<p>My daughter is deciding between these two very different schools. We are from Northern California. Any advice?</p>
<p>Very different schools. I think I’d need to know more about your daughter to answer. I know that each school has very ardent fans. Occidental is better integrated into the its city than Brandeis is to its city. Did she want an urban environment? The grad offerings at Brandeis can be an advantage, though some might see it as a disadvantage.</p>
<p>The climate should be a big part of the consideration. Massachusetts winter can be cold, dark, and bleak, even though this winter was not. Really, really different from LA.</p>
<p>Occidental is very, very strong on service learning, if that matters.</p>
<p>I don’t think MA winters are so awful, but I like snow. This winter was a bummer - too much good weather! I liked Brandeis a lot - it’s really not an urban location - it’s in an older suburb with fairly easy access to a commuter train into Boston. I liked the campus, but it reflects the era when it was built and looks a bit like an office park. I think there’s something for getting to know an entirely new part of the country. I joined my now husband out in Pasadena when he was in grad school and thoroughly enjoyed spending a few years there, though we ultimately ended up back on the east coast.</p>
<p>Anniepema, you don’t give much info on your daughter or her preferences, but here are some things to think about:</p>
<ul>
<li>Going to school in an area very different from where you grew up can be a very broadening, enriching experience. It’s good for kids to be exposed to different way of life and culture. And there are clearly cultural differences between NorCal and the East. (A good thing, vive la difference.)</li>
<li>The east coast is blessed with public transportation. If your child is based near Boston, she can easily explore an interesting part of the country. My Colorado born-and-raised daughter loved having the opportunity to go to NYC, Philadelphia, Maine, Washington DC by bus or train. She did this on weekends and days off school. I would post here on CC “what on earth is the china bus?? my daughter took it to NY today!” We westerners are very primitive where public transportation is concerned. </li>
<li>For a Californian, having a kiddo on the east coast can be a pain (and a hefty additional expense) when arranging Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break or summer visits. Factor those costs into the overall cost of college.</li>
<li>Going to school on the other side of the country could mean your kiddo will end up on the other side of the country… I’m excited for my daughter who first lived in Boston then “graduated” to Manhattan and swears she wants to live there forever. But I miss her…</li>
</ul>
<p>I’m a big fan of “See the other coast” while you’re young. (From SoCal–both kids went to school on the east coast and have had a great time. Haven’t made it back to CA yet, though…)</p>
<p>Has your daughter visited both schools? If so which one does she prefer? </p>
<p>My daughter wanted to do the opposite coast option, the only problem was when she visited her dream school it wound up to be anything but a dream. It is a great school but not for her. She now attends a LAC in California which she fell in love with almost instantly. It is still a two hour flight from home but at least it is in the same time zone.</p>
<p>The two schools your daughter is deciding between are quite different in look and feel, it should be a clear choice which atmosphere she prefers. She will live there for the next four years, environment is important.</p>
<p>anniepema, is your D Jewish?</p>
<p>She observes Christmas and Easter and not Chanukah or Passover for the most part.</p>
<p>She’ll have company. Half the campus is not Jewish. Among the Jewish students such as your daughter, there is a wide range of observance from none to plenty, and wide ranges of opinion on politics. If she’s at all curious to explore the range of modern Jewish expression, or meet young people involved with it, then Brandeis would be uniquely able to provide that dimension, unique in the nation in fact. </p>
<p>It’s a secular university but was created to provide a quality university education for top Jewish students when some Ivies shut them out due to antiSemitic quotas, pre WW-II. Understand that it’s not a “Jewish school” but a school that has the highest percentage of Jewish students on campus, other than universities committed to being “Jewish Schools” such as Yeshiva U. </p>
<p>At Brandeis, among those who aren’t Jewish, there is a healthy diversity too.</p>
<p>In a prior post you mention her interest in Art History. That might point to studying on the east coast. I’ve seen museums on both coasts, and while there are great pieces out West, the sheer numbers of works to compare, by many major and minor artists, is available for the public to view in the East. Although she can study Art History from projected images anywhere, there is nothing more powerful than seeing the original artwork. Museums in Boston plus on long weekends she could saturate herself with the art in New York City. Brandeis University had to sell its own collection two years ago due to financial pressures, but I wouldn’t make that reason to not go since those weren’t the masterworks she’d study in Art History classes. </p>
<p>I can only write about Brandeis, as I’ve never set foot upon Occidental. Brandeis attracts an intense, intellectual student body; benefits from research involvement of professors; has some graduate departments but not in overwhelming numbers. The undergraduates are center-focus. My brother graduated there; I have a nephew who still attends. It’s good for very bright, well-focused students. There’s an easy bus into downtown Boston; Brandeis students make good use of the city, which is a great college city.</p>
<p>Just a slight correction to the above: it is my understanding that Brandeis did not sell its collection. Alumni funds were raised to offset the financial need. The museum on campus is still alive and well.</p>
<p>Others may jump in and amend my correction, but my D was considering grad school at Brandeis and a cursory bit of research yielded the above.</p>
<p>Oh I am so happy to stand corrected, Mythmom!!!</p>