<p>Your thoughts? Thanks.</p>
<p>Maybe you could elaborate on your thread? I would choose Vassar though. Both are really good schools and Brandeis having a Jewish background would make attending there an interesting experience, but there’s no question regarding which school will offer you more generous financial aid. If financial aid isn’t an issue for you, then it would be an even playing field for me.</p>
<p>Well Brandeis is twice as large as Vassar, so that’s something to take into consideration. It’s in a more urban location (as downtown boston I think is quick subway ride away versus Vassar, which is an hour and a half train to NYC). I’m pretty sure Brandeis has some grad students, while Vassar is entirely undergrad. Both are well known for theatre, if that matters to you. Vassar has virtually no course requirements, while Brandeis has several. Vassar is a LOT prettier than Brandeis. Ummm that’s all that I can think of off the top of my head. Of course I prefer Vassar, but that’s me.</p>
<p>I think Hbananah’s answer is pretty helpful. I would have given them equal considerations if Brandeis had a generous financial aid program as Vassar does. Also, Brandeis and Vassar does not vary greatly in size, if you exclude the graduate students.</p>
<p>I think the answer depends on the experience that you wish to have. I have the impression that Brandeis attracts a lot of pre-professional students and it is more closely located to a city than Vassar is. If you are interested in law or medicine, you would be surrounded by those who share your interests and its proximity to Boston might help you build connections. On the other hand, Vassar allows its students to explore different interests and is more intimate than Brandeis is.</p>
<p>Oh I forgot to mention that Brandeis was hit hard in the madoff scheme, having invested a lot of their money, so I’m not sure how much financial aid they’ll be able to offer. I saw an article about in in either the LA or NY times.</p>
<p>First, allow me to clarify the financial picture at Brandeis. The reports of its budget issues lack context and have been overblown due to the administration’s inartful handling of its proposal to sell a few paintings from its world-renowned Rose Art Museum–which has caused international attention to be focused on this issue. Brandeis is hardly alone in this economy. According to news reports, many universities, even the wealthiest like Harvard, are making budget cuts in response to severely diminished endowments and donations. Brandeis has pledged to maintain financial aid and maintain, or improve, its world-class education by resisting the type of budget cuts that could undermine its core mission. The art-sale proposal is just one way it is considering to fund that pledge. The key here is that Brandeis is prioritizing students over things. </p>
<p>I understand that this is a Vassar forum, the comments from which undoubtedly will favor Vassar. But I think the OP deserves a pro-Brandeis point of view as well. Both are fine schools, but very different experiences.Vassar is a small liberal arts college. Brandeis is a small liberal arts college functioning wihin a world-class research university. It’s a trick to pull that off, but they do, and the undergraduates benefit from that special combination.</p>
<p>As an admittedly biased Brandeis alum who chose Brandeis over two other liberal arts experiences, Tufts and Colgate, here’s my take. Brandeis is truly an amazing school. Its small student body- the smallest I believe (less than 800 in a class) of any top tier national research university–is matched with high-powered professors producing cutting-edge research who actually teach in small classes. So, the research opportunities for undergraduates are tremendous. Plus, it’s very close to Boston, which is the world’s best college town, but on its own suburban campus.</p>
<p>Its 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. FYI in a recent Forbes national college rankings survey, Brandeis was ranked 15th among research universities and 30th overall among all private univerities and LAC’s–a testament to its focus on undergraduate education. Larger schools, including some Ivies, were ranked much lower. </p>
<p>Despite its small size and relative youth, Brandeis alumni are very distinguished–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) and Christy Hefner, former CEO of Playboy). Friedman recently returned to teach and I understand that Hefner may soon do so as well. Also, if you’re into social justice (FYI 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>Finally, the school is very diverse undergraduate and graduate, with a strong international flavor (in fact the majority of its International Business School is international students)and about 25% of the student body identifies itself as minority or international. With respect to the issue of the school’s Jewish population, you should understand that less than 50% of its student body is Jewish. Brandeis is a non-sectarian school that embraces students from all types of backgrounds based on merit. The school has no religious affiliation, although it was founded and is funded significantly by the Jewish community. </p>
<p>Forgive my enthusiasm, but I loved it.</p>
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