<p>You’re welcome. D (a junior at Barnard) met one of her best friends (a boy at Columbia) on Facebook before she got to school.</p>
<p>Facebook is great. I also met my best friend on facebook because we both got in early decision and joined facebook December of our senior year! 
</p>
<p>The Brandeis livejournal community is pretty quiet. People will answer questions though.</p>
<p>I’m glad I came here. I think any problems I would have, I would have anywhere else…perhaps except for a place like University of Chicago, but there I would be so stressed out because of the heavy workload (I’m the type who diligently works on one paper over two weeks and who studies for a midterm over four) and all of the requirements.</p>
<p>I think one of Brandeis’ most interesting aspects is…the activism. “Social justice” seems to be everyone’s favourite word, and when you constantly hear it, it starts to lose its meaning. 
I came from a very small school in a fairly rural area, and most students were very uneducated and unmotivated when it came to political and social issues. There, activism, as minor as it was, felt rewarding. I came to Brandeis and joined some activist groups, which I ended up having to drop because of having rehearsal every night. I don’t know, I guess I’ve just been…dazed. There are some activists who I admire fullheartedly and whom I consider very educated and dedicated. But, like at ANY school, there are activists who can be uneducated and, at times, just rude. </p>
<p>I guess I’ve just come to realise that activism isn’t for <em>me</em>, and it feels a bit suffocating sometimes when you’re constantly accosted to support this huge grandiose cause or that one, when that’s not where your priorities are!</p>
<p>Also, for me, Brandeis does not have an <em>overall</em> very strong intellectual atmosphere. This is not at all a reflection on my classes or professors, which are, along with Free Play, the top reason I love this school. Perhaps it is because I’m a freshman, and freshman year isn’t the time everyone focuses on academics. I have highly erudite interests and they tend to go over most people’s heads (there are exceptions of course). I can definitely tone my “intellectualness” down and socialise like any student, but I haven’t met as many people who carry their passion for learning outside of the classroom as I thought I would.</p>
<p>“My D posed a similar question on admitted students day. The student panel was pleased with all aspects of its experience – excepting the weather - and a wish for a marching band”</p>
<p>ahahaha i was there too. When the same guy was answering the question: “What do you do on weekends” he said “I like to party” I was laughing so hard, he was mad cool. It seems like theater is really prevalent on campus, he told me that he did it for social reasons, and he didn’t have any particular interest in theater before.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that Brandeis has a bit of a lacking social scene…
Can someone (preferably a current Brandeis student) speak to this view?</p>
<p>lol I was there too. I loved the student panel, they were so funny. All the current students just seemed so genuinely enthusiastic about their experience at Brandeis. The a cappella group was so good btw! haha.
I’m still deciding between Brandeis and my state school which would be free so it’s hard =/, but I can definately picture myself at Brandeis next year.</p>
<p>But question… the students on the panel said they go into Boston basically every weekend. What kind of things are there to do in Boston on a college budget? It seems like restaurants in the city are pretty expensive and stuff…</p>
<p>Mtnest26, no school has that “mishpocha” familiarity like Brandeis. I just sent you a PM with more details.</p>
<p>Discofever- People only lack a social life if they make it so. And it also depends on what you mean by a social life. If you mean going out and getting drunk and having random hookups, then yes, you might find Brandeis a bit lacking. However, if you mean a social life by hanging out with friends, seeing movies/concerts/plays for cheap/free, cultural activities, clubs, and more chill stuff, then Brandeis is awesome. I don’t drink so I can’t really speak to that end (which was one of the reasons I chose Brandeis because there is ZERO pressure to drink and I have a great social life without it) but I’m always really busy with clubs and activities. The Punk Rock and Roll club also keeps a great stream of local and underground bands of all genres coming through the on campus coffee shop. It’s funny because I always go see these bands and then weeks later realize that they’re actually kind of famous (like the Blow and Mirah).</p>
<p>Tweetjazz- I go into Boston most weekends when I’m free and just walk around. Using the T can be expensive at close to $2 a pop, but the free weekend shuttle drops you off in good places. There are a few cheap places to eat- especially in Harvard Square- which are most often burrito joints. There are some cheapish Indian buffets for lunch weekends too when you really can’t eat anymore cafeteria food. Also, thanks the everpresent Carl and Ruth Shapiro (who you will come to know and love if you come to Shapiro Uni… I mean Brandeis 
), Brandeis students can go to the MFA for free any time with their ID. That’s really an awesome deal because the MFA is awesome. Brandeis’s own Rose Art museum is REALLY cool too and have lots of exhibits. I go several times a year and it’s so underused on campus so often you’re there practically by yourself… which is something I really enjoy personally.</p>
