<p>Interestdad,</p>
<p>I do not want to get into a debate about the value of grading, but Brown does not “give away” grades and it does have requirements within the student’s chosen concentration. Colleges are like ice cream, there are many varieties for many tastes. </p>
<p>As you know, I have a daughter at Swarthmore. I also have a son who graduated from Brown and I take exception to your characterization of a Brown education. </p>
<p>Brown is not an easy golf course as you depict. At Brown, just as at Swarthmore, a student can make whatever they want out of their education. My son chose to attend Brown because of the programs in which he was interested. He was a double concentrator and chose the honors route which required a thesis in each. He worked very hard and earned the respect and friendship of his professors. Nothing was handed to him. He had no problem getting into graduate schools and just finished at Columbia. He was not unique in his dedication and hard work. He had a core of 12 friends who lived together through most of their time there and I got to know them pretty well. All of these kids worked hard and had no trouble with being accepted into graduate/professional schools at Ivy league institutions or entering the work force upon graduation. They are all interesting, eclectic human beings who were accepted into prestigious programs because they are incredibly smart, talented students who work hard. NONE ARE SLACKERS. Moreover, they are not atypical from most other Brown students and all of these kids would have done well at Swarthmore or any other institution they had chosen to attend.</p>
<p>From a pedagogical standpoint, grades and testing are not necessarily a true, or only measure of knowledge or ability. Brown has a different philosophy from Swarthmore. Neither is better than the other. For some people Swarthmore is a great fit, for others it is not. For my daughter I felt Swarthmore was a better choice. For my son Brown was perfect. Could they have switched places and excelled? Of course. In fact, there are many overlap applicants at both schools and both seem to attract and accept a similar type of student.</p>
<p>To extol the virtues of Swarthmore it is not necessary to demean or belittle other schools. There are students who will work hard no matter where they are, and there are students who will coast. Cream rises to the surface in every facet of life. </p>
<p>And by the way, there is absolutely nothing wrong with encouraging positive self-esteem…</p>