Brown vs. Wesleyan as a transfer student?

fireandrain
Wed, 16 May 2012 10:29:46 +0000

I think Brown and Wesleyan are similar, and you’ll get an excellent education at both places. I would ask yourself these questions:


You don’t say what you want to study. If you are interested in the sciences, compare class sizes, and research opportunities. Intro classes at Brown may be larger than at Wesleyan (although as a transfer you may not be taking intro classes). I know research opportunities are really good at Brown, I don’t know what they are like at Wesleyan.
Do you care about the surrounding community? Wesleyan is in a small quiet town, miles from a big city. Internship and volunteer opportunities will be limited. I’ve been to both Middletown and Ithaca, and Middletown is very quiet compared to Ithaca. Thayer St. in Providence is a lot more like Ithaca.


If you care about name recognition, Brown is probably better known outside of New England than Wesleyan. The alumni network might be more extensive at Brown, which helps with the job search. Brown has very enthusiastic alums – Wesleyan might too, I just don’t know.

I disagree with anon, however – your opportunities to get into grad school are the same for Brown and Wesleyan, the students will be equally smart at both schools, and the intellectual environment will be equally stimulating. There might be better job opportunities at Brown, but that depends on your field.