<p>I'm having a really tough time choosing between Columbia College and Brown University. I know a lot of great things about Brown such as their music programs and research programs. But I don't know a great deal about Columbia's music and research programs. Does anyone know whether undergrads at Columbia can start research during their first year, or whether resources at Columbia allow for a stimulating scientific/research environment? Does anyone know how I can find out more information? I honestly don't know whether to choose Brown or Columbia, because each one has its advantages. Also, I was awarded pretty good financial aid/scholarship at both places too. Please help. Thanks!</p>
<p>In terms of academics they're like the antithesis of each other-- Brown's "no grade policies/choose whatever you want" vs Columbia's Core. Brown's in RI and Columbia is in NYC. It's all preference both are great!</p>
<p>But in terms of research. I've been in a lab at Columbia since 9th grade and I've seen dozens of undergraduate first year interns there. Extremely accessible.. in fact even before i was admitted all i did was email a mentor at Columbia and ask to be interviewd. Did taht- and here I am 4 years later!</p>
<p>go to brown to increase my chances of getting off the waitlist :)</p>
<p>hahaha thx for ur replies! um............truazn so the environment at Columbia is really fit for research? that's great to hear actually. : ) I will def try to learn more about it, but it looks like im leaning towards columbia.</p>
<p>nyc > providence</p>
<p>edit: columbia is a world class research university with the most nobel prizes in the world (after cambridge)</p>
<p>Yea Columbia University has the 2nd most Nobels in the world.</p>
<p>can't beat columbia for location, certainly</p>
<p>I think Columbia is tied for 1st with the most Nobel affiliations.</p>
<p>If research is important to you, Columbia DEFINITELY trumps brown by a wide margin. Columbia itself has more research opportunities, plus the countless other opportunities that are available through Columbia's connections throughout NYC.
As for Music, I have no clue.</p>
<p>You should like post this on Brown board...</p>
<p>Thanks for all your help! I also posted this in the Brown forum to see if opinions vary, but it looks like Columbia is becoming a convincing choice!</p>
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In terms of academics they're like the antithesis of each other-- Brown's "no grade policies/choose whatever you want" vs Columbia's Core. Brown's in RI and Columbia is in NYC. It's all preference both are great!
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<p>Ain't that the truth. As I said over on Brown's board but perhaps less concise:</p>
<p>As an undergraduate, the access you'll have to resources will be virtually the same as will be the education and academics.</p>
<p>This choice comes down to location and pedagogical philosophy.</p>
<p>I love Brown and wouldn't go anywhere else, but I sure as hell yearn for The City.</p>
<p>Columbia's engineering and science programs do a lot of research in speech, audio, and music processing. If you're interested in the science aspects of music, you can take courses and become a more well-rounded musician. I don't think Brown's engineering program will offer as much as Columbia's.</p>
<p>Check out some of the music engineering courses:
<a href="http://www.ee.columbia.edu/%7Edpwe/%5B/url%5D">http://www.ee.columbia.edu/~dpwe/</a></p>
<p>Oh yea, forgot to mention that Columbia students can take courses and private lessons at the Juilliard School, which is the most kick arse music school in the world.</p>
<p>A revealed preferences battle taking place before our very eyes!</p>
<p>I don't see how cross admits to brown and Columbia choose brown tho.... honestly. maybe im just too biased. Someone explain it to me?</p>
<p>By the way kaiten, I'm doing stem-cell research at Columbia (tissue engineering specifically) and I can tell you from insider knowledge that my mentor has a HUGE HUGE pull in this field and chose Columbia's offer over rival schools like Harvard, Yale, Penn, and MIT simply because he said "this was where the future of regenerative medicine will unfold". Columbia medical school is located on 168th- a 10 minute subway ride- extremely convenient. </p>
<p>Just look at the alumni of Columbia and the 81 affiliated nobel laureates (tied for most in the world) as a testament to Columbia's atmosphere of research. By the way, how can you beat NYC in terms of music with all the resources, orchestras, symphonies, located here?</p>
<p>thanks for your input truazn. i actually have a question. to do research like stem-cell or in any other medicine field, did u have to have decided when applying for college during senior yr of high school? biology is actually what i am also interested in, and if i happen to love it during my first or second year in columbia, will there be ample time to "change majors"? thanks for your inputs!</p>
<p>I'm still a hs senior lol ( i was admitted to CC ed). But i've been interning at Columbia since freshman year of HS and I've learned a WHOLE LOT. But no, you don't need to even declare a major till sophomore year (end). And from what I understand, the first year is mostly devoted to finishing the Core Curriculum anyway.</p>
<p>It seems like you really are torn between the two and I'm sure you've just read how great columbia was on the forum (some from my posts too haha)</p>
<p>But I think it's only fair that I give you some of the bad things about Columbia too. Some people love Columbia's campus-- it's a retreat and a genuine enclosed beautiful neoclassical campus in the middle of morningside heights. But with that said-- it's small compared to a lot of the other Ivies (think... Princeton's sprawling campus). Columbia's is actually similar to Harvard's in many ways since it's enclosed off. For this-- you need to visit and make sure which campus you like better (a small, albeit important consideration).</p>
<p>From what I know from my friends at Columbia and Brown, Columbia kids are very politically active. Don't be surprised if there are protests every month or something to that extent. Columbia kids also are more serious- get-to-business types. Many people come to Columbia to get their work done. While not anti-social, I'd argue taht Brown kids are more laidback and less serious about stuff in general (good and bad i guess). Being in NYC and Columbia generally requires a more independant type of person-- willing to proactively seek out what you need. Columbia is different in this regards because you need to seek out a lot of the things that are there for you. They won't be handed to you by any means. Some schools, like Princeton, really lead you by the hand to make sure you don't get lost--- Columbia's basically the opposite of that.</p>
<p>Finally, one of the more frequent complaints I get is the lack of student body cohesion. I think it's overstated in many cases (as I see tons of people on warm spring days sun-bathing on the Steps every saturday I go there for SHP), but I can also see how students tend to disperse into NYC during weekends. It's a curse and a blessing I guess. </p>
<p>So definitely consider all of these factors carefully-- but from an objective point of view, Columbia will provide you with more opportunities and a higher caliber of professors than Brown can for various reasons (endowment, location, history). At the undergradute level however, i doubt it'll make any real difference.</p>
<p>My advice is to go to Days on Campus (April 15-16, 22-23rd) and Brown's equivalent if they have one and see which one you like more. In the end however--- don't let college define you. And whichever choice you make, you'll be amongst the elite =)</p>
<p>Ditto truazn8948532.</p>
<p>And add: Columbia's location in and connection with New York City also provides students with a ton of opportunities to enjoy and explore all the arts. You can visit the CU Arts Initiative website at <a href="http://www.cuarts.com%5B/url%5D">www.cuarts.com</a> for more information. I'm an avid fan of the arts and I am more than pleased with the availability of discount tickets, the sundry of performances, and the FREE access to most of the museums including the world famous MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Guggenheim, and MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). Not to mention, you always, always enjoy musical performances on your commutes through the subway system. Columbia also offers FREE music instruction, and you can participate in the many musical groups on and off campus. It's actually overwhelming deciding which performance to attend and which opportunities to seize. I love it though and you certainly won't find me complaining.</p>
<p>I looked at Brown during my college search too, and now that I have been here for nearly a year, I am fully convinced that as far as opportunities, professors, location, and the motivating/conducive environment goes...Columbia>>>Brown.</p>