Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chris Martin’s kid is studying music. I’ve seen him play. The kid deserved to be admitted. Also, very smart. Chris is well-educated himself. Brown is great for the arts.

Lots of talented musicians... he was admitted because of who he is. Don't be silly.

Anonymous wrote:

Well, the grading at Brown is clearly quite liberal.

I know some of you won't believe me, but it actually isn't. The difference is that you can choose which courses you want to get a grade in and grades below C or satisfactory aren't recorded--and you don't get credit for them. So, most people have high gpas.

But getting an A in any given course isn't any easier than elsewhere. Organic chem weeds out as many premeds as it does at other colleges, for example. However, Brown premeds take courses, including tough courses, in other areas. They just don't take them for grades. Meanwhile, at other colleges many premeds take only the easiest courses they can outside their major because they don't want to tank their gpas for med school.It is not unknown for native speakers in a language to sign up for introductory foreign language courses.

Humanities students at other colleges fulfill their distribution requirements with "physics for poets," "Rocks for Jocks," and Engineering 1o1 (colloquially known as "How to Plug In a Computer and use the calculator function."

In the old days, premeds at other top schools even skipped taking organic chem at their home institution and flocked to summer course at places like the University of Houston where they were virtually guaranteed an easy A--in part because they took ONLY that one course during the summer. A few years back, the med school admissions council--forget the exact name--changed the rules so you can[t do that.

Some schools advertise that you can take a limited number of courses--say 2 or 4--pass/fail. The small print says "with permission of the instructor." At some schools, professors teaching popular courses or advanced courses NEVER give permission. At some schools, these pass/fail grades are factored into your gpa or counted against you for getting awards like Phi Beta Kappa. So, most students opt for taking the easy gut course for a grade rather than a better course they would rather take pass/fail.

A PP cited the case of her son who took a course outside his comfort zone S/NC and discovering that this was a field that he was interested in and excelled in. At another school, he never would have done that.

Well, the grading at Brown is clearly quite liberal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only place I've ever heard Brown (and Cornell) insulted as easy ivys is on DCUM. The rest of the world will be impressed that you went to an Ivy League school.

That's because DCUM is likely your only exposure to commonly held views among UMC/UC families.

Brown is generally seen in these circles as the least rigorous of the Ivies, and most inclined to admit celebrity kids who otherwise don't have the academic chops. Cornell is considered an easier admit than the rest of the Ivies, but more demanding of its students. It has a reputation for grade deflation, not being an "easy Ivy."

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all for the responses. I'm op. It's really hard to understand what the true value is of these ivy league schools. As we all know, they are really hard to get into, they are extremely expensive, and then there seems to be so many negative storylines. As someone who did not go to an ivy league school, doesn't belong to any of those clubs where I might socialize with people who did, I'm having a lot of trouble getting to the facts. People have a lot of baggage when it comes the ivy league. (I think me too) Even these mixed responses feel more real than anything we got closer to home. Thank you again!

Anonymous wrote:Chris Martin’s kid is studying music. I’ve seen him play. The kid deserved to be admitted. Also, very smart. Chris is well-educated himself. Brown is great for the arts.

Anonymous wrote:Well, the grading at Brown is clearly quite liberal. Just look it up. Not so much at Cornell. I have no connection whatsoever with either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I noticed Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew B at the recent graduation so I assume their kids went there.

I’m increasingly suspicious of universities that admit kids for fame and money, which is common with ivy leagues.

yeah and gwyneth paltrow and chris martin's son moses is there now too.

brown has always admitted celebrity kids and nepo babies.

Anonymous wrote:My freshman, now rising sophomore, has an internship this summer and paid research for next year. Very happy on all fronts. They report great outcomes from their connections in a club for their concentration.