Similar schools to Brown and others

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is really helpful in that it confirms my impression that Wesleyan is the closest in term of fit.

All the PP harping about what is or isn’t a “peer” of Brown are missing the point of the question. If the only reason your student is applying to Brown is because it is an Ivy then no, Wesleyan isn’t a good replacement because all the student wants is a brand. If the reason that a student is applying to Brown is because they like the open curriculum and other characteristics of how kids get educated there (meaning fit), they should take a look at Wesleyan.

Yes, I posted above that my kid fortunately got into Brown. Also applied to Wes, Middlebury and Vassar. Last 2 considerably smaller, but similar approach to learning experience and commitment to supporting student interests and passions. And for a true safety, Muhlenberg was impressive. Skidmore and Bard might be a good choices as well, though mine ruled these out for major offerings (Skidmore) and campus layout (Bard). Maybe Bennington too.

30 years ago my first choice was Brown and I wound up at Wesleyan. I was rejected by Brown but got into a different Ivy League school (Columbia). I chose Wesleyan though because it suited me better.

Emma Watson chose Brown over Yale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many who apply to Brown also apply to Tufts.

That’s probably true. Those kids need a safety school if they’re rejected by Brown and their other top 2-4 choices…

Tufts seems the opposite of “open curriculum” - pretty stringent distrib requirements, even for a LAC (which it self-describes as).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wesleyan is closest comparison

And with 3000 students, it’s one of the biggest LACs, meaning you’re not taking as big a step down either in size or in breadth of offerings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many who apply to Brown also apply to Tufts.

That’s probably true. Those kids need a safety school if they’re rejected by Brown and their other top 2-4 choices…

Tufts seems the opposite of “open curriculum” - pretty stringent distrib requirements, even for a LAC (which it self-describes as).

BUT . . . Tufts is also known fir their flexibility, so those distribution requirements are actually pretty easy to meet in the real world despite what it might say on paper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to send out a blanket announcement to everyone wringing hands over what school is like Brown or Yale or whatever: You are not getting in, you are wasting your time. Please stop worshiping these schools with tiny classes who court you but have no intention of admitting you UNLESS...

you are legacy and ED
you are recruited athlete
you are URM and an excellent student
you attend an elite private school where your counselor is friends with the AO.
you want to major in something unpopular and are full pay and ALSO have some other hook like female or oboe player that they need really bad.

Beyond that, I cant see how anyone is getting in. My child graduated with a 4.529 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Top 1% of class. 13 years of straight A's and almost 30 college credits. A thriving LLC, president of 2 clubs, athletics and full pay and got in to none of the ivies. This kid is a marvel. Ivys started sending us brochures in 10th grade when he missed a SINGLE question on the SAT. And want to know where he was admitted? None of them. It's laughable.

You will only be in on the joke that they are after your kid wastes their senior year weekends writing essays and applying and you will see it was just a ploy to get their denial rate higher. It's an inside game. Rigged.




Asian?

White male. And he didn't want to attend an ivy but we had him apply because we wanted to see his full range of options. He did everything in high school because he is an intellectual and loves to learn and create and be active. So nothing was forgone or crafted in pursuit of college. That said, Ivy's are 99.9% hooks - it just doesn't add up otherwise. You see it in the admission stats. They are "crafting" their class of "hooks". Just warning others.

[Anonymous]

A given school's similarity to Brown isn't just about open curriculum vs stringent standards. It's also about the vibe, type of student, feeling on campus, characteristics of the school.

Tufts felt incredibly similar to Brown just in terms of the vibe I felt visiting both with DC. Similar student body size and neighbourhood surroundings, both in New England, bit of an artsiness to both campuses. Both are primarily undergrad focused, smaller undergrad populations, with med schools and a few grad programs.

Similary type of student at both Brown and Tufts. Many have both schools on their lists.

Others similar to Brown?
Wesleyan seems like a good candidate.
Haverford/Swarthmore/Bryn Mawr have a similar vibe
Reed too

Beyond LACs, some mid-size schools that might fit the model or vibe of Brown to various degrees:

St Andrews — size and vibe. Also has an open curriculum for years 1 and 2, then students specialize in years 3 and 4. But there's no curriculum reqs beyond taking whats required of your major.

Johns Hopkins
William and Mary — similar size, friendly vibe, an easier admit too
UVM perhaps?