<p>Im seriously considering brandeis but i’m worried that the social life will be lacking because i’ve heard there are no parties like normal college life. does anyone have any knowledge on the subject?</p>
<p>There are parties....im a freshman this year and although I am not into partying they are there if you want them. Sure its not a huge state school party scene but if you want to go to a party chances are there will be a few whenever you want.....parties are however mostly on the weekend.....</p>
<p>There are 200+ clubs and all sorts of other stuff happening every day on campus. But it's not like a major party school where, if you leave your door open, someone will throw a red cup in your hand. If you want that kind of atmosphere, go elsewhere.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think there are way too many parties. I would kill myself at a "regular" college. If you want to waste 46 thousand dollars a year partying away then Brandeis is not for you. But you can easily find parties and alcohol. It's not that hard.</p>
<p>Many people find the social life to be lacking... not only in terms of parties, but in other realms as well. (i transferred out of brandeis, the social life being one of the reasons why). let me know if you have any questions!</p>
<p>Starcatch, what do you mean by "other realms"? Can you say more about what you like better at your current school?</p>
<p>i have to say, students at brandeis tend to be really uptight! i'm not saying that EVERYONE is like this, but this is the pervasive feeling on campus, at least in my experience. a frequent topic of discussion is how many hours one has spent studying/in the library/etc. i believe there is even a brandeis facebook group titled, "guess what? i don't give a **** how many hours you studied last night!" one of my professors last year did admit to me that he/she believed that the students at brandeis are incredibly uptight, more so than any other students he/she had encountered...</p>
<p>my current school is a better school academically than brandeis is, and the students certainly work hard and are stressed, but i don't get this same feeling. people are a bit more laid-back, though they work incredibly hard.</p>
<p>i often found myself with nothing to do on the weekends at brandeis. with so many people observing shabbat, and so many others going into boston, the weekend felt kind of like a retirement home. yes, there are sometimes things going on, but in my experience they were never very good -- and i tried to go to many activities! maybe i'm just too picky, i don't know.</p>
<p>my current school has lots to do on the weekends! yes, i have had a weekend here or there in which my friends and i haven't found much to do, but usually this is not the case. plus, i really like that mostly everyone at my new school stays on campus on the weekends...</p>
<p>brandeis, to me, felt very gloomy and unhappy. yes, i know that part of this was because I was unhappy and knew many who were -- but it wasn't just me. i had friends from home visit me who said they felt it too, and would have even if i hadn't said anything. i also spoke with a friend of mine who had visited brandeis (she's still in high school) and she said the same thing, before i even told her i had transferred!</p>
<p>my current school feels much happier! everyone (or almost everyone) is happy to be there! when i had first transferred and told people that many people at my previous school had been unhappy, they were shocked, since that is not how it tends to be at my new school!</p>
<p>... so that's part of what i meant by 'other realms'! i really don't mean to scare you away from brandeis, and i fully understand that not everyone shares my experience/opinions. feel free to PM me with questions!</p>
<p>And my experience is entirely different than Starcatch's. I'm really hardpressed to find an uptight student. There are certainly things that some people CAN be uptight about but the general student population is not in any way that way from my perception.</p>
<p>Nor do I find the campus unhappy. Though if you are unhappy, you drag the people down around you. My roommate and a hallmate were unhappy first semester because Brandeis isn't Columbia and they really weren't too active with anything outside of classes. Once they got over it, it's been much better.</p>
<p>Honestly, the people who are unhappy seem to be the people who don't leave their room. I'm very active in a few clubs and have really grown as a person and have never been happier and almost everyone I know feels the same. In general, most people I know love Brandeis.</p>
<p>The shabbat thing is also very overdone. VERY few people observe Shabbat. Certainly more than the average college campus, but tops 150? I've never been bored weekends and there is lots to do. But then again, if you don't put in work to be active in the community, then what do you expect? That's how it works.</p>
<p>Brandeis is excellent if you want to be here. But it's a unique place and attracts its own unique mix of people. That's why I love it. It has it's share of problems (my #1 beef being standing in line for 3 hours to get tickets to Jimmy Carter- 2 of those hours unexpectedly outside only a few feet from the door- no movement for that entire time!- in single digit weather). However, most of the problems people seem to come up with seem almost entirely a product of their own negativity. The unhappy people I know- including people who plan on transferring- almost deserve to be unhappy because they do nothing to change their status quo.</p>
<p>SilverClover, I'm glad to hear you are happy at Brandeis! Honestly, I really do like to hear it when people say that. I was very unhappy last year -- it really wasn't the right place for me -- and I knew many others who were, but I know that Brandeis is a great school and is a perfect (or at least good) match for many people. I do want to say, I DID try to change things my second semester by becoming more involved... and while it made it 'easier' for me to be there, it didn't make me happy with the school. But i do agree with your point.</p>
<p>Starcatch, may I ask where you transfered to?</p>
<p>My D is also happy at Brandeis, not a big party type, got there early and got a Jimmy Carter ticket waiting indoors, not Shabbat observant, enjoys activities and meets interesting people. Only goes to Boston very occasionally.</p>