<p>So I’m curious. Everyone on this board has amazing stats with 1500 SATs and so forth, and I’m wondering if you guys are using Brandeis as a safety to an Ivy or if you really like it (don’t take that the wrong way, I’m very jealous lol). All in all, what made you choose to apply to Brandeis and, for those who got in, are you going to go or are you waiting on another school?
For me I loved its excellent academic programs and the fact that there are SO MANY awesome majors and minors (if I get in I have my eye on the creative writing major with a business minor), its proximity to Boston (that was a HUGE plus), and its activitist culture. And I’m cool with the Jewish thing (even though I’m not Jewish lol) It seems like a really diverse, great place. Plus I’m a sucker for prestige (who isn’t?) Brandeis has a great name.
The only low point? I sort of thought the campus was ugly (of course that would never influence my decision). Just my opinion. I mean, come on. After touring schools like Vassar and Boston College and Wellesly, it was kind of a shock to see a campus like that. But hey, you don’t go to a school because of the way it looks (have you SEEN Harvard? ew), you go to a school for what it is.</p>
<p>Well I wanted to put my two cents in and say that although the look of a campus shouldn't be the defining factor in your decision, it is something to consider. Remember you will be living there and its nice to enjoy the place where you live. You don't want to (or maybe u do) wake up every morning walk outside and go "oh great what a dump". Personally I liked Brandeis's campus but that was just me. Everyone is entitled to their opinion</p>
<p>Haha I would hardly classify Brandeis as a dump, and of course I'm NOT going to say: "Oh, that campus is ugly, therefore I won't go." My opinion is that it is not as aesthetically appealing as some of the other colleges in the New England area (probably because it was founded in the 1940s, right?) I visited on a hot July day where everyone in the world was touring Boston schools and there was much drilling and construction going on, so maybe something about the ongoing construction put me off a little bit. But I LOVE Brandeis, and I love how friendly the people were and the buzzy vibe of the place.</p>
<p>Brandeis was my #2 choice school during the entire college selection process. tufts was/still is #1.. altho as i read up on 'deis more and more the two are beginning to level themselves out in terms of where i want to go.</p>
<p>i'll agree that brandeis doesn't have a very pretty campus in comparison to other places.. tufts for example is much prettier. but the way i see it, a month or two in i'll be pretty used to the surroundings and it'll feel like home anyway.</p>
<p>my criteria for choosing schools:</p>
<ol>
<li>small, intimate setting.. very important for me, i don't want to be a number.</li>
<li>strong english and language departments</li>
<li>attentive professors</li>
<li>offers at least some merit aid</li>
<li>in/around a big city (ie: boston)</li>
<li>strong percentage of people accepted into reputable law schools</li>
</ol>
<p>'deis gets a check for each one. tufts is missing #4.</p>
<p>as for the ivy question, i didn't apply to ivys. not because i wouldnt be competitive (or at least mildly competitive, lol), but because i really wasn't drawn to any one of them in particular for undergrad.</p>
<p>sooo to end b/c this has turned out rather long, i'm definitely not using brandeis as my safety... it's very high up on the list for me and it's probably where i'll end up.... altho nothing is at all for certain.</p>
<p>To echo Aldeya: Brandeis is similar in nature and quality to Tufts and offers merit aid. At that stratospheric cost level, merit aid can make a significant difference in making one's choice. Brandeis' campus is not as pretty as Tufts but after a while it feels quite comfortable for those who go there.</p>
<p>brandeis is a pretty good school that you go to if ur:
- somewhat jewish
- a hippie nut that thought kerry was a neonazi </p>
<p>;-)</p>
<p>Brandeis is not as diverse as it is advertised. Most kids are either religious Jews, Jews who didn't get into their first choice Ivy, or just Jews who applied ED. The social life leaves much to be desired, and yes, the campus does too. The weather is awful, but most people from the East can handle it. I can't see any reasons aside from small class size and reputable professors that one would want to attend Brandeis.</p>
<p>Eh, I think the social life is great if you're active in pursuing it. Parties won't jump out at you from all corners, but if you want to get plastered, you can. If you want to find music or theater, you can. If you want to chill in Chum's and play kid's games, that's fine too. The weather is Boston weather. Comes with being near Boston. We did have 1.5 snow days, though, last year. Campus is beautiful in the fall and spring. Lots of dogwood trees with huge, pink flowers. There are plenty of reasons to attend.</p>
