<p>I realize that I'm posting this on the Northwestern forum but I'd really appreciate an honest, objective opinion - as someone who wants to major in Economics but is looking towards getting into the corporate world/get an MBA in the future, which university would suit me better in terms of the opportunities?</p>
<p>Thanks so much in advance! :)</p>
<p>aangel42 ā </p>
<p>Insofar as undergraduate education ā both are excellent schools, though they do have a somewhat different educational philosophy, I believe.</p>
<p>Insofar as admission to B-School for an MBA, it probably doesnāt make much difference. </p>
<p>Insofar as getting into the corporate world ā with some of the NY-centric investment banking firms ANY IVY (Plus Stanford, MIT or maybe Chicago) is viewed as better than any Non-Ivy. However this is changing. On the other hand, if you wanted anywhere but NYC, it probably doesnāt make much of a difference.</p>
<p>I honestly donāt think the above is even true. NU will carry about as much weight as Brown will.</p>
<p>As zephyr said - the two schools are very different in philosophy so the question really is - which matches your feelings? Brown is a much more open curriculum than NU, you have much more freedom to design your own program. At NU because of the trimester system you have plenty of room to take many, many classes but your major is pretty defined as to what is required.</p>
<p>As far as the future, itās irrelevant whether you go to Brown or Northwestern.</p>
<p>zephyr15,
While the two may provide comparable education in general, Northwestern has much more to offer in terms of econ/business-related courses. You just canāt get MMSS, IEMS, or Kellogg certificate at Brown. </p>
<p>amtc,
From what I understand, majors are pretty defined at Brown. The freedom pertains to the courses outside your major. That is, Brown has no distribution requirements while Northwestern does.</p>
<p>Brown was actually one of my top choices and I ended up choosing NU ED. One of the main reasons I did is oppertunities during college. Chicago and all the resources it has far outweights providence. Iāve spent some time in providence and I really didnāt feel there would be enough there for me. (Iām from a city though, so that not apply to you depending on where you are from). There would be more places to go or work in Chicago- and although I donāt think the name will impact you on getting jobs in the future, the jobs you have had in the past will.</p>
<p>Thanks so much everyone for your responses and help! Itās really great to have your opinions and consider the positives/negatives of each place :)</p>
<p>@ilana26: Thatās exactly what I was thinking too! In terms of internships and jobs, I felt that Chicago would be much better 
However, Iām sure thereās opportunities in Providence too? What do Brown students do during summers/during the school year for work?</p>
<p>@Sam Lee: I LOVE the MMSS and Kellogg certificate programs at Northwestern! Thatās one of the main reasons I WAS considering Northwestern Whatās IEMS?</p>
<p>So basically I have a toss-up here (as zephyr15 put it) - I have, on the one hand, an Ivy with prestige and on the other, probably more hands-on real world exposureā¦ But I also heard that Chicago is not a GREAT place for a college student to be? :S</p>
<p>Which do you guys think would be better for someone like me? Iām so confused 
Thanks soooo much once again for your help! :)</p>
<p>Providence is a city of only 180,000 while Chicago is a city of 2,700,000 (not including the surrounding metro area) people. Brown students will probably try their luck elsewhere, especially Boston, for summer opportunities. During the school year? I have no idea.</p>
<p>IEMS is industrial engineering and management science (another top-10 program in the country).</p>
<p>Like arbiter, I am not really sure if I agree with zephyr as far as prestige and recruiting goes. Thatās assuming you donāt even have MMSS/Kellogg certifiate. If you are in MMSS/Kellogg certificate program, thereās no question you will see more recruiting opportunities than if you are at Brown. Just look at list of employers for MMSS and Kellogg certifiate grads, thereās no way such kind of recruiting applies to the whole Brown undergrad. So Iād just apply to MMSS and see if you get in first.</p>
<p>As far as nightlife is concerned (if it ever becomes an issue you decide you care about), as a Northwestern alum and now a graduate student at Harvard, Iām shock by the dearth of nightlife options here in Boston and Cambridge compared to Chicago. I donāt think thereās even a club in Cambridge (maybe one)! The T here stops running at around 1 am, which severely limits where one can go in the city. Boston and Cambridge are practically empty at night. I can only imagine what Providence is like. My friends who went there say the nightlife options are severely limited, but I guess some people might not really care about that anyway.</p>
