<p>In what ways is Brandeis similar to and different from a liberal arts college? Particularly some of the more “liberal” ones. (ie: Vassar, Wesleyan, Middlebury etc.)</p>
<p>well Brandeis has a core whereas most LACs don't...but that's a difference:)</p>
<p>okay. how about atmospherically? i think princeton review named brandeis one of the most politically "liberal"... but are students active? are classes like "tuesday with morrie" or huge and impersonal? are the arts important? (i know theater is) and with the rose closing, are fine arts going to suffer?
etc, etc, etc</p>
<p>yes, brandeis students are very politically active. see Innermost</a> Parts which is the progressive blog at Brandeis. the average class size is 17 so in nearly all classes there's a lot of discussion and interaction. even large classes aren't impersonal b/c the profs. love when you come during office hours to talk about the material and anything else in your life. yes, you're right. arts are important. the UTC puts on 5 shows a semester [url=<a href="http://people.brandeis.edu/%7Eutc/%5Dutc.undergrad-theatre-collective%5B/url">http://people.brandeis.edu/~utc/]utc.undergrad-theatre-collective[/url</a>] fine arts won't suffer. the rose is going to be more of a studio space for fine arts majors so it will enhance the program.</p>
<p>Brandeis is much more like a LAC than a large University. The only difference is that some programs offer graduate degrees, which means that there are some graduate students around, sometimes running recitations or labs. (The same is true at Wesleyan.) </p>
<p>While there are large lecture classes at Brandeis, just as there are at LACs, there are also many small classes, close interaction with professors, and lively and engaging discussions in and out of the classroom. </p>
<p>The arts at Brandeis are very strong, I'd say slightly better in music and theater than Vassar and Wesleyan. This is in part because of the graduate programs and because Brandeis has a slightly larger population. </p>
<p>I think it's a bit easier to get into Brandeis than Vassar, Wesleyan or Middlebury, and a natural school to consider if you're interested in the others.</p>
<p>Hey I kinda agree that it’s easier to get into Brandeis than to Vassar, Wesleyan and other top LACs. It’s definitely harder to get into Amherst or Williams than to Brandeis, given the acceptance rate of 9% vs. 33%. </p>
<p>Speaking of academics and reputations though, do you guys think Brandeis is on par with the top 5 or top 10 LACs ? Brandeis’ International Business School has a combined BA/MA programs that attract students of Wellesley, a top 5 LAC. If Brandeis’ prestige and quality is that good, why it is a little less selective? Hmm, this doesn’t make sense to me.</p>
<p>Fallorchild, here is my opinion on the acceptance rate discrepancy. In a nutshell, I’d say there are fewer, by far, unqualified applicants, and of course having fewer easy rejects makes for a higher percentage accepted. Fewer of them apply because Brandeis is perceived (yay!) as a serious school. No football. Nerdy reputation. Just not very attractive to the shallow party crowd. But apart from that, some people are turned off because of the “Jewish school” perception. I realize that the Jewish percentage has dwindled to probably under 50%, but that figure hasn’t made it into the public perception yet. Also, I’m sure of this, although I’m not Jewish: anti-semitism in this country is on the rise. Not in my circles, but in the general population, as our society becomes increasingly ignorant and easily manipulated. Sady, if I had to predict, I’d say that Brandeis’ acceptance percentage will actually get higher, even as it maintains its quality.</p>
<p>Agree with Weshallbelikehim that the Brandeis applicant pool is very self-selecting because the school is recognized as an academic powerhouse among small institutions and a producer of impressive alumni. Although already considered “most selective” by USNWR, its selectivity will eventually increase to match its academic accomplishments–for example, its sister school, the University of Chicago, only recently boosted its selectivity after many years. As you may know, this year Forbes college rankings placed Brandeis among the top 15 national universities and top 30 overall among all undergraduate institutions, universities and LAC’s combined. Agree also that the recoginition that Brandeis is extremely diverse and international in flavor and is a fully non-sectarian school, and in fact founded on the principal of non-discrimination, will need to improve in order for the applicant pool of top students to continue to grow even larger.</p>