<p>Why did I go (sorry for the monster-length post)? To be honest, it wasn't my first choice. I've wanted to go to UChicago since 7th grade. In the end, it came down to going there and begging for money (might have worked...evidently I was considered for scholarship at some point in the process), Rice, and Brandeis. As a religious Jew, that community was definitely a factor. Boston was another one. It was also a great size for me (not so tiny, like Rice, but still very few large classes). I loved the people at Brandeis. All the ones I met were very friendly and, whenever I looked confused, asked if I needed help. At Chicago, that was true for some people, but untrue for many others. I also didn't like the really urban feel of Chicago's campus. I like all the green at 'Deis.</p>
<p>Eeek, sorry for the crazy-long post.</p>
<p>I do go to Brandeis, or I should say, DID go, thank god I got out of there alive. I can't believe I even made it. Socially it was so bad I had to leave every single weekend and find other friends. I have never been happier with a decision as I am to transfer this fall. This is a pointless discussion anyway because the only one posting goes to Brandeis already and everyone else stopped reading in March. We both need to find better things to do with our summers. Good luck at Brandeis for the next 3 years</p>
<p><em>shrugs</em> There are, in fact, other people reading, plus I'm having down time at work. I have nothing else to do but peruse the Internet. I'm sorry that it was a bad experience for you, though I know someone else who went home every weekend and that ended up hurting her since that was when people bonded the most and friendships solidified. Just a thought. Good luck at your new school. It just bugs me when people who had a bad time socially at Brandeis act as though everyone hates the social life. It's simply not true.</p>
<p>Kimk and Iamthshoshie: there are, indeed, still people reading this board. The one thing I've noticed about many of the Brandeis posts over time is that the folks that like it, really like it. The folks that don't sound angry and betrayed and very bitter. Am I reading things wrong? If not, what is it about Brandeis that leads to such visceral reactions? My midwestern, Christian, girl-next-door-type daughter is very interested in Brandeis but hasn't yet had a chance to visit. Is the negativity I've observed (from the glad-to-be-out-of-Brandeis students)common on campus?</p>
<p>Mezzomom, although I do not have children that are at Brandeis, some of my son's friends visited. They did find the school ugly and unappealing. I have been in the area and would think that it would be fairly easy to get into Boston for an evening out. This is why I do not understand the social complaints. </p>
<p>I have also heard that they can be generous with merit aid.</p>
<p>Mezzomom coming to the NE from the midwest can be culture shock. I say this from personal experience. I went to school in the midwest from the NE. I almost died when my plane was landing and I saw all of the cornfields! I enjoyed my time there, but was more than happy when it was over.</p>
<p>I am not Christian, though I do come from the midwest (Chicago). There was a small amount of culture shock, though not a ton. As far as negativity, for whatever reason there are lots of people who like to complain at Brandeis. There are some valid complaints (like housing...if your daughter absolutely MUST stay on campus all 4 years, Brandeis is not the place to go. You are only guaranteed housing your first two years) but I feel like many people complain just for the sake of complaining. But that's just me.</p>
<p>iamtheshoshie, is affordable housing easy to find off campus?</p>
<p>Yes, the negativity is sensed on campus. There is a total lack of school spirit at brandeis and everywhere you go and everything you do is brought down a notch in standards. it's almost the school's model to say "well it's brandeis..." whenever coming in contact with a situation. Such as the party scene. If there is a party on campus it is the place to go. Hence, there is only one party each weekend. People will tell you it's because the police at brandeis are nuts and cracked down and break up everything after an hour. Thus, every time you go out people will say, hey this is pretty good for Brandeis. Or if they're disappointed in the party they'll say "well, it's brandeis". everything is expected to be bad. as far as dating goes everyone lowers their standards and tries to find someone acceptable. </p>
<p>If your daughter is Christian, she will be extremely shocked to find that so many people are jewish. that's my experience</p>
<p>mezzomom </p>
