<p>My friend's daughter was admitted to Dartmouth and is expecting to be admitted to Brown very soon. (She was already admitted to a third ivy so it's a reasonable expectation, and she truly is an amazing kid.) My friend is not on CC so I told her I would post and she could read the answers. Does anyone here have personal experience to share regarding these two schools? Her daughter is torn at the moment and I'm sure will visit both again but I'm sure that some input here would be helpful as well. Thanks!</p>
<p>Is the third Ivy already ruled out, or is it in the picture? That matters.</p>
<p>Not in the picture. She prefers Dartmouth. Thanks!</p>
<p>If it’s between the two of them, it’s really a personal comfort choice. My son’s friend just fell in love with Dartmouth and that was it. It is in a more remote location than Brown which is a major city, Providence, so very much off the beaten track. The most remote of the Ivies and I feel it has more in common with schools like Williams, Bowdoin, Amherst than it does with the other Ivies. That could be something that some people don’t like. </p>
<p>Brown, being in Providence, is right on the mainline to Boston, NYC, etc with trains, buses, whatever easily available to go places, not to mention the daily accessibility to a major city. Other colleges nearby too. </p>
<p>So it’s the atmosphere, environment that would be the clincher for me. I personally like Dartmouth more. But a lot of kids prefer Brown, because it does tend to have a more free flowing academic environment too with a lot of flexibility in course choices. But truly, other wise it’s a coin toss choice.</p>
<p>“ . . . is expecting to be admitted to Brown.” So you’re trying to decide between two schools, one of which she hasn’t even been admitted to yet?</p>
<p>Confidence is a wonderful attribute, but come back when she has the letter of admission in hand.</p>
<p>Was she admitted to Dartmouth ED? Sorry for the stupid question but I thought RD admits aren’t releasing until tomorrow afternoon. </p>
<p>Wow - harsh. Not my kid - don’t know the details and my friend has no reason to lie. Just asking for opinions of the two in order to help her. If you don’t have input, don’t want to help, or want to ascribe some kind of nefarious motive to the whole thing, I really can’t help you but would maybe suggest you just don’t respond?</p>
<p>Are you saying that to me, ReadytoRoll? I don’t mean to be harsh - just curious. </p>
<p>I think there’s just a little confusion. Maybe the Dartmouth acceptance was via likely letter? </p>
<p>With no more information about the young person’s personality or career goals, I would say Dartmouth hands down.</p>
<p>much different cultures on the campuses.</p>
<p>Visiting is the only answer.</p>
<p>Brown admissions can be the most idiosyncratic of the ivies, so you really can’t count on it, even when you have other good admissions results. The profile of the admitted student is also different than your average Harvard student I think–might be more emphasis on activism, creativity, or a Bohemian personality.</p>
<p>Does she have an idea what she wants to major in and/or what type of career she might want to have after graduation? I had these two choices myself so I did a fair amount of research on it. Let’s see…Providence is a city, but it doesn’t feel like one. Dartmouth has a very green campus, very beautiful. Dartmouth also has its own ski mountain. Foreign languages are particularly strong there–I heard the classes are very intense. Science-wise, it’s better for premed related subjects like bio or chem than physics or math. If you wanted to be a chemist, Dartmouth would be a good place to study. The Greek scene is big on campus, so I’m not sure what impact that has. Of all the ivies, Dartmouth probably feels most like a small college like Amherst or Williams. </p>
<p>In terms of politics, Brown and Dartmouth are probably on the opposite ends of the ivy spectrum, with Brown being the most liberal and Dartmouth being the most conservative (although conservative for an ivy means more centrist.) There is an activist strain to the Brown student body. I don’t know how much this would affect the average person; it might be a little irritating–the head of the NY police came to give a talk and the audience shouted him down.</p>
<p>Brown is good across the board in terms of subjects–probably at the same level as Dartmouth. Both are more about undergraduate education than research. I thought it had a very pleasant campus, as I remember it seemed more like a lighter, more cheerful version of Harvard. One of the main things about Brown is that it is noted for the flexibility for what classes you take–it has less required classes.</p>
