Univ of Rochester vs Brandeis (again)

<p>I know this has been discussed in earlier threads, but just wanted to see what the current thoughts are out there. S is trying to decide between the two schools (he's visited both). He's thinking of majoring in physics, possibly going on to graduate school (no interest in medical school) but wants a liberal arts-based education. He also wants to be able to play (& possibly study) music (violin and piano). He's not Eastman caliber, but pretty good, and has no current sights on being a professional musician. From what I can tell, both schools are comparable academically, and students at the two schools are smart, motivated, and friendly. I do not know how the curriculum at Rochester might compare to that at Brandeis. The social scenes also seem similar, except for Brandeis having Boston nearby, and Rochester having some Greek life (at least a little more than Brandeis and not a priority for S). He's not looking for a big party scene, but does like to hang out with friends, go to the occasional party, etc. I'm also posting this on the Brandeis forum. Any guidance/opinions/thoughts much appreciated.</p>

<p>The music opportunities at UR are better than at Brandeis. If he is a intermediate or better on his instrument, he’s eligible to take free music lesson with a grad student at Eastman. He doesn’t need to conservatory-level and the lessons are really geared towards those who play for pleasure/recreation. UR has its own music programs and performance groups–which are not open to Eastman students–if he wants performance opportunities.</p>

<p>UR’s curriculum is more flexible than Brandeis’s. Brandeis has a foreign language requirement as well as other general education requirements. UR doesn’t have GEs. Instead UR requires clusters–which are 3 related courses usually in the same department. If he can’t find a cluster that excites him, he can petition to design his own.
Since your son will be a physics major, he’ll need a cluster in a humanity and another cluster in social science.</p>

<p>This leeway in requirements allow students to pursue their own interests and makes it easy to double major or to take 2 or 3 minors and still finish in 4 years.</p>

<p>UR’s physics dept has lots and lots of NSF and private funding–more than Brandeis’s physics dept-- making it easy for undergraduates to get research positions in labs. That’s an advantage if he plans on applying to physics grad programs.</p>

<p>I have two daughters, one a Brandeis grad and the other a Rochester grad. Both are outstanding schools in which you will receive a fine education and have a great experience. They are very similar schools and there are some differences. Neither of mine were science majors but both have many friends who were and have gone on to medical school or grad school. Both offer outstanding research opportunities although Rochester does have the medical school facilities right on campus. In some areas, I think Rochester does a better job and in others I think Brandeis does a better job. Some of those experiences are major-specific. My Rochester daughter did continue her music study (vocalist) at Eastman and that was a great experience although there were issues and it could have been an even better experience in the end. You do audition and receive instruction from Eastman grad students and every year must pass a jury to continue. You do receive academic credit and you do perform in Rochester ensembles. You do get to see many fine performances at Eastman itself as they offer a full calendar. I felt that the advising and mentoring at Brandeis was superior but that was major and department specific. Brandeis has a better housing lottery. Brandeis has the Rose Art Museum on campus and that was a signficant part of my daughter’s academic experience. Rochester does have the Memorial Art Gallery although not on campus and not as cutting-edge in terms or programming or student involvement. Both my daughters studied abroad and both had great experiences with very similar university requirements and process. Both had good internships although I felt Rochester’s Career Center was better. I do prefer Brandeis curriculum over the Rochester cluster system. You can PM me for details. Both campuses are architecturally different but I do enjoy each of them. Brandeis is of course located outside Boston, really easy to get in either on commuter train or Bran Van and that provides many resources and fun things to do. Rochester has a lot to offer but not as much as Boston . Both have beautiful fall weather and long, cold winters. Both have good recreational gyms. Rochester has more of a sorority/frat presence but not a big deal. Depending on where you are travelling to, Rochester is located close to the airport making that very easy. We did not have any financial aid except for merit scholarships and Brandeis did have more department related jobs or regular campus jobs for non-work study students. Both are great schools. Congratulations and good luck.</p>

<p>I personally would place very little value on location difference in this case. How much a kid takes advantage of a city near any school is iffy; it’s something parents tend to value more than students because the parents see “opportunity” while the students are focused on their lives. Few students go many places without some group if they aren’t from that area.</p>

<p>I live in the middle of the Boston schools. Most kids from BU don’t even go into Back Bay and the school is almost in Back Bay. The kids I know at Brandeis rarely go into the city at all, even if they in it. Life orients around campus.</p>

<p>My friend’s son graduated from U of R as a physics major. He participated in a lot of theater and music activities and even though he had no aspirations of performing professionally, he took and enjoyed several classes at Eastman. He chose U of R over Brandeis, by the way.</p>

<p>I meant to say in addition:</p>

<ol>
<li>There isn’t much directly around either campus. UR is bordered mostly by the big cemetery and the river. You can walk quite easily to some stores and restaurants but not a big college town. Brandeis is suburban and not even that close to Waltham, let alone Boston. </li>
<li>Both schools have active campuses. </li>
<li>UR groups have a bunch of social events in the city. Downtown is a few minutes away and groups - like sororities, frats, other groups - rent out places like restaurants and clubs. </li>
<li>My observation is that people at UR - can’t say about Brandeis - commit to activities. The school does seem to admit kids who have real passions. I was passing through last week and saw the performance by a dance group called Louvre. It was phenomenal and my kid described the amount of work the kids put in. This kind of involvement seems typical.</li>
</ol>

<p>To add, it really depends on your child. My older daughter chose Brandeis over Rochester primarily because for her interests, it was a better fit even though at the time Rochester was less expensive over all and we had equal merit money at both. She took advantage multiple times of being able to visit and use the resources of the MFA, the Fogg Museum at Harvard, the Isabella Stewart Gardner and the art supply stores in Harvard Square and in Boston. Over the course of four years, she and her friends did attend the BSO, the Boston Ballet, concerts at Tufts, movies and theatre in Harvard Square, and so on.There were kids who went to Celtics games just as there are kids at both schools who only go to class, labs and the library. My younger daughter chose the U of R over BU where she was a conservatory admit because of the ease of double majoring, the lack of a BU campus and that BU was more expensive and gave us zero money. Both my girls took advantage of all that their campuses and college experiences offered. My point was that they are both fine schools with finite differences that in many cases are really dependent on one’s major, what one is looking for and the relationships one has with one’s professor and in either case, the OP will receive an excellent education. For what it is worth, Rochester does a much better job of parents weekend while we preferred the graduation experience at Brandeis.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone!</p>