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Finding your fit in American universities

No metric or ranking should supersede a qualitative, holistic understanding of ‘fit’

Aryan Sawhney, a star student from this year’s cohort at Dubai International Academy, was recently tasked with an immensely difficult decision — Brown or Berkeley.

Overjoyed at his acceptance into UC Berkeley’s Computer Science programme — which is tied with MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Stanford for the top spot on the US News “Best Computer Science Schools” ranking — Aryan’s future seemed certain.

That is, until he received his acceptance letter from Brown University, a member of the prestigious Ivy League famous for its progressive, innovative “open curriculum” which allows students maximal control over their studies by eschewing the traditional major-based system of most US universities in favor of “concentrations” which can be designed and tailored to a student’s diverse interests.

On paper, and to many who favour hard numbers over nuance, Berkeley remained the clear choice, as Brown’s computer science programme ranked significantly lower on US News, QS World, and other major university rankings. Yet, Aryan’s “unconventional” choice evidences the superficiality of these same rankings which have come to dominate UAE students’ university dreams.

After consulting with alumni, professors, current students, and his counselor at Hale Education Group, Aryan chose Brown, a decision that some in his school and community found surprising. His reasoning, however, exemplifies one of our central mottos, “find your fit.”

A scholar with diverse interests across AI, philosophy, business, psychology, and education, Aryan was well aware of the difficulties of cross-registering for classes across departments at Berkeley, a university with a notoriously difficult-to-navigate bureaucracy — an unsurprising consequence of its over 32,831 undergraduate student population, as compared to Brown’s 7,222. Berkeley’s overcrowding would likewise make Aryan a small fish in a big pond, necessitating fierce competition for coveted research positions at labs, and landing him in numerous large lecture hall classes.

Brown’s superior student to faculty ratio meant that he could work more closely with faculty — there he would absolutely not be “another face in the crowd.” Additionally, it meant that his diverse interests across disciplines would be supported rather than discouraged, enabling the more well-rounded education he sought.

Lastly, he considered the networking potential of both institutions — Berkeley, though located near the heart of Silicon Valley, was a bit unidimensional. By virtue of being a public university (which in the context of the US means it relies on government funding, as well as tuition), Californian students make up the vast majority of the population. In fact, out of the 14,565 applicants admitted as first-year UC Berkeley students in 2023, 10,994 were from California.

Much is to be said about the University of California system as a whole becoming increasingly dismissive towards international students, who according to many Californians are “taking spots” from local students whose taxes are funding the system — a trend that has led to a precipitous drop in international acceptances across all the UCs.

Brown, in contrast, attracts a much more diverse cohort from across the US and around the world, and owing to its status as an Ivy League, tends to include a more connected, high-profile crowd originating from elite private high schools along the East coast. Aryan was particularly attracted to Brown’s vibrant start-up scene, which offered greater opportunities and financial resources for a fraction of the competition for which Berkeley is so infamous.

Ultimately, Aryan’s decision to attend Brown in the fall came from a nuanced understanding not only of the institutions that had offered him acceptances, but also of his own vision, motivation, and goals for his university education. His case illustrates one of the core tenants of Hale Education Group’s philosophy — that no metric or ranking should supersede a qualitative, holistic understanding of “fit.”

The writer is an education consultant at Hale Education Group