<p>I just got off the waitlist for Brandeis and i don’t know what to do. I am an international student so I don’t have the opportunity to visit campuses to get a proper feel of the colleges so I am really quite confused. A lot of people are giving me different opinions. Most people are in support of Brandeis because its a national university so its better known. I am, however, keener on Oberlin but I am not 100% sure. Does Oberlin have good graduate school prospects? I won’t face any discrimination for going to a small liberal arts college will I?</p>
<p>Opinions, information will be EXTREMELY appreciated.
Please, i don’t have much time left…</p>
<p>If by graduate school you mean medicine or law, Brandeis probably has much better prospects (or atleast for medicine). If you're interested in science and want some research opportunities before grad school, Brandeis would probably be a better choice. However, for academic graduate programs, especially in the social sciences, arts, or humanities, I would assume Oberlin would be an excellent fit. </p>
<p>If you'd prefer to go to Oberlin and are just worried about grad school, go to Oberlin. I have no quantitative basis for this but I always saw Oberlin as a better school than Brandeis. I certainly don't think among academics and a lot of employers Brandeis is more known. I know their music and creative writing programs (I know music by reputation and CW as I was once interested) are phenomenal. </p>
<p>The only thing I think Brandeis has the upper edge on besides research is its location; it's relatively close to a big city whereas Oberlin is in the middle of Ohio.</p>
<p>Actually, Oberlin is a 25 minute drive from central Cleveland. It's almost as north in Ohio, as one can get. The campus has a small town feel to it, as it's pretty much the town of Oberlin. They have a central square that is a popular place to hang out, do work, surf the net, etc.</p>
<p>They also have a heavy cultural scene; musical groups abound. There is a special ecclecticness to their student population. The campus has a creative feel to it, as you walk around.</p>
<p>It was my daughter's second choice. She will be going to Kenyon, instead, which IS in the center of Ohio, in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>Both very good schools. Depends on your interest. If it's music, then Oberlin. The sciences, Brandeis. The rest? You pay your money and take your choice.</p>
<p>Oberlin actually has a really great curriculum outside of music, and Brandeis has a great music exchange program with Berklee that you can get into if you care enough. So both are good schools. I think the biggest difference between the two schools is that Brandeis is a liberal arts university and Oberlin is a Liberal arts college, plus I feel as though there's a very different feel to the social life at both schools.</p>
<p>im actually not at all interested in the sciences, im more interested in english/politics/art majors, which is why i am currently prefering oberlin. the only thing im really worried about is whether my chances of getting into a good grad school will be affected by my decision to enroll in a small liberal arts college.
and hemingwayisdead, i assume you are taking about oberlin's creative writing programs?
but i am considering law school it is a possibility....</p>
<p>Grad schools and law schools are very knowledgeable about the quality of liberal arts colleges as well as of universities. I went to a top 10 law school and it was clear that Oberlin was well regarded and I think grad students in the other disciplines you are interested in would report the same. Trust your sense of "fit". Good luck!</p>
<p>For what its worth, I know a young couple where the woman went to Oberlin as a religion major, then on to grad school in education at NYU. The guy went to Brandeis, then on to an Ivy League medical school. They both loved their undergraduate experiences. In other words, you can do fine at either place.</p>
<p>In my mind, the biggest difference is location. Boston is a much better college town than Cleveland, and Brandeis has much better accessibility to Boston than Oberlin has to Cleveland.</p>
<p>My final decision was between Oberlin and Brandeis as well. Both schools are phenomenal, which made it a hard decision. What it came down to for me was the feel of the campus. When I visited Brandeis, I felt like I belonged. Even though I'm more into music than science/research, the campus and the openness of the student body made my decision. That's not to say that Oberlin wasn't open, but it just wasn't as right for me. As far as going to grad school, either would be looked at as a fine institution.</p>
<p>amybea, could i please ask you about the 'feel' of brandeis? i can pretty much imagine what oberlin is like, but im having difficulty imagining brandeis..</p>
<p>I'm trying to think of the I best way to describe it...comfortably vibrant. When I went there, I felt that I would be accepted no matter what - there was absolutely no pressure to be someone else. People wore pajamas to dinner, didn't wear makeup...all the superficialities were nonexistent. It was the one college overnight where I felt like I was merely hanging out with a bunch of awesome people instead of just observing them. If you want more details, feel free to ask!</p>