Anonymous
10/09/2025 17:22
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
WASP have pretty intense academic cultures. A nice part of universities is large lecture courses you never have to attend as long as you show up for the midterm and exam- I did this multiple times at Brown. DD still gets attendance grades at Williams and it blows my mind, but I see the educational value of it.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 17:08
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
I go to WASP and was rejected from both B and D. Two of my closest friends go to those two schools. I definitely do a lot more academic work than any of them on a regular basis; the only person I know who has as much work as me is my friend at MIT.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 16:42
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
Anonymous wrote:Williams and Swarthmore are known to be the biggest grinds, followed by Amherst and Dartmouth. Brown and Pomona are fabulous schools, but are not known for grind culture in the same way.
I'm surprised people always have this perception beyond Pomona being in California. DD and I toured, and students seemed like absolute workaholics in a way that you wouldn't really see at UCLA or USC (unless engineering major or something). It's a pretty intense place, it just happens to not be in the middle of nowhere.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 16:39
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Williams and Swarthmore are known to be the biggest grinds, followed by Amherst and Dartmouth. Brown and Pomona are fabulous schools, but are not known for grind culture in the same way.
Brown is known as the least rigorous Ivy — for a reason. Pomona is just as rigorous as Amherst, if not more. Not sure what you are smoking. The most rigorous of the lot is Swat.
This is based on online chatter without direct knowledge. Brown does not have +/- which helps gpa. Given the open curriculum you will not be in class with others that do not want to be there. The engagement is very high and the grades will be hard earned. Mine came from top HS/very top of class and very much humbled by the peers. They are one of many now.
Given that Amherst has an open curriculum and WSP hardly have substantial general education requirements, this is a very useless distinguisher.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 16:38
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
Anonymous wrote:depends on HS. Dartmouth hates our HS. Brown loves it. Williams a hard admit
When the sample size in any given year is less than 10 … it’s a ridiculous assumption that they “hate your kid”.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 16:35
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
Anonymous wrote:Easier to get into? No. Easier work once you’re there? Quite possibly.
+1
Anonymous
10/09/2025 16:09
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Williams and Swarthmore are known to be the biggest grinds, followed by Amherst and Dartmouth. Brown and Pomona are fabulous schools, but are not known for grind culture in the same way.
Brown is known as the least rigorous Ivy — for a reason. Pomona is just as rigorous as Amherst, if not more. Not sure what you are smoking. The most rigorous of the lot is Swat.
This is based on online chatter without direct knowledge. Brown does not have +/- which helps gpa. Given the open curriculum you will not be in class with others that do not want to be there. The engagement is very high and the grades will be hard earned. Mine came from top HS/very top of class and very much humbled by the peers. They are one of many now.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 14:43
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:This is a nonsensical thread of no value.
Moderator - please delete.
"Moderator" has a name. Feel free to look it up and to use it. Since you're on his site.
In addition, he has provided a convenient link at the bottom of each post box to help you report inappropriate material for review.
Bless your heart, OP, for your concern.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 14:38
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
Anonymous wrote:Williams and Swarthmore are known to be the biggest grinds, followed by Amherst and Dartmouth. Brown and Pomona are fabulous schools, but are not known for grind culture in the same way.
Brown is known as the least rigorous Ivy — for a reason. Pomona is just as rigorous as Amherst, if not more. Not sure what you are smoking. The most rigorous of the lot is Swat.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 14:35
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
Anonymous wrote:One thing about Dartmouth - besides the fast pace of the quarter system (which another poster spoke about), there are also enforced medians in many departments. So for example, with most Econ classes having a B or B+ enforced median, it means that half the kids will end up a grade above that, and half below. That median also shows up on their transcript, along with a summary of how many classes you were at, above, or below median. So there are no easy As. Those classes/departments usually handle the enforced median by making the material difficult enough or by curving down (e.g. you need a 97 to have an A).
Yes but my (sophomore) child's experience is that it is very easy to be above the median if you come from a strong high school in the DMV In fact, several of the valedictorians in the past 2 years (kids with straight 4.0s over 4 years) came from DMV privates. There are many smart kids from weak schools in other parts of the US who are seeing everything for the first time.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 14:28
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
Anonymous wrote:One thing about Dartmouth - besides the fast pace of the quarter system (which another poster spoke about), there are also enforced medians in many departments. So for example, with most Econ classes having a B or B+ enforced median, it means that half the kids will end up a grade above that, and half below. That median also shows up on their transcript, along with a summary of how many classes you were at, above, or below median. So there are no easy As. Those classes/departments usually handle the enforced median by making the material difficult enough or by curving down (e.g. you need a 97 to have an A).
Doesn't sound harder, just toxic.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 14:23
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
One thing about Dartmouth - besides the fast pace of the quarter system (which another poster spoke about), there are also enforced medians in many departments. So for example, with most Econ classes having a B or B+ enforced median, it means that half the kids will end up a grade above that, and half below. That median also shows up on their transcript, along with a summary of how many classes you were at, above, or below median. So there are no easy As. Those classes/departments usually handle the enforced median by making the material difficult enough or by curving down (e.g. you need a 97 to have an A).
Anonymous
10/09/2025 14:12
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
It fully depends on what you do as a major. I don't think a Pomona Physics major is much different from a Brown Physics major, but a Brown math major will do more work than a Pomona linguistics major.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 14:11
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
Reminder: The variation within the schools are much greater than the differences between schools. The workload and difficulty at one school will be much greater for a student who wants to get 100 percent on every assignment and chooses the most challenging courses and major than someone at the same school who chooses easier courses and is happy to skate by with a B-.
Anonymous
10/09/2025 14:07
Subject: are Dartmouth and Brown easier than WASP schools?
depends on HS. Dartmouth hates our HS. Brown loves it. Williams a hard admit