Columbia.</p>

<p>@ConnieKang</p>

<p>I’m pretty rooted in the going-ons of China even though I live in CA. I understand the problem of prestige with Amherst because an educated American public will know about it and be impressed, but educated China doesn’t care at all. At least Wang Li Hong went to Williams :P.
However, you should definitely consider Amherst. Since you have a broad scope of interests, open curriculum really gives you the chance to explore them. as long as you can explain to your parents that the people who matter DO know about Amherst (thats assuming you plan to live here for the rest of your life). Amherst is just as big of a feeder school as Columbia and Brown would be…probably bigger than Brown. </p>

<p>On a side note, China is really teaching English well… lol</p>

<p>and also…is Brown a big name in China now? I always felt like nobody knew what it was…</p>

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<p>As for Amherst and homogeneity, consider that Amherst has one of the most economically-diverse student bodies in US. This can be attributed to Amherst’s extraordinary commitment to “need blind” admissions. There are only six colleges that are need-blind AND full-need for all applicants, including international students: Dartmouth, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Yale and Amherst. (Williams and Middlebury were on this list as of last year, but due to the economic downturn are no longer “need blind.”) Thus, of the schools on your list, Amherst (not Brown nor Columbia) demonstrate a unique commitment to economic diversity of the student body through truly “need blind” admissions.</p>

9

<p>Unfortunately, Amherst does lose significantly within the Chinese community as far as reputation is concerned. I live in a very East Asian area of the Pacific Northwest, and I received polite congratulations for getting into Amherst while people who got into UCLA got almost thunderous applause. And I just got looks of complete incredulity when I mentioned that I got into Bowdoin, Carleton, and Reed as well.</p>

<p>If what your parents/parents friends will think of your decision is a large consideration, Amherst is absolutely not the right choice. If on the other hand you plan to attend graduate school and plan to get your fill of brandname recognition from where you go after your undergraduate years, Amherst may well be the best choice due to it offering a caring/intimate/nurturing/however you want to phrase it environment, professors who love teaching, incredibly high graduation rate, &c. Columbia wins by far on the reputation front, but from what I’ve heard from friends who’ve attended, it can be somewhat more sink-or-swim that Brown or Amherst.</p>

<p>Also, note that it’s not particularly difficult to travel within New England. Brown students can easily take the train up to Boston, Amherst students can spend a weekend in NYC, and so on, if access to the amenities of a gleaming metropolis is important to you.</p>

10

<p>Brown might be a good fit for you if you’re attracted to the artistic/creative/romantic cultures of Vassar and Wesleyan. There is a stereotype (probably unfair) that all the students at Vassar and Wesleyan actually wanted to go to Brown :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Brown is LAC-like, but also an academically strong research university that sends large numbers of students to prestigious employers, graduate schools, and fellowships. </p>

<p>Columbia and Amherst are also great though and you can’t go wrong. If it is possible to visit the schools, it may make your decision much easier.</p>

11

<p>With all this talk about the Chinese community and reputation, do you want to get a job in China or in the US? If it is the US then it’s a wash in terms of reputation…</p>

12

<p>I’m not sure if I’ll try to find a job in the US or go back. Either way I expect to go to grad school, but unlikely professional schools. </p>

<p>Now a huge concern of mine is about the lifestyle at Amherst. I know that it will take me some time to adjust to the semi-rural New England way of life, but would it be good for all four years of life? I mean, I’m quite used to this metropolitan rush, with always too many options and too little time. I certainly welcome a change of country air, but I really don’t know if I’d still love it 4 years from now.</p>

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<p>to vergilfan1: Wow that’s really great! What are you from?</p>

14

<p>to unitofobscurity: Yes, I’m also aware of that. Columbia, or rather New York, isn’t known for hospitality or hand-holding. In fact that’s what makes it so charming. I don’t know if undergrad is the best time to jump into it. But meanwhile I’m not sure if I should hope that Amherst doesn’t get a little claustrophobic when the first touch of freshness is gone.</p>

15

<p>You seem very committed to a certain kind of environment that I don’t think you’ll get at Amherst. If the location of Amherst is something that you have such clear reservations about, then I’d say just take it off the list. My son took schools off his list because he didn’t like their urban settings – the opposite of your preferences – and that was fine. Why be somewhere for four years you don’t like?</p>

16

<p>Hi Connie,
I am a Chinese-American so I understand your dilemma. While I was born and raised in the States, and my parents were well-educated professionals, I initially had a difficult time in convincing them when I had to choose between Amherst and Yale. On the other hand, when I explained my reasons-a smaller community, close interactions with professors, discussion-based classes, a beautiful rural environment surrounded by 50,000 other college students relatively nearby-they agreed with my decision. Given who I was at age 18, I also wanted to be in a more “nurturing” environment-something you may want to consider given your history of depression. In general, I think it is less easy to fall through the cracks at a LAC than at a major university since your professors know you.</p>

<p>Amherst is quite different than Columbia or Brown which I would consider more similar to each other. I preferred to live in a “safe” environment where I didn’t have to worry about crime and was also very close to nature rather than in an urban one. It turns out, I have never again lived in that type of environment ever since (almost all in or near large metropolitan areas) so I value that experience in my life. On the other hand, if you want night life, shows, museums, concerts, etc. NYC would be an exciting place. Brown may be somewhat of a hybrid as it does not have as large a grad school as Columbia and thus arguably is more undergraduate-focused. Providence is a smaller city (some may say even sleepy in comparison to New York) but nonetheless has some of the amenities one might expect and enjoy in a city. I have friends who went to both Brown and Columbia and enjoyed their experiences.</p>

<p>I think ultimately it boils down to where you feel you will get the best education (in the full sense of that word) and not just a degree. At least, in the U.S., Amherst’s reputation is secure, as I later was admitted to what many consider is the top professional school in my field. I think because I was happy where I was, it was reflected in my overall college experience and my academic performance. </p>

<p>It is too bad that you cannot visit. If you know of any Chinese or Asian students at these schools, that may be helpful for you. Usually, the admissions departments can refer you to them if you don’t know someone first-hand.</p>

<p>Best of luck wherever you choose.</p>