<p>Anyone think Brandeis’ rank will increase in the coming years? I feel like it will for a few reasons but I’m curious what other people think.</p>
<p>C’mon, 61 people have looked at this. Don’t be shy, leave a comment!</p>
<p>Might break into the 20s</p>
<p>Will probably switch places with NYU, at least.</p>
<p>That would depend – which “rank” are you speaking of?</p>
<p>I was talking about US News, I know Brandeis ranks higher on other lists such as Forbes. Btw, the methodology seems rather weak. Anyone else think so?</p>
<p>I doubt it, especially since it appears the teacher-student ratio will be higher and the acceptance rate is increasing.</p>
<p>The acceptance rate is decreasing from 40%.</p>
<p>No Eliyahu, it increased 3%.
[More</a> students accepted for the Class of 2015 - News](<a href=“http://media.www.thejustice.org/media/storage/paper573/news/2011/05/03/News/More-Students.Accepted.For.The.Class.Of.2015-3997268.shtml]More”>http://media.www.thejustice.org/media/storage/paper573/news/2011/05/03/News/More-Students.Accepted.For.The.Class.Of.2015-3997268.shtml)</p>
<p>Yes Shulie, </p>
<p>From the most recent rankings: </p>
<p>Admissions
Jan 15 application due
40.4% accepted</p>
<p>[Brandeis</a> University | Best College | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/brandeis-university-2133]Brandeis”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/brandeis-university-2133)</p>
<p>Regardless if they use 2010, or 2011, as their number in their methodology, it will be decreasing from 40%.</p>
<p>“For the Class of 2014, there were 7,753 applicants with 2,746 acceptances, resulting in an acceptance rate of 35.42 percent”</p>
<p>The numbers used for USNWR were from 2009…
I think we might be talking about two different things. Do you think the rank is going to go up this year, and then down the next?<br>
I am sorry if I appear to be obnoxious, I don’t intend it.</p>
<p>Apparently, for the most recent USNWR, they used the 2009 statistic since that is what they list in their school facts. Although between 2010 and 2011, the acceptance rate rose, but since the last USNWR acceptance statistic, it has dropped. I don’t know when they publish the newest magazine with rankings, but my guess is they are either using 2010, or 2011. Either way, it’s still a decrease, leading to a probable bump. That, and the endowment rebound.</p>
<p>I’m just curious, what difference does the ranking make? Especially if we’re talking about #34 going to #29 or #37? My guess is, longer term, the continuing financial squeeze and retrenchment at Brandeis will inevitably hurt programs down the road, and that should negatively affect the ranking (although it may not, given the weighting that factors like acceptance rate have.) Also the squeeze on financial aid may actually increase their acceptance rate, as more accepted students turn them down in favor of equally-ranked more generous schools. I don’t see how Brandeis will increase its excellence and perception while cutting costs - nice trick if they can pull it off.</p>
<p>CAorBust, you have a fundamental misunderstanding about Brandeis’ financial situation and the direction (which is in fact upward) of its academic programs. </p>
<p>Brandeis is not in a long-term financial squeeze. The recent economic downturn affected all schools. More forthrightly than most, Brandeis stepped up to make strategic cuts that do not materially affect undergrads and that strengthen the academy for the long run, while simultaneously innovating programs and building state of the art facilities–e.g. the new science center and Humanities center.</p>
<p>Although belt-tightening in certain areas, those are small individually and where the university isn’t excellent. In fact, Brandeis has added exciting new programs like an undergrad Busness major and the independent-study Justice Brandeis Semester. Resources are being plowed into student aid. The school is focused on building from its strengths–i.e. an excellent small liberal arts college within a top-notch research university–where prominent professors teach in small classes.</p>
<p>The reports of Brandeis’s 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 caused international attention to be focused on this issue. As mentioned, Brandeis is hardly alone in this economy. According to news reports, many universities, even 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 now-on-hold art-sale proposal was just one way it was considering to fund that pledge. And now, happily, the endowment has significantly rebounded The key here is that during the height of the economic downturn, and continually, Brandeis has prioritized students over things. </p>
<p>As evidence of Brandeis’ success is the fact that it was just named one of the Princeton Review’s Best Value Colleges for 2011. See:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1091955-brandeis-named-one-princeton-reviews-best-value-colleges.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1091955-brandeis-named-one-princeton-reviews-best-value-colleges.html</a></p>
<p>Also FYI, here’s a recent piece explaining that many of Brandeis’ departments are amont the very best in the nation. Although focused on PHD programs, this is significant for undergrads since, at Brandeis, undergrads and grads work side by side with the same professors–a virtue of its small research university combination:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brandeis-university/1025761-brandeis-doctoral-programs-rate-high-national-survey.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brandeis-university/1025761-brandeis-doctoral-programs-rate-high-national-survey.html</a></p>
<p>Dear B77,</p>
<p>If you don’t work for Brandeis already, you should! You seem to be posting many detailed responses to anyone who has any concerns whatsoever about Brandeis (overkill, anyone?)</p>
