<p>What are three things they wouldn’t necesarily tell you on an admissions tour that you found out after arriving (good or bad) ?</p>
<p>Also how is freshmann housing?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Forgot one thing</p>
<p>Is the pool rennovation just the pool or does it include locker rooms as well?</p>
<p>“The Board of Trustees approved a renovation plan for the Linsey Pool facility on March 31. Senior Vice President for Administration Mark Collins said the $3 to $3.5-million project includes new mechanical and electrical infrastructure, new locker rooms, repairs to the pool and pool deck, a new entryway and updates to the lobby.”</p>
<p>[Mike</a> Kotch named coach of swimming, diving team | BrandeisNOW](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2011/july/mikekotch.html]Mike”>Mike Kotch named coach of swimming, diving team | BrandeisNOW)</p>
<p>@YalieGirl: Here are some things I wish I knew freshman year:
-Signing up for 20 clubs is NORMAL. Don’t feel bad when you have to drop most of them.
-Take time to explore the campus (and Waltham/Boston if you want), go to events, and stay up having great conversations with your friends. Before you know it, a year will have gone by, then two, and you’ll wonder why there’s so much you haven’t done yet.
-Don’t tell yourself you know what you want. Don’t be so sure of your major, your career, the extracurriculars you’ll join, or the groups of people you’ll hang out with. Just explore and do whatever feels right, or you’ll struggle and waste time. College is a time to grow and discover yourself!
-Join clubs - that’s how you meet people! I wasn’t very close with my hall and didn’t meet a lot of friends in class - but people in your clubs already have the same interests as you.
-Find a favorite study place - whether that be your room, your dorm lounge, a spot in the library, or your own secret place. There’s so much going on that you need to escape the distraction sometimes.
-Talk to your roommate(s) NOW. Get to know each other, decide who is bringing essential dorm room items. It will save you a lot of time. Also don’t hesitate to tell your roommate(s) if something is bothering you - you don’t want to live all year in an annoying or unbearable situation.
-Ask questions now, during Orientation and afterward - older students love helping and guiding first years! We have a lot of school pride here, in my opinion.
-Finally, don’t be nervous. Be excited!</p>
<p>@Lilred13</p>
<p>1) The inside of the Castle is actually kind of old and falling apart (nonetheless…I loved living there. I mean, it’s a CASTLE.).</p>
<p>2) Yes, it is that Jewish. But not obnoxiously so. You won’t be “bothered” by the amount of Jewishness if you’re not Jewish/not into that. But it’s definitely Jewish.</p>
<p>3) There is at least one huge political controversy each year. For such a supposedly liberal school, Brandeis is very politically dynamic!</p>
<p>Regarding first year housing - it varies a lot. What dorm and floor did you get, and what kind of room? Overall, I think the housing is pretty nice (but some are nicer than others)!</p>
<p>How is the social scene in Brandeis? What are the girls like (friendly, attractive, fun to be around, etc)? Does it have a good nightlife?</p>
<p>My son’s cell phone died. It got terrible reception on campus anyway (T-Mobile). Do you know what carriers actually work there? I’m thinking Verizon?</p>
<p>@Buddy75: AT&T has always worked well for me. I believe Verizon is good too - better than T-Mobile at least.</p>
<p>@MrKrabz: This might sound cliche, but the social scene is what you make of it. If you’re looking for a party school, it’s not Brandeis; if you’re looking for parties on the weekends, you’ll find them if you know people who are involved with the party scene. Most Brandeisians tend to party small, although Greek Life has become noticeably more popular over the last few years (however, Brandeis University does not officially recognize Greek organizations; there are about eight of them that operate anyway. It’s a good option for some but it might eat up most of your time you could spend exploring other aspects of the school.). Brandeis students are serious and study hard, but you won’t get bored from lack of nightlife.</p>
<p>^ Brandeis does officially recognize Greek organizations now (It did starting this year in like April).</p>
<p>Seal151, I think you might’ve read the Justice’s April Fool’s edition and thought they were serious. Brandeis has not, and still doesn’t recognize Greek life.</p>
<p>I have a question – my daughter, a freshman there, would like to order some things from Amazon, but Amazon says her Brandeis address is invalid. Any insight there as to what the problem might be, what to do?</p>
<p>mstee - I had things sent to my D using Amazon. The address I used was:</p>
<p>Name
MB (Student’s mailbox Number) Brandeis University
415 South Street
Waltham, Ma 02453</p>
<p>I used this for Fed Ex packages too. Worked every time - D had no trouble getting her mail.</p>
<p>Sweet Dream:</p>
<p>How good is Brandeis with respect to merit aid?.</p>
