<p>“The only people who think Brown is any less rigorous than the other colleges mentioned are the people who believe students need to be pushed constantly for them to learn.” I have said this before and looks like I’m going to have to reiterate it again.</p>
<p>How is rigor as a choice any different to rigor that is forced upon you? I believe I elaborated upon this in my post pretty well so I don’t quite see what you fail to comprehend. If you need a steep curve and stringent requirements to motivate you to study, that’s fine, but please don’t apply that as a general rule upon the rest of the college-bound population and insult their self-direction and intellect. Not everyone needs the system to compel them to work hard, some people do it out of sheer interest and self-motivation and those are the ones Brown is targeting. Like I’ve said, it’s a different learning style. It might not work for you or even for the OP but don’t insult or underestimate the kids that it does work for based upon your own need for external pushing around.</p>
<p>Also by the “crystal ball” dismissal you’re crucially underestimating what is conveyed through supplements and essays and thus pretty much mocking the entire college process in general. Do all the AdComs of all universities have crystal balls? No? How do they choose kids then? How do they make the right decision?</p>
<p>It would behoove you to refrain from making logical fallacies yourself (subtle ad hominem with a hint of reductio ad absurdum in this case) while you’re trying to point an (albeit non-existent) one out yourself.</p>
<p>Lastly, I don’t want this to turn into a “Brown - Amazing or Freakishly Hippy” thread as we have the Brown board for that. Let’s try and keep this thread relevant for the OP.</p>