I’ve been fortunate enough to have been accepted to Cornell, Duke, and Brown, among other schools. I’m also fortunate that cost is an absolute non-factor amongst these schools.
Anyway, a quick background on me: I’d love to double major in CS and Applied Math with maybe an Econ minor, but the humanities are still very important to me; I’d want a school where top tech companies regularly recruit for internships; I love watching sports and playing them in informal settings; and I’d like a vibrant social atmosphere, but not one dominated by frats.
I guess I’ll assess each school individually now so you can get a sense of my pros and cons for each:
Cornell:
Pros
[] Great CS program, pretty good at applied math and econ
[] As a Tanner Dean’s Scholar, I have guaranteed funding for research
Cons
[] The weather, which is an especially salient factor since I’ve got asthma and get sick a lot
[] A bit too big for my tastes
[] Intense, cutthroat atmosphere in Engineering with everyone fighting to be above the curve (according to a grad who worked for my dad)
Duke:
Pros [ul]
[li] Probably the best econ program of the 3[/li][] Like I said, I looooovvve watching sports. So Duke basketball, obviously (as a side note, they’ve locked up 3 of the top 4 HS recruits so they might win the title next year). And Duke football was toying with the top 25 until they crashed and burned in the second half of the season.
[] Weather
[] Easy to double major
[] Especially strong alum network
Cons
[] Preponderance of rich, stuck-up fratboys
[li] Doesn’t seem to have amazing departments in CS and applied math[/li]
Brown:
Pros [list]
[] Probably the best all around academic experience. They’re great at CS, Applied Math, and alright at Econ. Because of the Open Curriculum, I’ll be able to concoct a customized academic path that’s got a healthy mix of the humanities and STEM courses. Lower competition and pressure b/c of Pass/Fail. I can drop/swap courses if I hate the profs/material because of their shopping period.
[] Providence is the chillest college town of the bunch
[] Great social scene for an Ivy. I know I’m likely to have the most fun here.
Cons
[] Brown’s image, especially in the Finance world. I want to explore the intersection of tech and finance for as long as I can, but eventually I’ll need to pick one. My dad works in finance, and he (and most of his co-workers) roll their eyes at mention of Brown. They think they’re lightweights. Maybe they’re not that well-respected in the tech circles, either?
[] The rampant liberalism. As a moderate, I wouldn’t want to be verbally attacked at every turn just because I don’t like Bernie Sanders, who in my book doesn’t understand basic economic principles (alright, I’ll stop politicizing things…but seriously, all these presidential candidates suck). I don’t like the image of batsht crazy chicks with like purple hair and dreamcatcher earrings screaming at me for being a bigot or chauvinist just because I didn’t express my thoughts in the most PC manner. I really hope I’m wrong, because if I am then I DEFINITELY go to Brown. If I’m right, I’ll probably pick Duke.
[li] Weather[/li][/ul]
Any input or additional information would be great, guys. Which best fits my academic needs? My desired social atmosphere?
Thanks in advance. Your thoughts, along with my final visits to these places, will be very influential in my ultimate choice.
Disclaimer: I’m a senior in high school, so I can’t give you as good a perspective as someone who attended these schools. But I did spend a weekend at Brown about a month ago.
Yes, it is a liberal school. Yes, it is a place where words like “patriarchy” and “gender binary” are heard more often than many other locations. But that isn’t all it is. There are plenty of people at Brown who don’t dye their hair or wear weird stuff. As far as colleges go, they are pretty open and accepting of opinions and are a very “you do you” kind of school.
My advice would be to speak to one or more students who go there, just to hear their perspectives. But you should be aware that the environment there may be different than what you are used to, and decide if that’s okay with you.
This is just not true. Brown is very well respected, both in finance and in tech. There are TONS of Brown grads working for Google, Microsoft, Facebook, etc., etc. Google Andy van Dam to understand how much the Brown CS department is respected. Brown’s economic department is very strong. Lots of Brown grads in finance, too.
As for the rampant liberalism – I’m not a current student, so it’s really hard for me to respond to this from personal experience. I do think this is an issue, although one that exists on many college campuses. I think there are situations where if you’re not PC there will be issues, although I also think that in the vast majority of social interactions, this is not an issue. A lot of it depends on who you end up hanging out with, and luck of the draw. You could have a MCM-majoring purple-haired tattooed roommate with Bernie posters; or you could have a studious engineer who hasn’t given Bernie a second thought. The nice thing about going to a medium-sized school is that there are plenty of different types of kids around, that if you don’t like one group, you can just go out and find another.
