Best Ivy for the undecided

boysenberry
Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:19:39 +0000

No doubt that Brown’s open curriculum and strong advising are positives, but in fact I’ve found that distribution requirements have really forced me to explore areas/departments that I otherwise wouldn’t have, and I think I’ve gotten a well-rounded liberal arts education as a result.

Of course I am partial, but I think the undergraduate focus at Princeton is unbeatable. The most surprising thing is how accessible professors are and how much they really care about the undergrads (of course we outnumber the grad students). While many students come not knowing what their interests/majors are there is ample time for exploring and by the end when you finish your senior thesis you become quite an expert in your discipline, which is a really satisfying feeling. Also because Princeton is relatively smaller, there is a greater percentage of athletes and they mingle really well with the rest of the students (no real stereotypes).

Of couse, I have to caveat that Princeton tends to push you towards banking and finance in the sense that you feel like all your friends are doing it and it’s all you hear about sometimes, but there’s also a lot of support for non-profit work, graduate school, etc.