<p>Which is better for Pre-law? My understanding is that Brandeis is better for science and GW excels in international affairs/poli sci, but i have no interest in a science major. The majoes im considering at brandeis are history, anthropology, psychology, poli sci, international studies, or maybe neuroscience. How good is Brandeis for these majors. Location is another factor: Brandeis is in boring Waltham, but 15 minutes from Boston, while GW is in the heart of DC. This gives Brandeis a huge edge in research, but GW dominates in terms of internships. Is it easy to experiment with different academic fields at Brandeis, because i havnt completely decided on law and it doesn’t seem like experimenting would be easy at a small liberal artsy type school. As of now, GWU is much cheaper for me than Brandeis…would Brandeis be worth the higher cost? And name recognition is important to my parents, which is best in that regard? Thanks for any input, I have to choose by the 1st!</p>
<p>GWU is much cheaper?..no contest…go to GW…for all the reasons you descibe; </p>
<p>and tell your parents that “name recognition” is only important for them to tell their friends;
I actually think GW has better name recognition amongst most people…</p>
<p>As an alum, I’d say Brandeis is actually really good for experimenting with different fields. A lot of students double major and minor. Many courses in those areas double-count and there are lot of pre-law students at Brandeis, not to mention that the new Brandeis president is a former dean of the GW law school. And of course Brandeis named for a supreme court justice. Brandeis also has a very active mock trial team, model U. N., Student Union Judiciary, and more recently even a an undergraduate law journal. And many students get internships in the DC area. My friend just after graduation won a competitive fellowship to work with Eleanor Norton Holmes. Another graduate worked for Scott Brown after graduation. Some of my pre-law friends were accepted at Chicago and Tulane. </p>
<p>Check out the course listings to see double counting:
[Course</a> Listings and Degree Requirements | University Bulletin | Brandeis University](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/registrar/bulletin/2010-2011/registrar/bulletin/provisional/courses/subjects/index.html]Course”>Course Listings and Degree Requirements | University Bulletin | Brandeis University)</p>
<p>And also check out the experiences some students had with a special social justice themed internship/fellowship program:
[2010</a> World Of Work Summer Fellows | Brandeis University](<a href=“Hiatt Career Center | Brandeis University”>Hiatt Career Center | Brandeis University)</p>
<p>Brandeis is also better I think if you would prefer a campus experience, but it’s still really easy to get into Boston. And Waltham actually has a good selection of restaurants if you want to stay nearby.</p>
<p>Yeah I really like the variety on moody street, I eat there often. I know that Boston is only 20 minutes away,but I prefer an urban campus. It doesn’t seem like there’s much happening in Waltham. I’ve heard good things about Brandeis model UN as well.
But does the fact that GW has it’s own law school help at all, or does the academic strength of Brandeis hold greater weight?</p>
<p>I was not a law student so I can’t speak to that aspect. But I think there is something to be said for having different experiences in different institutions. One of my friends was a classics major who could have continued at Brandeis with with professors he really loved, but he made the choice to do a masters program at Tufts when he graduated.</p>
<p>The clear choice for me in terms of academics, opportunities and location would be Brandeis. </p>
<p>GWU is not an academic peer of Brandeis-and is not comparable in prestige, especially among people who count. .If you haven’t seen the recent rankings of some of Brandeis’ strongest majors, the article linked below may be interesting to you–several you are interested in are among the top departments in the country. Others are excellent as well. Remember that at Brandeis doctoral students and undergrads work side-by-side with the same professors. So this ranking of doctoral programs is very relevant to potential undergrads. Here’s the link: </p>
<p>[Brandeis</a> doctoral programs rate high in national survey | BrandeisNOW](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2010/november/nationalresearchcouncil.htm]Brandeis”>Brandeis doctoral programs rate high in national survey | BrandeisNOW)</p>
<p>As another poster in a similar string pointed out, Brandeis is much smaller than GW and more nurturing–in many ways more like a liberal arts college than the top-tier research university it is. Brandeis students are more intellectual and academic as a group (that’s not to say that you can’t find intellectual students at GW–you certainly can but they are a minority). It also has a real campus, as opposed to a collection of buildings in Foggy Bottom.</p>
<p>Brandeis students have excellent rates of acceptance at top law, medical and other graduate schools. As an interesting example from elsewhere on this site, a list of colleges with the highest placement ratios at Harvard Law School in 2006 puts Brandeis in the top twenty. See:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/662310-ranking-undergrad-highest-acceptance-rates-law-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/662310-ranking-undergrad-highest-acceptance-rates-law-school.html</a></p>
<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>I just got my revised aid package, and now they come out to almost exactly the same. However, GW’s tuition is the same for 4 years and idk about Brandeis. B77, your article only mentions neuroscience and American history (which I’m not very interested in). How does Brandeis compare to GW for the other programs I mentioned? I’d imagine IR and poli sci are better at GW but idk about the rest. However, I do like the liberal arts feel of Brandeis, I’m not sure if GW has as much of that feel, since it has about 5,000 more students than Brandeis</p>
<p>I know it might be too late for you to sit in classes at Brandeis, but I’d encourage you to check out the websites for both politics and IR, and possibly e-mail the undergraduate representatives for both of them and/or professors that may teach an area of interest to you.
