| Well, at Brown, there are a total of about 6,000 undergraduates and 1,800 graduate students. At Amherst there is a total of about 1,600 undergraduates.
Providence, Rhode Island, has been described by its adherents as a fairly metropolitan city. Amherst, Massachusetts, is your small New England town, though Amherst students also have Smith's Northhampton, given its participation in the Five College Consortium.
Speaking of which, Amherst students can take classes at UMass, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, and Hampshire, and take advantage of their social opportunities as well. An academic and social boon that Brown students do not have.
A good portion of Amherst's class consists of recruited athletes. Brown attracts wealthy foreigners and more artistic types. These may lead to pre-conceived stereotypes, and one can draw better conclusions by actually visiting the schools and sitting in on classes and events.
Brown is known as the liberal arts college of the Ivy League, whereas Amherst is a liberal arts college itself. Both are heavily focused on providing advising and encouraging intellectual growth. Academically--inside of the classroom, outside of the classroom--they aren't very different. |