<p>Our son is choosing between American and Brandeis, both great schools and both far from our home in the SF Bay Area. He is planning to major in political science and American government before going to law school and then into public service. We would really appreciate any insights comparing these two schools - Brandeis seems superior in academics and intellectual life and AU more dynamic, more activist, obviously in DC with great internship opportunities that he is reluctant to forego. He comes from a liberal Jewish home and felt very comfortable at Brandeis, but also appreciates the diversity of student life at AU and the opportunities in his field. He's a thoughtful, intellectual guy, kind of a wonk, really needing a new social circle of close friends in college. It's a tough choice and he is going back and forth a lot. He's made one visit to AU quite a long time ago and I'd rather not spring for another ticket to Washington if I can help it. He is leaning toward Brandeis and his friends are all encouraging him to attend there, but his older sister thinks he'd be far happier in the urban mix of DC. Costs are the same for both schools. I'm on the fence and see positives at each school for him. Those are the broad strokes and I appreciate your feedback. Thank you.</p>
<p>What type of public service is he interested in pursuing? </p>
<p>This may help in determining one versus another…even though I’d personally would have gone to Brandeis if those were my two choices. </p>
<p>It sounds like he is more suited to Brandeis. As for urban life, isn’t Brandeis reasonably close to Boston? I thought it was.</p>
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<p>From what I recall, it took a bit more than half-hour each way from Waltham to Boston. That included commuter rail and T. </p>
<p>My D is a senior at American. FWIW, American has a large and active Jewish community, including Hillel and Alpha Epsilon Pi. </p>
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<p>Are either of the schools hosting local events for admitted students in the bay area? That’s not the same as a campus visit, but it might be one source of more info.</p>
<p>You didn’t mention whether your son had visited Brandeis. </p>
<p>I think if I were in your shoes, I’d spring for the plane ticket.</p>
<p>FWIW, my daughter visited American early on but didn’t like it, and felt it had a very suburban feel and was too far removed from the action in DC for her liking. But then I think my d. would think that any place with a lawn and trees was too suburban (she ended up falling in love with NYU and attending Barnard-- if asked to weigh in on your son’s choices, she’d probably vote for Brandeis because the campus has a castle.) I’m just wondering if your older daughter actually has seen both campuses when she talks about the “urban mix”. Obviously American is actually in D.C. and the Capitol area is easily accessible, but the point is that the campus is located in a more residential area of the city. </p>
<p>I liked Brandeis a lot, but ds did not like it at all. I think he was put off by the office park feel of the campus, and was not helped by the fact that the campus was completely deserted the day before Passover. Supposedly school was in session, but there was no one left. It’s not far from Boston, but the commute is suburban. American, is a ten minute walk or shuttle bus ride to the subway. Very easy to get downtown. It’s in a residential neighborhood, but less than 10 minutes to lots of shopping and restaurants. </p>
<p>American seemed surprisingly diverse to us. Kids walking across campus in suits, miltary uniforms and cut-offs. Kids from everywhere. It was one of his favorite colleges - and for someone interested in politics, just the internship possibilities make it well worth considering. </p>
<p>Really interesting choice. </p>
<p>They are both located in very similar locations – suburban neighborhoods of a big city. Waltham is a little grittier than Tenleytown. It takes as long – if not longer – to get from American to downtown DC as from Brandeis to downtown Boston. </p>
<p>Academically, I think you’ll find a higher caliber of student at Brandeis. I think there would be more wonks there. But for a kid who wants to major in poli sci and American government, American offers a lot. Internships possibilities in DC would be invaluable, I’d think. We have a friend who graduated from American last year. By junior year she felt she wasn’t being challenged academically. Senior year she took mainly graduate courses, and that solved that problem. And she loved being in DC and did get great internships – and got a great job after graduation. </p>
<p>All 3 of my sons looked at both schools! All liked both.
But there are definite differences.
As you noted, Brandeis has a more “intellectual” feel. It is a definitely more book-oriented campus. The students at American are equally smart but they just seem to have more energy and ambition about them–they want to get started on life NOW rather than waiting four years to engage. So, they read the books too–but want to put what they are learning into action immediately.
For what it is worth, one son debated between Brandeis and Emory, and chose Emory–I think it was the campus that swayed him, the academics and students both were a good fit for him. He wanted a four year bubble, and for him it was definitely the right choice.
