<p>I’m having issues accepting Columbia’s offer, primarily because of rigor. I plan on being a chemistry major, which, along with the core, will grant me few academic freedoms. My issue with is? I’m terrified of getting awful grades and not going to a top grad school. That is my only issue when it comes to Columbia v. Brown.</p>
<p>If you’re worried about that, I guess Brown would be a better choice, but I’m pretty sure Brown does have some sort of core that’s similar to Columbia as well.</p>
<p>brown has no core and while almost all classes at both schools with be “rigorous”, you can dial your workload up or down at brown based on how you choose your courses</p>
<p>that being said, you need to decouple a few things in your post–academic freedom, needing to work hard, and “rigor” are three different things.</p>
<p>of the three, the only one that seems reasonable to hinge your college decision on is the first. if academic freedom is the most important thing to you, go to brown. if it’s not and you are attracted to columbia for other reasons (like you really want to take the core classes), choose columbia.</p>
<p>Are you in SEAS? I think that’s half of CC’s core? </p>
<p>Brown doesn’t have a core, but it DOES have concentration requirements (here is a link: [Brown</a> Admission: Requirements & Grading](<a href=“Undergraduate Admission | Brown University”>Undergraduate Admission | Brown University)). The good thing at Brown is that you can still work hard but take any class for pass/fail. I think Brown’s educational philosophy is more exploratory and really leaves learning up to the individual student, whereas Columbia’s is less so. Still, from talking to current students, most don’t seem to hate the core… I’m not under the impression that the core is GPA-killing, haha.</p>
<p>How certain are you of your future plans? Maybe this could factor into your decision. I’m not completely sure, but I’ve heard that grad school admissions, even top grad schools-- are not AS rigorous as undergraduate admissions… it’s not as if you need a 4.0. Med school is a different story, and if that’s where you’re headed, I’ve had a lot of people also recommend going to Brown instead, get a good GPA… and yeah…</p>
<p>Either way, they’re both very good schools, and by getting in, it probably means that they believe you can handle the work. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’m CC. And not going for med school…</p>
<p>“academic freedom” does not mean having a flexible course schedule…be careful when you use that term</p>
<p>if your current goal is to get a PhD in chemistry then you would be insane to choose Brown over Columbia. admissions to PhD programs relies HEAVILY on research experience and recommendations and i’m quite sure that you can get better research experience and work with more renowned professors at columbia </p>
<p>also as a science major the core will really pull up your GPA</p>
<p>if you were admitted, then you should definitely be able to handle the workload…unless you’re an athlete that got in solely due to how far you can throw a ball or something</p>
<p>Many people believe that core curriculum at columbia is heavy and some of the required core classes unnecessary. I never really had to deal with it myself as a student but I do think that Columbia has a more rigid set of requirements. My cousin goes to Brown and I think their course set and student ability to fit them to personal preferences is more possible. If you want more flexibility ( if thats what you mean by “academic freedom”) I would choose brown.</p>
<p>That’s the very first point of the admissions process. It’s not about rewarding you for your High School performance (though, the two do go hand-in-hand) it’s about picking the students they are certain can handle the work thrown at them.</p>
<p>Whether you handle it with a 3.4 or a 4.1 student depends on how much you put into it. Everyone here is smart enough. Not everyone commits to the same degree. </p>
<p>Yes… once in a while you come across a guy with photographic memory and a 4.3 freshman gpa (I ask you; what the eff) but thats certainly not the norm.</p>
<p>You’ll be fine.</p>
<p>In other news; Bacchanal, *****es! Twas amazing! Woot, woot!</p>
<p>Did you get into Columbia mostly through academics or through ECs (in other words, was your SAT score closer to 2300 or 2100). If it was the latter, then I’d stick with Brown. Otherwise, go to Columbia</p>
<p>^ That is some seriously twisted advice.</p>
<p>^^haha yeah but it makes sense if you’re worried about grades. </p>
<p>From what I’ve seen, the EC heavy students usually suffer academically (though not as much as athletes, URMs, and legacies) since at a school like Columbia there will be plenty of geniuses who got in with weak ECs</p>
