<p>Engineering at Dartmouth is done differently than at most colleges. I think there is just a “General Engineering” major, or at least they did 20 years ago. I don’t know how they do it at Brown.</p>
<p>I don’t think there are appreciable differences in math and science at Dartmouth vs. Brown. I think Dartmouth’s department is ranked in the 30’s in chemistry, which is quite good for an undergrad-focused school since this is a research rank. They have a pretty good track record in their students getting accepted to top schools. </p>
<p>I know that one of MIT’s brightest chemistry professors is a former Brown undergrad. I think you would be fine in terms of chemistry or biology at either school. And I don’t think there is much of a difference in terms of math and physics between the two schools, but I didn’t investigate this very thoroughly. </p>
<p>Brown’s engineering is very entrepreneurial based. There is a big commitment to improve the engineering department – it was recently elevated to a School of Engineering and there is a huge fund-raising effort underway. One of the things I like about Brown engineering is that all students are required to take an array of disciplines the first couple years – fluids, mechanical, electrical, etc. – so they select a concentration (major) based on real understanding of the subject material.</p>
<p>Brown’s computer science department is top notch (google Andy van Dam). CS graduates get snatched up by all the big tech firms, from Microsoft to Google to Facebook. </p>
<p>As for med school, I suggest you go to the Brown forum and check out the “Brown is the best place to be a pre-med” thread. </p>
<p>I can’t comment about Dartmouth, only because I know nothing about its specific academics. I’ve been on campus many times, though, and will repeat what’s been said on this thread – I think there is a huge difference between the rural/very small town environs of Dartmouth and the urban/small city vibe in Providence. </p>
<p>If your daughter is interested in engineering, she should look carefully at the programs at both schools. I just glanced at the Dartmouth website out of curiosity, and learned that engineering majors get a bachelor of arts, and that if they want the ABET accreditation they usually stay for 5 years. Brown offers both an AB and ScB in four years. </p>
<p>Brown also has the option to do applied math. <a href=“http://www.dam.brown.edu/”>http://www.dam.brown.edu/</a> This is one of the strongest concentrations at Brown. So, if she’s not dead set on engineering, check out “apple math.” </p>
<p>I also agree with fireandrain. It’s not only about “liberal vs. conservative.” The campus cultures are very different, even if you don’t consider politics. </p>
<p>Thanks, very helpful info. It is a little disconcerting when you walk into the Brown Engineering building and it’s an older, dated structure off the beaten path of the main campus. Compared to Princeton and Stanford’s facilities, it’s poor. I’m glad to hear Brown may be putting more resources into the school. (I haven’t been on Dartmouth’s campus so I can’t compare the engineering facilities directly.) </p>
<p>Keep in mind that Stanford’s engineering/CS programs are at the MIT/Caltech/CMU and in the case of CS…Berkeley category…the creme de la creme in the engineering/CS world with Princeton being slightly below them. </p>
<p>Yes, Stanford in CS or most engineering majors is not in the same stratosphere as Princeton in terms of facilities and the strength of the department.</p>
<p>Dartmouth’s engineering program must operate within the curriculum requirements of the college; to get an engineering degree, one must spend an extra year, because one can’t concentrate on Engineering courses to the extent that one can at a school that, like Brown, does not insist on fulfilling liberal arts requirements. That is an important aspect to the liberal arts vs. tech school equation, as well, and every student must figure out for him or herself how much of a value he or she places on the liberal arts. It’s an economic question, as well, of course: can one afford an extra year at Dartmouth, for a degree one can earn elsewhere in four years? A further question might be whether the BE is a terminal degree, or whether the student intends to pursue further studies. It is my impression that the strength of the Dartmouth BE is that it is not focused on pure engineering–the broad-based nature of the Dartmouth curriculum is related to the way that Dartmouth engineers tend to be not “just” engineers, but entrepreneurs and managers. (I know a Dartmouth grad who earned a BE and ME from Dartmouth, a PhD from Carnegie Mellon in EE, has been a CEO and an entrepreneur, and is now in finance; I know another one who earned a BE and an ME, and then an MBA from Stanford, who works for a large computer company.) </p>
<p>Disagree with one of the above posts about Brown’s engineering building - it is not off the beaten path. It is right in the same area as many of the other science buildings. However, both Dartmouth and Brown are amazing choices. Pick whichever one is the right fit. You can’t go wrong with either.</p>
<p>Until there is a conclusion about the reasons for Dartmouth’s 14% decline in applications this year, and whether it is an outlier, there is understandably a concern about the reputation value of a Dartmouth degree going forward. Reputation value is a component of the college selection process for many, it is not claimed to be dispositive. </p>
<p>Here is a representative article about the application numbers at Dartmouth. </p>
<p>I’ve heard that the Dartmouth admissions people are telling alumni groups that the decline in admissions is mostly l the result of the change in AP policy, that AP’s can no longer be used for credit. I don’t know if that’s really true (how many students going to an Ivy League school are looking for advanced credit?). My D didn’t know about the change and I don’t think it ever occurred to her that she would try to use AP credits at Dartmouth. Are there really one or two thousand applicants who would be influenced by that not to apply? </p>
<p>This seems unlikely. MIT made it much more difficult to get credit for the required set of freshman math and science classes, and I don’t think they saw any drop.</p>
<p>MIT still does accept AP credits (even though they have made it more difficult to get credit for required math and science) Starting fall 2014 Dartmouth states the following</p>
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</p>
<p>No more graduating in less than 4 years due to AP/IB credits</p>
<p>My advice is for OP to go to the admitted students days at both school and then make up her mind</p>