<p>A bunch of q’s for current students:</p>
<p>*Do you often make use of the “Bran-Van”??</p>
<p>*Also, do you feel that life at Brandeis gets too boring w/o going into Boston?</p>
<p>*Do students end up having a car on campus after freshman year?</p>
<p>*What is diversity like on campus? Yes, including Asians & Indians.</p>
<p>*Random, but do you wish the campus was a bit more picturesque?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for the feedback!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Yes, I often use the BranVan. During the week, I might use it to grab groceries or anything I might need from CVS. On the weekends, I might use it to go to Moody Street to see a movie and grab dinner or ice cream, but, this year, as many of my friends have cars, I might go with them instead of using the BranVan.</p></li>
<li><p>No, life at Brandeis is not boring without going into Boston. Don't take my word for it. Check out our calendar at my.brandeis.edu/calendar. There are always movies, shows, dances, athletic events and, of course, parties, etc. When I'm not going to an organized event and I don't feel like going to Boston, I'm having a lot of fun casually hanging out my friends.</p></li>
<li><p>I would guess that maybe a little less than a quarter of upper-class students have cars. With the free shuttle to Boston, BranVan to Waltham and commuter rail stop and the difficulty of parking in the Boston area, there really is not a need to have a car. I don't plan to ever bring mine up.</p></li>
<li><p>Every year, the campus gets drastically more diverse. In the last class, 20% of the students were non-white. The campus is still about 50% Jewish and I don't envision that changing any time soon. Of course, there are Asians and Indians. (Our newly elected president is an international student from India.) If you're still concerned, I would definitely contact the leaders of the pertinent cultural groups about how they feel about their Brandeis experience at <a href="http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs#2%5B/url%5D">http://my.brandeis.edu/clubs#2</a> </p></li>
<li><p>I think that the campus is aesthically pleasing. We have a castle and lots of nice buildings like the Shapiro Campus Center and the new Schneider building. There might be other campuses that are more glib, but I truly love the campus.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hmm, one thing to note is that many juniors and seniors live off-campus. I would say that if you are living off-campus, then it is much more convenient to have a car or have friends who own one. The transportation is fairly convenient but the Branvan is not good for people with motion sickness (like me!) and it can sometimes feel a little bit restrictive. But overall it really is extremely helpful. </p>
<p>Also, as an Asian student, I feel like the administration is definitely making more of an effort to mold a more diverse student body. And there is an effort to make people culturally aware; for instance, the ICC (Intercultural Center) is always having events from the various cultural clubs on campus. We also have programs like TYP (Transitional Year Program, for students who had to overcome difficulties in their primary education because of finances/****ty public schooling, that sort of thing) and POSSE is a presence too. Put it this way: people do try. </p>
<p>Ha, not gonna lie - Brandeis is not a beautiful campus, imo. But it grows on you. The odd architectural mix becomes familiar. Plus the castle gives many bonus points, right?</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for your thoughtful answers. This will help me make a decision!!!</p>