<p>The location at both schools is fine, in there own ways. I’m not concerned about that. I really like the flexibility of Brown’s curiculum, but there are some benefit’s to Dartmouth’s D-plan. I think that Dartmouth might have a little more prestige. I don’t want this to be about politics, so don’t argue/comment on Bush please, but I feel that I might be really out of place for supporting Bush (I come from a midwestern, religious family). In that sense, I think I might be more comfortable at Dartmouth, but Brown’s curiculum, weather, lack of emphasis on frats, etc, is also very attractive. I’m interested in hearing people’s thoughts on this.</p>
<p>I absolutely agree. It seems like Brown, out of all the Ivies, is the most liberal. That's not to say you won't find conservatives at Brown though. I think you'll be fairly comfortable at either campus.</p>
<p>i'm at brown, my younger brother is at dartmouth</p>
<p>most folks are liberals at both places, but there are conservatives at both places as well and unless your party is the most important part of your life you'd be happy at either</p>
<p>brown and dartmouth each have their advantages, though i'd definitely say the D-plan is not one of them. it was basically set up because of a housing shortage on campus, and then Dartmouth found ways to promote it through clever marketing. in truth, the internship opportunities are no better with it than at other places, classes are really scrunched to fit within the quarter system, and the on-and-off terms make being with your friends after freshman year a pain</p>
<p>I was just addmitted early to Brown. I had boiled my choices down to Brown and Dartmouth. I visited both and Chose Brown. I too am a conservative and found that Brown was not as liberal as made up to be. I am extremly happy with my choice of Brown.</p>
<p>not quite true...prestige is relative and it depends on the circles you are in but brown, columbia, and dartmouth are still widely considered to be more more prestigious than penn and cornell. penn has made a recent climb in USNWR to its credit, but it was considered the bottom ivy league for decades and old perceptions die hard.</p>
<p>but the idea that prestige matters to a point is well taken. only the most elitist of folks care about the differences among the ivies--namely ivy grads. unfortunately, ivy grads often are the ones other ivy grads are hoping will employ them or accept them to grad school.</p>
<p>I wouldn't pick based on political comfort, because no matter where you go, you will find a small core of people who agree with you and a lot of people who challenge your views.</p>
<p>Look at strength of departments you're interested in. Visit and get to know the mood of the student body, the social scene, the attitudes toward education, etc.</p>
<p>As far as prestige goes, if you're worried about that, go to Dartmouth. Not that Dartmouth is more prestigious than Brown (depends whom you ask), but that Brown emphasizes prestige less and actual substance of learning more.</p>
<p>I too am a conservative middle class white kid and have to choose between brown and dartmouth ( already got a likely letter). I loved both schools but both the D-Plan and the Brown Open curriculum worry me so its kind of a wash there. I prefer the rural setting of Dartmouth, and after visiting both found the students, (no offense intended) more normal. However, I was worried that at Dartmouth it might be harder to get into grad school because it is so focused on the undergraduate experience. Would Brown help me further my education post grad.</p>
<p>sorry I meant continuing a grad program at the school, dartmouths grad programs arent spectacular, except Tuck, which might be a possibility if I were lucky enough to be admitted down the road</p>
<p>you shouldn't go to an undergrad school with hopes of easier admissions to that university's grad school. usually, it is not the case that admission is easier (in some cases its more difficult because the university is looking for new students). moreover, it's generally advisible to go somewhere else for grad school both for diversity of experience and because two schools gives you two circles of connections and two alumni networks (though many in high school do not realize this, these connections are a large part of your tuition investment)</p>
<p>that being said, both schools place students into grad school very well (particularly if you're a good student).</p>
<p>my ivy competitiveness still wants to mention the stats though. in terms of placement stats, brown is in the top five in the nation (92-95% acceptance rate to top three law schools, 100% to top three choice business schools, etc.), while dartmouth is not in the top ten</p>
<p>I'll second what dcircle says -- you definitely don't want to go to grad school in the same place you go to college, and you shouldn't generally pick colleges based on the strength of their graduate programs.</p>
<p>The social atmosphere is drastically different at each of those schools, as is the D-Plan vs. Open Curriculum (why the OC would scare someone is really confusing to me, please elaborate).</p>
<p>Prestige is probably a wash, though again as has been stated, typically they are considered the same level anyway.</p>
<p>We do have better graduate school admissions rates, but I dont think that's very important. I would never go to Dartmouth because of hte people there and it's location are a complete turn off. Plus, the open curriculum was the most important factor in my decision, obviously Brown get's the nod on that one. It's a very personal choice, visit both places and define what are the most important aspects to your education and which school can do that better.</p>
<p>machiavelli----columbia is well known for its tradition of conservatism esp within its staff-----the students might be liberal---but really for a university as a whole when considering its political bent its the profs and adm that matters</p>
<p>I had this choice, Dartmouth and Brown are equally good - its a wash. Just as those placement stats were cited, according the the Wall Street Journal ranking Dartmouth was ranked #7 for placement, ahead of Brown. In my honest opinion, they are 100% equal, absoultely zero difference either way. </p>
<p>As for politics, both schools are pretty liberal and the republicans are more libertarian than Bush supporters. at Dartmouth 17% in the last election voted for Bush, at Brown my bet it was less than 10%. Not a huge difference though. Not enough to choose a school for those reasons at least.</p>
<p>I chose between Brown and Dartmouth and picked D for the D-plan, and the smaller more LACy feel. I loved sophomore summer, multiple study abroads, etc. I actually did feel the D plan was a benefit. I loved Dartmouth, but I am sure I would have loved Brown. In my opinion this is the best dilemma to have in the country, you just can't go wrong.</p>