Hyperfried

I just toured/interviewed at Brandeis earlier today, and I got a very good vibe from it. I've been considering it as a safety; it may have been upgraded to a decent fit. Although I think it's a bit small, overall, it seems to embody everything I want, plus I think I might get decent merit aid (assuming they still offer that in decent quantities despite the financial crisis.)

Which leads me to my inquiries. I've heard rumors about two things. One: Brandeis is "uber-gay" and has a very significant gay population on campus. I'm not homophobic, but if >10% of the male population is gay in a small school that's predominantly (statistically) female, I'd be a bit uncomfortable.

Additionally, which also makes me sound somewhat shallow: I've heard a rumor that Brandeis women tend to be... frankly, very unattractive, and that most attractive girls tend to be taken. Personality counts for me nearly infinitely more than looks, but to me, a relationship can't occur without some of both. Is there any truth to this, or does Brandeis have its share of attractive women?

These are really minor questions; my overall impression of the school was very positive and I'll probably apply either way. But I'd like to have a good perspective of the school. Help, please!

catperson247

As for your second question, you should check out this:
A crowning achievement for Amanda Kelly '08 | BrandeisNOW

As for your first question, I'm not an expert on that subject, although it's something I'm aware of through friends or friends of friends. I don't think it's something you would find overwhelming and it shouldn't be an issue as long as you are basically approach people open-minded if you do encounter it. I also think it's something that is somewhat more common among certain parts of the student population (some theater kids although again not all) and of course that's not to say you wouldn't encounter it among other groups as well.
Brandeis in general has a mostly open policy towards same sex couples with conversations about gender-neutral bathrooms as well as the implementation of gender-neutral housing options obviously only for those that want it.

B77

Hyperfried, a couple of thoughts. First with respect to considering Brandeis a safety school, that's a bit optimistic. As a "most selective" school, and given the high-credentialed applicant pool it attracts, you would have to have very impressive stats and ec's to view it as a safety, and even then you really can't be sure. Moreover, I believe the more you learn about Brandeis, the more it will tend to become one of your top choices.

Brandeis is truly an amazing school. It combines a nurturing, small liberal arts college and world-class research university-with the smallest student body I believe (less than 800 in a class) of any top tier national research university. And that small student body is matched with high-powered professors who actually teach in small classes. As you can imagine, the research opportunities are tremendous. Plus it's very close to Boston but on its own suburban campus.

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.

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; 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 (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.

As for the attractiveness of Brandeis women, not only is Brandeis alum, and now the reigning Miss Massachusetts, Amanda Kelly on her way to the Miss America pagent, but with Brandeis graduates like Debra Messing (Grace of "Will and Grace"), Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher of "Star Trek TNG") etc., the sterotype of unattractive students was belied years ago.

Finally, with respect to the gay population, I have no info on that. But I seriously doubt it's more than reflective of society in general.

Good luck with your applications!

soze

I agree with B77. Be very, very careful considering any selective school (Brandeis included) as a safety school. If they don't think you are serious and are really just considering them as a safety, they might actually *reject* you!

I've seen this happen, so tread carefully!