<p>It's decision time and I'd like anyone's perspective on which of these three schools you would choose to attend - class of 2013. I like all three of them. Academically, I plan to major in the social sciences or humanities.</p>
<p>hazelbrook, all three are fine schools, but very different experiences. Bates and Wellesley are small liberal arts colleges–and as a women’s college Wellesley is yet a subset of that. 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 who actually teach in small classes. So, the research opportunities are tremendous. Plus, like Wellesley, 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, its 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). Also, if you’re into social justice 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). With respect to the issue for some 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 signigicantly by the Jewish community. </p>
<p>Forgive my enthusiasm, but I loved it.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision!.</p>