Anonymous
Post 09/18/2025 05:54     Subject: Brown

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a lot of friends that went to Brown and they all loved it. The impression I have is that they liked Brown as an actual experience -- the open curriculum, the other students, the overall "feel" of the place -- in a way that my friends who went to HYPS for the most part do not. Those schools seems to be "liked" for the results they produce and the prestige among the broad public they have -- in short, name recognition, even the bus driver is impressed, etc. -- and less so for the experience students have there. Just my observation.

Brown seems pretty unique among the elite schools in the US, it doesn't have the prominence of Harvard obv, but for a certain kind of family and student it seems to have a strong and distinct "brand," as others have put it.



Thus doesn’t resonate with me, both as an HYPS graduate and as someone who knows many later HYPS graduates who enjoyed their undergraduate years.

Rather, in my observation, Brown graduates tend to be concerned that their school, with its open curriculum and rather paltry endowment, will be seen as a lesser institution and compensate by emphasizing the Brown “experience.” I don’t blame them, but it does come across as a bit contrived at times.


Sounds like you graduated from Duke. I went to one of HYP and have friends and colleagues that went to Brown, and not one of them has expressed concern about its....open curriculum. None of them have lamented the fact that Brown has no business school or secret societies, though they concede that the absence of such features contributes to the paltry endowment of 7bn dollars. A Brown with an MBA program, be it an HBS or Wharton, just wouldn't be the same, I guess they'd say. To each their own.


So glad you resurrected this thread from 8 months ago to respond with this necessary information.
Anonymous
Post 09/18/2025 03:13     Subject: Brown

For the record, just for fun call any top school 1-2 days after their deadline and ask if you can still submit your app (if Common App is still open) and they will say Yes…. At least the person answering the phone will say “sure!”. Not sure how likely they’ll actually consider it or if it goes into the easy money pile!.
Anonymous
Post 09/18/2025 03:07     Subject: Brown

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a lot of friends that went to Brown and they all loved it. The impression I have is that they liked Brown as an actual experience -- the open curriculum, the other students, the overall "feel" of the place -- in a way that my friends who went to HYPS for the most part do not. Those schools seems to be "liked" for the results they produce and the prestige among the broad public they have -- in short, name recognition, even the bus driver is impressed, etc. -- and less so for the experience students have there. Just my observation.

Brown seems pretty unique among the elite schools in the US, it doesn't have the prominence of Harvard obv, but for a certain kind of family and student it seems to have a strong and distinct "brand," as others have put it.



Thus doesn’t resonate with me, both as an HYPS graduate and as someone who knows many later HYPS graduates who enjoyed their undergraduate years.

Rather, in my observation, Brown graduates tend to be concerned that their school, with its open curriculum and rather paltry endowment, will be seen as a lesser institution and compensate by emphasizing the Brown “experience.” I don’t blame them, but it does come across as a bit contrived at times.


Sounds like you graduated from Duke. I went to one of HYP and have friends and colleagues that went to Brown, and not one of them has expressed concern about its....open curriculum. None of them have lamented the fact that Brown has no business school or secret societies, though they concede that the absence of such features contributes to the paltry endowment of 7bn dollars. A Brown with an MBA program, be it an HBS or Wharton, just wouldn't be the same, I guess they'd say. To each their own.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2025 17:56     Subject: Re:Brown

Anonymous wrote:Please let this thread die. Signed, a Brown parent.

Someone has a very weird obsession with this.

I came here to comment but since you said not to — especially since you are a Brown parent — I really do think this thread should die, namely, by making additional comments about the thread’s greatly exaggerated death.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2025 17:39     Subject: Re:Brown

Please let this thread die. Signed, a Brown parent.

Someone has a very weird obsession with this.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2025 17:37     Subject: Brown

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a lot of friends that went to Brown and they all loved it. The impression I have is that they liked Brown as an actual experience -- the open curriculum, the other students, the overall "feel" of the place -- in a way that my friends who went to HYPS for the most part do not. Those schools seems to be "liked" for the results they produce and the prestige among the broad public they have -- in short, name recognition, even the bus driver is impressed, etc. -- and less so for the experience students have there. Just my observation.

Brown seems pretty unique among the elite schools in the US, it doesn't have the prominence of Harvard obv, but for a certain kind of family and student it seems to have a strong and distinct "brand," as others have put it.



