<p>Predictably. Look at the masthead on The Crimson.</p>
<p>In case anyone ever looks at this topic again:</p>
<p>One of my best friends from childhood goes to Harvard and I go to Brown. We’re both pretty happy with our plight. We’re also both optimistic, pro-active, and generally happy individuals. The differences that people emphasize between the two colleges aren’t as extreme as they think. She and I don’t really even compare our experiences. At the end of the day, we take difficult courses, we get involved in activities we love, we find friends we we enjoy, and we live a comparably happy college life. I enjoy my open curriculum a lot and enjoy Brown’s “culture”, which is slightly different from Harvard’s.
I prefer Brown. But I probably would have been happy at Harvard too. </p>
<p>If you’re making this choice, you’re in a great position, you’ll end up liking whichever you attend anyway. Visit both. Talk to a variety individuals who actually go to each—not people who don’t go to them who don’t really know much(because they’ll spout stereotypes and massive generalizations). Talk to Harvard kids about Harvard(not Brown). Talk to Brown kids about Brown(not Harvard). Then make a decision that doesn’t have a bad choice.</p>
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<p>My D (and I) spent a day each on the two campuses, she sat in on classes, talked to students, went on the tours, and in general gathered a lot of information. The two colleges seemed VERY different from each other. My D really liked Harvard and really disliked Brown. But that was <em>her</em> reaction. Another student might have had the exact opposite reaction. </p>
<p>My point is, while I agree with </p>
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<p>it does not follow that, for an individual student:</p>
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<p>It is all about the right fit.</p>
<p>When we brought my D to take a look at Brown, she wouldn’t even get out of the car - she thought the people looked too freaky. Although, initially she wouldn’t get out of the car at Harvard either but that was because she knew somebody who was a jerk and figured if they took him, it wasn’t a place she’d want to be.</p>
<p>My D really wanted to fall in love with Brown and wanted to hate Harvard.</p>
<p>I’ll be bumping this one. This is an interesting thread. I’m wondering, I’m a very ambitious go-getter type, but I’m not very competitive with other people, just with myself. I like the whole idea that at Harvard if there’s anything you want, they can make it happen. And I also love public transit and being able to go around the city.</p>
<p>However, I also want a good undergrad experience and to be able to really explore my interests and do things that I choose to do and learn about them. I’m really more of an interdisciplinary thinker than a philosophical kind of thinker, you know seeing the correlations between different subjects. </p>
<p>Which is better for someone like me?</p>
<p>The OP is at Harvard and is happy.</p>
<p>Obstinate:</p>
<p>Either would be a great fit academically for someone like you who knows what s/he wants.
At both, you can design your own major. If you are already set on one, chances are that you will take more than the absolute minimum of courses. Compare the Brown math requirements vs. the Harvard math requirements (I’ve gotten to know these a bit, which is why I’m using them as an example). At Brown, there are only 8 required courses beyond the MVCalc-LA sequence. At Harvard, there are 10. Chances are that if you were going to Brown, you would take more than 8 anyway. But, if you wanted to combine math with something else, Brown would give you somewhat more flexibility. I’m not taking into account the Harvard Gen Ed requirements–they are supposed to be easier to meet than the old Core Curriculum requirements thanks to all sorts of departmental bypasses. I’m also assuming that at Brown, you would want to take courses in a variety of fields also. So, really, I don’t see a huge difference between the two schools in terms of what you can do to pursue your interests.</p>
<p>Math is by far my weakest subject. I’m fine with Statistics, but not Calculus or anything of that sort. My interests are highly varied, such as Urban Planning, Computer Science, Creative Writing, etc. I’m very specific in my likes and dislikes. I’m also pretty on the eccentric side, slightly laid back but also not at the same time.</p>
<p>This is a great position for anyone to be in to choose between these two ultra-elite schools. It’s like choosing a Lamborghini Murcielago or a Ferrari Testarossa. I went to Brown and thought it was the most unreal experience ever. It was easy for me to pick Brown because I was only accepted to one Ivy league school. I have finished medical school and hope to go back to New England to live. </p>
