I got into Stanford and Brown, and after visiting both schools, decided to go to Brown. Stanford seemed way too nice and pleasant in terms of climate and architecture—I had a hard time imagining myself or anyone working particularly hard there, probably because I’d been conditioned by harsh northeastern winters. Also, my family lived on the East Coast, and it was appealing to be close to them. I showed up at Brown planning on getting a degree in English, but after a semester of reading Moll Flanders I switched to economics and political science.