What other top 2 schools are like this - where kids are there for the experience at such school? And less so for prestige or name recognition or what have you.

I think:

Duke
Brown
Dartmouth
Vanderbilt
Rice

Okay so you clearly have no kids at elite schools. Duke , Dartmouth, and Vanderbilt are the most pretentious schools in America besides maybe Princeton and Georgetown. Most students border on rude. The complete opposite of Brown or Emory or Rice.


Wow. I have a kid at Princeton, and they are FAR from pretentious or rude. Considered and admitted to other top schools including Brown where I think they would've also fit in great. Their friends are the nicest kids ever from very diverse backgrounds. Some poor. Some rich. I would never have guessed how rich a few of them are because they are so down to earth. Your generalizations are horrible and not sure why you would say such things.

People who pretentious don’t think they are. Of course, nor do people who are not pretentious. You do not inspire confidence in your ability to differentiate the two.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2025 16:03     Subject: Brown

All of the Ivies are great in their way and very hard to get into. End of story.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2025 14:18     Subject: Brown

Anonymous wrote:Can we please let this die already, what is there left to say?! There are opportunities for those that want those jobs and plenty more than have no interest. It’s a great school for some, not for others. The ones that would love it will find it. The ones that’ll hate it will know and won’t apply. They’ll probably love their school and it’ll be just as great for other reasons.


+1
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2025 13:47     Subject: Brown

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a lot of friends that went to Brown and they all loved it. The impression I have is that they liked Brown as an actual experience -- the open curriculum, the other students, the overall "feel" of the place -- in a way that my friends who went to HYPS for the most part do not. Those schools seems to be "liked" for the results they produce and the prestige among the broad public they have -- in short, name recognition, even the bus driver is impressed, etc. -- and less so for the experience students have there. Just my observation.

Brown seems pretty unique among the elite schools in the US, it doesn't have the prominence of Harvard obv, but for a certain kind of family and student it seems to have a strong and distinct "brand," as others have put it.



What other top 2 schools are like this - where kids are there for the experience at such school? And less so for prestige or name recognition or what have you.

I think:

Duke
Brown
Dartmouth
Vanderbilt
Rice

Okay so you clearly have no kids at elite schools. Duke , Dartmouth, and Vanderbilt are the most pretentious schools in America besides maybe Princeton and Georgetown. Most students border on rude. The complete opposite of Brown or Emory or Rice.


Wow. I have a kid at Princeton, and they are FAR from pretentious or rude. Considered and admitted to other top schools including Brown where I think they would've also fit in great. Their friends are the nicest kids ever from very diverse backgrounds. Some poor. Some rich. I would never have guessed how rich a few of them are because they are so down to earth. Your generalizations are horrible and not sure why you would say such things.


My kid at Brown also liked Princeton very much. This whole post is bananas.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2025 13:44     Subject: Brown

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a lot of friends that went to Brown and they all loved it. The impression I have is that they liked Brown as an actual experience -- the open curriculum, the other students, the overall "feel" of the place -- in a way that my friends who went to HYPS for the most part do not. Those schools seems to be "liked" for the results they produce and the prestige among the broad public they have -- in short, name recognition, even the bus driver is impressed, etc. -- and less so for the experience students have there. Just my observation.

Brown seems pretty unique among the elite schools in the US, it doesn't have the prominence of Harvard obv, but for a certain kind of family and student it seems to have a strong and distinct "brand," as others have put it.



What other top 2 schools are like this - where kids are there for the experience at such school? And less so for prestige or name recognition or what have you.

I think:

Duke
Brown
Dartmouth
Vanderbilt
Rice

Okay so you clearly have no kids at elite schools. Duke , Dartmouth, and Vanderbilt are the most pretentious schools in America besides maybe Princeton and Georgetown. Most students border on rude. The complete opposite of Brown or Emory or Rice.


Wow. I have a kid at Princeton, and they are FAR from pretentious or rude. Considered and admitted to other top schools including Brown where I think they would've also fit in great. Their friends are the nicest kids ever from very diverse backgrounds. Some poor. Some rich. I would never have guessed how rich a few of them are because they are so down to earth. Your generalizations are horrible and not sure why you would say such things.