<p>Which of the two is better/ more reputable/ more selective (undergrad of course)?</p>
<p>This thread has got to be a sting operation set up by the Political Correctness Police.</p>
<p>OK well thanks ...</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>They are both located in metropolitan Boston. They both start with the letter "B".</p>
<p>BC is big; Brandeis is pretty small. BC is a huge party school with Division I athletics; Brandeis is D-III, all the way.</p>
<p>What is better? What do you want from college? These colleges are unusual ones to be on the same list...</p>
<p>Ok, I'll bite. You know, of course, that BC is one of the 3 most prominent Catholic colleges in the country (along with Notre Dame and Georgetown...and let's not forget Holy Cross). While Brandeis is one of the most Jewish colleges in the country. So it's tough to compare these 2 without somebody getting his feathers ruffled. I graduated from one and have a sister-in-law who graduated from the other, so I have a decent feel for what they are like.</p>
<p>While both are proud to admit students of all faiths, they really are each dominated by the aforementioned religions. But I think both places are openminded enough that you could go 4 years without anybody making a big deal about religion, for or against. So the religious influence in each is probably more subtle than you'd think. But that doesn't mean it isn't there. In other words, unless you have a pretty extreme preference for either religion or to be around people of either religion, you shouldn't let it influence your decision very much, but don't be so naive to think that religion has zero impact on the schools.</p>
<p>Both are in suburban locations near the vibrant city of Boston(though BC is significantly closer to downtown Boston and better connected with mass transit); both are medium-sized (though BC is bigger); both have significant graduate programs but are still mostly known for their undergrad programs. Brandeis used to be more prestigious and harder to get into, but BC has significantly closed the gap in the last decade. Both have a significant number of students who applied to Ivy League colleges and didn't get in any. But they also have a significant # of students who could have gone to an Ivy League college and for whatever reason preferred the atmosphere at BC or Brandeis. </p>
<p>Probably the most obvious difference is that BC is more of a jock school, and has about as good an athletic program across the board as any college in the country. Whereas Brandeis is not even slightly jockish, and has no prominent sports teams.</p>
<p>I'm sure a visit to both places while classes are in session and students are around would make it obvious which place you'd prefer.</p>
<p>Hard to believe that with all the expertise around here, nobody else wants to weigh in on this topic.</p>
<p>id go with Boston College.</p>
<p>While BC has mass transit to downtown Boston, that's on the Green Line which can take more than 45 minutes (much more during baseball season). Brandeis has a shuttle, and a commuter rail stop which is much faster.</p>
<p>The differences between the atmospheres in both schools are so different that they're almost impossible to compare. One is a small LAC with less emphasis on sports (Brandeis) and the other (BC) is larger with a huge emphasis on sports. They recently built a new football stadium, and the impact of their games on the surrounding neighborhoods is one of the biggest town-gown problems in the area. They are also in the "March Madness" basketball tournaments, and in the local hockey Beanpot tournament. You won't find those kind of jocks on the Brandeis campus.</p>
<p>For selectivity, check out their stats on each website.</p>
<p>The Green Line may be 45 min. from BC all the way to the Government Center, but a lot of Boston is much closer. There are other colleges and tons of nightlife all along the Green Line. A lot of the student hangouts in Boston are more like 3 to 20 minutes away on the Green Line.</p>
<p>Can someone speak to music/theater at the two?</p>