I personally would go with Brown

These schools are academic equals. In terms of campus life, they are very different. Brown has a more egalitarian spirt and is very culturally progressive and intellectual. Duke is socially very hierarchical (greek life and selective living groups), and politically moderate.

Anonymous wrote:I have a pre-med kid at Brown. It is hard and stressful. All of the classes for your concentration need a grade. There are no pluses or minuses- so only whole numbers towards GPA. Don’t believe everything you hear. STEM at Brown is challenging. I am sure the same is true of Duke.

I am the PP above. I failed to mention that my kid loves Brown. It is hard work, but is a great fit with no regrets.

Anonymous wrote:If interested in med school, go with Brown. GPA is really important for med school applications and grade inflation is rampant at Brown. It has the highest average GPA among all universities in the country. Students at Brown can coast without much effort, which is good for the med school app.

You clearly don't have a kid at Brown. Grading isn't inflated, but GPAs are higher because students can retake a class and replace the grade. Also, a failed class is just dropped. I think these are both great for mental health. So, the GPAs are higher because of that policy, but students earn As because they are excellent students. The classes are not easy As.

OP, did student apply for plme?

Great choices at both schools. Visit and see where kid feels most excited and/or comfortable.

I have a pre-med kid at Brown. It is hard and stressful. All of the classes for your concentration need a grade. There are no pluses or minuses- so only whole numbers towards GPA. Don’t believe everything you hear. STEM at Brown is challenging. I am sure the same is true of Duke.