I can promise you that most Brown students look really normal and don’t have purple hair. It is very possible that things will be politicized for the first few months you are there, because there is an election in November (although if Bernie does not get the nomination, I doubt people will be talking about him). Once that’s over, though, things will calm down and most people will not be discussing politics at all (except the poli sci majors, but they’re a minority).
No need to pick between tech and finance. The intersection between the two is big enough to drive a fleet of Mack trucks through. Did your Dad tell you it is one or the other?
If your Dad and most of his co-workers roll their eyes at the mention–“at the mention”–of Brown, and if Dad is involved in paying for college, then I think Dad or you will have some 'splaining to do if you choose Brown.
You say your Dad and co-workers think Brown grads are “lightweights”. You accept this, apparently, because you go on to say “Maybe they’re [Brown grads] not that well-respected in the tech circles, either?” If you accept that Brown grads are Finance lightweights, why are you still considering Brown?
I disagree with your Dad based on the CareerLab info put out by Brown and other anecdotal information that comes to my attention from time to time. But if you agree with him, definitely Cornell is the place for you. Or Duke.
@willay congratulations and you have a tough choice here. I don’t have a connection to any of the three schools, so I will try to give you neutral opinions.
I would start by saying be careful of older stereotypes that adults have. They may have been born in truth, but have slowly melted away. So that would apply to Brown here. That said, if you graduate from Cornell with a degree in CS, people know you are tough and are not a lightweight.
I think I drop Cornell in part because of the weather. I think it is an awesome school, but given your other choices you can choose something that is more comfortable. If you were hardcore CS only, it would probably be the best choice, since they are amazing in CS.
That leaves Duke and Brown. Duke is solid and wins weather of course. I don’t think Duke is a bad choice and would serve your needs, especially with the double major. There’s a lot of great stuff going on there in terms of research and student programs. The sports culture is there and you would probably really enjoy it.
But I like Brown for you the best. As long as you put in the hard work, it will show at ANY of the 3 schools. Your multiple interests is a perfect fit for their open curriculum. Their strength in CS and especially Applied Math (which is particularly multidisciplinary) stands out. If you have high level classes in CS, Applied Math, and Ec there with good grades, you won’t be thought of as a “lightweight.” And when I saw it, it was a fairly chill, happy place. No screaming at people for being moderate. And all these places have niches where you would be fine.
I have never been to Cornell, so no comment on it. But i have been to Duke a couple years ago, the impression i received is, the sudents there are so so snobby, of course, whom i most seen there are white guys. This is very disturbing to me, because we have visited many elite schools accross the country, never see a school like this.
Your dad is right, Brown is only a semi-target for finance.
I would pick Cornell based on your characteristics and preferences, especially being a Tanner Dean’s Scholar. The only thing that would hold me back is getting sick a lot lol, but only you could judge that.
It really depends on your asthma situation. I was sick a lot in HS and was sick in college as well. If I went to college further south, I think I would have had fewer issues.
I think Duke would be the “most anonymous” place to go, but also being in the South, there are certain things that people in the North don’t deal with as much, like passive aggressive evangelicals (based on what my friend who went there said - I’ve never lived in the South and on the surface, never had an issue with that anywhere in the South).
There are no “passive aggressive evangelicals” at Duke. That’s just hearsay and honestly stereotyping an entire part of the country is just another form of discrimination. I wouldn’t be surprised if Durham was significantly more liberal than parts of upstate New York!
These are all wonderful schools with major credits and drawbacks to both. It is nearly impossible to do well in a school if you are constantly suffering and ill, so chose the one that will keep you as healthy as possible- you can’t really go wrong with such great choices.
Cornell would be tops just based on your concentrations, and the network you could accumulate there, however, it isn’t the best climate for a weakened immune system. I am assuming if you mentioned athsma it might be severe. You would really get to explore liberal arts at Brown, and have a great time, but underclassmen are required to live on campus, and most of the dorms are very old. If mold, mildew, or dust mites exacerbate your condition, this could be very difficult for you and you may need special approval to live off campus. Like Cornell, I believe you would be more likely to create an expansive network (I do mean people who will work in corresponding fields, not just friends) at Duke, and school pride and athletics would be enormous fun. Most of the dorms are newer, however “hayfever season” is longer down south. The upside is that in the south air conditioning is the norm, unlike in New England and that can filter some of the pollen out of your area. I’m only mentioning these as potential issues, you know your body best, and what you can handle. Good luck!