greatgirls

Down to the line...My d is still torn between the 2 schools. She likes the idea of having all the academic choices that Brown offers but she likes Davidson's campus and small intimate setting. She is coming from a graduating class of 60 students. She is planning on majoring in economics, both schools offer that major. She is interested in IR and Public Policy.

Brown more nationally known, offers more majors, and courses, likes several of the programs they have, maybe has more job opportunities, grad school placement is higher than Davidson, etc. con: larger student body, worried about how accessible the professors will be, and is not looking forward to the cold weather.

Davidson Also a great education, close professor contact...maybe better letters of recs, or more research opportunites because of that?? Immediately connected to a group of students during scholarship weekend, warmer weather cons: known mostly in the SE., In SoCal people go, what college? Limited in course selection due to size.

SBmom

Brown professors are very accessible. Brown has an intimate feel, despite being larger than Davidson.

Re: Cold weather, I must concede!

What is Davidson's curriculum? Are there requirements? Obviously the open curriculum is a major difference between Brown and most other schools.

Both are excellent schools; congrats to your daughter!

Pinderhughes

Brown. Unless Davidson offers a full ride, this is completely a no brainer. Davidson is a very good small school. However, it is not remotely in the Bowdoin, Colgate, Amherst, Williams, level of quality. At Brown you will get more opportunities, close faculty contact, quality advising, and a degree that will open doors Davidson simply can't match. If your child requires a very close knit environment and a Southern milieu, go to Davidson. If your child prefers a school more in the university-college mould, an intellectual challenge with some of the smartest kids in the world, and myriad clubs and activities to participate in, it's Brown.

dcollege2012

Davidson!! Yes Brown is an ivy, but does your daughter really want to go to a college because of a name? I am not here to say anything bad about brown because i do believe both schools offer great educations. The difference lies in the experience. By the numbers, Davidson has an average class size of 15, 23 rhodes scholars, 80% of students travel abroad, 98% get into med. school, and 92% get into their first choice of grad school. But Davidson is about even more than this. Although it may sound corny, the honor code rules the campus. Students really do leave their bikes unlocked, backpacks outside he eating hall and return 20 dollar bills they find on the ground. This honor code also lets students take exams in the dorms when they feel ready. This provides for a huge sense of safety that other colleges cannot achieve. There is also a great community feel! Professors will routinely invite students to their homes for home cooked southern dinners, main street is right out of the movies (even with a soda shop!), and the athletics really do bring the campus together (elite 8 basketball). Who wouldn't want to go to a school where the administrators paid for every student to go the the sweet sixteen and elite games in detroit (bus, ticket and hotel!) It is really a one of a kind education! Let me know if you have any questions!

dcollege2012

and in response to pinderhuges, check out US News rankings for lacs:

1. Williams College (MA)
2. Amherst College (MA)
3. Swarthmore College(PA)
4. Wellesley College(MA)
5. Carleton College(MN)
5. Middlebury College(VT)
7. Pomona College(CA)
7. Bowdoin College(ME)
9. Davidson College(NC)
10. Haverford College(PA)
11. Claremont McKenna College(CA)
11. Wesleyan University(CT)
11. Grinnell College(IA)
11. Vassar College(NY)
15. Harvey Mudd College(CA)
15. Washington and Lee University(VA)
17. Smith College(MA)
17. Hamilton College(NY)
17. Colgate University(NY)

It is definitely up there with bowdoin, williams... and much higher than colgate!!

wolfmanjack

U.S. News means nothing around here.

collegeprep11

brown. if she doesn't like it she can always transfer to davidson (it's much harder the other way around).

greatgirls

All good points. Thank you. And dcollege2012 are all valid points which are the reasons she is considering Davidson. And Collegeprep11 - that is a consideration that we had not looked at thanks for pointing out. This has been very stressful and that is something worth consideration...

dcollege2012

i think that is the wrong way to look at it. You dont want to transfer if you can avoid it. Has your d visited both? Just go with what feels right!

daffymom

I hope she is really really sure before she turns down a chance to go to Brown!!
RI is definately has cold weather, but it is tempered by the ocean.
Check out the grad school stats - med school etc! wow

Brown Admission: Facts & Figures

mattmom

I don't think choosing a college with an eye to tranasferring is a good idea. But even so, I suspect it is not, in fact, easier to transfer to a small school than to a large one. Davidson, like other small schools with high retention rates, may have little or no room in a soph or junior class; Brown and other universities will have a few spots--and their larger size gives then a tiny bit of flexibility. (I personally know of several of my children's contemporaries who have transferred to Brown over the last five years.)

To my mind the bottom line is: there is a difference in name recognition that does not equate to a difference in quality, though my own preference would be Davidson for reasons of atmosphere, structure, and size. But I think the only real issues are whether the OP's daughter wants a larger school or a smaller one, and whether she prefers a curriculum with distribution requirements as at Davidson or an open curriculum as at Brown. Social milieu is also worth a thought--if she felt more comfortable at one place than the other then I'd say go to that school.

greatgirls

dcollege2012 - the stats are good but when I went online the only stats I could find was a 2006 survey of the grad class of 439 students. Out of that class only 7% applied to grad school, and 12% applied to med, law, MBA, etc. 4% continuing education not having to do with their degree. This is what concerns me about Davidson. 92% may get in, but after 2 years the number that are applying do not seem that high. Do you know if the stats are just an aberration of that year? Or is it consistent? Also, my d has her sights on grad school, but say after 4 years she wants to get a job instead, does the ivy brand help her in opening doors, or is the Davidson "Mafia" ) alumni as strong say in government positions, or finance positions?

dcircle

both schools will open doors, perhaps brown will open a few more. the most important thing for grad school (and many employers) will not be where she went, but how well she did

mattmom

Keep in mind that Davidson is a highly rated LAC and that for the msot part the same employment opportunities that are available to graduates of peer institutions are available to Davidson graduates. You can always argue specifics, like the legendary Williams art history mafia, but on a broader level I think the employment issue is moot at this point.

In terms of graduate and professional school admission, a student who does really well at virtually any reputable college, let along a top one, has decent extacurriculars, and, most important, has good recommendations and good LSAT/MCAT/GRE/GMAT scores is going to get in to a good school no matter what.

As far as an Ivy degree opening doors... There is an article in today's NY Times about a Penn senior whose offer from Bear Stearns was rescinded because of the Bear financial fiasco. Her Ivy degree may have opened a door but in the current employment reality, it was then shut. Paradoxically, since Bank of America and Wachovia are both based in Charlotte, there is in fact a a strong local connection to these t two major financial employers for Davidson graduates, and I have found myself wondering whether they too were negatively impacted by the recent financial crises.

SBmom

She should visit both, if possible, and pick where she sees herself being happier. It's all about where she will flower intellectually and socially.