[Department</a> of Politics | Brandeis University](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/politics/]Department”>Department of Politics | Brandeis University)
[International</a> and Global Studies Program | Brandeis University](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/programs/igs/]International”>IGS | International and Global Studies Program | International and Global Studies Program | Brandeis University)
[10-11</a> UDRs | Brandeis University](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/das/programs/udr/reps_10-11.html]10-11”>http://www.brandeis.edu/das/programs/udr/reps_10-11.html)</p>
<p>You might also want to check out these student profiles:
[Student</a> Voices | The Global University | Areas of Study | Brandeis University](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/areas/global/student.html]Student”>http://www.brandeis.edu/areas/global/student.html)
[Student</a> Voices | Justice and Public Life | Areas of Study | Brandeis University](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/areas/justice/student.html]Student”>http://www.brandeis.edu/areas/justice/student.html)</p>
<p>The differences between the two schools’ undergraduate programs and cultures are so significant that I personally wouldn’t need a department by department comparison to make a decision. Nonetheless,to name two additional ones you mentioned, in Psychology, Brandeis not only is the historical home of world-renowned psychologists Abraham Maslow (professor) and Eliot Aronson (alumnus), among others, its current department is very strong. You can do your own research on the current faculty and program. As for polysci/IR, Bob Art and others on its faculty are renowned (I believe Art also teaches IR at Harvard and MIT as well but spends most of his time at Brandeis). They IR faculty have trained illustrious Brandeis alumni in the IR field (e.g. Robert Galluci, longtime head of the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and the new President of the MacArthur Foundation). FYI, the new U.S. ambassador to Israel is a relatively young Brandeis alum.</p>
<p>GW’s IR is ranked 7th and it’s poli sci is pretty good too so I think its better for those fields. I’m pretty certain psychology is better at Brandeis and GW doesn’t even have neuroscience so obviously Brandeis wins there. Do you know anything about their history or anthropology programs?</p>
<p>I will share some information with you that, hopefully, maybe helpful to you. My son is an advanced PhD student at Brandeis in Politics with subspecialities in IR and comparative politics. His final choice of PhD programs came down to GW and Brandeis. Both offered him free rides with identical stipends so money wasnt’ a factor in the decision. He choose Brandeis, mostly because of the opportunity to study with Bob Art. Prof. Art is probably among the top 5, and certainly in the top 10, of IR/strategic studies professors in the US. He is universally respected. Although GW’s department is much larger and, consequently much more diverse in terms of specializations, and although GW has a number of up and coming stars, it has no one comparable to Bob Art. My son is very happy with his choice although, to be fair, it was a very close call. </p>
<p>I don’t think, however, that the strength of any particular department should be a deciding factor in choosing an undergraduate school. Unlike graduate school, department strength simply isn’t going to make that much of a difference to an undergraduate. More important, in my view, is overall strength of the university and the school’s culture and undergraduate climate. In those areas, I think that Brandeis is a better choice for most people. Brandeis is far smaller and more cohesive as a community–more like a liberal arts college but with the research advantages and better faculty characteristic of a top research university. It is also an enclosed residential community. GW is a medium size urban university and, like others of that ilk it is more a part of the greater community (in GW’s case, Foggy Bottom) than its own university based community. Brandeis also carries more “panache” if that’s important to you. For example, Brandeis is comparable to Tufts; GW is comparable to BU. Now that might not make a world of difference to some people (and you can argue that it shouldn’t), but to others it does. Despite being far older than Brandeis, GW does not have a strong alumni network (almost no one goes to reunions, for example) whereas Brandeis has a pretty loyal alumni network. </p>
<p>Also, having lived in both cities, I think that Boston is a better and more fun college town than DC is (although not by a wide margin–DC is pretty good). Yes, Brandeis is in Waltham, not Boston, but you are within Rt 128 (comparable to the DC Beltway) and Boston is readily accessible. </p>
<p>Good luck with your choice.</p>
<p>bonanza, not to highjack this thread, but H took several classes with (and adored) Bob Art at Brandeis 40 years ago, when I guess he was still pretty wet behind the ears. Seeing his name here really tickled me.</p>
<p>I’m not so sure it’s the best idea to make a decision based on one professor, although this bob art does seem like a big deal. The average ratings for all professors at ratemyprofessors dot com are almost exactly the same for both schools (GW has a very slight edge by .04)</p>
