<p>Hi there,
I was recently accepted to Brandeis University, which is my third-choice school after Georgia Tech and Boston College. Upon college graduation, I plan on entering law school (Hopefully Harvard Law) to become an attorney.
I was looking at college rankings and I saw that Brandeis came before both Georgia Tech and BC on several lists. However, I really like Georgia Tech and Boston College. Would I be wrong in rejecting Brandeis to attend either of these schools? Would Brandeis look better than either of them on any resum</p>
<p>Which one costs the least? Georgia Tech doesn’t sound that great but it sounds cheap. BC and Brandeis both sound solid.</p>
<p>Tech would be $33,000 for me (I’m out of state), whereas the other two would be around $50,000.</p>
<p>All three are good schools but very different from each other. Ignore the rankings and go where you feel the fit is best. I’m not that familiar with Georgia Tech other than knowing it is a large public institution with a heavy dose of engineering and a good football team. BC and Brandeis are easier to compare–both being in Boston suburbs. While both are rated similarly, their cultures are very, very different. Brandeis is small, intellectual, artsy, liberal, research oriented, not athletic oriented (Div. III) and heavily Jewish (@50% in undergraduate school, much less in graduate programs). BC is much larger, much more athletically oriented (Div. I, ACC), much more “rah-rah,” far less research oriented and heavily Catholic. Many students who love Brandeis would hate BC (too many jocks), and visa versa (too many nerds and social activists). Since I don’t know you, I can’t advise which culture is a better fit for you.</p>
<p>It won’t make a difference as far as getting into Harvard Law. To do that, you will need very high grades at any of those three schools and very high LSAT scores. I suggest that you focus on college first.</p>
<p>Thanks bonanza!</p>
<p>Agree with Bonanza about the distinct differences among the schools. Georgia tech, a top engineering school, is a state school on an urban campus. It’s not tops for liberal arts.</p>
<p>As between Brandeis and BC, I believe you’re comparing apples and oranges with respect to academics. BC has nearly three times as many undergraduates as does Brandeis-nearly nine thousand versus just over three thousand. Brandeis functions as a small liberal arts college in the midst of a world-class research institution. I belive it is the smallest student body of the top tier universities (perhaps other than CalTech). Its theater arts, music and fine arts programs are also renowned. In terms of its intellectuality, it is much more comparable to its UAA bretheren, the University of Chicago or Wash U, or other small research universities like Johns Hopkins, than it is to BC. FYI, unlike private Brandeis and state-run Georgia Tech, BC is a religious institution. A recent Globe article on the Church’s installation of Catholic symbols on the BC campus notes that the student population is 70% Catholic. Here’s the articlehttp://<a href=“http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/02/12/catholic_symbols_stir_diverse_feelings_at_bc/”>www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/02/12/catholic_symbols_stir_diverse_feelings_at_bc/</a></p>
<p>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. However, if you’re looking for a prestigious Div I athletics program, it’s BC hands down over all other schools in the Boston area. I would compare BC more closely with its more prestigious Catholic bretheren, Notre Dame and Georgetown</p>
<p>FYI as an interesting example from elsewhere on this site, a list of colleges with the highest placement ratios at Harvard Law School in 2006 puts Brandeis in the top twenty. Seehttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/662310-ranking-undergrad-highest-acceptance-rates-law-school.html</p>
<p>Thanks B77. Bump…anyone else?</p>
<p>Hold it – BC is NOT a “religious institution”. Its academic offerings are as secular as any. Furthermore, it does not force any sort of religious program on its students. It is run by the Jesuits, who, historically, have been scholars and teachers first and religionists second.</p>