Brown versus Northwestern ED?

melvin123
Thu, 25 Oct 2018 22:11:14 +0000

My kid is at Brown and we had visited Northwestern when she was looking.

I think the distribution requirements and quarter vs semester system are very important distinctions and it depends on what kind of a learner your child is as to which would be better. A quarter system goes FAST. But at Brown kids only take 4 classes a semester, so you can’t get as many classes in. Brown will allow you to take 5 but discourages it, and you’ll find that 4 classes still requires a lot of work. IMO, this is one of the most important factors to consider.

One thing I’ve found about Brown is all the comments about distributions etc is a little deceiving. You have to look at an individual major (called concentration) to see what that actually requires. Particularly the sciences have a lot of requirements, so it might not be as open-ended as you would think, given the hype. I also think the “shopping period” for classes is over-hyped because this is only the first two weeks of classes. I don’t mean to sound negative about this because I’m not. I think it’s realistic. After all, you’ve got to get down to the nitty-gritty of studying, and if you wait too long to change classes, you’ll be too far behind. And with regards to requirements, if you’re going to be an engineer, of course you have to have certain courses so that you have the required skill-set for your job!

I also wanted to mention that it is very easy for Brown students to take classes at RISD, and that the students get together at various activities.

Finally, it is extremely easy to get involved at Brown in just about anything you would like to get involved with. There are opportunities galore, and it is an extremely warm and welcoming atmosphere. The kids are really collaberative, no one speaks about their grades, and there is very little competition. The kids are serious about their work, and are into getting their own great education.