<p>Cliffordwu, Wesleyan is by no means more prestigious than Brandeis. In fact Brandeis has an international reputation while Wesleyan does not. Nonetheless, both are fine schools, but very different experiences. Wesleyan is a small liberal arts college (with very few graduate students). Brandeis is a small liberal arts college functioning within a world-class research university. It’s a trick to pull that off, but they do, and the undergraduates benefit from that special combination.</p>
<p>As an admittedly biased Brandeis alum who chose Brandeis over two other liberal arts experiences, Tufts and Colgate, here’s my take. Brandeis is truly an amazing school. Its small student body- the smallest I believe (about 800 in a class) of any top tier national research university–is matched with high-powered professors who actually teach in small classes. So, the research opportunities are tremendous. Plus, it’s very close to Boston, the world’s greatest college town, but on its own suburban campus–really the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>Its 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. </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 Medal 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>On the question of whether Brandeis is the right fit for you, I believe the kind of person who would feel comfortable at Brandeis is an intellectual and/or creative sort who is friendly and comfortable with himself or herself and not competitive or pretentious. Intellectual but down-to-earth and friendly I think is an apt description of the student body. Unlike some preppy place or frat-oriented environments where social interraction is based on the “exclusivity” of the frat system, Brandeis has a welcoming, relatively-nonjudgmental environment–yet there are some off-campus frats for those who like what they have to offer. There is no pressure to party, but parties are there if you want them. Often social interaction centers around the numerous clubs and other terrific extracuriculars like music and theater (many professional actors, including stars have emerged from the undergrad and graduate population). </p>
<p>If you haven’t seen the recent rankings of some of Brandeis’ strongest majors, the article linked below may be interesting to you–e.g. English and American Literature is one of the top departments in the country. Remember that at Brandeis doctoral students and undergrads work side-by-side with the same professors. So this ranking of doctoral programs is very relevant to potential undergrads. Here’s the link:</p>
<p>[Brandeis</a> doctoral programs rate high in national survey | BrandeisNOW](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2010/november/nationalresearchcouncil.html]Brandeis”>Brandeis doctoral programs rate high in national survey | BrandeisNOW)</p>
<p>Also, if you haven’t read it, this Newsweek article featuring Literature professor, Bill Flesch gives a sense of how the Brandeis “research college” learning environment can make a real difference: </p>
<p>[Four</a> Great College Professors - Newsweek](<a href=“http://www.newsweek.com/2009/08/11/in-search-of-great-professors.html]Four”>Four Great College Professors)</p>
<p>Finally, the school is very diverse undergraduate and graduate, with a strong international flavor (in fact the majority of its 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 (40% overall if you fairly count the grad students). 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>Forgive my enthusiasm, but I loved it.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>