Reed vs. Brandeis

Colleges and Universities A-Z Reed College
1

<p>I got into a list of schools but I have narrowed down my choices to Reed and Brandeis -- two very different schools -- to study physics next fall. I subsequently want to get into a top graduate school program to perhaps study biophysics. </p>

<p>I of course want very close one-on-one interaction with my professors, and I want to be around students who are intimidatingly smart. I visited both schools, and I love them. But seeing that I must send in my deposit today, I am in a hurry to make the final decision. Brandeis students seemed to be more friendly in general. Reed students are also quite nice, but they seem under a lot of pressure.</p>

<p>Another thing to consider is the physics departments themselves. Brandeis's department is huge -- made up of many renowned researchers -- and seems to be largely tailored to its graduate program. Brandeis has state of the art labs and other equipment. Reed's department, on the other hand, is much, much smaller -- including several visiting professors -- yet the number of undergraduate students who major in physics there is almost twice that of Brandeis. Yes, Reed does have a nuclear reactor, but I doubt that should be a reason in itself to attend Reed.</p>

<p>I guess here is my general opinion about the physics education I will get at either institution. (You can of course contest this if you think I am wrong.) At Brandeis I will get more well-known people -- in terms of their research -- teaching me -- and if they send me a recommendation to graduate schools, the schools will probably have heard of them. Additionally, the faculty is comprised of just about every different type of physicist, so I will have some exposure to many different fields. At Reed I will get a more intellectual, personal education. I will likely get to know my professors very well, and they, too, me. But there is a small number of physics faculty, and one or two of them are not very well liked by the students.</p>

<p>Right now my bias is toward Reed, because when I visited it gave me the vibes. But it seems that about half, or more, of the physics graduates at Brandeis end up going to the very top graduate programs (e.g. MIT, Brown, Princeton). I love the intellectual atmosphere and seriousness of Reed, but I also love the sobriety of Brandeis. I should also say that I don't -- right now, at least -- care so much about being in Boston, being able to sit in on classes, etc. For some reason it's just not that important to me. Education is first, I think.</p>

<p>Please tell me what you think. Clock's ticking!</p>

2

<p>Check this out:</p>

<p>[REED</a> COLLEGE PHD PRODUCTIVITY](<a href=“http://www.reed.edu/ir/phd.html]REED”>Doctoral Degree Productivity - Institutional Research - Reed College)</p>

<p>So, I wouldn’t worry about grad schools knowing about Reed.</p>

<p>Reed ranks third for physical sciences, Brandeis is not on the list.</p>

<p>You may end up in Boston or NE for grad school, so the PNW might be a different experience for you.</p>

<p>They’re both very good schools and you’ll probably do well anywhere you end up, so go with your gut.</p>

3

<p>Your point about productivity is true, but we must also take into account that there are few fewer physics majors at Brandeis. In fact, there are generally a half to a third the number compared with those at Reed. It does, however, seem, that a larger percentage of students end up at the top grad programs from Brandeis, while maybe only the top two or three students at Reed do. Thoughts?</p>

4

<p>Interesting point. How do you feel about Reed’s humanities requirement and the size of the school? The student body is different, as well. </p>

<p>Think about all the differences, and then go with your gut.</p>

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<p>Tinyabrar, where are you getting your information about Brandies physics students getting into better graduate programmes? I would double check it. Brandeis is of course an excellent school but I think you will find that Reed has a stronger reputation in the academic world. You may to look at placement and outcomes of science majors as a whole, rather than just physics majors. Many students change majors in the course of their studies.</p>

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<p>Hi. Brandeis has a recent undergraduate alumni page ([Undergraduate</a> Alumni | Brandeis University](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/physics/undergraduate/files/undergradalumni.html]Undergraduate”>http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/physics/undergraduate/files/undergradalumni.html)).</p>

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<p>Reed is an excellent small liberal arts college. Brandeis is an excellent, small liberal arts college functioning within a world-class research university. It’s a trick to pull that off, but they do, and the undergraduates benefit from that special combination.</p>

<p>Take a look at this: [Find</a> Out What?s Cooking in the Chemistry Lab | Brandeis University](<a href=“BrandeisNOW”>BrandeisNOW)</p>