Another son looked at Brandeis, and chose American because of the energy he felt on the campus. He graduated last year and loved his four years on campus. He loved the fact that there is a real college campus feel (something he felt lacking at GW) but with all the crazy opportunities available. There is a free shuttle from the campus to the Metro station/red line which goes right to all the hot DC areas, both for internships and social life (or a ten minute walk to the Metro).</p>
<p>One thing my American U son did comment on was the fact that almost everyone was always working at least one internship, at least after first semester. Everyone is always so busy. Kids either become experts at time management really quickly or they flounder. The students do become independent and used to doing certain things alone at times because everyone has a somewhat different schedule (for example, you may not always be able to head to the dining hall at the same time as all your friends on the floor–although you will end up meeting a lot of kids in the dining hall who are on the same kind of schedule as you). And it does take a conscious effort to keep up friendships. And a lot of clubs and intramurals are late at night.</p>
<p>Both my sons had good relationships with several professors. Oldest son invited three professors from Emory to his wedding. Younger son has continued to pursue his interest in microfunding businesses with a professor since he graduated from American–they meet for lunch regularly.</p>
<p>On a personal note, I’ve Liked my sons’ friends from both Emory and American. Wonderful, smart, nice–and I equate the kids from Emory with those at Brandeis because I think they are very similar. But I have had more fun with the crowd from American and I think my AU son had more fun too (like the day early freshman year when they went down to Chinatown and sampled eggrolls at every restaurant they passed, or going trick or treating on embassy row, right off of campus).</p>
<p>My advice would be to have your son consider what kind of college experience he wants over the next four years. He will get a great education at both schools. They are both in great cities.</p>
<p>Was curious according to google American is 25 minutes from downtown DC by bus and 35 on the subway. Brandeis is 37 minutes by commuter rail to Boston City Hall, so indeed quite similar, which surprised me as Waltham feels much further out to me.</p>
<p>I also had the impression that Brandeis is more intellectual - it’s the only place we visited where each department had a flyer in the admissions office describing majors and some typical courses in each major. </p>
<p>My son ended up having to choose between a more life of the mind place (Chicago) and a more action oriented place (Tufts), and I suspect that Brandeis and American are similar in that sense.</p>
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<p>Having attended Brandeis myself and my D having attended American, I can comment pretty reliably on this. </p>
<p>The 25 minute Metro ride from American to “downtown” DC (not even sure how that would be defined) passes through multiple DC neighborhoods, each of which has its own Metro stop and offers shopping, dining, and tourist destinations–and surely internship locations, too. Or you can go in the opposite direction and get to the Chevy Chase downtown area in minutes. At American, you’re just traveling from the edge of the city to a different part of it. The Metro aside, portions of DC, like Embassy Row, are even walkable from the campus; others, like Georgetown, are easily accessible by DC’s very good bus system. It’s not unusual for students to be all over DC for various reasons throughout the week. So even though American is suburban in feeling, it is definitely in and of the city.</p>
<p>The train ride from Brandeis to Cambridge or Boston is just a solid commute from a suburb to a city. At least when I attended, we never ventured out of Waltham except on weekends. It was too time consuming to first get to Boston and then continue to a particular destination via the T. And maybe it’s a psychological thing, too. Boston just feels distant from the Brandeis campus–hence your “Waltham feels further out” comment. So the school is suburban in feeling and not in and of Boston at all.</p>
<p>Bottom line: At American, you know you’re going to school in a big city. At Brandeis, you know you you’re going to school near a big city.</p>
<p>I defined downtown as the Farragut North Metro stop - theorizing that it’s probably in prime internship land. But it’s true that stuff is scattered all over DC. (I’m originally from DC and went to college in the Boston area and my aunt lives in Weston, so I know both areas pretty well, though not as a current commuter.) Anyway, I think MommaJ gets at the differences perfectly.</p>
<p>My d is a Brandeis grad and we toured American with younger d who was admitted with nice merit money several years ago but declined in favor of University of Rochester. She had close friends that attended American and we have a family friend with a d who graduated from American. Brandeis is generally considered a more intellectual, higher tier school than American although American certainly has a rising profile and strong departments.Many students select American because they want to be in D.C. and the opportunities for internships abound. Family friend’s d chose American and she stayed in D.C. although not in political area of interest. She found many college friends did stay in D.C. perhaps because they selected American in the first place.
