<p>If you like the open curriculum, the laid back feel etc. etc. but your scores make it a fantasy school, where else would you consider? </p>
<p>Pitzer? Hampshire? ...</p>
<p>wesleyan is the obvious one</p>
<p>Wesleyan captures the Brown feeling well.
Amherst is a good choice, but it's just as tough if not tougher to gain admission there.</p>
<p>vassar, wesleyan...
don't count brown out though. always worth a try</p>
<p>Wesleyan, Vassar, Skidmore, Bard, and Oberlin come to mind. Hampshire if you are disciplined for independent study. Bates or Conn. College though I think there feel is different.</p>
<p>Grinnell, if you're fine with rural Iowa</p>
<p>Can someone describe how Wesleyan's similar to Brown?</p>
<p>smoke weed in your back yard. i dont see a difference.</p>
<p>D is at Wesleyan; best friend is at Brown and they visit one another often. Although the student population could be described as similar, there are big differences. Brown feels quite a bit larger (5000+) vs. 3000 at Wes. Brown has graduate schools whereas Wesleyan's main focus is the undergraduate. Brown is located in a small "cool" city which together with RISD makes for a great college town. Wes is truly a residential college as the town of Middletown offers little of interest to most students. Wes does have suggested distribution requirements rather than the open curriculum at Brown or Vassar. These are for students who want to be considered for "honors" which most students comply with. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Thank you everyone. From Wesleyan, how easy is it to catch the train to NYC or head up to Boston via public transportation?</p>
<p>Transportation from Wes to bigger cities can be a hassle, especially in the winter. My D thought she would travel much more often but she rarely leaves the campus as there is so much going on (as happens with residential schools) and transportation is not easy unless you have a car. There is no train station in Middletown. For NYC, the cheapest option is to get to New Haven (by bus or ride board -- about 30-45 minutes) and then take Metro North into NYC ( approx. 1.5-2 hours). There is an Amtrak in Meriden which is closer to Middletown but train fares are higher. Students also take buses or try to get rides with lucky friends with cars. The school has a few shuttles to New Haven and Hartford's airport at breaks and there is a periodic art bus into Manhattan. Transportation is a real drawback of the school, but there are many saving graces!</p>
<p>Amherst has a similarly open curriculum.
Oberlin has a lot of overlap in terms of type of student, and also has a fairly open curriculum; it has the added attraction of lots of music.</p>
<p>Thank you all. This has been very helpful. Its getting close to putting the "rubber to the road" ... just making sure I did not miss anything!</p>
<p>It depends on why you love Brown. For what it's worth, I applied to Brown and also really liked Macalester, Reed, and the University of Chicago. There are some obvious differences here - intense core at Reed and Chicago vs. open curriculum, for example - but I was attracted to that idea of liberal, unpretentious nerdiness.</p>
<p>that is wonderful ... "liberal, unpretentious nerdiness" ... !</p>
<p>Reed may be too intense for DD and Macalester sounds great but I worry about the winters. Having been raised in CA she discovered that the darkness of New Hampshire winters during BS did not "agree" with her.</p>
<p>Where did you end up and do you like it?</p>
<p>I'm fortunate enough to have been accepted to Brown. And yep, I like it, though coming here made me realize that it's not at all what I'd imagined. The student body is big enough that it really can't be largely characterized by that unpretentious nerdiness that I mentioned. It's always surprising to me that people whose general demeanor/interests I hate - overly concerned with partying/getting wasted/clothes, e.g. - are so smart and passionate about their studies. So different from high school. I think a school like Reed would be a lot more homogeneous in that respect.</p>
<p>List of schools with open (or nearly open) curricula: College</a> Lists wiki / Open Curriculum - schools with more flexible curricula Have heard good things about Oberlin (my environmental roommate liked it a lot!) and Smith. And I know cool kids at Grinnell and Whitman.... :p</p>
<p>Thank you! Smith is on the list and I will have a look at Oberlin and Grinnell. Whitman is off the list because it is too removed according to D.</p>
<p>One of the great things about college is having your pre-conceived notions about people blown out of the water.</p>
<p>I second Smith. Smith has an open curriculum, and is known for academic excellence and small classes. Smith College students seem quite happy overall. Students are provided with terrific advising and mentoring, and available, committed professors. Also, students win many national and international awards -- 17 Fulbright Fellowships in 2008 and 14 in 2007! </p>
<p>Smith is part of the 5-college consortium (with Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke and Univ Mass). You can take classes at any. There is a free shuttle bus to get to classes at the other campuses.</p>
<p>Also, Smith no longer requires SAT and ACT scores.</p>
<p>Lewis & Clark might be a less-selective alternative with a similar feel (although quite a bit smaller.) Pitzer seems like a terrific choice, too, (particulalry if weather is a concern at all.)</p>
<p>just to piggyback on what studiomom said about transportation at Wesleyan -The train from Meriden doesn't cost any more if you're going to Boston, (for obvious reasons, it's cheaper than riding all the way to New Haven.) For $25 a cab will take you to Meriden in fifteen minutes.</p>