<p>This probably refers to me. I probably get to see my S only slightly more often than his roommate’s parents on the West Coast see their son. </p>
<p>Brandeis put a lot of resources into building a first-rate biology program and the OP’s child would benefit from being part of the program. I do have a concern, however. Brandeis never had a large endowment, and it has shrunk owing to the financial crisis while its long-time donors, the Shapiros, have suffered losses from Madoff’s depredations. While the scholarship money is secure, I would encourage probing into the prospects for accessing resources in future years. Harvard is also retrenching mightily, but for all the administration’s laments, its endowment is still the largest in the country.</p>
<p>marite raises a fair question and the OP should inquire about Brandeis’ financial commitment to the sciences. Based on published reprots, I know she will find that, in addition to the university’s commitment to maintaining budgeted resources, the typical government research grants that fund the sciences remain strong and, in addition, the sciences stand to benefit from new federal monies under the government’s economic stimiulus legislation.</p>
<p>BTW, given the focus on rankings and perceived prestige versus actual quality and fit among some posters here, it makes sense to look to the National Research Council, which ranks graduate programs–undergraduate programs generally are not ranked as I understand it. The NRC rankings place the Brandeis graduate programs in Biochem and Molecular Biology as number 17 in the nation just behind Penn and well ahead of Cornell, Michigan, Chicago and many others. While Harvard is ranked number 5, its score is just fractionally higher than Brandeis’–4.8 versus 4.06. Of course, the attention given to undergraduates or lack thereof is not considered in these rankings. The point is that we’re not talking about “a different league” here. We’re talking about the right fit.</p>
<p>vicarious – you speak of “education … quality” as though it were a static object. That’s as narrow as thinking that when you write a sentence, another person necessarily interprets it the same way you do, and you have perfect communication. Education is a process involving two parties.</p>
<p>When you imply that it is flat out impossible for the education received at Brandeis to be of the same quality as that at Harvard, you are omitting half the equation! A person learns in different ways. Some kinetically. Some by observation. SOme by activity. Some via monologue, some only via dialog. It’s quite complex, this thing called learning.</p>
Of those who applied, probably none. Given a good research background (which is easy to obtain somewhere like Harvard), strong faculty recommendations (ditto), and a >3.0ish GPA, it is relatively easy to get into top biology PhD programs coming from somewhere like Harvard. (I suspect, additionally, that the only reason Harvard isn’t the top feeder to my PhD program is that so many Harvard College undergrads choose to go to MIT for grad school instead, while the MIT undergrads choose to go to Harvard.)</p>
<p>I don’t think attending Brandeis is automatically a bad decision for the OP’s daughter. But it is absolutely more of a gamble in terms of top PhD admissions.</p>
<p>I also fully agree with splenium’s post #14, and couldn’t have said it better myself. Someone with the ambition to be in a top science PhD program should learn as early as possible how to be average. If a student needs to be a superstar big fish during undergrad, I don’t see what indicates that anything will change before PhD applications.</p>
<p>DunninLA: Good point. I chose the wrong word. It is entirely possible that a given individual will get more out of Brandeis than she would out of Harvard (and hence, get a better education at Brandeis). If you see the rest of my post (and pretty much most of my other posts on C.C) you will see that I too think that fit is most important. Some people should not go to Harvard but instead they should go to Brandeis. Yet others should go to neither of those two but instead they should go to their local community college. It <em>is</em> about fit.</p>
<p>Even if the endowment/funding issues don’t effect scientific research, is it possible that they’ll hit Brandeis’s financial aid? Is Brandeis need-blind/meets full need right now? Is it possible they’d make finaid sacrifices in the future (at the cost of socioeconomic diversity)?</p>
<p>Harvard seems incredibly committed to maintaining their financial aid policy, despite the economic downturn.</p>
<p>just<em>forget</em>me, Brandeis too is committed to financial aid. Not only is it dedicating its current fundraising activity to financial aid, but those efforts already have paid off with a new $15 million scholarship fund grant. At the same time, already funded building projects like the recently completed science center and he recently initiated humanities complex are going forward as scheduled. Frankly, that’s in contrast with Harvard’s own moratorium on development of its Alston campus projet.</p>
<p>Just did some research - Brandeis is need-blind with the exception of transfers, international students, and the waitlist (source: [The</a> Brandeis Hoot Admissions not need-blind for all students](<a href=“http://thehoot.net/articles/6156]The”>http://thehoot.net/articles/6156))</p>
<p>I apologize for being a bit irrelevant… but my point is just that Harvard has a stronger financial aid policy (regardless of the downturn) which creates a more socioeconomically diverse class. I don’t think that point is really in contention.</p>
<p>I’m glad Brandeis’s finances seem to be in line. Harvard is certainly trimming budgets across the board (and putting the brakes on Allston). I don’t think it’s come to the point where it negatively effects current undergrads (fewer Econ junior tutorials and maybe less free food around campus), but it’d be something to keep an eye on.</p>
<p>Actually I know that one science building project at Brandeis was cancelled because of the financial crisis. The architect had already drawn plans, a contractor had been lined up. They had all to be dismissed. I know the architect in question.
