<p>I got off the waitlist for Brandeis and now am deciding between that and Bentley. Any suggestions? I would be an international relations major at Brandeis and am interested in marketing, maybe management/pre-law. I’m thinking that maybe Bentley, being specialized in business, would present greater opportunities for me in the business world? Any suggestions would be helpful!! I got into the honors program at Bentley too. Would choosing Bentley over Brandeis be disadvantageous when it comes to getting into a top grad school (like the ivies) for business or law, or getting a really good job? Thanks!!! :)</p>
<p>Brandeis is, unequivocally, more prestigious than Bentley. Even in the business world, I believe, having a BA in Business and Econ, would be better than a degree from Bentley. Our international global studies program is very strong, so I think you’d definitely be better off at Brandeis than Bentley. Top ivies respect the broad liberal arts education Brandeis provides. We also have the top-ranked International Business School on campus ([Brandeis</a> University International Business School: Business, Economics and Finance for Global Leadership](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/global]Brandeis”>Brandeis International Business School)) so you can take IBS classes to supplement your undergraduate coursework and possibly pursue a joint BA/MAief from IBS.</p>
<p>Since you seem to be interested in many different things, Brandeis is probably the best choice for you because it would be easy to combine a number of things, international and global studies classes, business classes, law classes and in terms of marketing, there is a proposal for a communications, media and society major. I think in today’s economy/world, it’s also better to be flexible with a wide-range of experiences that could be applicable in a number of possible ways/fields.</p>
<p>If you went to Bentley, you would probably not meet a single other student there that also got accepted to Brandeis.</p>
<p>I’m not sure you would even meet anybody else that even <em>applied</em> to Brandeis.</p>
<p>The two schools operate with a completely different mission, academic foundation and type of student body.</p>
<p>Don’t take this the wrong way, but IMHO, your question indicates that you don’t know very much about either of these schools (otherwise you would not really be asking).</p>
<p>Please take some time and get some info about both of these schools before making a decision such as this. They could really not be more different.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>soze, I am aware that they are completely on different sides of the spectrum. And equally so, I feel that there are two sides to what I would consider pursuing. I am certain that it will have something to do with either business or law, with minor concentrations in something creative, maybe journalism, PR, international relations, etc. Overall, I would be more interested in pursuing marketing with a business bent rather than international relations with a business bent. This is a reason why I am dabbling between the two. </p>
<p>In more simple terms, to respond to soze, I feel that despite their large contrast, Brandeis and Bentley could serve different facets of my interests and endeavors. </p>
<p>More comments are welcomed! Also to note, I basically have a full ride at Bentley and am still awaiting the financial aid award from Brandeis. I hear Brandeis is in financial debt whereas Bentley has much money?</p>
<p>Muskamore, since you PM’d me with essentially the same question you’ve posed here publicly, allow me to respond in this forum echoing the private response that I just sent to you. </p>
<p>I tend to agree with the opinions that have been offered thus far. Bentley is a very good, regionally-known business/accounting school. In contrast, Brandeis is a small but internationally-known research university, comparable to Tufts, Johns Hopkins, Rice and several schools in ihe UAA, its athletic conference, i.e. University of Chicago, Washington U, Carnegie Mellon and Emory. Truly, the only thing Brandeis and Bentley have in common is that they are both located in Waltham. </p>
<p>If you’re looking for an undergrad technical degree in business then Bentley is a fine choice if you don’t have the option of a better-known business program. However, if you’re looking for a liberal arts education that could lead to business or elsewhere, you’re extraordinarily fortunate to have Brandeis as an option.</p>
<p>As an admittedly biased Brandeis alum who chose Brandeis over two other liberal arts experiences, Tufts and Colgate, here’s my take. Brandeis is truly an amazing school. Its small student body- the smallest I believe (less than 800 in a class) of any top tier national research university–is matched with high-powered professors who actually teach in small classes. So, the research opportunities are tremendous.</p>
<p>Brandeis’ intellectual environment is comparable in many ways to U Chicago (perhaps no coincidence that the President of U Chicago is a Brandeis alum). Yet its students are down-to-earth, friendly and non-competitive with one another. FYI in a recent Forbes national college rankings survey, Brandeis was ranked 15th among research universities and 30th overall among all private univerities and LAC’s–a testament to its focus on undergraduate education. Larger schools, including some Ivies, were ranked much lower. </p>
<p>With respect to your focus on marketing, you might be interested to know that this coming year, in conjunction with its graduate International Business School, Brandeis is launching an innovative undergrad Business major. The international focus of the grad business school–incredibly appropriate for the international economy in which we live–undoubtedly will add international flavor to the new undergrad Business major. You might inquire as to whether marketing will figure into that curriculum. That major will have a liberal arts focus unlike a lot of undergrad Business programs, and definitely unlike Bentley’s. Here’s a link to an article discussing it:</p>
<p>[Brandeis</a> Business is practical, unique - Op-Ed](<a href=“http://media.www.thejusticeonline.com/media/storage/paper573/news/2009/03/03/OpEd/Brandeis.Business.Is.Practical.Unique-3656072.shtml]Brandeis”>http://media.www.thejusticeonline.com/media/storage/paper573/news/2009/03/03/OpEd/Brandeis.Business.Is.Practical.Unique-3656072.shtml)</p>
<p>As for your interest in International Relations, Brandeis’ IR/Global Studies curriculum is very strong. One case in point is Politics Professor Robert Art (who also teaches at Harvard and MIT, but spends most of his time at Brandeis). He has trained many accomplished Brandeis alumni in that field including Robert Galluci, longtime Dean of the Georgetown School of Foreign service who recently became President of the MacArthur Foundation.</p>
<p>Despite its small size and relative youth compared to other national universities, Brandeis’ alumni are very distinguished–to name just a few: Nobel Prize winner for chemistry Rod Mackinnon, Fields Medal winning physicist Edward Witten (often called “Einstein’s successor”), 3-time Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Friedman of the NY Times, The Earth is Flat etc; Mitch Albom of Tuesday’s with Morrie (about his Brandeis professor), the Creators/Producers of Friends; actress Debra Messing; Robert FX Sillerman (billionaire businessman–currently owner of American Idol and Graceland) and Christy Hefner, former CEO of Playboy). Friedman recently returned to teach and I understand that Hefner may soon do so as well. Also, if you’re into social justice (FYI Angela Davis and Abbie Hoffman are alums as well, I could go on) or theater/music/art, it’s a very exciting place to be.</p>
<p>Finally, allow me to clarify the financial picture at Brandeis. The reports of its budget issues lack context and have been overblown due to the administration’s inartful handling of its proposal to sell a few paintings from its world-renowned Rose Art Museum–which has caused international attention to be focused on this issue. Brandeis is hardly alone in this economy. According to news reports, many universities, even the wealthiest like Harvard, are making budget cuts in response to severely diminished endowments and donations. Brandeis has pledged to maintain financial aid and maintain, or improve, its world-class education by resisting the type of budget cuts that could undermine its core mission. The art-sale proposal is just one way it is considering to fund that pledge. The key here is that Brandeis is prioritizing students over things. </p>
<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>