Some reservations about the social life

I got accepted to Brandeis with a lot of financial aid and the academics appear to be fantastic. The only thing stopping me from enrolling is the social life. It seems to me based on what I’ve read online that students are awkward, cliquey, and spend all weekend studying. I’m a serious student but I also like to be social. I’m not a partier, I just like doing fun things and going out with friends. Can anyone confirm if the stereotype about Brandeis students spending all their time studying instead of socializing is true? It would be nice if some current students or recent graduates could talk about their experiences with regard to this.

I must say, if this is true, I would have some reservations about enrolling there myself.

I have a story to share on this matter. Whether it is an isolated incident or an indicator of bigger issue, I do not know, I went directly to Brandeis to tour and I had an on campus interview. My tour guide was lovely and bubbly, but my interviewer was not. He was rude, confrontational and not personable. He seemed to have a hard time relating to others. He kept insisting that I must have made the trip all the way out to see other schools, and kept asking me where my school of interest REALLY was. Also, when I asked how long it took to get into Boston by train, he told me that if it was Boston I was interested in, I should just apply to BU and not waste anyone’s time. I tried very hard to make a connection with him and I was shot down repeatedly. He seemed almost defensive.

Needless to say, I was admitted despite the whole debacle. He was clear that he felt he represented the Brandeis population well. If I find more evidence to suggest that this is a common mindset, I may not enroll.

Brandeis has plenty of fun people and parties. Good friend loves it there, goes into Boston a lot and also hits up parties at Harvard and MIT (there’s a free shuttle into Harvard Square) when not at an on campus party. I’ve never heard it described as cliquey or that people study all weekend, and no idea what the interviewer ^ was talking about. Too bad you missed Admitted Students that Brandeis just had so that you could have seen firsthand. Good luck with deciding and pm me if you want (I go to Yale but know a lot about Brandeis from friends).

@cttwenty15 I did go to the admitted students day at Brandeis and to be honest the students I saw seemed kind of awkward. What’s weird is that it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and no students were outside or anything. I guess they didn’t want to have to deal with the thousands of prospective students and their families. So I couldn’t really get a good idea of what the student body was like.

@pdubs97, Wow, interesting. One of my Brandeis friends just texted me that she spent the whole day outside giving tours, attended a luncheon where she answered questions, and then hosted an admittee overnight in her room on that Sunday. She said that there were lots of prospective students and their families and that the weather was beautiful, but that’s about all the similarity between your and her experiences. Her admittee had flown in from the West coast and Facebook friended her when she got home to say that she will be a member of the Brandeis Class of 2020 after her great Admitted Students experience. Good luck with deciding and pm me if you want.

My son is a freshman at Brandeis, and seems to have a very active social life. He describes the other students as extremely friendly and welcoming. The few times I’ve visited him on campus (we only live about 35 miles away), I’ve been struck by the number of kids who call out to him as we walk around. He obviously doesn’t tell me everything (and I don’t ask too many questions), but I know that his social activities include hanging out in small groups in other people’s rooms; attending plays and concerts on campus; using the Brandeis shuttle to go into Boston to eat or see a play; and, yes, to attend large (100+) frat parties. To be clear, he is also a very serious student taking a demanding (20-22 credits per semester) course load and maintaining a 4.0 average. He was not especially outgoing in HS, so I don’t think his social success is just part of his personality. @steadfastsoprano - that sounds like a horrible experience! You might want to let the admissions office know. That was not the experience of my son or any of his friends who applied. It sounds like you ran into someone with a real chip on his shoulder.

Not a student or grad, but FWIW my niece, who is from the West Coast, just got back from an overnight at Brandeis; we joined her today for “Inside Brandeis” for accepted students. She really liked everyone she met. They were all extremely welcoming. My sister (her mom) had a very helpful meeting with financial aid, and my niece had a nice impromptu conversation with one of the varsity swim coaches. She and her mom were walking along at one point and somebody drove by in a car and yelled out “Welcome to Brandeis!”.

My niece is a mid-year admit, and several people sought her out because of that and asked if she had any questions about it. She also reported that her host student and her roommates said there is certainly partying that goes on, but that kids who don’t want to drink or “partake” can still enjoy themselves without feeling pressured. She felt very at home there, and I think is leaning Brandeis-way.

My niece is not a partier and not a city person, but I wouldn’t call her socially awkward either. She was the captain of her swim team for two years in high school. Hope this helps somewhat.

@SteadfastSoprano , sorry to hear that your interviewer was so unpleasant. My niece has not encountered anything like that.