<p>I applied to Brandeis before I visited. If I knew how sad looking the campus was, I would have never applied.</p>
<p>Anyone else agree that Brandeis is ugly?</p>
<p>Completely agree.</p>
<p>My husband took my daughter to visit. They called it "the projects". My husband wanted to leave as soon as they got there. I encouraged them to stay because my daughter had scheduled an interview. They stayed, my daughter kept her appointment for the interview, but refused to apply. They took a picture of the outside of one of the dorms to prove to me how it looked. Very sad.......</p>
<p>Yeah, it's pretty ugly--but still better than my hs. I didn't really factor Brandeis's appearance when deciding whether or not I should apply. I know, though, that there are some people who place campus appearance very high on their list of priorities in deciding which schools they should apply to. I suppose these people won't have applied to Brandeis, perhaps making for a student body composed of people who look past appearances when judging the worth/quality of something/one. Wouldn't it be sneaky if Brandeis purposely made its campus ugly as a way to influence the types of students who apply there? Hehe, I'm not suggesting that this happens, just that it would be a pretty nifty idea...</p>
<p>Brandeis does not look like a traditional NE college ... possibly because it isn't a traditional NE college. The interior spaces of the common areas were, IMO, condusive to conversation and interaction. The buildings are of different styles - my son preferred this to the cookie-cutter sameness of, for example, Colby. In any case, it is the bricks and mortar of the college that are ephemermal: the intellectual life of the university is what matters. And in this case, Brandeis more than holds its own.</p>
<p>I am puzzled that someone would consider Brandeis comparable to public housing projects, and can only assume that they have not strolled through such an area recently. I've been on these boards long to be beyond taking offense at most comments, but I certainly did with this one.</p>
<p>I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone by repeating how my husband and daughter felt. Please accept my apology for having done so. It wasn't so much the layout of the bricks and mortar, but the abundance of trash laying around, piles of trash bags and discarded computers and leaves and trash intermingled which had obviously been left since fall... They brought me home pictures to prove it knowing I would not have believed them otherwise. Brandeis was my first choice for my daughter but my husband said there was no way he could ever be comfortable knowing she was going to live there for 4 years. Just his opinion. If appearances of a campus were not an integral part of choosing which school was right for you, then there would be no need to visit. P.S. I'm proud to admit that my daughter has never strolled through the projects....
Again, I apologize for having offended anyone by repeating my husband's and daughter's opinions.</p>
<p>"If appearances of a campus were not an integral part of choosing which school was right for you, then there would be no need to visit."</p>
<p>I don't think the purpose of a visit should be just to see what the campus looks like. When I visited, I made sure to get a feel for the school culture. This was done by observing/listening to students, seeing what kinds of activities were being advertised on campus, and talking to students about their experiences.
Also,
"I'm proud to admit that my daughter has never strolled through the projects...."</p>
<p>Why would you be proud of keeping your daughter sheltered? I think it's an important step in character development to see what it's like in areas where people are less fortunate.</p>
<p>Hum, when was the visit, Stressed Out Mom? I wonder if maintenance was clearing out the dorms for the fall. We visited over my son's spring break last year when school was in session and it was fine. RPI had the scruffiest physical plant we visited as far dorms went - but people love that school too, and the computer areas were wonderful. </p>
<p>One of the things that impressed my son most about Brandeis was a program that it has with its maintenance folks, many of whom do not speak English as a first language. Brandeis kids tutor them in English. That's pretty normal for a college. The next part isn't: the maintenance folks help the Brandeis kids with there languages. This type of mutual respect between the ivory tower and the rest of humanity is not as common as it should be.</p>
<p>My daughter applied to Brandeis without visiting, was accepted and was offered some merit scholarship money last year. We told her that we had to visit and consider it along with 4 or 5 other schools. Once she went to the Accepted Students Weekend, heard the speech from the President of the school, and spent the night, she was hooked. My husband and I were amazed at how organized they were during the Weekend event. When we drove up to the entrance we were met with balloons and signs; they provided shuttles to take you to the meetings; and then, at breakfast, the President of the school gives you the reasons you should attend Brandeis!! We were really treated like we were important and were "customers". No other school provided a meeting where you heard the President speak. The buildings are not as impressive as a school like Emory, which we thought was her first choice, or some of the Ivies that we visited. However, the staff, teachers and other students are fantastic!! She loves it and we couldn't be happier with her unexpected choice. Once you are there and busy, the buildings don't really matter.</p>
<p>Pple there are ugly too</p>
<p>Wow, Ziggy, what an acute observation. "Pple there are ugly too". Please refrain from insulting the entire student body of an important university.</p>
<p>I'm not too worried about the beauty of Brandeis; perhaps the ugliness keeps the tuition down? :)</p>
<p>im not going to brandeis but i def liked the school. The buildings are however, really really ugly! lol</p>
<p>Wow. I am on campus now, and there are plenty of good looking kids here. And if you are going to judge the school by rumors that you hear about the people, then you are pretty closed-minded. And I'm sorry.</p>
<p>I think they meant the buildings were ugly, not the students.</p>
<p>no no, one of the kids above blatantly said the people here are ugly. (read above)</p>
<p>I really liked Brandeis when I visited. I liked the campus. The buildings are unique, but I would say that they are still aesthetically pleasing. I'm also applying to places like Harvard and MIT, but if I get a large scholarship at Brandies, I would choose it over Harvard.</p>
<p>Brandeis isn't breathtaking, but it's unique, which I appreciate. For instance, it has a crazy cool castle in the middle of campus. And those of you who have visited know that there's 3 places of worship for 3 different religions right next door to each other, carefully built so that one would never cast a shadow over either of the others. Don't forget the great access to Boston, either.</p>
<p>I always thought the quality of the education was the most important factor in the college selection process. My daughter is a freshman at Brandeis and just loves being at school. Her classes and Professors are fantastic and she's involved in activites. We've visited her throughout the year and the property is well maintained compared to other schools that I've seen. I can tell you from my professional job that many of the "Major Universities" around the country, including the Ivies have buildings that are so old that they are literally falling apart... let alone having obsolete facilities, such as labs and classrooms for students. I'm not even talking about safety issues (campus and the surrounding areas).... But, I guess beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. By the way, she did a great job decorating her dorm room, which happens to be a decent size. So for all of you "really smart kids" that are choosing a school because you like the "looks of a campus" over the other, do all the kids who want to go to Brandeis a favor and don't apply.</p>
<p>Well put, fedmom!</p>