<p>My son will be attending Brandeis in the fall. Our experience of the atmosphere and spirit on campus is very different from what kimk portrays. My son really did his homework on Brandeis, visited the campus several times (we live in Vermont), talked to many students on campus besides the obviously biased tour guides as well as several students who he knew personally (graduates of his high school, a cousin), met with a professor and the overwhelming experience was extremely positive. We both came away from the process excited about the prospect of him attending because the kids seemed so happy about being there and were distinctly motivated kids who clearly were excited about being at an institution that so fostered intellectual growth. The kids just seemed excited about learning and that Brandeis really facilitated that. As to social life, my son was very interersted about that because although he is not into the party scene he definitely is a very social person and he came away reassured that there was plenty to do, especially with perfoming arts. He loves theatre and improv and there are 3 imrov groups and many theatre productions each semester, which we did not find at other schools, so he is pretty excited about that. Needless to say, the proximity to Boston was a strong positive and although Brandeis is in the suburbs of Waltham there is a shuttle bus to Cambridge and Boston that runs pretty late that kids take advantage of. The kids we met pretty consistently said that about half the kids are oriented to campus activities on the weekend and half are oriented to Boston. That seems like a pretty healthy mix. There is obvious a Jewish presence on campus (~55%) and smaller subgroup of orthodox jews but that did not seem to be a significant deal to anyone we met there. Most of the Jewish kids are not very religious and the culture of Brandeis is one of multicultural tolerance so I would not have any qualms about a midwestern Christian attending.</p>
<p>kimk obviously proves that not everyone is happy there but of course that is true about any college. In my experience when we were evaluating other colleges, reading comments in studentreviews and so on, I found that kids who were unhappy were VERY unhappy and bitter about their college experience. Clearly some kids and colleges do not make a good match but I think such venom usually reflects the nature of the poor match. Hopefully kimk will be happy at NYU with a great match, but there are also kids who would hate aspects of NYU and just love Brandeis. It's all about that personal match. I think being on campus, talking to the kids and gettieg a feel for the "vibe" of a place can go a long way to confirming that a school is a good match for your daughter. But I would encourage your daughter to check Brandeis out personally. Good luck!!</p>
<p>I agree completely with collegedad1. Finding a good match is crucial to being happy and I am confident that by leaving Brandeis I am finding that match. As for the bitterness, for me it mostly comes from the fact that upon visiting Brandeis I was enthusiastic about it. I went in thinking positively about the year and the friends I would be making and all the fun I could have in Boston. It was a huge disappointment to find out that all the stereotypes and rumors about the school were true. The people were socially awkward, the religious aspects were in your face (at what other school is the jewish holiday Purim the biggest celebration all year), and the location was inaccessible to the city. yes, the shuttle buses run to boston, but if you want to go out on weeknights, they don't. and if you want to go on a weekday off (I ended up having tuesdays and fridays off) you had to try extremely hard to plan according to the commuter rail because it comes every 2 hours. Besides the fact that many of the kids I would have wanted to party with in the city wanted to make friends at brandeis and stay on campus at night for some crazy reason. The money i spent on travel while at brandeis is comparable to the money I spent on their ridiculous meal plan. </p>
<p>But back to the subject, your child will certainly like brandeis if he/she would rather spend time in club activities and going to cultural fairs and performing arts performances than partying at night. I like the performing arts and stuff like that in moderation, but when it comes down to college, I need more of a party atmosphere, or at least a party atmosphere with higher standards. Waltham is really the worst part of the school in my opinion, which is why I am transferring to a big city. The town is depressing. There's maybe 5 restaurants (which is a huge problem since brandeis' food is basically inedible) and when that NE snow starts coming down, trust me, you won't want to walk to those places in waltham since freshmen can't legally have cars. Sometimes I wonder if I would've had a better experience having a car (I really