<p>Just want to pick one from these 4.</p>
<p>Any advice? I am an international student. So really want to hear your suggestion! My interest is business, economics and maths. I like to attend a diverse and dynamic community. Academics is also very important. I also consider school prestige but do not care too much about ranking (they look quite smilar), so which one should I go to? </p>
<p>Thank you for your help! :D</p>
<p>bump!!!</p>
<p>What is ROC? This schools are incredibly different from each other. Why did you choose them?</p>
<p>@ tsdad Thank you for your reply. It’s ROCHESTER. I apply to these schools because I am quite not sure which one should I go to, I just have a try. So, which one you think is best fit for me.</p>
<p>Bump!!!Anyone? Really anxious.</p>
<p>Look at the colleges’ online “course catalogs.” You’ll be able to look at your major and the variety of classes offered. Often, this will give you a great idea whether a particular school will hold your interest. You can also find professors’ bios on the college web sites (where they studied, what their research interests are, etc.) And, often the admission folks post profiles of the latest freshman class- which will show you something about diversity. As for “dynamic,” as stated, each of these is quite different. Many schools post an activities calendar- everything from musical performances to political club meetings to visiting lectures, etc. That may give you an idea of what is actually going on, on campus.</p>
<p>@lookingforward Thank you for your advice. I will take a look at online course catalogs. :> Hard to make a choice though.</p>
<p>How would you rank these four schools in Prestige and Education Quality?</p>
<p>Bump! it got buried pretty quickly…</p>
<p>Anyone? Really appreciate your help.</p>
<p>Clifford - Here are links that should allow you to learn more about the four schools. Click on “Academics,” “Student Body,” and “Campus Life” to get information regarding academic rigor, diversity and how dynamic students feel the campus to be:</p>
<p>[Furman</a> University](<a href=“http://www.princetonreview.com/FurmanUniversity.aspx]Furman”>Furman University - The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews)</p>
<p>[Brandeis</a> University](<a href=“http://www.princetonreview.com/BrandeisUniversity.aspx]Brandeis”>Brandeis University - The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews)</p>
<p>[University</a> of Rochester](<a href=“http://www.princetonreview.com/UniversityofRochester.aspx]University”>University of Rochester - The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews)</p>
<p>[Rensselaer</a> Polytechnic Institute](<a href=“http://www.princetonreview.com/RensselaerPolytechnicInstitute.aspx]Rensselaer”>Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews)</p>
<p>Note that Furman is a liberal arts college that is beautiful, academically-strong, and has a remarkably high quality of life. It is not diverse, and until 20 years ago was run by the Baptist denomination, so there is still a strong core of Southern Baptist students. Brandeis was established with a strong Jewish connection. Today, around half the students are Jewish. It’s an excellent school in a quiet suburb of Boston, but the city of Boston is one of the great centers of American college life. Rochester is anther excellent, small university in a city that, during the academic year, is often very cold and snowy. RPI is a technology school in a very depressed industrial city. It’s probably not where you’d go for business or econ; perhaps for math.</p>
<p>My personal choice would be Furman for the small size, the strong sense of campus community, and the liberal arts focus, but I would l have regrets in choosing it regarding the lack of student diversity.</p>
<p>@gadad Thank you so much. Personally,I like Furman most. Thank you again!</p>
<p>If you haven’t been there, here’s what Furman looks like:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.acced-i.org/imis_web/staticcontent/3/pub/furman.jpg[/url]”>http://www.acced-i.org/imis_web/staticcontent/3/pub/furman.jpg</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://hcap.artstor.org/collect/cic-hcap/index/assoc/p673.dir/Campus%20(Furman%20Mall%20fountains),%20Furman%20University-large.jpg[/url]”>http://hcap.artstor.org/collect/cic-hcap/index/assoc/p673.dir/Campus%20(Furman%20Mall%20fountains),%20Furman%20University-large.jpg</a></p>