Older d thrived at Brandeis. There is BranVan campus van into Cambridge from Thursday through Sunday and not certain if there might still be one into Brookline or downtown Boston. The commuter train is right at the foot of campus. There were plenty of times she went to Boston and also visited with friends or saw concerts at Tufts, MIT BU or other schools. The same would be the case for American. You would most likely have friends at GW or Georgetown or CUA perhaps. Both good options for sure. </p>
<p>I’d just point out that students from colleges all over the country get DC internships. My son was a congressional intern in DC during fall semester of his senior year at a CSU. </p>
<p>That’s not the same as a continuous, part-time internship during the school year – but not all students want to be interning all the time. And I’m not sure if one is better or worse than the other – the semester program was certainly more immersive and it may be that an intern who is present 5 days a week is going to be given more responsibility, or simply have more opportunities open up because they are there all the time. </p>
<p>My IR-focused daughter arranged a wonderful summer internship for herself abroad that had nothing to do with her college – but definitely laid the foundation for her first post-college job. </p>
<p>So it really depends on what the student wants for overall campus and college atmosphere. Some students really want to be engaged with their local community, off-campus, involved in some real-world activity. Some prefer being able to immerse themselves in the college experience and campus life. “Thoughtful, intellectual guy, kind of a wonk, really needing a new social circle of close friends” kind of sounds like the latter, to me – but one thing I learned when my kids went off to college is each had a side to their personality I had not been aware of, and they extended boundaries in ways that I would never have anticipated. </p>
<p>Brandeis is on the commuter rail but not that far, maybe 15 min ride to Porter Square in Cambridge where you can take the Red Line one stop (or walk) to Harvard Square (shopping, restaurants, students).</p>
<p>My daughter’s choices were narrowed down to these two as well. She made the decision after attending two admitted students’ programs essentially back-to-back. Brandeis had been her top choice since the beginning of her college search–she had camp counselors (at URJ camp) who told her about it and we always thought of it as her b’shert. But she picked American.</p>
<p>American did offer her a nice scholarship, which Brandeis didn’t do, and that might have tipped the balance a bit. She might have gone with Brandeis if the costs were the same. And we live <45 minutes away from American, which was an advantage from a logistical standpoint and not something that will factor into your son’s decision. She also hates cold weather, and knew she was prepared to tolerate the DC climate but wasn’t sure about Boston. Brandeis times its spring break so students can go home for Passover–this wasn’t an issue for her because we are local but could be for your son. And who knows if the real factor was that it was rainy and gross when she was at Brandeis but the weather for admitted students day at AU was beautiful and the trees were in bloom and the campus looked gorgeous?</p>
<p>She’s been very happy at American. As a Jew, I don’t think a student would be any less comfortable at AU than at Brandeis. BTW, there was, at the time, some substantial anti-Israel stuff going on at Brandeis (probably at AU, too, but we were more surprised by it at Brandeis). As a wonk, I think he’d find his people either place. </p>
<p>In terms of student caliber, overall, perhaps Brandeis has the edge, but AU has some great programs in place to identify talented students and to help them apply for things like Fulbrights and Borens. There’s a whole office devoted to these types of programs. I honestly don’t know if Brandeis has the same thing or not.</p>
<p>“thoughtful intellectual guy…kind of a wonk” sounds like a better fit for Brandeis. The “default” kid there will probably be more like him. When two schools are relatively equivalent I think it best to attend the one where you are most likely to feel comfortable socially. Plus, Brandeis is a great school and if law school is his goal he couldn’t go wrong there. (Not saying anything bad about American–just sounds like B is the better fit.)</p>
<p>I’ll point out one difference between the two schools. (This is unlikely to be of interest to OP, but may be to other readers.) American is known for its high level of support services for students with disabilities. Back when my D was considering her acceptance, I contacted the relevant office at American to pose a minor question and was immediately put through to the director of the department (which was large and comprehensive), who was more than happy to discuss at length the implications of my D’s leaning disability diagnosis. On the other hand, when we visited Brandeis for accepted students day, I noticed that the office of student disabilities was located in a single room off a hallway in the student center which was locked while we were there. I may be making an unfair comparison, but it struck me at the time that disability services might not be a high priority at Brandeis.</p>
<p>I’ll also add that despite my very strong attempt at selling my alma mater to my D, she was so put off by the appearance of the school that she dismissed it as an option long before accepted students day was over. I couldn’t disagree about her perception, although I happen to believe that once someone is a student at any college, its appearance means less every day. Since my years at Brandeis, the school had expanded significantly into its limited acreage, creating a crowded and jumbled effect where once there were open spaces and appealing vistas, and the upkeep of the building was lacking. Of course that was five years ago, and maintenance may have improved since then. But Brandeis was never your classic ivy covered New England campus and its looks haven’t improved with age; that could disappoint an enrollee who has never visited.</p>
<p>To each his own, I personally like the Brandeis campus but I can see where others would not. Younger d did not like the American campus. Day we visited Brandeis for Accepted Students Day was in early April and had rain mixed with snow. Day we visited American in mid-April was very hot and humid. Sadly because she had larger amount of merit money from American, the Accepted Students Visiting Day did not sell her. There was no one represented at the open house by department from her prospective major and the overall presentation was weak. Maybe because at the time they had only one day for Accepted Students Visitors it was super well attended and they clearly were not set up to handle the amount of visitors in terms of campus tours and so on. </p>
<p>Agree it’s worth the plane fare for a final look-see. </p>
<p>Interesting that D1’s bff ('13 college grad) recently called me about the same choice- she has grad school acceptances at both, in public policy. She’s been deeply involved in community work for 5 years. I realize undergrad is a bit different.</p>
<p>I lived not far from AU, from later hs through college (though college was elsewhere.) For an energetic, committed kid, there’s nothing like being in DC, where the action is, being able to see it and feel it 24/7. There’s a different swirl in local news, local awareness. </p>
<p>Because both programs were par to her, I suggested she take a deeper look at the actual internship opps, how much each school actually goes to bat for these pre-career experiences and supports you in the later steps. For her, the Brandeis program offered more. You might want to look from that angle, as well as the intellectual atmosphere and college feel. Best wishes. </p>