Brandeis University Top Questions

There's a lot of popular groups, but I'd say the most popular is the Waltham Group, our community service organization. They work with children, with the elderly, with the community, etc. I am involved in Student Events, the student event planning committee on campus. We put on events like Thirsty Thursday, free food for all and free beer for 21+, wake-n-shakes where we hand out Dunkin Donuts before class, and Stressbusters, a relaxed environment before finals. We also bring artists like Guster, Fun, Childish Gambino and Far East Movement to campus. On a Saturday night, you can do so many things. See a friend in a play, go to a dance performance, an on-campus dance party, see a movie being played on campus, so many more!! Off campus I go to bars, go into Boston, see movies and plays, walk around Cambridge, shop....

There are hundreds of clubs on campus that range from Cooking to Martial Arts to various religious and cultural organizations. Students are never at a lack for things to do on this campus. Every student can participate in an activity if they so choose. For students who are not on an official sports team, there are tons of intramural sports that are incredibly popular such as soccer, football and volleyball. There is a vibrant theater community with performance groups that specialize in straight plays, musicals and Shakespeare to name a few. There is a student-run theater scene as well as the Department theater which means undergraduate and Graduate students together. Theater/dance/music performances are frequent and well attended. There are a variety of speakers that range from visiting Professors to members of the government and movie stars alike. There is a fraternity and sorority culture on campus where students can find parties on the weekends, but it is not overwhelming and certainly not the only place to find a party. On the weekends, there are plenty of movie screenings as well as trivia, bingo and dance parties for those that do not want to partake in drinking. There is also a free shuttle to Cambridge and Boston when you want to see a show, go shopping or have a nice meal off-campus!

We have a lot of active clubs on campus. Our student center is open 24/7 where most of our clubs meet. Some of our most active clubs include community service, event programming, student union, and theater groups. I also really like how open community living is in terms of security. At some schools they are really strict about guests and going to other residence halls. But, at Brandeis it is a really relaxed atmosphere, which makes really easy to go around campus. I don't have to worry about checking it at my friend's place at 2 or 3 in the morning. We don't have a lot of security issues to begin with, so I don't really mind walking about at night. We also have a lot of great events that are thrown by our student clubs, most of which are free and amazing.

One of the best parts of Brandeis is how active the student body is in campus life. Nearly everyone is involved in a club of some sort, and most people are involved in two or more. Unlike many schools, the clubs on campus are very active. However, even though Brandeis students are very involved in clubs, they are not full of traditional "school spirit." Not many students attend athletic events, and athletes are not put on a pedestal. Almost all partying happens on Friday and Saturday nights, however, most partying at Brandeis isn't like what you would see at a big state school. Most parties don't get too out of hand, and the frats are somewhat of a joke. Instead, most students go to parties in upperclassmen suites or townhouses. These parties are fun, but not crazy, and there are no kegs. There is also plenty do on the weekend that doesn't involve drinking, such as going to Cambridge or Boston, which the free shuttle service offers rides to on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Dances are often held as fundraisers, which tend to be the most popular (and successful) student events on campus. Theater and music, especially a capella, are also overflowing on campus. I am active in Relay for Life, an annual fundraiser for cancer research. This event is always packed with students. It's really nice to see that different groups on campus come together for such an awesome cause. Writing is also prevalent on campus. I am a copy editor for a weekly newspaper called The Justice. There is another paper, The Hoot, which is also weekly. Greek life exists but the fraternities and sororities aren't officially recognized by the university. Because of this, the houses (and the parties) are located off campus. Basically, it's there if you're interested and it's not a big deal if you're not. Greek life definitely doesn't take over the school. Being close to Boston is great, but most students stay on campus during the weekends. There is so much to do on campus! It nice to have the city as a get away if Waltham ever gets to feel too small (it happens).

Oh ha ha ha. Let me start with an easy one. So Brandeis doesn't officially acknowledge any frats or sororities, so greek life is rather minimal. There are a couple of frats and sororities with houses off campus, and it's not hard to get involved if you want that, but it's not a big part of campus at all. Weekends at Brandeis: You can stay on campus and there's going to be a couple of parties; if you want to drink, there you go. I prefer to go off campus into Boston; Thursday, Friday, Saturday, & Sunday there's a shuttle that goes from Brandeis to Cambridge and Mass Ave every hour and a half until 2am. It's free for Brandeis students, and it's definately nice to get off campus; go into the city, shopping, dining, see a show, go to a club, just hang out. The athletics events are growing in popularity even since I came to Brandeis, mens basketball is by far the most popular, but it's not a huge thing here.

Almost nobody drinks or parties on school nights. Weekend parties are common, but non-drinkers will find plenty going on: lots of music, theater, guest speakers, etc.

My social life revolves around Brandeis Men's Ultimate Frisbee team. I imagine most people have a club or a group of friends that they hang out with on a regular basis, which adds structure to their social lives. The varsity sports teams tend to stick together, as do the club sports teams. Not in an exclusive way, but these are the people you see on a daily basis for practice, games, etc. My weekdays are spent on the Great Lawn throwing a disc around between and after classes (at least when it's nice out), and on weekends I try to catch a party down in the Mods or in Ziv, or hang out with my friends from Frisbee, or who live in my suite. Most of my very good friends were made freshmen year, and are guys who lived on the same hall as me. The 'open door' policy instated by our CA (Community Advisor) was great and meant that we had a very social hall. Most freshmen dorms are like this, with the exception of the hall run by the occasional super-awkward CA. Lots of clubs have outings on the weekends which you can join up on. The Mountain Club has an outing of some sort almost every weekend. Mountain biking, hiking, spelunking, hang gliding have all been done. Rock climbing is the norm, with trips to nice outdoor walls in the area, and MetroRock in Everett when the weather is bad. Once it gets cold and snowy, Alpine Snow Sports starts taking trips pretty much every weekend to mountains in the area (New Hampshire, Vermont). Fraternities and sororities are not officially endorsed or recognized by the university, so the few that we have are located off-campus, usually on South Street, or somewhere nearby. Because they aren't required to abide by the kinds of rules that clubs and other social organizations are, the greek organizations give next to nothing back to the campus community. Their only purpose, as far as I have been able to discern, is to provide a place for people to party and get drunk. The individuals in these organizations are generally pretty decent people, but if you get them in a group, the d-baggery increases exponentially. If you're the kind of person who needs to join a club to meet people, keep in mind that the greek organizations at Brandeis are generally just drinking clubs.

One great thing about Brandeis is that it is big enough to be able to offer many extracurriculars to choose from. Another great thing is that the school is small enough that it is easy to get involved and to gain experience in valuable leadership positions. Greek life is under-ground, but present. There are lots of things going on during the weekends that do not include partying and drinking as well. Students tend to form close friendships with people living in their dorms, but it is also easy to visit friends in other dorms because everyone has key access everywhere. Getting off-campus is easy (often free), and popular, too. Overall, there is a ton of stuff to do, but you have to be active in pursuing these opportunities in order to take full advantage and really have a fulfilling experience.

I'm involved in Student Sexuality Information Service, the most amazing group on campus. We provide sex education, peer counseling, books, and safer sex products. We sell cheap condoms and try to up awareness on campus. Theater is popular on campus. Sports exist. Frats play a limited role, since they are only off-campus and not actually accepted by the university. Activism groups are huge. Guest speakers are very popular, especially political ones. Many students like to go to parties on the weekends or just hang out with a few friends. Moody street is a popular destination full of shops, good food, some bars, and Lizzy's ice cream. Of course, there is always Boston.