Hopeful Debate: Brown vs. UPenn

College Search & Selection
1

<p>i know i have less than a week to hear back from my schools, but a week from then i have to pick one of these schools to visit. It will be brown or penn vs one of my more financially viable choices... but long story short, i need to pick between BRown and UPenn. </p>

<p>Iv already visited both schools, and liked them both. based on visit alone, i liked Penn more, but maybe thats because i was able to see the start of the night life by walking around campus on friday at 11pm... didnt get the same opportunity at brown. But while in philly, i fell in love with locust walk and the campus in general (other than the high rise dorms...)</p>

<p>I lived 15 min outside of providence for 13 years, so am familiar with brown in some regards, but really had not spent time on campus before my visit. i love thayer street, and i like the fact that the brown campus is somewhat less city based than that of UPenn. Also, in some ways im turned off from the fact that i know providence. sometime i think it would be good to experience a change of scenery, but then again, i loved providence while i lived near by. </p>

<p>I plan on going to medical school after college, but would like to major or at least study music as an undergrad. But i have some other concerns/thoughts
-I know that UPenn is almost 2x the size of brown, but is this size difference tangible? most of my other schools are around the same size as brown... and feel like i might want a smaller school
-I really like browns open curriculum. i dont really feel the need for a core
-do the schools have different social environments besides the liberal swing at brown? I want intellectual but with parties stil
-I really want a sense of student body unity and college pride, even if it doesnt come from athletics (but athletics are a plus)</p>

<p>ill appreciate any thoughts or suggestions! ironically, it would be convenient if i got rejected from one of the schools. but for now, advice?</p>

2

<p>Can’t speak to all of your concerns, but Penn hardly has a “core” curriculum. Their distributional requirements are pretty easy to fulfill and there is quite a bit of flexibility there.</p>

3

<p>Brown has the things you’re looking for, hard for me to say if Penn doesn’t.</p>

4

<p>I’m guessing you didn’t apply Brown PLME, which means for a pre-medical program I would definitely pick Penn over Brown.</p>

5

<p>both are GREAT schools for what im looking for :). im just saying, if i have to split hairs in 2 weeks, what advice/suggestions can ppl offer?</p>

6

<p>Penn is in Philly, so pick it.</p>

7

<p>For more about the Open Curriculum:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/385841-brown-curriculum-university-college-explained.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/385841-brown-curriculum-university-college-explained.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>To be honest, what you’re asking is not all that specific for me to give you a strong push in either direction.</p>

8

<p>thats what i fear… to me it feels like a wash half the time
no i did not apply PLME, something i kind of regret. i DO do lab research over the summer, but i felt i lacked the clinical backing for the PLME essays. </p>

<p>Right now, its more the social life/quality of life that i hope will help my decision. advice included, can anyone give me a clearer idea of how the two differ in terms of QoL/Social?</p>

9

<p>From a Cornellian’s perspective, UPenn, I loved UPenn all my high school career and I loved the campus</p>

10

<p>I guess I just didn’t get the lure of Brown, no offense to anyone, just not my type of school</p>

11

<p>I don’t think it’s strange that someone who likes Cornell prefers UPenn. beignet, I don’t think it’s a wash at all, but I don’t go to UPenn and can’t comment on a comparative basis so much as I can describe what is going on at Brown.</p>

<p>UPenn is definitely far more pre-professionally geared than Brown. That’s the best comparison I can give you to give a sense of the difference between student bodies.</p>

12

<p>I attended Cornell; I would personally prefer Brown to Penn. Less overtly preprofessional focus overall, IMO.</p>

<p>Cornell’s a diverse place.</p>

13

<p>I for one do not understand how Penn gets such a “pre-professional” reputation (CC echo-chamber perhaps). I have spent time at Brown, Penn, Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia, and all three are equally preprofessional in that a majority of students are planning ahead and thinking of jobs, grad school, etc. Remember that Penn has 4 undergraduate schools (College, Wharton, Engineering, Nursing)–3 of which are preprofessional by nature…however, remember that the liberal arts College is bigger than all 3 of the other schools put together.</p>