<p>My sister loved her four years at Dartmouth. It is more preppy and has very strong alumni network. If it’s my kid, I would also pick Dartmouth over Brown.</p>
<p>I have to go with cptofthehouse on this one - it’s personal choice. The two schools are so different in terms of location, that I would think surroundings alone would make one prefer one over the other. On that basis alone, I would choose Brown.</p>
<p>Her prospective major may be a deciding factor, but academically, in my mind they are equals. Some other things to consider:</p>
<p>Dartmouth has a term system vs. Brown’s semester system. Dartmouth has the “D-Plan” which can be viewed positively or negatively.</p>
<p>Brown is more liberal; Dartmouth is more conservative.</p>
<p>Both have greek life, but social life at Dartmouth seems to be Greek-focused, while there are other social outlets at Brown.</p>
<p>Brown has Open Curriculum, while Dartmouth has more structured distributives.</p>
<p>Dartmouth has better skiing :)</p>
<p>How can she be “torn at the moment” when she hasn’t gotten into Brown? Talk about counting your chickens before they are hatched. I can’t believe you’ve been on CC as long as you have and you’re posting this!</p>
<p>She could have received likely letters. A lot of those schools are sending out likelies, especially for URMs and women for engineering.</p>
<p>good grief. Way to be helpful. Answer the question or just don’t post on the thread.</p>
<p>Knowing why she ruled out the other ivy might shed some light on which of the other two would be a better “fit”. I am interested in why she would choose Dartmouth and Brown to apply to since they are so very different on so many levels. Like someone said upthread Dartmouth is more like the LACs, p’ton, Duke… What other schools did she apply to and what other ones has she been accepted at? </p>
<p>Are finances playing a role? Does she play a sport and will she continue at college? Her major? Future grad school plans and if so, what might they be?</p>
<p>As far as your question regarding personal experience mine would be through my son. He applied to Dartmouth and was accepted for undergrad. Their financial aid package was one of the very best he received. Waived the summer contribution and work study, all grants, no loans. They called several times and sent an alumni rep to our home to congratulate him in person and take him to lunch. Also came to his school for more follow-up. The personal touch was enough to make really “wow” him. He sadly turned them down for a different ivy, but similiar, pton. He did not apply to Brown because after doing his research the school was so very different from what he was looking for his undergrad experience.</p>
<p>For medical and business school he applied to Dartmouth again. He was accepted again, early to Dartmouth ms and Tuck with another great financial aid package. DMS and another ivy and our in-state med school were his top choices when decision time came, even though he had other higher ranked med school acceptances. Dartmouth went so far out of their way to really put the personal touch for him. Admissions showed up at his other undergrad (son has 2 undergrads) to again wish him well and meet some other possible applicants for the following year they were so happy with son. He did NOT apply to Brown’s med school.</p>
<p>That type of outreach is hard to come by in the highly competitive world of med school admissions. He was again impressed. He choose our in-state because they made him an offer that was impossible to turn down. But Dartmouth truly tried.</p>
<p>So that is my personal experience with Dartmouth. Son’s roomie at pton’s lil sis choose Dartmouth over her pton acceptance. She just “fit” there more, of course that could have something to do with being in her big bro’s shadow once again!</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Yes, super different cultures. Can she visit or talk to current students? Dartmouth is more preppy and conservative, also more physically isolated. What are her political views? Does she like structure? Can she be in the middle of nowhere in the cold (sorry, Dartmouth! I could probably phrase that more neutrally). Can she handle a very unstructured environment? My liberal, southern climate, internally structured non frat type kids would prefer Brown. Two great choices, it depends on the kid. </p>
<p>I know Dartmouth does give out likely letters, and not just to URMs or women. One reason they do this is so a greater percentage of people have a chance to schedule a visit. Otherwise, you may have a ton of schools to visit at one time. </p>