Brown vs. Penn vs. Princeton

SusieBra · 04-18-2009, 09:15 PM

Okay so I'm pretty much decided on Penn because I don't like the heavy rigid requirements of Princeton and I don't like the total freedom of Brown. Anything else I should consider before making my decision?

BtheB44 · 04-18-2009, 09:49 PM

I can't say I loved Penn. Campus is very nice and academics are great (same with the other 2), but to me, the people there seemed less laid back, and from friends who go there, I've heard people are pretty competitive about grades, but some people like that atmosphere a lot. Really I think it's self-knowledge about which atmosphere suits you the best, unless you think you're pretty set on a major, in which case you might feasibly be able to make some comparisons of academic quality. The fact is, these are all good schools in pretty much all regards.

andy_college09 · 04-21-2009, 12:26 AM

go 2 princeton, nicest campus ever, except for Duke of course lol

but seriously princeton is amazing I would go there in a heartbeat. If its penn wharton, go 2 penn, but otherwise Princeton. no question in my mind.

SusieBra · 04-21-2009, 07:26 AM

-If you want to talk about campus life- Penn is a city within a city and probably about the most beautiful place I've every seen. Princeton is very historic but there's no life there and friends who go there have confirmed that it's basically void of socialness. Your best bet is to get into an eating club which is very exclusive and I don't have the money to get in.
-The other thing is: I kind of know what I'm going to/what I want to do with my life and Princeton has very rigid requirements that I don't think will help me towards my profession whereas Penn, unlike Princeton and Brown, builds your professional experience and preps you for your career and for grad/law/med school

That's why I think I'm still going with Penn.

tetrisfan · 04-21-2009, 07:30 AM

You've made up your mind. Why make this thread?

SusieBra · 04-21-2009, 07:35 AM

I like to have people who can confirm my thoughts so that I don't have to second guess myself = )

one_proud_Korean · 04-21-2009, 03:23 PM

what are you waiting for?
GO TO PRINCETON!!!

you will become a prince like myself

SusieBra · 04-21-2009, 03:54 PM

That's nothing convincing. I care about my career a lot more than I care about 4 years. Penn prepares you for grad school/law school/med school not just 4 years in the sun. Princeton reminds me of high school given the rigid, pointless requirements that occupy your time but don't prepare you for your profession. Oh, and I want to have a LIFE and not just hope that they'll start to offer financial aid for eating clubs.

My guidance counselor told me to close my eyes and to see not just the four years of college, but also life beyond those years and to try to figure out which college would get me to where I want to be.

So, I'm decided and will let all of my colleges know that I fell in love with Penn <3 (plus they're giving me the most money = ) )

_ken · 04-21-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

I don't think will help me towards my profession whereas Penn, unlike Princeton and Brown, builds your professional experience and preps you for your career and for grad/law/med school

What makes you think Brown doesn't help build professional experience or prep you for your career?

Being given the opportunity to decide which classes are important to you in that development is something Brown offers through it's open curriculum. You can't say that with your other two choices.

You say you "kind of know" where you're going.. but med/law/grad school are very different pursuits. It would seem to me that having an open curriculum would really allow you to explore and find what's the best fit for you, especially considering their awesome pass/no credit system designed explicitly to allow you the freedom to explore without having to deal with the pressure of damaging your GPA because you were curious what a class about underwater basket weaving was really all about.

Anyway, I know you said you posted this because you wanted people to reassure you, but since it's on the Brown board, I figured I'd play devil's advocate and help you look at things from another perspective.

dcircle · 04-21-2009, 08:55 PM

like others have pointed out it seems like you've made up your mind, but i'm not sure it is based on considerations that will actually make a difference in your career the way you think it will

there are many reasons why very few people that have had the same choices for college you do, pick penn over brown and princeton. the weak reason most people choose princeton and brown over penn because princeton and brown are harder to get into. the stronger reason is because the cultures at princeton or brown appeal to them more.

regardless, I can't imagine why anyone would choose between them on the basis of career preparation.

SusieBra · 04-22-2009, 02:57 AM

I don’t care about statistics, so I agree that that’s a stupid reason to go to one college over another. I do, however, still feel that you need to look beyond four years.
I’ve always known that I wanted to be a lawyer, so naturally I’m looking for the environment most supportive of that profession.
While Penn Law is not Harvard Law, I was waitlisted to Harvard University and Penn Law is one of the best in the country. It helps to attend Penn undergrad to get into Penn Law, despite what people say.
Also, you need to get into law school first and do well once you get there, so naturally I looked at the core curriculums to see which universities would support that end:
Brown: in the absence of structure, individual psychopathology occurs- Brown is a wonderful institution with a progressive philosophy but I’m not there yet. I don’t know if on my own, I would take courses that I would rather not take but that would support my profession.
Penn: the perfect balance: requires that you take courses that you might not want to take but that will support you in each and every profession INCLUDING LAW
Princeton: very structed, with courses that simply would not be applicable to me and would not further my career goals.

Penn is a research institution that allows you to dive into your field, pursue your passions and strengthen them so that you can achieve your goals. So while I hate rejecting other great universities, Penn is calling my name and The City of Brotherly Love has won my heart.

dcircle · 04-22-2009, 10:07 AM

SusieBra, just so you know, Brown undergrad has one of the highest per capita representation at Harvard Law. In fact, Brown is ranked 7th in terms of representation at Harvard Law and Penn is ranked 14th.

Ranking For Undergrad With Highest Acceptance Rates To Law School?

Moreover, 95% of Brown undergrads are accepted to one of their top three choices for law school.

http://www.brown.edu/Administration/...ndfigures.html

It's one thing to be really opinionated, but since this is such an important decision you should at least make sure it's informed.

dcircle · 04-22-2009, 10:20 AM

for yale law (hands down the best law school in the world),

princeton is 4th
brown is 6th
penn is 19th

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/2997104-post25.html

SusieBra · 04-22-2009, 03:25 PM

I think that that probably just has to do with the fact that most Penn students want to go to, and do go to, Penn Law. Why change when you love a place?

I know it's not the best law school in the country, but it's one of the very best and is one of the few to offer need based financial aid, without loans most of the time.

dcircle · 04-22-2009, 05:07 PM

i don't think your theory of why penn students don't end up at harvard and yale law with nearly the same frequency brown students do is right. why wouldn't they aim for their best options?

i have two graduate degrees from two different ivies. let me tell you, no matter how much you love a school -- the college and grad experiences are night and day. just because you loved your college experience is no reason to stay on for grad school.

regardless, all the best -- you'll have a bright future ahead of you no matter what