couldn't have one because mine wouldn't survive the weather) because it is so hard for freshmen to move around at first without knowledge of the city and everything. Overall, I hope people can find the fun at Brandeis that existed when it was first founded. I know how hard the admissions office is trying to make Brandeis like other schools of its ranking in terms of social life. This is the transition period of the school and it is evident in the people that go there at this time. Who knows, in 20 years Brandeis might be the equivalent of Tufts or Wesleyan, but I highly doubt it because of the high number of religious jewish applicants that want to go and expect to get in because of its reputation. Sorry that was off topic, it's early at work.</p>
<p>northeastmom, as far as I know, it's relatively easy. It's a hassle, which is why I think most people really dislike having to live off campus, especially if, like me, you don't have a car. But I know a bunch of people voluntarily living off campus, so it can't be too bad. </p>
<p>Regarding transportation into Boston, the commuter rail can be annoying. Personally, I didn't like going into Boston during the week all that much just because I had tons of work/clubs/had to get up for a 9 am class. I did, however, use public transportation to go into Boston a few times for job interviews, getting to the airport, and going to a few concerts (the music scene in Boston is excellent). I found that, as long as you planned ahead, there was no problem getting into Boston. Just my experience.</p>
<p>Regarding social life, kimk is right. People tend to stay in during the week and there isn't a massive party scene. Anyone who wants one shouldn't touch Brandeis with a ten foot pole. I actually avoided schools with lots of Greek life and massive parties. The only "party school" I applied to was UIUC, and that was under threat from my parents that, if I didn't apply there, they wouldn't fund my education (I'm from the Chicago area). So, I can definitely see how someone, like kimk, who wants a larger school with a more developed party scene would detest Brandeis. For someone like me, who just wanted to hang out at night, it was fine. Not to say that I didn't do ANYTHING during the week, but I mostly just hung out and did stuff around campus. </p>
<p>One more thing. If you do go to Brandeis, or wherever you go, please don't avoid the observant Jewish students. We're cool people, I swear! Some do have an isolationist attitude, but many of us do not. Furthermore, some of the biggest partiers I know are Orthodox Jews. They'll just fight the hangover to get up for services the next morning.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies...and the civility with which they were presented :) I've told my daughter all along that Brandeis is a "must visit" school, because there are enough variables that make fit difficult to predict. I'm actually most concerned about the midwestern aspect, because I don't think she fully realizes how much of a midwesterner she truly is...it's one of those intangible "you-know-it-when-you-feel-it" type of cultural issues. From her perspective, Brandeis is appealing, in part, precisely because it is not in the Midwest.</p>
<p>The multicultural experience is another part of Brandeis' appeal for my daughter. She goes to an extremely diverse charter high school for the performing arts, but our hometown is as white bread as you can get. Her self-described worst nightmare is going to a school that is like our hometown; one of the things she likes best about her high school is that she's challenged almost daily to examine her perceptions of race and religion. If it's not happening in the classroom, it's happening in the hallways, and she's really grown as a person because of it.</p>
<p>The [lack of a] party scene also appeals to my daughter. At this point, she chooses not to drink as much for practical considerations ("Dad would ground me forever if he would even let me live") as for religious reasons. I know that this outlook is likely to change, but for now she isn't interested in schools which have a dominant drinking-as-recreation culture. </p>
<p>The biggest problem she sees with Brandeis is that it's not only an academic reach for her, it's also a financial reach. But she has her eyes wide open about that and knows that even if she were to be accepted, we might not be able to afford it. It's a tough reality, but she's willing to take the chance on the disappointment anyway. </p>
<p>Iamtheshoshie: LOL! I can't imagine my daughter trying to avoid observant Jewish students; she's the kind of kid who would be more likely to stay up all night asking questions about your faith so she could compare and contrast it to hers.</p>
<p><strong>EEEK!!!</strong> <crosses brandeis="" off="" the="" list="" and="" runs="" far,="" far="" away!!!=""></crosses></p>