<p>i’m trying to decide between brandeis and bu… my reasoning as of now follows:</p>
<p>One is near boston, the other is in boston, so i think their locations are pretty even, although being in boston is easier than taking a ride first to be in boston.</p>
<p>Brandeis, i think has better academics</p>
<p>here is where the spit comes from though:
Brandeis is notorious for a bad social scene, and is apparently dead on weekends, as 1/4 of the population observes sabbath and other people go off-campus, usually to boston.</p>
<p>As a male, i think that the male/female ratio at BU of females outnumbering males would be an advantage over the rumor of many girls at brandeis being more concerned with academics and long-term relationships rather than… appearances</p>
<p>So, any thoughts/opinions? Is the academic gap between the two non-existent enough so that BU should be the clear choice? Or is there an academic difference (I know this is a BU forum so there will probably be more proponents of BU, but since BU is very close to waltham, i assume many of you are familiar with both colleges.</p>
<p>The academic gap between these two schools is very small. I know many people at Brandeis, and I would say that their academics are a tad higher level but it is almost insignificant. In fact, depending on what you want to study, BU is far better in many departments. Also, we obviously have the premier location if you are looking for city life. I was actually a bit turned off by the atmosphere at Brandeis when I visited. I am Jewish, but not very religious, and I felt somewhat out of place among this huge number of religious students. The social scene at Brandeis typically involves heading into the city to visit schools such as BU or Northeastern. And yes, BU has a 60 : 40 female to male ration so there are tons of girls to meet. That is never a problem and there is almost never competition among guys because of the amount of girls.</p>
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The academic gap between these two schools is very small.
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This was not my impression, not by a long shot. IMO, academically Brandeis is more similar to Tufts than BU, with a rich history of achievement in the liberal arts. I do agree that the whole feel of the school is a big turnoff, not only socially but also academically.</p>
<p>From the tone of the original message, it sounds like the OP is looking for a party school. If that is the case, then Brandeis is definitely not for him.</p>
<p>You have to feel comfortable where you end up. Don't underestimate the importance of that. It's not 100% about academics. Plenty of successful people come out of BU, some not so successful people graduate Brandeis. You are the difference in the equation, what you do with the time you're in school. Many people tell me - oh, everyone's happy where they end up. Not true; many people settle in, realize they're unhappy after their 1st year, decide to give it another shot, and end up sweating it out because they think they only have 2 more to go. Go with your gut and don't analyze ratings. You would be astounded how fast the 4 years goes. There is no sin in enjoying them.</p>
<p>I think the social scene at BU is reason enough. I always think of it as the center of all the schools in the Boston area. Not to mention that BU still has really good academics though Brandies still probably leads a bit in this aspect. 60 something percent to to 30 something percent of girls to guys ratio is definitely a plus for guys to lol.</p>