<p>What does the campus ‘feel like’ on weekends, esp Friday and Saturday nights? Are most people in Boston, with the campus feeling deserted, or is there a sense of the campus hopping with it own social life and activities? Are there planned activities, such as movies/concerts/plays, on the campus itself on Fri & Sat night?</p>
<p>I’m surprised that the students on the panel all said they go to Boston weekly. Were they first-years? My experience is that most students go to Boston less frequently as they get older and more involved with campus life. As a first-year, I must have went in every other week, but now as a junior, I go in about once a month.</p>
<p>The campus is busy on weekends with shows, dances and other events. Later in the night, students might go to parties in their friends’ suites or off-campus houses.</p>
<p>It’s so strange how schools develop stereotypes. Several years ago, when I was helping kid #1 research schools, I heard 'Brandeis students are unhappy." This year it’s, “Brandeis has no social life,” “Boys seem unattractive,” and “Girls seem unattractive.” My impression at the open house was, “Wow, I wish I were 18 again — everyone seems so happy, friendly, outgoing, and … attractive!!” Perhaps, as Silver Clover says, it’s the lack of “getting drunk and having random hookups.” Whatever it is, the stereotype is there and seems to stick. I guess the bottom line is – is there a sense of community & energy at Brandeis that makes students want to be there after classes end.</p>
<p>On the attractive/unattractive front- since there ARE a lot of Jewish people, a lot of people fall into these stereotypical looks. I, personally, am attracted to the Jewish boy stereotypes (either tall and skinny or short and chubby with curly dark hair) so that’s not a problem with me… but the guys overall don’t fit the traditional college jock or frat boy look which is where some of the stereotypes come from.</p>
<p>I’m almost a senior now, and to answer the OP’s question…I can’t see myself happier at any other place. I love this school. I don’t know exactly why. </p>
<p>When I first got here, I wasn’t completely sure I would fit in or like the school. I was a geeky Mexican-American, with no friends and no family within thousands of miles (I’m from CA). Somehow everything fit into place. They say Brandeis isn’t diverse, but the three closest friends of mine are from St. Vincent (in the Caribbean, which I didn’t know at first hahaha), Indonesia, and India. They are awesome. I have a ton of friends who are South-East Asian. And of course, I have tons of Jewish friends. What can I say, I love the Jews. I’ve never actually met one before I came to Brandeis; now, I they are amongst my closest friends…and I think their culture and religion are so fascinating…</p>
<p>As for the social scene…I like doing a little of everything: just hanging out with friends, watching movies, going out to dinner, partying. Lately I’ve been going to a lot of Harvard and MIT parties (sometimes you just want something new). It’s so great to be able to go out to Boston when school is stressing you out. </p>
<p>Anyways…by little bro is coming in the fall…its pretty exciting.</p>
<p>My d has been accepted by Brandeis and UCONN. Both schools have offered same financial assistance. We live in NH. Brandeis ended up more expensive to us. Regardless money aspect, and school sizes, what are other things we should worry about if she chooses UCONN. We are interested in quality of education and happy student life. The posts on this site do not give impression about Brandeis at all. Why everyone is talking about being Jewish or not. This is like trying to pretend to be a secular guy in a state which is officially a religious state ( does not matter what religion). All other colleges in US do not discuss about whether you are Jewish or Hindu. I guess school should declare that this University is not run by/for Jewish people. It is time for being an open educational institute. I would not feel comfortable sending a kid who might be ignored because she is not Jewish or who might be frustrated because she is Jewish.</p>
<p>A school should be free from this kind of bias. It is sad that this comes from top level management.</p>
<p>@rdugg:
What are you talking about?</p>
<p>Brandeis is officially, 100% secular. It says so right on their website:</p>
<p>“By being a nonsectarian university that welcomes students, teachers and staff of every nationality, religion, and political orientation, Brandeis renews the American heritage of cultural diversity, equal access to opportunity and freedom of expression.”</p>
<p>What more would you like them to do? Add a “… and we really, really mean it” to the end?</p>
<p>rdugg, I believe what you are noticing among some of the posters is an effort to define Brandeis by focussing on the fact that it has a significant number of students who identify as Jewish. The fact is that it has an equal or greater number who identify as non-Jewish. Plus about about 20-30% of Brandeis students are minorities and internationals (in fact the majority of The Brandeis International Business School is international students). That is very similar to many other top schools like Penn, Barnard,NYU etc.with significant percentages of Jewish students. If that bothers you or your d, you should look elsewhere. However, your d really should experience Brandeis for herself. She would discover a very diverse and welcoming atmosphere founded on and devoted to the principals of non-discrimination.</p>
<p>As for education, there really is no comparison between Brandeis and UConn.
