<p>I applied to Brown early decision, but I'm beginning to doubt my chances there, and if bad news comes in December, I don't want to be scrambling to round out the bottom half of my college list in addition to finishing RD applications.</p>
<p>I'm sitting on a 2290 SAT / 34 ACT, 3.95ish GPA in the hardest curriculum my school offers, with decent extracurriculars and good essays / recs.</p>
<p>I'm hoping to major in something like Communications or Media Studies. If I go to Brown, it'll be Modern Culture and Media. I need a school that offers something in that vein...</p>
<p>I'm also in love with Brown, from its open curriculum to its friendly atmosphere to its location in the urban, artsy area of Providence.</p>
<p>What are some schools where I could find a similar vibe to Brown, but that I could actually get into? If it comes down to it, I know I'll be applying to Northwestern, Tufts, WUStL, and probably Boston College just because my dad attended. I need some safer schools, and preferably some that are more Brown than BC, if you know what I mean.</p>
<p>I figure CC is full of people who can suggest some colleges to me, so go right ahead!</p>
<p>I go back and forth about the idea of a women’s college, but I didn’t know that about Smith’s open curriculum! I’ll definitely look into it further, thanks!</p>
<p>Amherst College
Boston College
Boston University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Georgetown University
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
The George Washington University
Tufts University
University Of California - Berkeley</p>
<p>An urban college with an open curriculum that is much less selective than Brown (or Wesleyan for that matter)?</p>
<p>Eugene Lang College (in Greenwich Village, pretty urban and artsy.)
Sara Lawrence College (suburban, but only ~15 mi. from Manhattan.)</p>
<p>Then there’s Hampshire College. You lose the urban aspect, but you gain a 5-college consortium. So, although it’s less selective than Brown, Wesleyan, or Smith, you get to take courses at Amherst, Smith, MHC and UMass. Filmmaker Ken Burns went to Hampshire.</p>
<p>These 3 schools are edgy, more or less “alternative” places that might not please your grandmother.</p>
<p>Brown is unusual. The open curriculum and pass-fail grading policy appeal to students who want a liberal, progressive place. But it’s also old and Ivy League (which tends to please the people who are paying for it).</p>
<p>At a school much less selective than Brown, you may have to drop one or the other (respectability or artsy edginess).</p>
<p>I disagree with most of pierre’s list. Yes, Amherst has an open curriculum, and yes most of the other schools are urban, but that doesn’t mean that they’re very similar to Brown. I’d argue that BC, BU, Cornell and Dartmouth especially attract very different people from those who are usually attracted to Brown. NYU and Northwestern, maybe.</p>
<p>The OP isn’t asking for incredibly safe schools, and her stats are strong enough for any school in the country. If she likes Smith and Wesleyan, other schools I’d recommend she look into are Oberlin, Vassar, and Macalester. I’d actually strongly suggest Macalester for someone who likes Brown, as it’s small, urban, and artsy. I’d say Mac is a low match for the OP.</p>
<p>Yes to Macalester. For many students attracted to Brown (Smith, Wesleyan), that may be a more appealing match/target school than BC.</p>
<p>BC is better known in the East. But the two are similar in USNWR ranking, median SAT scores, etc., with a slight advantage to Macalester. Mac produces almost as many econ Ph.D.s per capita as Harvard, more history Ph.D.s, and seems to have a good track record for placements into top professional schools.</p>
<p>Of all the top LACs, Mac probably offers the most interesting urban environment (as long as you’re not bothered by cold weather).</p>
<p>UChicago! (I think that is a wonderful school based on what you’re looking for… def look there)
Case Western (right in the heart of Cleveland and has excellent liberal arts feel),
Vanderbilt (right in the heart of Nashville and also fits your desires)</p>
<p>Definitely look at those 3 schools!! Less selective, but still top-quality and I think very similar to Brown</p>
<p>Yes, Chicago is a wonderful school. But it does not seem to fit the OP’s stated preferences. It has a strong core curriculum (not an open curriculum like Brown’s). It does offer a Cinema and Media Studies major, but the school has long been considered an academic pressure cooker. It is not too much less selective than Brown. The admit rate is higher but the SAT medians are about the same. It does tend to be an easier admit than some of the Ivies if you are merely one of the smartest kids in your class and not in addition a one-armed juggling champion who fled religious persecution from your impoverished country in a homemade air balloon.</p>
<p>Pierre’s list has very few schools that make sense to me. MCM at Brown, for what its worth, pretty much looks nothing like any communications major I can think of anywhere. How clear/sure are you about MCM?</p>