hey guys, recently I got into many schools and I’ve narrowed it down to these two. Although they’re different is like to know pros and cons and which one is better than the other. I’ll probably major inpolitical science and law. I’m really stuck between the two and im in love with both campus’. Help!
Both great schools with great programs, but they are very different. What are you looking for re:campus culture?
I would go with Wake Forest. They have a lively sports and Greek life culture if you’re into that. If not you will still be able to be an active member of the community. They have a law school as well so that’s a plus!
Political science and law? I’d go with Wake.
Not so fast…
both are very different and going straight to “Wake” isn’t good advice.
If OP is Jewish, for instance (regardless of affiliation, belief, or observance), the difference is keen:
Brandeis is very welcoming to Jewish students - Wake Forest less so, due to is former affiliation with Southern Baptist, and its student body is overwhelmingly Christian (conservative, Baptist, or evangelical, although sometimes also conservative/Catholic). Out of all undergraduate AND graduate students, only about 300 are Jewish at Wake Forest (fewer than 5%). According to the wikipedia page, there was not even an assistant “chaplain” for Jewish life until 2011 (although it’s proudly mentioned as a sign of diversity). Brandeis will make it very easy on observant Jews to respect holidays and keep Kosher. On the other hand, if you’re a conservative Jewish student, Wake may feel more comfortable, since Brandeis welcomes all kinds of Jewish identities, including atheistic and liberal Jews, and you’ll hear lots of debate about Benjamin Netanyahu or Israel there (especially before/after taglit trips). Wake is more homogenous politically (mostly conservative) and more overall religious (about 50% students at Brandeis don’t affiliate with a creed/religion and I don’t think this has been tested at Wake, although Christian believers are a large majority).
Greek life is big at Wake and is a large part of social life. At Brandeis, fraternities are not recognized by the university, and while students aren’t banned from joining, social life is organized around residences and clubs rather than Greek affiliation. Depending on what OP wants, that’d be another stark difference.
Location is another huge difference: Boston, a huge city with thousands upon thousands of college students (60 colleges in the area), vs. Winston Salem, which is smaller and probably easier to navigate with 240,000 people.
Another big difference is weather: Boston weather = cold and snow for 4 to 5 months a year… North Carolina away from the coast means 3 months of hot, muggy weather but nice and sunny most of the year.
In terms of academics, both are equivalent and excellent. Studying political science at both universities is slightly different. Both will require you to take courses in the 4 subfields (American politics, Comparative politics, International relations, Political Theory and Philosophy). At Brandeis, you’re then free to choose any 5 (or more) advanced classes; Honors program students can prepare a thesis senior year and there’s study abroad in the Hague (international court of justice), London, Uganda (civil war, development), Jordan, Israel, Beijing, Cape Town, or Hyberabad. At Wake, in addition to the 4 foundation courses, you’re required to take a Math Class (in Statistics and Probability), a Methodology class, and a capstone seminar. You can study abroad in Japan, London, Cambridge, or Chile/Argentina.
MYOS touched on an important difference- the political climate of each campuses. Wake has a smaller Jewish population, but with the overal strongly liberal climate at Brandeis, the niche for students who do not lean strongly left could be small too. There are Jewish students at Wake, and the school is not unwelcoming to them. There is a temple in Winston Salem. Students can participate in Birthright trips as part of the NC Hillel. If Jewish life is a concern, the OP should contact students at the Wake Forest Jewish student association and ask about it. The political differences at each campus might be the larger determinant of “fit” than religion.
It should be noted that less than 10% of Wake’s student body is Baptist, a smaller figure than Roman Catholic (25%) or agnostic/atheist (also ~25%). Virtually all of the other Christian students at Wake belong to mainline Protestant traditions (Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopalian, UCC, etc.), with the percentage of Evangelical and Mormon students well under 5%.
By establishing other religious officials on campus (Jewish, Muslim, and Catholic) and finally opening an LGBT center, Wake is making an effort to diversify. It’s a slow process, however.
A lot of the elite universities are much more homogeneous politically than Wake – but that doesn’t get addressed since they’re liberal. Despite being extremely liberal myself, I tend to favor moderate environments where thoughtful discussion can take place. Compare to schools where conservative politicians have been heckled or mocked while guests on campus, such as Brown and UNC, or to Earlham, where a student struck a speaker in the face with a pie.
Wake students have identified primarily as moderate (35-40%), with smaller percentages of liberal students (30-35%) and conservative students (25-30%).
Warblersrule is echoing my impressions as well. A majority of universities are liberal leaning, and even among those that are not, many universities can be more liberal in general compared to the areas where they are located. The student population at a college where both sides exist can be more politically diverse, as conservative points of view are more tolerated there. IMHO, a conservative student would feel out of place at Brandeis, while a liberal student could find a niche at Wake Forest.
A point of clarification: A large number of Baptist churches in North Carolina, particularly the churches that continue to support Wake Forest financially, would definitely be characterized as “mainline Protestant” churches. The fundamentalist Baptist churches tend to get more than their share of media attention.
As a life-long resident of North Carolina with many ties through family and friends to Wake Forest, I have observed that as the percentage of out of state students has increased, the university has become less socially conservative but more politically conservative.
Hi, thank you guys for all the information. I am jewish but I dont think it plays a large role in my life. College life is really important to me. Coming from New York im hesitant moving to NC but at the same time I want a college life and im scared brandeis doesnt have that.
Have you had a chance to visit WF? Every college is different and it is possible that WF could be a good fit for you. It is near a city, so it isn’t isolated.
There are some Jewish students at Wake. Even if you don’t plan to be active, it is good to have a connection there. Some of them may have come from the NE and would probably be willing to share their perspective.
We found Brandeis hopelessly depressing when we visited. Very few students seemed happy to be there. The campus has mostly old and ugly looking buildings. Can’t speak for WF.