UCSD vs. Brandeis

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I've been accepted to UC San Diego for its communications major in Muir College. I'm an international student so I would have to pay out-of-state tuition. I've also gotten in the English major for Brandeis University. Ultimately I'd like to double major in either English/communications and psychology. The tuition for UCs have risen so much that it's almost the same as the tuition for Brandeis. </p>

<p>My main concern with UCs right now is their money problems and budget cuts as well as large classes, but I love the location. For Brandeis, I'm concerned with the diversity. I know that it's pretty much a Jewish school and that because of that, the atmosphere on the campus is quite conservative? Also, people have adviced me not to go to UCSD because they're not know for their humanities but rather their sciences whereas Brandeis is wellknown for their psychology.</p>

<p>So where should i go? :(</p>

2

<p>That’s another tough one. The UC system is still quite wealthy, as is the state of California. The crisis is more about how and where they spend their money. But UCSD is a really sweet place to go to school.</p>

<p>Brandeis is Jewish but too much so. That is, outsiders can fit in and it is a pretty liberal and tolerant campus. So that’s not a negative imho.</p>

<p>Now the infuriating irony for me is that if you were an illegal immigrant you could get in-state tuition fees at UCSD and many other state schools. But since you come in legally, we punish you. My apologies for that!</p>

3

<p>I agree with Southlandguy that Brandeis is not too Jewish (a little over 50%) and it is definitely not conservative. I would pick brandeis but that is just my opinion</p>

4

<p>Comparing UCSD to to Brandeis is really apples to oranges. You’ll need to judge for yourself which school is the right fit for you. As for education, there really is no comparison between Brandeis and UCSD. UCSD is a very large state school–around 30000 students versus 5000 for Brandeis. At Brandeis, you will have dramatically smaller class sizes and classes taught by professors, not TAs. Brandeis is an elite undergraduate academic institution while UCSD simply is not. </p>

<p>Brandeis has all of the elements of a small liberal arts college, but set in a research environment. Undergraduate teaching is the main focus of the faculty, not research.If your focus is academics, class size, quality of teaching, then Brandeis is the clear choice</p>

<p>Brandeis is truly an amazing school. It’s a special combination of small liberal arts college and world-class research university-with the smallest student body I believe (around 800 in a class) of any top tier national research university matched with high-powered professors who actually teach in small classes. So, the research opportunities are tremendous. </p>

<p>Brandeis’s 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. With respect to success rates in admissions to the best graduate schools, including med school, it would be hard to beat Brandeis. Plus it’s located just outside of Boston, the world’s greatest college town, but on its own suburban campus.–really the best of both worlds.</p>

<p>Further on the subject 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 theater and music. </p>

<p>The combination of high caliber peer group and nuturing academic experience certainly can make a difference and has produced some very exciting and successful alumni. To name just a few: Nobel Prize winner for chemistry Rod Mackinnon, Fields Medal winning physicist Edward Witten (often called “Einstein’s successor”), 3-time Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Friedman of the NY Times, The Earth is Flat etc; Mitch Albom of Tuesday’s with Morrie (about his Brandeis professor), the Creators/Producers of Friends; actress Debra Messing; 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. Also, if you’re into social justice (Angela Davis and Abbie Hoffman are alums as well, I could go on) or theater/music/art, it’s a very exciting place to be.</p>

<p>Also, you are misinformed about Brandeis being a “Jewish” and “conservative” school. Brandeis has always been a non-religious institution (although founded and significantly funded by the Jewish community) and is quite diverse with a strong international flavor (116 countries and 17 different religions represented; about 40% iof the total student population identify as Jewish (similar to Barnard). This is similar to other great private non-sectarian schools such as Harvard and Princeton which were founded by religious groups. As for political bent, as mentioned earlier, social justice and, if you will, liberal actvism aee hallmarks of the Brandeis culture–often thought of as the “Berkeley of the East.”</p>

<p>Forgive my enthusiasm, but as a Brandeis alum, I loved it! Good luck to you!</p>