<p>Any suggestions? pros and cons either way? Have been debating over this for quite a while but haven't reached any decision..</p>
<p>fool of a took.
go to brown</p>
<p>Go to Columbia. Better city, better opportunities, and what I personally believe to be the best faculty in the country with the most Nobel Prizes won of any other college.</p>
<p>Finally, a comparison of peer schools, not this NYU BS! Since your academic opportunities are going to be similar at either school, I'd choose based on location. Are you more into the artsy but smaller Providence community or the bigger NYC area? It's really just a matter of preference I don't think you can go wrong either way.</p>
<p>I chose Columbia over Brown because of NYC, btw. I don't really see what else can factor into your decision, unless you are involved in a special program of some kind at one school or the other (e.g. Scholars at Columbia).</p>
<p>alphabet,
These schools couldn't be more different curriculum-wise. I think that the Core vs. the Open Curriculum makes the choice based on a hell of a lot more than just location.</p>
<p>Yes, the curricula are different, but the overall academic opportunities are similar (if perhaps stronger for different fields at one school or the other). The quality of the education is comparable.</p>
<p>The Core is unique but it has never struck me as a determining factor: it's really just a set of general education requirements plus a couple special classes the first two years (cc, lit hum, writing/fos). That's worth noting in making a decision, but I personally just place much more emphasis on where to live for four years.</p>
<p>I'm not sure because of quite a few factors actually... The core in columbia is supposed to be really rigid (while in Brown you can take whatever you want from the Columbia core).. so in a sense i could end up taking the best of the columbia core as my brown subjects...</p>
<p>Also, been thinking over this and dont know whether NYC is a plus or not... city life would definitely be better but undergrad life is the one chance to live at a proper campus (especially since im an international student).... So it has its pros and cons again...</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions anyway</p>
<p>I haven't looked into this thouroughly, so I pose this as a question: What classes at Brown are comparable to Columbia's Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization?</p>
<p>Watercannon-
What are the topics you are debating over between Brown and Columbia? Maybe if you elaborate on the things you are grappling/contemplating over, like academics, social life,etc. we can better help you with which is more ideal.</p>
<p>I think the previous posts have captured the biggest points of contrast: the Core vs. Brown's open curriculum, and New York City. I don't view the Core as an assemblage of random humanities courses - I think the shared experience factor is significant for many students, and it sets a standard for cultural literacy.</p>
<p>New York may be a plus for some and minus for others, but it's fair to say that many CU students chose to attend specifically for its location.</p>
<p>I'm not looking at it from any specific aspect.. just overall..</p>
<p>Dont know what my major is going to be, but might tilt towards eco (and columbia's eco department is supposed to be really strong)..</p>
<p>The core vs liberal and city vs campus issue is still dicey cuz i cant decided whihc one would be better but i guess ill have to decide soon..</p>
<p>Runaway - hows the social life at both these places?</p>
<p>Do you want the city for a real reason? Art, film, etc? Otherwise Brown in a nanosecond. More life, more love, more college. Chances are you'll end up in New York City in the end, but college happens once. Brown for me, every second, every minute, every hour, every day.</p>
<p>I'm about 20 minutes away from Brown and know a few people who attend the University. It sounds like the social life is okay at Brown. I have never heard complaints about the socail life at Brown. It's only at half hour from Boston by car and walking distance from the commuter rail. I have never been to Columbia so this may not be a fair evaluation,but I would say the social life is better at Columbia simply because it's more in the city and there are more surrounding colleges.Brown has Thayer St. in Providence that has coffee shops,clubs and cafes but the only surronding colleges are Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island. However, Columbia is in NYC, of course, so they have everything Brown has, in terms of shops, and more surrounding colleges.</p>
<p>Makes sense.. ive had the decision made for me now anyway though.. columbia waitlist didnt come through :( ... just found out yesterday.. not that im losing either way..</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your comments everyone..</p>