<p>I have looked into Brown and I love everything about it! Except…I’m not sure if its academic stuff is right for me. I want to be either a political analyst on a news show OR a lawyer. So, I want to major in either journalism OR political science and probably go to law school. Does Brown have any strengths in any of these fields or maybe an alternate field that would still lead me in the same direction, because Brown is the shiz and I really want to go, but I dont want to pass up a perfect acadmeic school for me (i.e. Northwestern) just because everything else is perfect.</p>
<p>The Political Science department at Brown is excellent: <a href="http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Political_Science/%5B/url%5D">http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Political_Science/</a></p>
<p>Related fields include Public Policy (<a href="http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Taubman_Center/%5B/url%5D">http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Taubman_Center/</a>) and International Relations (<a href="http://www.watsoninstitute.org/)%5B/url%5D">http://www.watsoninstitute.org/)</a>. The latter program has a particularly strong reputation; we have one of the best IR programs in the country.</p>
<p>Another concentration you might consider at Brown is Modern Culture and Media (<a href="http://www.brown.edu/Departments/MCM/)%5B/url%5D">http://www.brown.edu/Departments/MCM/)</a>. This is a fairly unique program and might give you a wider perspective than if you were to just study journalism somewhere else.</p>
<p>Brown is PERFECT for everyone!!!</p>
<p>(Just kidding...I know it's not really..but...!)</p>
<p>definitly not! i mean i love it but the atmosphere is really one of a kind...u love it or hate it!</p>
<p>Just curious... what is it in particular about Northwestern that appeals to you?</p>
<p>I know what she means I got in as well and it s great school...I haven't heard back from Brown yet though. northwestern is just more academically focused, the brown lack of core can lead to a mess if you don't know how to handle it.+ northwestern has a really high percentages of it s graduates pursuing in med and law school...well above Brown i think.</p>
<p>florette,</p>
<p>I don't know about Northwestern, but here are some facts about Brown:</p>
<pre><code>* 35% of undergraduates pursue graduate or professional study immediately.
* 60% of undergraduates pursue graduate or professional study within 5 years.
* Brown consistently ranks among the top five colleges in the nation in the percentage of its applicants accepted to medical school, and these impressive records are similar in other areas of graduate study.
* Of those who apply to law school, 92 to 95 percent are accepted to one of their top three choices; among business school applicants, the figure is nearly 100 percent.
* Within 10 years of graduation, 80% of all students have pursued further education through graduate or professional study.
</code></pre>
<p>I have a feeling that you might be seriously underestimating how many Brown students go on to professional study...</p>
<p>Brown is one of the top feeders into grad schools. It has 51 students at Harvard law, exceeding all but HYP. Who cares about the departments, Brown has a top reputation and this is what gets you into grad school. I was an anthro major at Dartmouth and I went to a top MBA. Think they cared about the anthro dept at Dartmouth (or any top school) for a second when I applied to a completely different type of program, NOPE! think Econ really helps you in business school, NOPE! </p>
<p>The reason you can major in ANYTHING and go to law school is that departments don't matter for professional schools. 1) They see Brown as a top school and that is what matters. </p>
<p>If you go to Northwestern over Brown because a department is ranked higher you're making a serious error.</p>
<p>I don't know yet! i got into northwestern, didn't get my Brown response so far but it would be a hard choice though...I mean Brown is an Ivy league but I m international and Northwestern is more well known in Europe and does have a higher rank...so it would be tough to choose...</p>
<p>The "rank", as you call it, means nothing, and changes year to year. You are making a mistake if you are reading it like you would read a european ranking. And I am an American who lived abroad in Europe for several years, with the majority of my friends attending college outside of the US, so I am not ignorant here.</p>
<p>Also, I will accept that Northwestern is margnially more well-known in mainland Europe, but if you want anything that people there are going to ohhh or ahhh about, you need to be thinking HYPS; otherwise, the playing field is pretty even, except with academic types, who will recognise both schools as wonderful.</p>
<p>Forget the ranking, by the time you get started in your career, there is more than a 50% chance Brown will be ranked higher. I'd say Brown is easily a level above.</p>
<p>First off, thanks for all the responses.</p>
<p>ILoveBrown--the reason I think Northwestern's acadmemics are right for be is because they have the top journalism program in the country, a good poli sci department, and a top 10 law school (and I would have priority).</p>
<p>mgsinc--thanks for those numbers. They are really helping the case for Brown. I just love the school so much, but I was worried about their specialties. </p>
<p>Also, I really want to go to law school, and Brown doesn't have a law school. Would this hurt me, because I've heard Harvard undergrads would get priority for Harvard Law, and Columbia undergrads get priority for Columbia's law school and journalism grad school...</p>
<p>Those are definitely good reasons for liking Northwestern. However, I'd caution you against planning to go to undergrad and law school in the same place -- if you have your heart set on Northwestern law school, you might do yourself a favor by doing your BA somewhere else. It's always good to get a feel for a different city, a different set of classmates, different faculty, a different academic perspective, etc.</p>
<p>I'm not sure how Northwestern's law school admissions policy works, but I bet if you were coming from a school of comparable academic quality (like Brown), your edge in admissions by applying from Northwestern undergrad would be minimal. Some schools even give priority to students applying from other institutions, because they want to have a diverse student body.</p>
<p>The fact that Brown doesn't have a law school won't hurt you at all. As has already been mentioned on this thread, you can go into law with practically any undergrad degree.</p>
<p>Also, are the rumors true about Brown -- good rumors, no worries? I've heard it's very laid back, but still hard working. Someone told me that people find creative ways to study: group studying, studying with their dorm floors, and avoiding the library. I've also heard that Brown students like to party, but also find time to make A's. All this just sounds perfect for me.</p>
<p>
[quote]
and a top 10 law school (and I would have priority).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That is incorrect.</p>
<p>Very few law schools have such a relationship with undergraduate institution with which they are associated, and Northwestern is not one of them.</p>
<p>Georgetown undergraduates are certainly prioritized for admissions into Georgetown Law Center: we can apply in our junior year without an LSAT score!</p>
<p>Northwestern does not seem to do as well as the Ivys in law school placement; they even perform comparably worse to many schools in the top 25.</p>
<p>Those "rumors" are all true. "Laid back but hard working" is an excellent description of the typical Brown student.</p>