<p>You seem to have missed the main point of my post, which was questioning what difference rankings or incremental changes in rankings make? I hope that is not the most important criterion for choosing a college, and I hope you would agree with that. Especially when those rankings can be gamed or depend on factors that have little to do with academic excellence.</p>
<p>While Brandeis is an excellent university, it is not necessarily the best school for everyone, contrary to what most of your posts seem to convey.</p>
<p>And I stand by my statement that it is difficult to increase rankings by improving programs when there is an ongoing financial imperative to get resources and costs in line. The cost cutting at Brandeis goes way beyond the Rose Art Museum, while tuition increases have been steep the last few years. And I don’t know anything about financial aid, but judging from the posts on this forum many admits seem to be pretty disappointed in their financial aid offers.</p>
<p>CAorBust, I’m merely a loyal Brandeis alumnus, as I have discussed in previous posts–admitedly biased but grounded in the facts. Speculation and isolated gripes on CC are no substitute for the facts. I agree that rankings are not as important as fit. Neither Brandeis nor any other school, however excellent, is the right fit for everyone, and, again, my posts have made that clear. I have a lot of great things to say about Brandeis merely because there are so many great things to say, and someone should say them because Brandeis’ special attributes are not as widely understood as they could be. Speculating about a “continuing financial squeeze and retrenchment” is simply not based in the facts and ignores the bigger picture. As you know, there are financial aid gripes at many schools. One reason for some dissonance among some posters on this forum is that, this year, Brandeis’ admissions/financial aid policy changed to need-blind with full need met, moving away from merit-based aid. Although this approach is typical of many top schools, some applicants had lingering expectations of generous merit-based aid and were apparently frustrated by this development.</p>
<p>Well, I certainly was frustrated by that development because Brandeis never told applicants or their families they were moving in that direction, but had applicants who were interested only in merit aid give away a lot of private financial information via CSS Profile. That was not artfully done.</p>
<p>To CA’s point, I believe I see a pattern. Whatever you’ve read in The Justice or Forbes or wherever, B77 will tell you that you’re misinformed, or know only half the story, or have failed to consider it in the context of how much worse it might be somewhere else. Then he will offer his own exceedingly rosy assessment of Brandeis’ condition, its offerings, and its prospects for an even more brilliant future, without any real corroboration.</p>
<p>Now let me say, even after the Profile/merit aid issue, I do still like Brandeis. My own kid won’t be going there, but children of friends will, and I hope Brandeis will thrive and serve them well. But I am far from convinced that it’s naive or wrong-headed to be concerned that Brandeis will encounter some bumps in the road in its near future as the University confronts a lowered bond rating in a still soft economy, and significant increases in undergraduate enrollment, among other challenges.</p>
<p>B77, I’m sure you see matters differently. And, honestly, I’d be happy to think I’ve been wrong and you’ve been right. You just haven’t yet convinced me that everything in Waltham is as brilliant and promising as you say.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC App</p>
<p>I seriously doubt that. I have a feeling Brandeis will have a declining yield. Brandeis used to be a school that attracted really bright kids by giving great merit aid. My bet is that many students, like me, applied to Brandeis in hopes that they could get merit aid but didn’t because they are shrinking their program. Kids who would have gone to Brandeis if they got good fin aid are going to better ranked schools that offered similar or better fin aid. </p>
<p>Not say that Brandeis isn’t a great school, I loved it. But I think it’s yield will decrease when you couple free applications with poor merit aid.</p>
<p>Sikorsky, it’s convenient to attack personally someone who disagrees with you, as you and CAorBust have done. I won’t resort to that. I’m glad that you and CAorBust say you remain Brandeis supporters. Brandeis is hardly perfect but hardly in dire straights either. Those of us who appreciate its strengths must, of course, always remain concerned that the university navigate successfully inevitable bumps in the road. I strongly believe the future is very bright for Brandeis, and that belief is based on current facts and not colored by old news, personal feelings or speculation. Glad your child found a satisfactory financial aid package at another school. Good luck to you both!</p>
<p>B77, I tried hard not to attack you personally, but instead to take exception to your method of presenting your position.</p>
<p>You do consistently discount reports from the popular press, from The Justice, or from recent visitors to campus who’ve heard and quoted current Brandeis officials. You do consistently toss around phrases like “world class” when talking about Brandeis. You have offered substantiation for a fair portion of your praise about Brandeis, but, I think, for rather few of your assertions that the current “conventional wisdom” about Brandeis’ issues is wrong.</p>
<p>I think you’re clouding the issue by saying you’ve been attacked personally. I don’t think you have been. I do think you’ve been called on your unabashed boosterism, but I don’t think that’s the same thing.</p>