Before the financial crisis, Harvard’s endowment was $37 billion. It is currently estimated at $29 billion. Before the crisis, the Brandeis endowment was $700 million. It probably is around $500 million now.
I do not question Brandeis’ commitment to financial aid. I am more concerned about resources available to students. The closing of the Rose Art museum is a case in point.
I once heard a prof who used to teach at Yale comment on the unbelievable amount of free food at Harvard. I suppose most of the free food is gone and profs have to brownbag it at Harvard as they do at Yale (according to that prof). In other words, there was a huge amount of fat that could be trimmed without doing damage to Harvard’s core mission. I don’t know if that’s the case at Brandeis.</p>
<p>I was okay with the Brandeis decision (possibly) until the part about the living at home. No no no! Daughter being agreeable to it is not the same as daughter being enthusiastic about it. They’re supposed to grow up and go away! If you CAN afford it, she should be on her own (or at least bonding in the dorm).</p>
<p>^^ Agree about the living at home. I am more comfortable with the idea of kids returning to the nest after college than I am with them commuting from home in senior year.</p>
<p>The above posts made me notice the commuting from home statement for the first time. The fact that this is part of the consideration gives me the impression that the OP (and perhaps the student?) are operating from a philosophical point of view in which they see the college experience as the 15 or so hours per week spent in the classroom. I’m not familiar with campus life at Brandeis, but if that is in fact the case, then the majority of the Harvard experience would be lost on the student. Harvard, as much as any college in the country, is a full-time, 24/7, intensive, all or nothing proposition. Commuting in and out of it - either physically or psychologically - would be like going to the world’s finest restaurant, renowned for its service and ambience, and asking it they would package their entrees in styrofoam so you could eat them in the car. </p>
<p>If the student finds the level of commitment and involvement at Harvard daunting, then that would be a red flag that it may not be her best choice.</p>
<p>I’m writing this to confirm that Brandeis has very good financial aid for international students. They accepted me with full scholarship, with no loans and a mere $1500 university employment. My need based aid consists the cost of tution, room and board, books and supplies, insurance and personal expenses. My merit based scholarship consists of additional $2000 research stipend. If my aid wasn’t something similar, it would be impossible for me to go to Brandeis as I’m from one of the poorest countries on earth!</p>
<p>While I certainly don’t assume that Harvard’s financial aid for international students to be weaker than that of Brandeis, my case definitely asserts that Brandeis is strongly committed on financial aid of its students. Considering the fact that Harvard is way richer than Brandeis in terms of their endowment, we might not be making miscalculations by assuming that Brandeis is more committed towards financial aid. You could simply do some arithmetic and find out what percent of total Harvard’s and Brandeis’s budget goes for financial aids. One more solid proof of Brandeis’s commitment towards financial aid is the ‘Rose Museum’ case. They were ready to sell those valuable paintings (a matter of pride) only to save financial aid and faculty; which should clearly show the emphasis they are giving on these things.</p>
<p>Brandeis’ merit scholarships were done differently this year than in the past which one could interpret as reflective of the times of their financial well being. D applied and though not applying for financial aid was required to pay for and submit the CSS profile to be considered for a scholarship that is purported to be MERIT and need blind. D’s resume is very similar to students who we know were provided merit scholarships in past years. D was offered nothing. My husband called. After a lengthy conversation, my husband got them to admit that money from merit-only scholarships had been shifted into the FA category this year. Now keep in mind that D is not receiving money from all but 2 schools that accepted her and we have not problem with that. At least those schools were up front with the fact that they do not offer Merit scholarships. Being encouraged to apply for a merit-only scholarship, being charged for a fee, and then having them shift money away in insulting. Had we been properly informed D would have still applied to Brandeis but we would not have wasted our time (and money) filing the CCS. Long story short, after being accepted, we did not even bother to re-visit. </p>
<p>If I recall correctly, “God” is unusual w/ respect to the field of physics and received his scholarship recognizing this quality but also had significant financial need. I also recall that he was also mad at RPI (I think) because they would not give him enough.</p>
<p>^^^ ““God” is unusual w/ respect to the field of physics and received his scholarship recognizing this quality but also had significant financial need.”</p>
<p>God’s singular accomplishments in the realm of physics are undeniable, but if He is claiming significant financial need, I think an audit may be in order. ):</p>
<p>(OK, A.G. - I’m done shaking my sillies out at your expense. I’ll go back into serious mode now.)</p>
<p>^^^ Though now that I think of it, God could have had a serious economic downturn this year, because I heard that Harvard’s endowment has down 30% but they still had “more money than God.”</p>
<p>(Golly, A.G. I’m sorry - I lied before. But I think I’m really done with the smart alecky puns this time - I really do! )</p>
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