<p>I think it's weird that people consider Brown the easy Ivy - after all, it has one of the lower acceptance rates, and in addition, the grade inflation is not NEARLY as much as some of the "top" schools. doesn't the old saying go: getting into Harvard is hard, getting out is a lot easier (or once ur in, it's a breeze?) -- isn't it also true that over 70% of kids graduate from Harvard in advanced standing because of all the A's they get -- given, they're all extremely bright kids, but it's reputation has been also known for grade inflation as well... just my thoughts</p>
<p>and as u can tell im Brown '10 :-) and worked my ass off in school to get there!!!!</p>
<p>While Brown looks easy to the outside observer, because you can take everything S/NC, and you can take whatever you want, why on earth would you choose to take classes you're not interested in? If you're taking interesting classes, and if you're the type of student who got into Brown in the first place, you will work hard because you want to, not because you have to. It's really as easy or challenging as the individual makes it, and I personally don't know anyone who slacks off more than they would at any other college.</p>
<p>I think part of the reason Brown seems "easy" is because it has a much more relaxed and cooperative atmosphere than many of the other Ivies. I visited Brown and saw a whole hall studying together and having fun while doing so. Skip to Cornell, and I saw people hitting the library. One's not necessarily harder than the other, but student mentality changes a great deal from Ivy to Ivy.</p>
<p>brown doesn't get a lot of attention just because it's image is that of a fun school. really, all brown needs to do to ncrease its applications is get a better publicist. and make sure that when people go to their school and visit, they actually have information to give out. when i went to visit this past year, they were like, uh, sorry. we don't have anything to give out for a couple of months. no stats, nothing. why don't you wait for us to mail it to you?</p>
<p>My experience was that many Brown students work VERY hard but, never wanting to appear nerdy or unsociable, they hide it. For example, they willingly shut the books when invited to go out dancing, then come back and study from 2 am to 4 am. </p>
<p>I figured this out when some of the major lampshade-on-head party animals I knew wound up at graduation as double concentrators, summas, admittees to top grad schools-- I never had an inkling about their academic excellence until I read the graduation program. </p>
<p>I agree with Rabo, the school is careful to admit people who will grow academically in an atmosphere of relaxation and freedom, not kids who will abuse the system or lose steam. </p>
<p>What makes Brown "easy" is never having to be in a class you don't care about. Working hard is much easier when you want to be there.</p>
<p>interestingly, many rigorous schools offer the option of taking classes pass fail. at MIT, a notoriously rigorous school, the entire first year is mandatorily pass/fail.
the fact that brown gives students the option of taking classes pass/fail has nothing to do with its rigor.
the argument that brown's S/NC grading option makes it an easy school seems to stem from envy more than anything else</p>
<p>is it also true that they dont give out minus grades? So an A- would be bumped up to an A? I wish it was like that at Cornell!! My 3.7 GPA would be a lovely 4.0. </p>
<p>Also, there was an article in the paper about grade inflation at places like Harvard, Brown, and UPenn. Somebody correct me if i'm wrong, but it stated that at brown, around 46-48% of the grades given out are A's and at Penn 56% of the grades given out are A's.</p>
<p>The Claremont Colleges (Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Scripps, Pitzer)...actually just all LACs (with the exception of Amherst) have virtually no name recognition.</p>