<p>As far as internship opportunities, you can go anywhere in the country or the world during the summers from either of these places (and NU at least offers generous funding thatās easy to get). If you want to work during the academic year though and generally just want to gain practical skills to complement your academics (e.g. Kellogg certificate, IMC certificate in Medill, Chicago Field Studies, SESP practicum, Field Studies in the Humanities, NU Public Interest Program, etc.), youāre much better off with Northwestern. I would also say Northwesternās connections with Chicago (and urban hubs like LA, SF, NYC, and DC) is far stronger than Brownās anywhere. I love Brown and strongly considered it but decided Northwesternās prestige, wealth, and connections really mattered to me. Their social environments are also different, though both are eclectic in their own way. I would strongly encourage a visit.</p>
<p>aangel ā </p>
<p>We canāt answer this for you. Essentially, both are great schools. If you are fortunate to have the choice between attending one of these institutions, youāre in a truly āno-loseā situation.</p>
<p>The only advice I can give ā is if you have the opportunity, visit both schools. See if one of them reaches out and makes you feel at home. Last year my D had the choice between Cornell and NU (which is close enough to Brown v NU, right) and chose NU. It was clear after the visits that this was the place for her.</p>
<p>I just saw on MMSS webpage that the following presentation will be given to the group: Career Paths in the Financial Industry: Presentation by Goldman Sachs and Grosvenor Capital. I am not sure if the repsentative is from Chicago or NYC. But it does shows the group is specificly targeted by certain firms in the financial industry.</p>
<p>well brown is much harder to get into, obviously. but in terms of future in business, two schools wonāt differ too much</p>
<p>[Job</a> Opportunities, Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences ā Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University](<a href=āhttp://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/students/job-opportunties.html]Jobā>http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/students/job-opportunties.html)</p>
<p>Hereās the list of companies/organizations recruiting MMSS so far this fall. Looking at the organizations and positions, you can tell they look for people with some specific quant skills. If you are merely a econ major, itād involve an extra step to convince the employers you have what they look for. MMSS skips that altogether, at least for these organizations.</p>
<p>I suggest you read "A hope in the unseen, by Ron Suskind (pulitzer prize winner), 1998
(āchosen as one of the best books of the year by the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Washington Monthly, and Booklistā)
It is the true story of an incredible individual from innercity Washington, D.C. who attends Brown.
I think the BOOK is fantastic; I came away with a dislike for Brown University, however.
I strongly recommend NU > Brown and Chicago > Providence.
Get over the ivy league cr**p.</p>
<p>^That post did not end at all the way I thought it would.</p>
<p>I canāt imagine where you heard that Chicago isnāt a great city for college students. I was barely familiar with Chicago before D started at NU, but having recently spent a bit of time in Chicago - and being quite familiar with Boston, NYC and LA - I honestly canāt imagine a BETTER city for students than Chicago! Combine that with the advantages of Evanston and Iād say NU enjoys one of the best locations in the country.</p>
<p>@arbiter haha you are right this is what happens when one is multitasking!</p>
<p>One of my kids graduated from Harvard; the other goes to NU. We live right outside of Cambridge. Cambridge and Boston DO have a club scene, but yes, the MBTA shuts down early. Providence, however, is a lot more provincial than Boston, so a lot of kids from Brown come up here for the weekend. Chicago is massive and it has a zillion fun things to do. It does take a while to get from Evanston into the Loop area, but the train is direct and runs late. The weather in Evanston is that much worse than it is in Providence, but neither of them is spectacular. Your question should really be this: where would you rather be in school? 4 years is a long time to spend in a place where you arenāt very happy.</p>