Brandeis or Tufts?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>HELP! Accepted to both and need some more information. Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.</p>

<p>I am primarily concerned with academic reputation<a href="for%20grad%20school,%20job%20market">/b</a>, **social life, and student/teacher interaction/research.</p>

<p>I'm looking to major in International Relations or Economics. I've heard Tuft's IR program is great, but the language requirement (8 Semesters!) is a bit daunting.</p>

<p>Brandeis would likely be cheaper but not by much--haven't received word on FinAid from Tufts yet.</p>

<p>I also was accepted at:
-William and Mary (OOS tuition will likely be too high even after FinAid.)
-University of MN (Instate tuition would likely be higher than both, not really interested.)</p>

<p>Thanks so much!</p>

2

<p>I got into Brandeis with a pretty big scholarship and didn’t apply to Tufts (I almost did but was too lazy to write those essays) but honestly I think I’d go to Tufts if I were in your situation. it’s totally up to you though. I would stay over at both, see which would fit you more socially and then consider the cost.</p>

<p>can’t you pass out of most of the language requirements at Tufts with SAT IIs and APs?</p>

3

<p>Thanks jarsilver! I’m not sure I’ll have the opportunity to stay over at both (I live in MN.), but I’m going to try!</p>

4

<p>well, since they’re close you could spend a day at one and then go right over to the other. </p>

<p>also if you’re really concerned with prestige than obviously Tufts has the advantage for international relations, but I wouldn’t base it on that alone.</p>

5

<p>I’d go Tufts.</p>

6

<p>I like both but would vote for Tufts for you but not before hearing how <em>much</em> more Tufts will cost your family? and will you have to take out loans?</p>

7

<p>They are both great. I have to say that I’d go with Brandeis unless you’re firm on the IR. You can’t beat the access to professors and community feeling at Brandeis. As for grad school, I don’t know how the stats compare, but Brandeis has a superb rate of placement in graduate academic programs as well as law and med school. Good luck. You can’t go wrong with either one.</p>

8

<p>Allow me to share my view as a Brandeis alum who chose Brandeis over Tufts.</p>

<p>In terms of education and prestige, I believe Brandeis is the easy choice overall. Of course if you’re committed to IR, Tuft’s well-known program should be considered. However, the Brandeis concentration in this area is not shabby either–e.g. Brandeis Professor Robert Art (who, I believe, also teaches at Harvard) 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. Plus Brandeis’ Econ department is excellent, and, in conjunction with the Brandeis International Business School, is about to launch an innovative undergraduate Business major.</p>

<p>Brandeis is a truly an amazing school. It’s a special combination of small liberal arts college and world-class research university-with the smallest student body I believe (less than 800 in a class) of any top tier national research university matched with high-powered professors who actually teach in small classes. So, the research opportunities are tremendous. While not huge, I believe Tufts’ undergrad enrollment is at least 50% larger than Brandeis’.</p>

<p>Brandeis’ intellectual environment is comparable in many ways to its University Athletic Association sister school, 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. With respect to prestige as it affects success rates in admissions to the best graduate schools, including med school and law school, it would be hard to beat Brandeis. </p>

<p>Despite its small size and relative youth, Brandeis alumni are very distinguished–to name just a few: Nobel Prize winner for chemistry Rod Mackinnon, Fields Metal 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). Also, if you’re into social justice or theater/music/art, it’s a very exciting place to be.</p>

<p>Finally, the school is very diverse both among undergraduate and graduate students, with a strong international flavor (in fact the majority of The Brandeis International Business School is international students). With respect to the issue for some of the school’s Jewish population, you should understand that less than 50% of its student body is Jewish. Brandeis is a non-sectarian school that embraces students from all types of backgrounds based on merit. The school has no religious affiliation, although it was founded and is funded signigicantly by the Jewish community. </p>

<p>Good luck with your decision!.</p>

9

<p>Thanks so much for all of your helpful advice. I’m going to try my best to visit both within the next couple weeks.</p>

<p>I realize academically (and geographically) they’re rather close, but are there any significant differences in the social life on campus? Do students party? Drink? Go to Boston every weekend?</p>

10

<p>william and mary out of state is still cheaper than either braindeis or tufts.</p>

<p>but personally, between brandeis and tufts, I’d do tufts any day. </p>

<p>and i don’t think brandeis has an IR major.</p>

11

<p>Actually, I think Brandeis and Tufts are very comparable in a lot a ways. Rankings and prestige are about equal. Locations are comparable. Quality of faculty and students are about equal. </p>

<p>Brandeis is truly dedicated to social justice (it is, after all, named after Louis Brandeis) if you are into that. It certainly has a more activist student body–Tufts is rather preppy and conservative in comparison. Tuft’s mascot is an elephant; Brandeis’ is a judge.</p>

<p>Bottom line–visit both and see which feels right for you. You really can’t make a serious mistake because they are so comparable.</p>

12

<p>I am in the exact same situation as you! I got admitted at Brandeis, Tufts, and William and Mary. For me it’s basically between Brandeis and Tufts. I’m planning on majoring in Biology, and both schools are great in that department, especially research wise! I have no idea what to do!!! But what you guys said kind of helped! </p>

<p>galestorm, IBfootballer… why would you go to Tufts?</p>

13

<p>Brandeis is not really known to be a party school with a lot of drinking, although if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll find it if if you look for it. Students do go into Boston frequently, often to have dinner, go to the movies or to the theater. There’s a club called Brandeis Cultural Arts Connection I think, that distributes cheap tickets to theater performance, I recently saw Dirty Dancing. And of course students also go into Boston to see other things…
And Brandeis does have an International and Global studies and an IR major option.
Here you can contact the Undergraduate representatives for IR:
[IGS</a> | Brandeis University](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/programs/igs/people/udrs.html]IGS”>http://www.brandeis.edu/programs/igs/people/udrs.html)</p>

14

<p>If you aren’t committed to multiple languages, you shouldn’t be doing IR.</p>