<p>Similar in their atmosphere/student body?
Close to urban centres?
Open curriculum?</p>
<p>Are there any top LACs that fit this description?</p>
<p>For atmosphere, Wesleyan and Vassar are often mentioned. For open curriculum, Amherst and Grinnell.</p>
<p>Definitely Wes, Vassar and Oberlin for the atmosphere, and relatively easy distribution requirements (and in Wes’s case, a technically open curriculum, though there are distribution requirements if you want honors). None are that close to urban centers though. Vassar is 1-1.5 hours outside of NYC; Wes is about 2 from Boston and NYC. Of the three, Wes’s location has the most urban “feel,” but Middletown is not even as hopping as Providence. But these are the three that probably get the most compared to Brown, for good reason.</p>
<p>Amherst and Grinnell are open curriculum, and aren’t too off on the atmosphere (esp. Grinnell), but both are rather isolated (esp. Grinnell). </p>
<p>Macalester is good for an activist student body in a city. Not sure about the distribution requirements.</p>
<p>Oberlin is 40 minutes from Cleveland.</p>
<p>Vassar is closer to 2 hours from midtown NYC.</p>
<p>how about swarthmore and reed?</p>
<p>Even though it is a public school, I’ve heard that William & Mary is similar to Brown</p>
<p>Weslyan, Pomona, Reed, Vassar, Bowdoin, Oberlin,</p>
<p>Macalaster, Carleton, Swarthmore</p>
<p>Reed has a more of a classical structured curriculum.</p>
<p>It’s interesting how people perceive the same school very differently, here’s a couple that’s gotten very conflicting views so far:
-swarthmore: somewhat quirky+artsy vs boring+buried in books
-wesleyan: artsy vs jock-y</p>
<p>what do you guys think?</p>
<p>What I find rather amusing is that Liberal Arts Colleges have to conform to Brown-curricular model, feel, atmosphere. This is not the first time I’ve seen a “Which LAC would be like Brown” thread and I wonder what naturally binds the two together. There’s no Liberal Arts Colleges like Dartmouth or Princeton thread. Anyway, since Brown is the yardstick, hinderpanda, Swarthmore wouldn’t be much like Brown beyond maybe the quirkiness. Wesleyan is a place that is very much like Brown-quirky, laid back, open curriculum and has esoteric fields like ethnomusicology to major in.</p>
<p>i have a good friend that went to weslyan, and from what she described, it sounded like Brown without the Jock crowd.</p>
<p>“What I find rather amusing is that Liberal Arts Colleges have to conform to Brown-curricular model, feel, atmosphere. This is not the first time I’ve seen a “Which LAC would be like Brown” thread and I wonder what naturally binds the two together.”</p>
<p>Well, Brown is a lot more well-known than LACs in general (at least internationally, I’m from Canada). However, it’s quite hard to get into. So most people would start searching around for second choices.
Brown’s open curriculum probably attracted a bunch of people who would be happy to consider LACs, ergo the threads of “What LACs are like Brown”.
Also, Brown is known to be a lot more “artsy” than your average research university (whether it’s true or not, it’s a wide-spread opinion), which would also contribute to the large number of ppl interested in LACs and Brown.</p>
<p>"i have a good friend that went to weslyan, and from what she described, it sounded like Brown without the Jock crowd. "</p>
<p>According to someone else, Wes is a good mixture of everything…><
I think I’m definitely gonna have to do some college visiting before I start applying…xD</p>
<p>For the NESCAC, I know both Hamilton and Amherst have an open curriculum.</p>
<p>I really, really, really, really, really wanted to go to Hamilton, but for financial reasons have to go to Brown (crzay, I know). I’d look at Haverford as well</p>
<p>hmm, searched up haverford, sounds pretty awesome. xD</p>
<p>^ I really liked it. It has that same quality of independence that Brown seems to have, plus you can take classes at Swat and Bryn Mawr (awww yeah 
) and it seems very personal and everything</p>
<p>yep, swat sounds like an interesting place too.</p>
<p>but brown is the only school i know so far where you can take classes @ a top art school…T-T (RISD!!!)</p>
<p>“I really, really, really, really, really wanted to go to Hamilton, but for financial reasons have to go to Brown (crzay, I know). I’d look at Haverford as well”</p>
<p>That hardly sounds like a “settle for half” situation. haha.</p>