<p>I’m assuming from your username that you’re Asian. Note on Princeton Review that Furman’s student body is 81% Caucasian and only 2% Asian. On PR’s surveys, Furman also comes in 11th in the country on “Little Race / Class Interaction” and “Most Religious Students.” Despite that, I’d have to say that the lack of interaction isn’t a matter of unwillingness to interact as much as just the fact that the student body is pretty homogeneous. The culture on campus is a very friendly and supportive one.</p>
<p>@ gadad Pretty nice! You are friendly! Thanks! I just want to pick one from Brandeis and Furman, actually.</p>
<p>things to consider:
<p>2) I know Brandeis well. It has a LOT of Jewish students (I’d say over 70%), which you want to make sure you’re aware of and fine with before attending, because it has a very distinct culture. You get the high holidays off, which is an added perk :). Brandeis is also close to Boston, which is nice for an international student. You can always mingle with other international students at the other Boston schools. Brandeis has a very good reputation in the US, especially around Boston and NYC.</p>
<p>3) ROC-- do you mean University of Rochester? It’s another great option. You’ll find less access to a great city like Boston, but you might be better off as far as international options. Depending on your field of study, U of R has a LOT of research money for the sciences. Rochester also houses big corporations like Xerox if you want to get into Business.</p>
<p>@ ExAdmitcounselor Thank you for your advice. I will think it over. Really love Furman, but Brandeis is also attractive. Tough choice. Sigh! Rochester is too cold, I may feel uncomfortable there.</p>
<p>Worth knowing: Brandeis will be just as miserable if you don’t like the cold. I live in Boston. It snowed yesterday. We had over 4 feet of snow this winter. Bring snow boots!</p>
<p>As an international, you may not have some of the “big company” research or internship opportunities offtered to US citizens. You may want to ask B, ROC and RPI about this. Also, Furman is in the “south” which still has a different overall culture than the “northesast” in the US. You may want to start a new thread aimed at international (or just Asians’) students’ opinions of these schools. </p>
<p>Think about what else is important, besides the academics and campus life. I live near U’s that attract many international students- they like to be able to experience the US, but also shop for favorite foods, go to their own style ethnic restaurants- and take new friends- or have the opportunity to engage with others from their culture or who have the same political/economic interests and concerns for what’s going on in the home country. Does Furman have an Asian students group? I would guess the others do. Check at each school for this sort of multcultural thing. I love the south and lived there many years, but you need to decide what will keep you happy for four years. </p>
<p>Brandeis, yes, is very Jewish- this is not a critique; it is intellectually very alive and very close to Boston. But, when a student comes to any college from a different culture, sometimes (sometimes) it is important to him or her to find frriends who share his interests and perspective. This is the same as saying another college might be 70% Catholic and you are another religion. Like at Furman, the student body is “pretty homogeneous.” </p>
<p>Take a hard look at a US map to see what each school is near. It is true that, if you plan to stay in the US for some time, where you go to school will influence the contacts you make. Also, of them all, perhaps Furman is the least known in the US- probably well known in the south. (I went to a school with a superb regional rep and found that, outside the region, few people knew this reputation and strengths- so, I got little “shine” from having gone there.")</p>
<p>As for going back to Asia, see if you can find more, at home, about how each of these schools is valued in Asia. Do consider a thread asking other Asians for their opinions.</p>
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<p>Yes, I’d agree with this.</p>
<p>@ExAdmitCounselor Wow! Really? I guess Boston’s weather is quite like Shanghai’s. Maybe a bit colder in winter. Thank you for your remind!</p>
![http://www.acced-i.org/imis_web/staticcontent/3/pub/furman.jpg[/url]](http://www.acced-i.org/imis_web/staticcontent/3/pub/furman.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
![http://hcap.artstor.org/collect/cic-hcap/index/assoc/p673.dir/Campus%20(Furman%20Mall%20fountains),%20Furman%20University-large.jpg[/url]](http://hcap.artstor.org/collect/cic-hcap/index/assoc/p673.dir/Campus%20(Furman%20Mall%20fountains),%20Furman%20University-large.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
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