<p>I was wondering how the diversity and academics are like at Brandeis. I know they have a lot of Jewish, but how a lot? Do they demand students to deal with heavy workloads? How is it compared to the large state schools like University of Wisconsin-Madison?</p>
<p>Thanks to Linnea for posting that link.
As for the workload, premeds might have it rougher but it's manageable. If you're humanities you'll probably be writing a lot of papers unless you're econ or something math-focused. And Brandeis is pretty much the opposite of UW Madison.</p>
<p>Well, I am Econ Major...-.-
What makes yo think that Brandeis is the opposite of UW? Other than its population, what is really different? (I know it's like 5000 Vs. 40000)</p>
<p>I think 'deis is more like 3,000 and I meant that it is the opposite of UW Madison because that school was ranked the #1 party school this year.</p>
<p>Yes, I am aware of that, and it is the one of the reasons that I am hesitating to go there. But the both schools ranked the same 34th in 2006 USN&W. I was looking for a quite school where I can concentrate studying and rest peacefully on the weekends. Do you see a lot of non-Jewish there? I mean, like ordinary white kids and hard working Asians...</p>
<p>
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Do you see a lot of non-Jewish there? I mean, like ordinary white kids
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<p>most Jewish students are ordinary white kids. you seem to be carrying some basic assumptions that you may want to reconsider if you are seriously considering brandeis.</p>
<p>Both UW and Brandeis has postives and negatives aspects. I just don't like the fact that UW is a big party school which many students take all the class on Monday thru Wed and get drunk from thurs to sat. However, Brandeis is small and quite which is a great place to study. I don't have anything against any race or religion, but I was just looking for something more than 60% Jewish.</p>
<p>"but I was just looking for something more than 60% Jewish."</p>
<p>How is that different from being more than, say, 60% Catholic, which is what you'd find at BC or ND? You ought to ponder what bizymom suggested.</p>
<p>"most Jewish students are ordinary white kids."</p>
<p>Bingo. But not Jewish Brandeis students. Or non-Jewish Brandeis students for that matter. I don't know whether all their parents carry the weird gene or whether they put something in the water here, but people here are pretty freaky. It's like they're trying to be weird just for the sake of being weird. I thought I was weird in high school, but then I came here...</p>
<p>So I am finally talking to someone from Brandeis? I was actually asking if the school is like Jewish Centered... in other words, if I should see all Jewish in classrooms or snackshop whereever I go, it might feel little bit weired as an only Asian student in the campus. It's not that I don't like the Jewish environment, but I don't like to be SO different than everyone else. Am I going to be the only asian kid in the campus?</p>
<p>No, there are plenty of Asians here, both foreign and American-born.</p>
<p>If you ask me, the group getting most squeezed out here on campus are the non-Orthodox Jews. I did a little researching on Google, and apparently while the prevalence of total Jews at Brandeis has been constant or slightly decreased, the percentage of Orthodox has gone way up, and this isn't an accident--to kiss up to the religious big donors, they've been actively recruiting from the Jewish day schools, etc. And the decreasing overall Jewishness is due to more white and minority non-Jews. So who knows, maybe a few years down the road this place will have everybody under the sun except secular Jews, the people who founded this university and pushed hardest to diversify this place and got sizeable numbers of non-Jews and minorities to come here. Goodbye Abbie Hoffman, hello Rabbi Boteach.</p>
<p>sunada -- you seem to think that by looking at a group of people you will know you are surrounded by all those "Jewish" as opposed to white non-Jews. while the more observant Jewish students may be identifiable by the males wearing yalmulkes (skullcaps) and the women dressing modestly, the overwhelming majority of Jews aren't going to be much visibly different than whites of other religious or ethnic backgrounds.</p>
<p>at probably any school you are considering, white students will be in the vast majority and Asian students in the vast minority. I can understand you being concerned that there be other Asians so that that there are other students with whom you may share a common background. but quite honestly, your constant focus on the "Jewish" as opposed to other white students is something I really think you need to think about - why is this such an issue for you as opposed to being surrounded by other white students? if anything, schools where Catholics or Protestants are in the majority, you are likely to have them in the majority by well more than the approximate 50% that Jewish students represent at Brandeis. and I really do think this is something you need to come to terms with for yourself before you would decide to attend Brandeis because, yes there are a lot of Jewish people there, and if you keep making generalized assumptions about them your experience at Brandeis may not be the best.</p>
<p>how do you know what assumptions I am making to the Jewish students?(no offense) As a minority student, being a minority won't bother me at all because I have been a minority for whole time. I actually admire many Jewish people and their cultures and such a strong human networks that they have. I was just being little bit concerned about being a minority of another new society (in this case Jewish) that I never have encountered before.
I know they are just a normal white kids too, and they won't be dressing like old amish at all.<br>
"but quite honestly, your constant focus on the "Jewish" as opposed to other white students is something I really think you need to think about"
Well I agree, I think you got me wrong, this isn't about Jewish and white. Again, I was just concerning if the school is a REALLY Jewish environment which I don't know much about.</p>
<p>for info re brandeis' asian american student assoc: <a href="http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/baasa%5B/url%5D">http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/baasa</a></p>
<p>for infor re brandeis' south asian student assoc: <a href="http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/sasa%5B/url%5D">http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/sasa</a></p>
<p>perhaps you should contact someone listed as a contact person for these organizations - they may be in the best position to address your concerns.</p>
<p>some more campus groups that may be helpful (since i don't know where specificaly you are from)</p>
<p><a href="http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/jsa%5B/url%5D">http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/jsa</a>
<a href="http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/ksa%5B/url%5D">http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/ksa</a>
<a href="http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/seac%5B/url%5D">http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/seac</a></p>
<p>in general - you can go to the club center (<a href="http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/%5B/url%5D">http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs/</a>) and see if there are any other clubs you might want to contact for info.</p>
<p>As sulsk said in a previous thread, 'nothing Jewish will be forced upon you.' Other than holidays in the fall and the vacation schedule, you don't have to go along with anything Jewish if you don't want to. No one's going to force-feed you kosher food or drag you to services or try and convert you. You can do your own thing and observe your own culture with others of the same background. Judging by what you said about what kind of environment you want, I think you're a good fit for Brandeis.
You definitely won't be the only person of Asian descent here (hi!) . The percentage may seem low, but they are VERY visible on campus. There seems to be a ton of Koreans here...hmm. And yes there are plenty of non-Jewish white kids to chill with too...in fact for next year 6 out of my 7 other suitemates are white non Jews (athiest, Episcopalian, catholic, etc).<br>
Just keep an open mind, that's all. Good luck with your decision!</p>