<p>As for other concerns…

Penn’s music building is getting a major renovation/expansion, FWIW ( [What’s</a> New @ PENN](<a href=“http://www.facilities.upenn.edu/whatsNew/construction/music.php3]What’s”>http://www.facilities.upenn.edu/whatsNew/construction/music.php3) )</p>

<p>

Agreed :slight_smile: Locust Walk is amazing and I’ve never found anything else quite like it. And the high rises are eyesores to be sure. But they do offer you an option of on-campus apartment-style living, for people who want their own kitchens, living rooms, non-communal bathrooms, etc. </p>

<p>

Philosophical arguments aside (If I had my way we’d all have a Columbia-style Core), I can say that Penn has no core, but only distribution requirements, which are very easy to fill. I filled almost all of my requirements just in the course of taking classes that interested me. Some courses are ones that I never would have even tried if I didn’t have to (such as an art history course) that proved to be among my favorites. The only two courses I had to take that I didn’t want to take were statistics and a physical science course (and the latter proved to be at least moderately interesting)</p>

<p>

I think the liberal swing at Brown, much like the “pre-professional” swing at Penn, is more a stereotype than anything else. That being said, I know Penn has a host of intellectual social circles (among my favorites would be the delightfully whimsical Philomathean Society, America’s oldest continually-operating student literary society. Their website gives a clue to their intellectual nature but the whimsy and self-expression is something you must see for yourself :)), and of course Penn has no shortage of parties (greek parties, off-campus house parties, dorm room parties, parties sponsored by a campus group that are held in a downtown venue…</p>

<p>

Penn basketball ftw :wink: We have the Palestra, “the cathedral of basketball” on our campus, we have the Ivy League and the Philly Big 5 ([Philadelphia</a> Big 5 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Big_5]Philadelphia”>Philadelphia Big 5 - Wikipedia))</p>

<p>Both schools are absolutely phenomenal places to be. Penn was the clear choice for me. Brown was the clear choice for modestmelody. However you are not either of us, so you’ll have to decide for yourself :)</p>

14

<p>U Penn is more social, higher ranked, and more stuff to do in Philly. I think the choice is obvious, at least it would be for me.</p>

15

<p>Brown is often considered one of if not the most social Ivy, especially if you view social as more diverse than a kegger. As someone who comes from outside NY, Providence is surprisingly awesome for students and Boston is a quick ride away.</p>

16

<p>Brown’s student body is slightly ickier than UPenn’s.</p>

17

<p>"I for one do not understand how Penn gets such a “pre-professional” reputation "</p>

<p>Personally, I got that impression because kids of people I know who attended Penn Arts & Sciences really wanted to go to Wharton, but didn’t think they could get in. In fact, one of them subsequently transferred to Wharton. I got the idea from them that a lot of people there wanted to do likewise, and would if they could. They had the same objectives as Wharton students would have.</p>

<p>I guess someone could try to look up & see if there are differences objectively, if there’s data on numbers graduating in different majors at each school: economics majors vs. math, physics, philosophy majors, etc. And, for overall, look at % future PhD.s at each campus.</p>

18

<p>Although I go to Princeton, I spend a lot of time @ Penn too. </p>

<p>Pros:
Student body is very social (not simply referring to parties but also in their everyday demeanor)
Awesome facilities in terms of library and gyms.
Has a wonderful campus with an immediate surrounding that is safe. (sketchiness of Philly is exaggerated)
Diverse and interesting course options (Furthered by “One University” idea where students can take classes at other colleges within the university)
Philly is a great city. I went to China Town for Lunar New Year, and it was so festive.</p>

<p>Con:
Dining Hall Food is … wow…really?
Traffic and sound pollution
Greek Life (Highly opinionated)
Wharton (Wharton students are so full of themselves, and I feel they divide the University)
Inferior to Princeton (not even debatable IloveBagel)</p>

<p>I highly recommend that you consider Penn. It’s an awesome university overall.</p>

19

<p>re: my post #17, collegehelp has posted some numbers regarding PhD production rates on another thread.</p>

20

<p>

</p>

<p>I challenge you to a duel!! Somebody fetch my dueling pistol.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Sorry, your sample size is too small. I don’t doubt that there are plenty of people with a pre-professional bent, I just strongly doubt that the % of them at Penn is higher than at Columbia, Brown, etc.</p>