<p>Prospected Major: Economics (Double Minor in Philosophy/Environmental Science) - I hope to go to law school, but that depends after graduation.</p>
<p>I'm stuck on deciding between Brown, Dartmouth, and Northwestern. After some digging around CC threads, it seems as if Northwestern Economics is Tier II, and Brown / Dartmouth is Tier III. But then there's the whole issue with prestige, since Brown and Dartmouth are Ivy Leagues and higher ranked (and have grade inflation). Then when it comes between Brown and Dartmouth, Dartmouth is higher ranked but Brown is more selective. And then the argument takes a full U-turn back to the argument on how Northwestern Economics are higher ranked.</p>
<p>So I'm completely stuck on which college to choose. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>My thinking is that between those schools, any difference in economics programs is negligible. If you’re looking to ED to one of them, you should be looking at the schools themselves, and deciding where you KNOW you will be happy (and you don’t have to ED either). For example, I think Northwestern will have a different environment for Brown and Brown will be different from Dartmouth. </p>
<p>Some things to think about if you are set on law school. Undergrad doesn’t really matter that much, and it certainly won’t make a difference if you attend Dartmouth or Northwestern. They’re not going to be that nitpicky about which econ program you studied in, as you don’t even need a background in econ to study law. Studying econ will be helpful once you begin practicing if you go into certain fields, but it won’t matter in law admissions. </p>
<p>Addressing grade inflation. I’m no expert on it, so an older and wiser member is welcome to call me on it if this is incorrect. In the setting of law school admissions, grade inflation is your friend. You will get a higher GPA and will be a more competitive applicant. It is that simple.</p>
<p>It looks like you’re considering Questbridge. Does Questbridge allow you to also apply ED? Do ED schools allow you to apply to Questbridge? If the two programs are incompatible, you should absolutely choose QB over ED. </p>
<p>Regardless, if you can’t decide which school to choose for ED, then you shouldn’t be choosing any of them for ED. You’re not head over heels in love with one of them. I get the feeling that you haven’t visited any of them (apologies if I’m wrong about this). You’re talking about how their econ programs compare, not about Brown’s open curriculum or Dartmouth’s great study abroad options or Northwestern’s proximity to Chicago. Where’s the passion? Where do you want to spend four years of your life, and with which group of students? Why is one of these schools the perfect place for you? </p>
<p>So, throw all three schools into the RD pot, and wait to see which ones make you an offer. Dartmouth and Brown definitely meet full need, and I believe Northwestern does as well, but there may still be variation in their financial aid packages. If you are considering law school, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t have to take out significant loans for undergrad. No loans would be even better.</p>