<p>If you haven’t seen this piece, including the video, it may be helpful to you in understanding the excellent undergraduate research opportunities that are available at Brandeis. These are the foundation of both its exceptional med school acceptance rate and excellent rates of admission to top doctoral degree programs. One great example is Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, Rod MacKinnon who began his research career as an undergrad at Brandeis, went on to med school and then returned to Brandeis for post-doc studies. Another good example of the exceptional science teaching/research environment at Brandeis is Biochem Professor, Greg Petsko who left MIT to come to Brandeis to conduct his ground-breaking research and teach undergrads in a nuturing environment. All of this is possible because of Brandeis’ special position as a top tier research university combined with a small liberal arts college. BTW, here’s a brief article describing the impressive ranking of Brandeis’ own doctoral programs (many among the best in the nation): </p>

<p>[Brandeis</a> doctoral programs rate high in national survey | BrandeisNOW](<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2010/november/nationalresearchcouncil.html]Brandeis”>Brandeis doctoral programs rate high in national survey | BrandeisNOW)</p>

<p>This is very relevant to undergraduates because, at Brandeis, undergrads and grad students both work side-by-side with the same professors.</p>

<p>Plus, here’s an article about the large number of recent Brandeis undergrads, including Physics majors, receiving NSF graduate research fellowships:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2011/april/nsf.html[/url]”>http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2011/april/nsf.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Brandeis truly is an amazing school. Its small student body- the smallest I believe (about 800 in a class) of any top tier national research university–is matched with high-powered professors who actually teach in small classes. So, as alluded to earlier, the research opportunities are tremendous. Plus, as you know it’s very close to Boston, the world’s greatest college town, but on its own suburban campus with a cohesive community–really the best of both worlds.</p>

<p>Its intellectual environment is comparable in many ways to its University Athletic Association sister school, U Chicago (perhaps no coincidence that the President of U Chicago is a Brandeis alum). Yet its students are down-to-earth, friendly and non-competitive with one another. </p>

<p>Despite its small size and relative youth, Brandeis’ alumni are very distinguished–to name just a few: in the sciences, in addition to Nobel Laureate Rod Mackinnon, Fields Medal winning physicist Edward Witten (often called “Einstein’s successor”); in journalism and literature, 3-time Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Friedman of the NY Times, The Earth is Flat etc. and Mitch Albom of Tuesday’s with Morrie (about his Brandeis professor); in the performing arts, the Creators/Producers of Friends and actress Debra Messing; and in business, Robert FX Sillerman (billionaire businessman–currently owner of American Idol and Graceland), Jeff Lurie, billionaire owner of the Philadelphia Eagles and Christy Hefner, former CEO of Playboy). </p>

<p>On the question of whether Brandeis is the right fit for you, I believe the kind of person who would feel comfortable at Brandeis is an intellectual and/or creative sort who is friendly and comfortable with himself or herself and not competitive or pretentious. Intellectual but down-to-earth and friendly I think is an apt description of the student body. Unlike some preppy place or frat-oriented environments where social interraction is based on the “exclusivity” of the frat system, Brandeis has a welcoming, relatively-nonjudgmental environment–yet there are some off-campus frats for those who like what they have to offer. There is no pressure to party, but parties are there if you want them. Often social interaction centers around the numerous clubs and other terrific extracuriculars like music and theater–if you’re into theater/music/art, there’s a ton of high quality opportunities and it’s a very exciting place to be.</p>

<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>

8

<p>^^ </p>

<p>So obviously you have some connection to Brandeis, and the people above have some connection with Reed. It’s nice that both schools have alumni willing to defend it, but I would just advise that essentially everything B77 said about Brandeis is also commonly said of Reed.</p>

9

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<p>According to the Inquire Within booklet you received in the post after applying to Reed, the graduate schools that grant PhDs to Reed alumni most frequently are Berkeley, U of Chicago, Cornell, Harvard, U of Oregon, Stanford, U of Washington and Yale.</p>

<p>Do you really think that only non-physics majors get into these schools from Reed?</p>

10

<p>It’s a done deal by today, but I think you won’t come to a conclusion by looking at school or physics program “quality” since both are first class; this is a case for which one you like the best, which feels more like you.</p>

<p>Which one was it, and why? :)</p>