How should I choose between Brown and Colby for studying economics?

For an economics student who wants maximum curricular freedom, a larger university ecosystem, and easy ways to combine economics with fields such as mathematics, computer science, public policy, or international and public affairs, Brown is likely the more natural fit. Brown’s Open Curriculum gives you unusual room to build an interdisciplinary academic plan, while its economics department offers the breadth and research infrastructure of a major research university. Providence also creates more immediate access to internships, speakers, and organizations during the academic year than a small-town campus typically can.

Choose Brown if you are self-directed and energized by having many possible paths rather than a prescribed structure. Its economics concentration still has core analytical requirements, so the freedom is not a lack of rigor; it is the ability to decide what surrounds that core. A student interested in, say, economic theory plus coding, behavioral science, or public policy may find Brown especially accommodating.

Colby may be the more rewarding choice for a student who learns best through close faculty relationships, smaller discussion-based classes, and a cohesive liberal-arts community. Economics at Colby can offer substantial quantitative and policy-oriented study, but the experience is likely to feel more personal and undergraduate-centered from the start. The January term can also be useful for an internship, an intensive course, or an independent project that complements the major.

At Colby, you would need to be more intentional about building off-campus experience, particularly during summers, because Waterville does not offer the same day-to-day urban internship setting as Providence. In return, you may have more direct access to professors, a tighter peer network, and a campus culture where students’ academic interests are highly visible.

Before deciding, compare the current lists of upper-level economics electives, especially econometrics, data analysis, development, labor, finance, environmental economics, and any seminar topics you care about. Also ask current students whether professors know them well enough to supervise research or write detailed recommendations.