DUKE vs NORTHWESTERN vs BROWN

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm trying to decide between the three: Duke (Trinity College Arts & Sci), Northwestern (Weinberg Arts & Sci), Brown.</p>

<p>I don't know what I want to major in, yet, but I've traditionally been more of a science person. I'm serious about academics, but student body/atmosphere and social life are also very important. I'm considering getting either an MBA or an MD after undergrad, but that could very well change.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance! :)</p>

<p>P.S. I'm planning on visiting all 3, so if there's anything specific you think I should stop by and see, then let me know.</p>

2

<p>All three are excellent schools and I think it’ll really come down to what your “feel” is when you visit all three as you said. Personally, I would attend Brown of the three; the freedom of the open curriculum lets you explore and there are bountiful opportunities from research to a social atmosphere as you said. Good luck</p>

3

<p>im really interested in this thread, its brown and northwestern for me to choose.</p>

<p>And in response to your post, due to your undecided status, i would say… brown or northwestern. brown has the open curriculum, and NW has the quarter system, both of which will allow you to freely experiment. brown more so, but NW too because of the NUMBER of classes youll be taking. </p>

<p>When you visit, you should recognize a few differences. i visited all three, and all three were top picks for me. brown is in a small, beautiful city with a lot of character and a lot of food. durham is not too nice, but duke kind of makes up for it with its amazing campus. Northwestern is cozily set in evanston and has immediate proximity to Chicago. Its about what you want there: big city, small city, or durham. </p>

<p>if youre interested in sports, duke wins it. northwestern has it. brown… has it but their sports are not as good or as well backed by the student body. However, i was watching espn recently, and 2 brown grads were selected for this years nfl pro bowl. how many usc grads? 1. how many georgia grads? 1. how many florida grads? 0. this DOES say something about brown football.</p>

<p>finally, the social. NW and Dukes have parties at mostly frats from what i have heard. Brown, you will run into frat parties, dorm parties, cocktail parties, small student gatherings, etc. Brown is known for its collective student body, which basically fills the school spirit spot that the sports sometimes lacks.</p>

<p>also consider: brown is very liberal, and the students like to be active on social/political issues. idk how this is at other schools</p>

<p>good luck on your visits!</p>

4

<p>100% of brown students get into one of their top three choices for business school (that is an incredible statistic that few schools can boast)</p>

<p>brown is also consistently among the top five schools in the nation for getting students into medical school</p>

<p>despite these great stats, brown never feels pre-professional. students are encouraged to explore and be academically adventurous in a friendly, low-stress environment.</p>

5

<p>It really depends more on what kind of environment you want. Northwestern and Duke have more in common than with Brown. Brown is a unique place for some of the reasons dcircle outlined. NU and Duke are more conservative, elitist campuses in terms of the attitudes of the student body. NU is in an elite suburb, Duke is like USC in that it is an affluent place surrounded by poorer and working class folks. Brown is located in smaller, but interesting city. I would opt for whichever offers the best financial aid first. If that is not a factor, then where do you want to live and how. 1) Duke, southern gentry, affluence in the face of the non affluent, great education, conservative student population, bball rules. 2) NU elite surrounded by elite evanston, Big 10 sports, frat culture, BUT accessible to a GREAT city-Chicago or 3) Brown, more liberal campus, liberal students, (although many elite as well) small city (providence) open curriculum.</p>

<p>Personally, I would decide between NU and Brown, but would likely choose Brown.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the input, everyone! In terms of financial aid, Duke actually gave me the best package (somewhat surprisingly). Let me give you a bit more background regarding my preconceptions of the schools:</p>

<p>Brown: I applied here in the first place because of 1) its seemingly wonderfully friendly, outgoing, and laid-back student body and social scene, and 2) its Open Curriculum. Months after my initial college search, my reason #1 still applies, but I’ve become a bit more indifferent about reason #2–distribution requirements or not, I still think I’d fulfill them. However (not meaning to offend anyone who goes, or intends to go, to Brown), my concern is that Brown may be over-hyped. Would it be thought of differently if it wasn’t an Ivy League school? Initially, Brown was my top choice (due in large to the reasons listed above), but I’ve started to question whether the actual quality of its academics match those of Duke and Northwestern.</p>

<p>Northwestern: I honestly have not looked into NW much, yet. I was also accepted to UChicago, but of the 2, I haven’t even considered UChicago, since I feel like the student body and social life at Northwestern would better fit me than would UChicago’s.</p>

<p>Duke: I guess I’ve become accustomed to the “affluent place surrounded by poorer and working class folks” environment. I moved to NC a few years ago, and I now live in a relatively well-off suburb Raleigh. I attend a public school in downtown Raleigh. The neighborhoods surrounding my school match (socioeconomically) those that surround Duke, but I’ve found that this scenario keeps you in check with reality. Though this has caused some concerns with crime around our school’s campus, I think I’d prefer it over an artificial bubble of seemingly universal affluence, even if the latter would create a more comfortable atmosphere.</p>

<p>I’ve noticed that most of you have addressed the style of the curriculum and academics of each school, but not so much the quality. So, given that I’m still undecided (regarding major/concentration), what are your takes on the academic quality of each school? Yes, all 3 are great academically, but how do they compare with each other?</p>

<p>Again, thanks to everyone for your delightfully informative input :)</p>

7

<p>You got into Chicago? Uh do yourself a favor and visit. I change my choice from Brown to Chicago.</p>

8

<p>

I would say this about a good many schools in North Carolina, Duke included (UNC, Wake, and Davidson too). I defer to dcircle’s superior knowledge of Brown, but I recently stayed for a week at Brown for GS recruitment/interviews, and while the students were nice enough, I didn’t get as much of a “warm and fuzzy” vibe.</p>

<p>

Although their strengths may be in different areas (Duke & English, Northwestern & journalism, Brown & geology, etc.), all three are terrific schools with fairly strong programs across the board. It makes very little sense to try to nitpick further.</p>