Brown/Princeton or UVA full ride?

BrownParent
Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:17:29 +0000

If you are too close to UCB, then you are too close to Stanford. It is a better experience to go to UVA, enjoy another part of the country. (At work I knew some dummies from Stanford, so I never had allusions about undergrad degree from it)

My daughter went to Brown from the West Coast and lots of people we knew asked ‘what is Brown’?, so what? She also declined Berkeley, but it was hard for me at first. They would not be asking ‘what is Berkeley?’

My cousin went to Princeton and dropped football after a year because EECE was too demanding. You can’t always do your sport there, seriously, with a serious major, I don’t think. It is a hard school and has great connections, wonderful, etc. He is very successful. You have to take into account your sport and how far you intend to go with it. Mine was 3 sport varsity in H.S. and did nothing in college, shocker. But she is a 3rd year grad student now.

Forgive my ignorant car metaphor, but it’s like UVA is a new Mercedes but Princeton is a Mercedes of a beter model that costs $250,000 more. What does a smart person do?

The only thing I’d worry about now is some comments here about preppy, greek, conservative, party kids. That may be a huge culture shock for a West Coaster, but there will always be a core group you will find of your own people anywhere.

I’ll always promote Brown because of the atmosphere of engaged and happy students with many opportunities, the open cirrc and all, but price tag differences that huge are another thing.