Similar academics as Brown but not DI

Columbia undergrad wrote:

Lol if you think Claremont, Harvey Mudd or Scripps are academically on the level of an Ivy League school, even Brown. They aren’t bad schools but nowhere near Brown.

I am sure we’ve done this before.

The Ivies are in three tiers:

Harvard

Princeton/Yale

Everyone else.

The third tier lives on 1950s nostalgia. Academically they’ve been passed by probably the top 20 liberal arts schools, and top tier publics like UVA, Michigan, UCLA, and Berkeley.

Brown might as well be Rutgers. Smaller alumni network and the brand doesn’t register that much with recruiters.

Columbia undergrad wrote:

Lol I hope you’re trolling. No one has heard of that school.

You sound like a real d-bag, and you’re an idiot if you haven’t heard of Grinnell. I’m an actual Columbia alum btw, really doubt you go there.

Grinnell has a real niche attraction. It is very expensive and not well known so I wouldn’t recommend it unless you come from one of those families that has unlimited resources. But other schools that are highly selective are in that category.

Columbia, Penn are up there as well. US news has them highly ranked for a reason...it is not just reputation or nostalgia as you claim. They are leaders in NIH/NSF funding. I’m not saying Brown is on the level of Harvard but least it has a Reputable medical school and NIH funded research...can’t say that for any of those Cali schools or small liberal arts colleges. Again I’m not saying you couldn’t get a good education there but if you think their reputation is not the same level, no way.

I would actually agree that Michigan UCLA UVA etc are as good as lower tier Ivies. However again this is accurately reflected in the US news rankings.

In summary, the US new rankings, while not perfect, give a fairly accurate representation of the reputation and competitiveness of colleges.

I honestly have never heard of it. Sorry that triggered you. I looked it up and it has a 25% acceptance rate, way higher than any ‘top’ school that I am aware of. You seem to think I trashing the school but all I am saying is that its reputation and resources are nowhere near that of Brown. I’m sure many smart people have gone there and been successful, but that’s not really the point of this thread.

Columbia undergrad wrote:

I honestly have never heard of it. Sorry that triggered you. I looked it up and it has a 25% acceptance rate, way higher than any ‘top’ school that I am aware of. You seem to think I trashing the school but all I am saying is that its reputation and resources are nowhere near that of Brown. I’m sure many smart people have gone there and been successful, but that’s not really the point of this thread.

Let me guess, you’re in GS?

I think the OP was really just looking for some highly selective schools that are slow. But like always, the responses evolve. Grinnell answers the mail. He may not be aware that Brown is not good at distance running so Brown may be the real answer. WashU is just as fast. Colorado Mines is faster. All of the other D3 schools that have been mentioned fit the bill.

No but not sure why that matters

Undergrad degree in Chemistry.

Currently in Medical school at a different university.

How about you?

You don’t seem to get it. The education at top schools is all the same. Doesn’t matter a bit if it’s Harvard or Pomona - unless you are at MIT or Caltech the undergrad programs are all the same.

Beyond a few flashy top schools, brand is all that matters for recruiters and grad schools. HYP are top brands. So is Stanford. MIT and Caltech as well. Those schools matter on your resume.

After that it’s a pool of very good. Brown, Duke, Columbia, Georgetown, UNC, Williams, Emory: all the same. Very good, not exceptional, won’t break any ties.

You guys will be surprised. My friend is involved in the hiring process for engineers at a Fortune 500 company. He had never heard of half of the schools that have been mentioned and was unaware that Brown or Penn were in the Ivy league. If you want a good job, major in a field that is in high demand and get a 3.5 GPA and you will do well. To the OP, you haven’t told us what part of the country you are looking at and you haven’t provided times.

That may be true for an average engineering job but not true for other fields. I can really only speak personally w regard to medical school...if you went to a school with a good rep, worked in a well known lab, published etc your chances of getting into a top Med school and eventually a competitive residency will increase exponentially. Coming from a small school without much research will put you at a disadvantage for top schools and residencies. Whether you really want to go to a ‘top’ school or residency is an entirely different debate.

I have also have been told that Google Microsoft etc will seek students specifically from top CS schools like MIT, CMU, Stanford etc but I don’t have personal experience with that

Columbia undergrad wrote:

I have also have been told that Google Microsoft etc will seek students specifically from top CS schools like MIT, CMU, Stanford etc but I don’t have personal experience with that

Yes - this is true... Amazon and other tech companies specifically hire from target schools like MIT/CMU/Stanford each year.

If you're at a lower school, the chances of landing at a top tech company like that are relatively minimal.

The top schools account for ~95% of their internships and full time hires... the remaining 5% are basically scraps and go to the UC Irvine, etc folks

The tuition bill at a UC Irvine is much lower and is academically 10x easier, but going to a CMU/Stanford basically guarantees you an amazing job once you grind through the tough program and take on some debt

Keep walking to Harlem wrote:

Columbia undergrad wrote:

I honestly have never heard of it. Sorry that triggered you. I looked it up and it has a 25% acceptance rate, way higher than any ‘top’ school that I am aware of. You seem to think I trashing the school but all I am saying is that its reputation and resources are nowhere near that of Brown. I’m sure many smart people have gone there and been successful, but that’s not really the point of this thread.

Let me guess, you’re in GS?

Because if you went to CC then you would have done the typical research as a high school student and come across the names of other highly ranked schools. If GS then you probably just looked at non traditional programs.

Many of the kids who attend Ivies are complete morons who do nothing but live on social media and think they are going to save the planet. They have no intention of getting a real job. They major in something that nobody has ever heard of because they will never have to work and they don't understand where money even comes from. The average kid attending Harvard has never heard of of Wash U, or Swarthmore, or University of Chicago, or certainly not Grinnell. They wouldn't be able to name the vice president or be able to locate Kansas on a map or be able to guess how much a gallon of gas costs. My nephew headed off to Harvard a normal kid and came back a weirdo who hasn't been able to hold down a job.

p.n. wrote:

That said, people have been listing the (current and former) member schools of the UAA, a D3 conference, fairly often. Those schools are/were Brandeis, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Chicago, Emory, Johns Hopkins, New York University, and Washington University in St. Louis.

I forgot to add that the University of Rochester is/was a UAA school.

The oversight is a little embarrassing: I used to take courses there.

I have met many of these kids at Columbia also but I’m sure they exist at all other colleges too. In the end college is what you make of it and if you’re lazy or take it for granted you won’t be successful...has nothing to do with what college you go to. I also encountered many smart motivated kids at Columbia. In fact while I was there there were a bunch of suicides due to the high pressure environment.

What did your nephew study at Haaavard?

Most people (premed types) I know from college had heard of all those schools w exception of Grinnell...sorry! WashU UChicago both have great Med schools and biomedical research programs.

History. He does nothing now except complain about the president.

Good list, UAA is solid academically. Good alternatives to Ivies also because many give some merit-based scholarships

The average kid attending Harvard has definitely heard of the University of Chicago. Come on now.

Just not true wrote:

Many of the kids who attend Ivies are complete morons who do nothing but live on social media and think they are going to save the planet. They have no intention of getting a real job. They major in something that nobody has ever heard of because they will never have to work and they don't understand where money even comes from. The average kid attending Harvard has never heard of of Wash U, or Swarthmore, or University of Chicago, or certainly not Grinnell. They wouldn't be able to name the vice president or be able to locate Kansas on a map or be able to guess how much a gallon of gas costs. My nephew headed off to Harvard a normal kid and came back a weirdo who hasn't been able to hold down a job.