Student at a rigorous private, ACT 34/35, APs 4/5, 770 English SAT subject test, overall GPA unweighted: 3.8, junior year 4.0, honors Algebra 2, head of poetry club, active in LGBTQ community, lots of community service around art and social change (that’s the big theme), impressive internship creating original publication for internationally-known institution, great teacher recs, solid sports with end-of-year award (not recruitable), good summer jobs, comic art devotee. Looking for a college with lots of diversity, very inclusive, not overwhelmingly preppy. Wants solid English program with good arts. Wants to go ED possibly to Brown or Penn. Other schools: Barnard, Berkeley, Wesleyan, Oberlin, Smith, Bryn Mawr. Has legacy at Princeton but is concerned about it being too preppy. Would love thoughts on Brown vs. UPenn in terms of quality of life, types of students, diversity, inclusion, vibe. Thanks!
Brown seems to overlap with other schools on her tentative list such as Wesleyan. For this reason, and perhaps others, it would appear to be the stronger fit over Penn.
She might want to consider Vassar and Kenyon.
For further suggestions, this article pertains to her interests:
http://flavorwire.com/409437/the-25-most-literary-colleges-in-america/amp
Question seems to be asked in the 3rd person. Are you asking for yourself or someone else?
Congrats. I would suggest broadening the search. Although impressive her profile is characteristic of the many academic stars that apply to both schools. Brown and penn are different. And although sexual preference is not a admissions advantage the social activism may resonate at Brown.
She would be very happy there based on your description. Perhaps smith and Wellesley even more so.
For sure Brown on this, I don’t even think it’ll be that close if you get a chance to visit the campuses.
Kenyon’s overlap schools can serve as a source of suggestions for a student who values literature. Note that schools already under consideration – Oberlin, Brown, Wesleyan – appear, along with others of potential interest:
https://www.kenyon.edu/admissions-aid/admissions-statistics/
This screams Brown over Penn.
Agree Brown- but who is the one asking?
I disagree with the consensus; you can’t go wrong with either school. Penn is very strong in English and creative writing, and it has the largest and most diverse queer scene of the Ivies. (Brown and Yale are close behind in that regard, IMO.)
Have you visited either school? I liked both schools on paper but loved Penn in person and couldn’t wait to leave Brown. As posters above have said, it’s likely one will appeal to you more than the other.
I agree with @warblersrule but if the kid visits both schools, s/he might find that one is a better fit. That said, ED aside, apply to both (although obviously not ED to both); the decision of which only come into play if s/he get accepted to both.
Based on other posts, OP is the parent, but I agree, it is more helpful when one specifies.
@warblersrule to me its the opposite, Brown was much more of a welcoming, artsy, LGBQT community, but since this is opinion then I would absolutely agree that the OP visit both schools and determine for themselves.
Looks like the list contains no safeties. Is starting at community college the safety plan?
Yes, I’m the parent. I’m new here and didn’t know parents weren’t supposed to post. My kid said it was okay to post and was glad I was doing it (she has much more interesting things to do!) She has been to see both, as well as most of the other schools on the list and didn’t have a “thunderbolt” experience where it all became clear to her. She has been able to rule out schools easily, but there are still quite a few that she likes a lot.
Parents are certainly welcome to post on behalf of their kids. It just helps users to know to whom we are speaking. Usually when a parent posts they say my kid, my child, DS (dear son), DD, etc.
Additionally, users are allowed to post questions on behalf of themselves or their dependents only]. “Asking for a Friend” posts are not allowed. So posts that start “student” are a bit too vague for the moderators’ comfort.
Hi @Shazam777 ,
While I have frequently taken issue with the “cold dose of reality” approach taken by many posters here, I must concede the points delivered that way are usually accurate and helpful.
Since you are a parent, I politely recommend you not take it personally. You’ll get a lot of good information if you do. Defensive reactions tend to act as blood in the water!
As to your question, I have limited experience with Brown as my S18 doesn’t start there for a few weeks, but everything we have learned in our research would informs me that it fits the person you describe well. Open curriculum allows polymath exploration, it has strong arts (and co-reg with RISD). I also believe applying early was helpful.
Best of luck to your D!
And the winner is…
Brown. Don’t overthink this.
There are safeties in that list according to our college counselor. And I didn’t post all her schools, just the ones she’s most interested in.
Vassar is on her list thanks! And Kenyon is not because mom went there 
@Shazam777 In my opinion, this is a tough call that is best decided by visiting. Brown is known for being more liberal that Penn overall, but Penn has a reputation as the best LGBTQ school in the Ivy League.
Brown probably has more artsy, creative students, while Penn has Kelly Writers House and a very strong English program. At Penn 35% of the undergrads study business or engineering, 60% are in Arts and Sciences, and about 5% are in nursing. So there are more pre-professional majors at Penn, but lots of artsy students too. Penn is a larger school with 2,450 undergrads per class. That can be a plus or a minus. More changes to find your peeps, but also seems larger.
In the end, either could be better for the right student to get a great education. I would visit both.
The other schools on her list are far more like Brown than Penn, so IMO Brown is a better fit overall. But be sure to visit the LGBT Center at Penn when you visit. They do have a large and active community.