Brown is known for CS. Brown had one of the first CS departments in the country. Brown has put monumental thought and effort into the way they teach CS courses.
The courses are rigorous with both extensive theory and hands-on project work, and with a tremendous undergraduate TA program to assure that there is enough support for students to achieve success with the demanding workload. I saw that my daughter and classmates learned enough in the intro course sequence to land internships as early as sophomore summer at top tech companies.
For students interested in research, there’s lots of opportunity as well. The faculty are very accessible and it’s a fun and friendly department . My daughter and her friends say there’s no place they would have rather studied CS.
Brown has also pioneered interdisciplinary studies across a wide range of topics- so CS and poli sci? CS and bio? CS and psych/cog sci? and of course- CS and Applied Math (one of the strongest departments at Brown). I can’t fathom the comment “not known for CS”. It’s not Cal Tech or MIT, but for a liberal arts education, it is an extremely strong CS department/experience.
Agree that Yale has a bigger endowment and more money to spend. And agree that Yale’s residential college system makes it much harder for a Freshman to fall through the cracks before the natural friendship groups form.
I think it’s great that this student will get to visit both!
Please, let the kid get outta town.
Have him visit Y & B, and see which he likes better (if either). They have distinct vibes, and he’ll know if either is a place he can call home for four years.
It’s not Yale vs. Brown. I believe the student got into other top flight colleges including some that are harder to get into.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply in depth!
Update: we did appeal financial aid at the 2 East Coast schools, and with additional information they now offer packages that would be similar to what we have at Pomona. So now our decision will be based off of what he decides after attending admit days. Thank you all for input.
Great, and good for you that you looked into the fin aid policies. Please let us know how visits go! Our son loves Yale…but I suspect that Brown’s prowess as a pioneer in CS will wow your student.
I will add only that Brown has the reputation of having very badly run down dorm rooms . That is something he should ask current students about.
Has anyone mentioned climate? How much is the student going to love those east coast winters?
PhD production per capita is misleading- a large school may have significantly more grad school bound students in a major to give a broader peer group. Who cares about the lower 2/3rds, 3/4ths, you interact with your level peers.
Needing a 3.3 gpa in relevant courses is no big deal- you should be able to get the grades if you want a major. A problem can arise if the bar is set very high because there are too many students for the allotted spaces in courses. A scenario would be having 100 places, not just a certain gpa.
Experiencing a totally different climate and culture can be eye opening. A good learning experience to get away from one’s environment.
Just wanted to add to @prezbucky 's post that Brown (like Yale) also has a “shopping period” for classes.
@lovemydog4ever I took my younger S to Pomona for a tour on our own just to get a feel of the campus and the area. We live an hour away. I looked at their website and what recent Pomona graduates are doing and I have to say that I’m very impressed. Pomona will be high on my S list (he’s a rising senior). His brother goes to Cornell. He loves his school, hates the winter (and how long the season is) and limited food choices (he misses our SoCal food staples). He said he’s escaping the east coast upon graduating. Being from Cali really spoils you weather-wise. He also considered Brown and had visited the campus for a couple of days but preferred Cornell. He wanted an east coast experience for college and he’s getting it, but can’t wait to graduate and leave the coast. Just one SoCal guy’s perspective after experiencing two winters (and travel snafus) there. Maybe Connecticut and RI aren’t as bad as Ithaca.
Good luck and congratulations on the great choices!
P.S. it’s 31* in Ithaca rn and 86* where I live 
@menloparkmom yes it’s true my S can confirm Brown dorms are run down
Well, that’s what makes horse races 
I have a son who is graduating from Yale in a few short weeks, with a combined MS/BS in CS. He thrived at Yale. I recommend Yale highly for kids who are interested in theoretical, mathy, CS. If they are interested in becoming a “code monkey” (not a slag, that was my profession for years), I would recommend going elsewhere (Stanford, CMU, etc.). My son found many opportunities for research, TAing, internships, etc., while at Yale.