<p>Since your question is Brown or Harvard? That’s easy for me, this comes down to strictly location and name recognition. I would pick Harvard hands down…my dream schools were listed like this. 1. Harvard 2. Yale. 3 Brown 4 Columbia 5 Penn. I didn’t list Princeton or Dartmouth because of their rural locations, and I don’t want to live in a bottle for 4 years. Brown is a fantastic school with great recognition in a nice European style city and historic campus, but what does it offer that Harvard doesn’t? If you don’t like tourists visiting your campus, then Brown may be a better choice. But do those photographers taking pictures of John Harvard’s statue really bug you in the grand scheme of things? The Harvard Yard gives you goosebumps just walking there-you just think of the history oozing from those buildings right there. Boston is the number 1 city in the world in my opinion for people your age. Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, restaurants galore, shopping, average age of city is 26, not to mention over 60 colleges in vicinity. I mean…C’mon!!! Once you visit that place, you will never want to leave. Providence is beautiful too, but it aint no Boston.</p>
<p>Hello! </p>
<p>I’m trying to decide if I should apply EA to Harvard or ED to Brown. I visited both campuses, and loved them both. The one thing I’m concerned about is that I don’t have a clear idea of what I what to major in. Will that be problematic with the open curriculum at Brown? </p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Too funny! I would have thought an open curriculum PERFECT for someone who had no clear idea of what s/he planned to major in.</p>
<p>Not sure why you think that’s funny. An open curriculum can be fairly risky unless a student will be able to develop the self-direction needed to structure it. Good for you to think about this, circusgirl.</p>
<p>There’s no thread like an old thread …</p>
<p>Um, an open curriculum doesn’t mean there aren’t majors with their own prerequisites, or that you are required to construct one completely from scratch. You can create your own major, of course, but there’s no necessity, if there are enough choices out there. It doesn’t sound like lack of choice is the problem, here.</p>
<p>I have to agree with mini here. An open curriculum would fit someone like circusgirl perfectly. For example, during freshmen year, you would be able to take 8 courses and explore any areas of possible interest and not be locked into specific required courses that may not interest you. College is a time to explore areas of interest and the open curriculum would allow you to do that. Eventually, like at most colleges, by the end of soph year, you’d choose a major. The major at Brown, which is actually called a concentration, has requirements to fulfill, like at any college.</p>
<p>Open curriculum does not mean lack of rigor. My older d. went to Smith - open curricula (started same year as Brown’s, I think), and it allowed her to really explore, at the same time she was finding her major. She ended up with a rigorous double major AND full distributional requirements (for Latin Honors at Smith), but was able to do so on her own terms.</p>
<p>Personally, I think distributional requirements are so “high school”. (Others will feel differently.)</p>
<p>Unless you become very clear in your decision, and would have no regrets. Don’t apply ED at all. Just apply regular decision to both so you have more time to make up your mind, and maybe re-explore both. (If Harvard is EA, not ED, you might do that, but make sure that won’t preventing you from putting just as much effort into other college applications, so you have choices; again so no regrets!)</p>
<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I am currently a freshman at Middlebury College and I am deciding between Harvard and Brown as a transfer. I was also accepted to Columbia but I’m from New York City and didn’t want to deal with the core as a transfer so that’s off the table. I’ve had a lot of trouble socially at Midd (the kids are all very sheltered/preppy; there’s a huge jock mentality) and have found arts related extracurricular opportunities lacking (I am extremely passionate about music. During high school I attended Mannes prep. on Saturdays and was a member of the honors program, etc.). I am finding this decision very difficult and would really appreciate input. I think I would love Brown–I like how undergrad centered it is, the students there are artistic/quirky, and I really like the lack of distribution requirements. Harvard has so many more musical opportunities than Brown, it is in Cambridge/Boston, and there are other opportunities that simply cannot be matched… I’ll be surrounded by the future leaders of the world and the connections I will make will open doors for the rest of my life. I know so much of this is subjective but any and all advice is appreciated!</p>
<p>If the music scene is that important to you then Harvard would be the obvious choice; Providence is a cool little city but there is more of everything in Boston and Cambridge.
Sounds like you might like the student body better at Brown though. How much time have you spent on the two campuses to compare them?
It’s a tough call, they are both wonderful schools!!! I would be happy at either one :-)</p>