<p>If you were admitted by both Columbia and Brown, you should not worry about grades at either. If your concern is that the Columbia Core is unduly consuming, go to Brown. My understanding, however, is that the Core leaves plenty of room for non-major course exploration.</p>
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<p>How much coffee does it take daily to cough up that load?</p>
<p>Everything in that post is thoroughly innaccurate, OP. </p>
<p>And as a URM (with a kickass GPA I must say), let me add a “Why, I never!”.</p>
<p>toastmaster - you shouldn’t be afraid.</p>
<p>columbia i believe offers a more full and well rounded educational experience. it will give you a lot more than just chemistry, and you certainly can finish everything you want AND more. </p>
<p>a point of concern in your voice is probably because you don’t think you are as incredible as the admissions folks do. they wouldn’t admit you if they didn’t think highly of you, and going off of what Aston says, if you are interested in a hard science, they wouldn’t admit you unless they thought you could do the work particularly for your major field. so get this idea of you not being able to cut it.</p>
<p>does this mean you will get b’s? yes. you should, at both schools, unless you are some freak. does this mean you are screwed for grad school? NO! tons of students get into grad schools with imperfect GPAs (it isn’t like high school). what matters most is your research and teacher recommendations. further, grad schools especially in sciences (as my friend wrote in the part i sent you) value students with a good liberal arts basis in the form of Columbia.</p>
<p>i think you got jitters. and that is fine and good, we all should, if you aren’t at least a bit intimidated by college, well then you are going to have a rude awakening. but with jitters should come at least some awareness of what you need to do, and staying on top of your stuff. if you are really of the opinion that you can go to Brown and not do work, or that somehow because you don’t have a core it is easier - you are dead wrong. Brown is hard and rigorous, especially in the sciences. </p>
<p>in the end, choose the academic and social community you want to be apart of. which place do you think will challenge you more (not which place will make it easier for you). you are bright, think about that, know that, but don’t rest on that fact alone. college will be a 4 year experience - and you have to want to take it on with force. i don’t think you will find a place that will give you as much as columbia, so i hope you decide to go.</p>
<p>and if you need some help/coaching while you are on campus, look me up and i am at your disposal as are all the folks i know and can get you in touch with, but i don’t think your fears are all that real - columbia is not a big beast. i would say she is a pretty incredible opportunity to learn in one of the most dynamic environments in the world. and columbia will offer you a lot more than brown can, without question with regard to both the layered experience of the city, neighborhood and campus dynamic. </p>
<p>in the end your choice, let me know how your thought process goes.</p>
<p>Yeah, don’t worry. Columbia has some of the best (worst?) grade inflation of any of its peer schools.</p>
<p>The reasons to go to Columbia over Brown actually involve “academic rigor” quite prominently, at least in my assessment. With all of its graduate schools attracting world-class professors, there is no lack of academic rigor at columbia. Grad schools and employers are well aware of that, and it will stand you in good stead.</p>
<p>To those looking for a more maternal, Tender Love & Care kind of college administration, perhaps Pomona-style, i can see how you’d be afraid of Columbia. But as it is, if you’re admitted, you have the stuff inside you to get A’s here. Those who don’t, rarely don’t because of lack of talent. By that I mean, students have varying commitment levels to their field of study, even at a school like Columbia. </p>
<p>I would say that the chemistry department has students that particularly tend to love their subject and stick together and help each other out. And Columbia has a particularly good department which will get you involved in research and put you in a good position for grad school. Remember - once they’ve taken you, they’re making an investment in your success, and it’s to their advantage to see you succeed (and, you know, contribute to the brand name value and the endowment). They really do give you everything you need to reach your goals.</p>