The issue is the right fit for your d. UConn is a good but very large state school–17,000 undergrads versus 3000 for Brandeis. Counting grad students, UConn has around 30,000 total students versus about 5000 at Brandeis. At UConn, your d’s classes your first few years will be very large, and she will have Teaching Assistants instead of professors in many of her introductory classes. At Brandeis, she will have dramatically smaller class sizes and classes taught by professors, not TAs. Brandeis has all of the elements of a small liberal arts college, but set in a research environment. Undergraduate teaching is the main focus of the faculty, not research. In contrast, if her main interest is big-time athletics and partying, then she should consider UConn. But if her focus is academics, class size, quality of teaching, then Brandeis is her clear choice</p>
<p>Brandeis is truly an amazing school. It’s a special combination of small liberal arts college and world-class research university-with the smallest student body I believe (around 800 in a class) of any top tier national research university matched with high-powered professors who actually teach in small classes. So, the research opportunities are tremendous. </p>
<p>Brandeis’s 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. With respect to success rates in admissions to the best graduate schools, including med school , it would be hard to beat Brandeis. Plus it’s located just outside of Boston, the world’s greatest college town, but on its own suburban campus.–really the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>If you haven’t seen it, you should watch the interview on the Brandeis website with Greg Petsko, Professor of Biochem, who left MIT to come to Brandeis. He discusses his reasons as to why he found Brandeis to be, in his words, “a better place” to teach and for his students to learn. Here’s a link to the “video tour” page which you may need to paste into your browser: [url=<a href=“http://www.brandeis.edu/admissions/videotour/]Tour[/url”>http://www.brandeis.edu/admissions/videotour/]Tour[/url</a>]. Then, you may need to click through to the 'Meet Brandeisians" faculty interviews to find Petsko. </p>
<p>Further on the subject of right fit, I believe the kind of person who would feel comfortable at Brandeis is an intellectual and/or creative sort who is friendly and comfortable with himself or herself and not competitive or pretentious. Intellectual but down-to-earth and friendly I think is an apt description of the student body. Unlike some preppy place or frat-oriented environments where social interraction is based on the “exclusivity” of the frat system, Brandeis has a welcoming, relatively-nonjudgmental environment–yet there are some off-campus frats for those who like what they have to offer. There is no pressure to party, but parties are there if you want them. Often social interaction centers around the numerous clubs and other terrific extracuriculars like theater and music. </p>
<p>Forgive my enthusiasm, but as a Brandeis alum, I loved it! Good luck to you and your d with your decision!</p>
<p>I’m in the exact same boat! I really wanted to go to some artsy fartsy small liberal arts school but got waitlisted to all of them…and got into Brandeis. I’m excited about going, it’s just the exact opposite of the school I imagined myself in. The biggest difference is the campus. I really wanted a campus with gorgeous late 19th century architecture or something…and the Brandeis campus is kinda ugly. But oh well.</p>
<p>@prettyunicorn:
I agree Brandeis’ modern architecture is not to everybody’s liking.
But keep in mind, it’s what happens <em>inside</em> the buildings that matters.</p>
<p>This school was recommended to my S because he wants to double major in English and Math. Looking at its’ profile it doesn’t seem like those majors are dominant.</p>
<p>He was also told they give generous merit aid-we won’t qualify for any need based aid.</p>
<p>He is not a party animal or a geek-just a regular kid who is really into reality shows.</p>
<p>He plans on editing for a career but his dream is to be a novelist-he is a writer down deep in his bones.</p>
<p>He is Catholic and is very involved with our local parish.</p>