Brown vs. Yale

Colleges and Universities Brown University
#1

<p>Hey guys!</p>

<p>I'm currently a junior in high school right now and have been debating between early action to brown(early decision?) and early action(early decision?) to Yale. Both of these are such amazing schools! I know its a bit hard to have objective opinions when i'm specifically posting in the Brown forum haha.</p>

<p>I had a few areas in mind though...
Which one is more artsy?(Ive been doing classical Indian dance and Bollywood forever, love love art, art museum internship, job shadowing art teacher, take college art classes)
Which one is better for a history major?
Which one offers a better selection of med school prerequisites(pre med courses)?
Which one is located in a nicer area?
Which one believes in giving back more?(founder and president of the Red Cross club in my school, most active in the Dallas area!, love service projects, taught in missionary schools in India)
Which one is more liberal?
More fun?
More interesting in terms of people, like a larger diversity?</p>

<p>Thank you! I tried to as specific as I can and if you have any other input like personal experiences, it would be appreciated! I'm planning on visiting both of these during the summer.</p>

#2

<p>From your questions, I would say that Brown is more suited for you</p>

#3

<p>I'm probably/really going to be biased with my answers, but based on what I've seen/researched...</p>

<p>-Artsy: Brown, simply because RISD is in such proximity that you could probably take classes there if you really wanted to.</p>

<p>-Nicer area: Brown--though Providence isn't huge, I've heard New Haven is a little sketchy. Look up Thayer Street to check out all the neat places Brown students can shop/eat at!</p>

<p>-Giving back: I'd like to say Brown, even though I'm well aware Yale is just as generous. I have never seen a school so committed to giving back not only to its community and the world, but also its students (Boldly Brown campaign).</p>

<p>-Liberal: Brown's reputed to be one of the most liberal colleges, but in truth the students are more sociopolitically diverse than recognized.</p>

<p>-Fun: BROWN!!! Hahaha :)</p>

<p>-Diversity: I'm going with Brown, again: Ruth Simmons (the president) is great--she's been promoting intellectual, ethnic/cultural diversity for the longest time, and the student body can be defined as one of the quirkiest and versatile. Paradoxically, that's like the norm.</p>

<p>For your history and med school questions, I don't know much about Yale's programs for those, but I don't think you could go wrong either way. Brown's PLME (straight med program) is really something, though.</p>

#4

<p>i completely agree with chippedtea.</p>

<p>One more thing - Brown has one of the highest med school acceptance rates.</p>

#5

<p>Artsy: Yale and Brown both are the most artsy Ivies. </p>

<p>Nicer area: This is Brown hands down. New Haven can feel a little off every now and then.</p>

<p>Giving Back: Brown has the Swearer Center which you should look into. I'm positive Yale and Brown both positively affect their communities. I'd say Yale does this more.</p>

<p>Liberal: Equal. Brown is a little more hippie-ish than Yale.</p>

<p>Fun: Brown has thayer, Yale is in New Haven. So Brown.</p>

<p>Diversity: Yale - their financial aid is much better, they attract the top echelon of the international students. People at Brown are very interesting though with a wide array of interests, but not as socio-economically diverse as Yale.</p>

<p>No distribution requirements on top of medical school requirements might be worth it in itself.</p>

#6

<p>Thank yall for you input! Its just really tough because Ive pretty much always wanted to go to Yale but Ive been feeling like Brown is the right place for me lately and Yale just might not be it for me. </p>

<p>Anyone else?</p>

#7

<p>I've spent time at Yale and know grad students so I can chime in a bit. </p>

<p>The Have' is a bit sketchy, but there are some not so great parts of Providence as well. I think the difference is that Brown is in the nicest part of Providence whereas Yale is closer to the sketchy areas. Yale's campus is also larger and more spread out than Brown's.</p>

<p>Yale is known for their grad art departments being pretty good, but that seems less pervasive outside the campus. Providence/Brown are different in that Brown doesn't have the art graduate population that Yale does, but the entire city is into it. Providence has been going with "the creative capital", yes capital, in tourism marketing lately because it's such a big part of the area (including nearby suburbs). I don't know that this exists in New Haven. </p>

<p>Yale has their art museum designed by Louis Kahn, Providence has the RISD museum and RISD. You can take courses at RISD (including the glass department made by Dale Chihuly's presence), though it can be challenging because of scheduling. </p>

<p>Providence has a really interesting art community outside of universities with local non-profits like AS220 (tons of programs), The Steelyard, etc. Providence</a> | The Creative Capital | Celebrating innovation and creativity in Providence.</p>

#8

<p>Haha, I hear such positive things about Brown! I guess for some reason I have always considered Yale to be more into art but I see the whole Providence is much more a artsy place to be in. Does Brown have any amaaaazing concentrations or classes that are just out of the ordinary? I am aware I get to choose my classes but If I was to major, I would have picked history. How does Brown's history program fare?</p>

#9

<p>history classes*</p>

#10

<p>You can look at Brown's class offerings at brown.mochacourses.com.</p>

<p>Also, Yale is Early Action, Brown is Early Decision.</p>

#11

<p>Don't underestimate the fact that the Open Curriculum will make concentrating in history and fulfilling pre-med requirements pretty much pain free.</p>

#12

<p>History is very reputable at Brown, but the amazingness of a course probably depends on your interest in the subject. That said, I'd bet you really don't know what your major will be. I considered majoring in History at one point, too.</p>

#13

<p>History is definitely something I'm really into but I'm aware that my interests are prone to change. So would it just be a good idea to ED to Brown? I'm not going to come to a decision till I do my visits but Id like to have something in mind.</p>

#14

<p>Hey!
So... I'll preface by saying what incredible schools Brown and Yale are, but I think a lot of people get seduced by Yale's name before even realizing whether it is the right place for them. From the questions you're asking and your priorities, Brown seems like it's definitely the place where you would be happier (and I'll echo that you need to check out Thayer Street, oh my gosh...). I would ED there in a heartbeat if I were you.*</p>

<p>*However, it wouldn't hurt to visit both and ask your friends at both schools a ton of questions about their experiences...</p>