<p>Seems to be good advice being contributed on this thread, so will ask a similar question.</p>
<p>Any advice on Brandeis v Georgetown v Williams? My son is accepted at all (and Bowdoin), but is leaning towards Williams. How does Brandeis compare with GU for IR, and how strong are the alum at helping each other?</p>
<p>I’ve heard GU has the liberal arts structure, but it’s also easy to do research and you’re in DC so internships are plentiful.</p>
<p>Cost wise, Brandeis and Williams will cost us about the same but GU about $10K/yr more.</p>
<p>One day left for him to decide…</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for insights!</p>
<p>If I wanted to spin an answer, I’d probably point out that until recently, the longtime Dean at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown was Bob Galluci, a Brandeis PhD who studied under Prof. Bob Art (and Prof. Art still teaches the undergraduate Introduction to International Relations course). But the truth is that the undergraduate program in international studies is undoubtedly stronger at Georgetown than Brandeis–after all it is an entire school, not just a program. That said, keeping in mind that studing international studies as an undergraduate is really an interdisciplinary liberal arts eduation, the education one will receive in that field is not going to vary a lot between the two institutions, and the $40,000 you would save would go a long way toward paying for a Masters degree.</p>
<p>In my mind, the main difference between Georgetown and Brandeis is cultural rather than academic. Georgetown is a Catholic institution with all that entails (crucifixes in the classroom, priests on the faculty and in the administration, etc.). And while Georgetown undoubtedly has a lighter touch in the Catholic department than, say, Notre Dame–it is still a major influence. The majority of students at GU are Catholic and, while many are not that religious, the school is constrained to follow the teachings of the Catholic Church. There are students of all faiths at Georgetown, but there is no question that the Catholic influence is keenly felt.</p>
<p>Conversely, while Brandeis has no formal Jewish affiliation in the way that GU is Jesuit, it was founded and largely funded by Jews and the Jewish influence is present in everything from the academic calendar to the availability of Kosher food. Brandeis’ undergraduate population is @50% Jewish, although the graduate school’s demographics are quite different so the total percentage of Jews at the University is well south of that number. Like Georgetown, there are students of all faiths at Brandeis (which sports three separate chapels–Jewish, Catholic and Protestant as well as a Muslim prayer room). But there is no denying that the culture is dominated by Judaism.</p>
<p>So the prevailing cultures are different–not necessarily better or worse–just different. Your son might well feel more comfortable at one than the other; conversely, a little discomfort is not necessarily a bad thing for an undergraduate experience. This, however, is a very personal decision. </p>
<p>Williams is an altogether different culture from both GU and Brandeis. Academically, it is an outstanding LAC–arguably the best (although my friends who are Amherst and Swathmore alums will take issue with that:) ). But, as a relatively small school with a long history of excellence if not domination in Div. III sports–it also has a decidedly “preppy jock” culture. Now if your son is an athlete and attended a boarding school–that might be viewed as a big plus. On the other hand, that culture is not for everyone and I know students who transferred from Williams because it wasn’t the right fit. </p>
<p>Bottom line is that all three are great academically–I think that cultural differences and perhaps finances should be the deciding factors.</p>
<p>I agree with Bonanza’s analysis, except for the statement that the culture at Brandeis is “dominated by Judaism.” Although it is a friendly culture for Jews, it truly strives to be welcoming of all cultures and is significantly diverse in terms of nationalities and religions. There are numerous threads on this site that attest to that. Unlike GU where “the crosses are on the walls’” and Catholic priests run the school, the Jewish culture at Brandeis is not overt. It is more similar to other non-sectarian schools with significant Jewish populations than it is to any sectarian school. In fact it is analogous to other non-sectarian schools with significant numbers of Christian students that are otherwise diverse.</p>
<p>One more thought on the Brandeis culture. Interestingly, given the increasing diversity among undergrads at Brandeis combined with the very diverse grad student population, which shares the same campus, Jewish students actually are in the minority at Brandeis. That is testimony to the principles of non-sectarianism and non-discrimination upon which the university was founded.</p>
<p>Yeah it says on Brandeis admissions that they don’t have any quotas based on race, beliefs, or geographic location. And they don’t have Greek life because they don’t want to exclude any group of people. I’d say they’re pretty tolerant.</p>