<p>I understand that it is a very expensive school, and while my son is from an upper middle class family, we hardly have $50,000 a year to send him to college.</p>
<p>Also, do you think he would have a good shot at getting in.</p>
<p>SAT:</p>
<p>CR 800
writing 800
math 700</p>
<p>ACT:34</p>
<p>unweighted gpa—only 3.7, but that puts him in the top 5% of his high school class (barely). By the time he graduates high school this year, he will have taken 14 AP classes.</p>
<p>ECs–debate team, but that’s about it</p>
<p>I’m a current student, so don’t expect any major insights into admissions, but I would think that your son would stand a fairly decent chance of getting in and being named one of the university merit scholars too (which is sort of an unofficial group, but we get offered lots of stuff like access to certain first-year seminars). Writing good essays, especially with emphasis on social justice and/or why he likes Brandeis, is a must.</p>
<p>I got in with lower SAT scores, but a higher GPA (salutatorian) and more APs and extra-curriculars. However, I’m also female, from a working class family, and a first-generation college student (I think being Asian counts against, like it does at most universities). I say he should go for it.</p>
<p>Because of what I mentioned earlier, I got a lot of merit and need-based aid. They don’t separate the two on the financial aid letter, so I have no idea about percentages. I do know a good friend of mine (val) who ultimately chose Columbia (2400 first try, but no ECs :P) in about the same income bracket as your son got almost as much money as I did from Brandeis–about $40k (although nothing from the federal government, which I did get)–with what I assume was a larger amount of merit aid. If your son can really do well on his essays, there’s no reason he can’t get that amount.</p>
<p>At any rate, Brandeis offered more than any state schools. :P</p>
<p>Tks RoselawnMom. She’s been there almost a week now, things seem to be going well. What an exciting time!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Last year, Brandeis implemented a change in its approach to merit aid. They have tried to increase their need-based aid dramatically, and this increase has come at the expense of merit aid. Almost all of the merit aid that remains goes to students who also have financial need. </p>
<p>Brandeis will require you to submit CSS PROFILE in order for your son to be considered for merit aid.</p>
<p>Floridadad, I think your son has an excellent chance of being admitted and asked to pay retail.</p>
<p>Buddy75 – we have Verizon, and so far, so good . . . I have talked to my daughter with no problems so far . . . I switched to Verizon a few years ago from T-mobile, because Verizon at the time was the only carrier that got reception in my hometown in the Middle of No where. I think things have improved since then. Verizon isn’t perfect, either though. I lose reception in hotel rooms sometimes, and strangely enough, in my dad’s condo in Southern Cali. I have to go outside to talk there.</p>
<p>floridadad55 - unfortunately what Sikorsky says is correct.</p>
<p>[Merit</a> aid facing reductions - News - The Justice](<a href=“http://www.thejustice.org/news/merit-aid-facing-reductions-1.2351534]Merit”>http://www.thejustice.org/news/merit-aid-facing-reductions-1.2351534)</p>
<p>There used to be several merit scholarships available - the Premier Trustee Scholarship ($10K per yr.), Dean’s Award ($15K per yr.), Presidential Scholarship ($25K per yr.), and the Justice Brandeis Scholarship (Full Tuition) - all of which were awarded for each of 4 consecutive years and were merit based without need being factored in (even though you still had to file the CSS profile). An old brochure (received when D was an incoming 1st year - 2008) states that up to 95 students were awarded these various merit scholarships each year.</p>
<p>If you check the Brandeis website, these scholarships are no longer given. It is really unfortunate because there are many students - my D included - who could not have come to Brandeis (and may not come in the future) without this financial help.</p>
<p>My own daughter could have gone, but opted to go somewhere else that offered her a merit award. The merit award weighed heavily in her decision. I’m pleased with the decision she made, but still somewhat surprised that this is the outcome. I always thought Brandeis was her b’shert, the one she was destined for.</p>
<p>Huh, that’s weird. My white male friend that I mentioned above (whose family made ~$120k a year) got a $40k scholarship each year. I assume most of it was merit based. Of course, this is after the financial panic and under a new administration, so who knows?</p>
<p>This is probably because I’m from a much lower income bracket than most of the people that seem to be posting, but it is SO MUCH HARDER for lower income kids to get to college. It’s why we have the SSSP program and a few others. I guess that justifies the emphasis on need-based aid–because the people that get it couldn’t attend college otherwise–but of course, it would be the best for everyone if those that deserved merit awards got those too. :)</p>