Brandeis University Top Questions

Brandeis is small. You will know by name many of the people you see every day. Don't worry, there will be plenty of strangers and people who don't know or care who you are. If you aren't feeling anonymous enough- take the commuter rail into Boston! Brandeis is in Waltham, which is a cramped little city situated 9 miles outside of Boston. Boston is wonderful. You will never be bored, except for the 4 months a year you never leave your dorm because it is too freaking cold outside. Just kidding! You adjust. Adapt! Bring a big coat and some snow boots. You'll be fine. Waltham is actually a nice place to live. It's busy and has everything you need. There is a Walgreens up the street from Brandeis. There is a Target one town over (Towns sort of run together in that part of the country, so let's say the Target is 15 minutes away.) Waltham has lots of food and hotels. Personally, I recommend Bertucci's. It's a delicious Italian chain and a good place to work if you have a car. Anyway you can find what you need there. Living off campus: It's expensive. It's crappy and expensive. My apartment was a one-bedroom attic-type place and cost me $1000/ month without utilities. I split that with my boyfriend, but it was pretty awful. My place was actually larger than most for the price, but staying on campus or sharing a house with a bunch of people is a much better idea. Parking: You can't have a car your freshman year. After that, you get a permit for a specific lot and it can definitely be hard to find a spot during certain hours of the day if you are off-campus. If you live on campus it isn't a big deal, but you will probably have to park pretty far away from your dorm. Dorms: They are just like any other school's dorms. They are low-tech, design-less, low-budget living. You have internet, cable, but no air conditioning so bring some fans. For your first two years or so- you will share a bathroom that only has a couple shower stalls. Floors are mostly co-ed, but there will always be some that aren't. Bathrooms are single-sex, unless the whole floor is fine with co-ed. There are a couple single rooms on each floor and you can probably get one if you need it, but don't! Having a roommate is awful and will drive you insane, but it is an important part of the social experience. It just is! If your roommate makes you too crazy, you can always take to res. life and get switched around. Juniors and Seniors usually live in suites that have 6 or more single rooms and a common room with a kitchen. The campus isn't covered in ivy. Some people think it's ugly. It is slanted, so get used to walking uphill. I think the campus is beautiful, but what does that really matter anyway. Brandeis gives generous scholarships (academic and otherwise), so definitely apply for those.

I definitely feel like I have found the best possible school for me with Brandeis. It definitely isn't the best school for everyone, like someone looking to become an engineer, or someone who will die without wearing a polo shirt every day. There are of course some downsides- the lack of football team, the what feels like minimal percentage of straight guys (could be related...), and the kinda insane Massachusetts drivers. Even so, there is a lot about Brandeis that makes up for this. Waltham is a nice town with great ice cream (Lizzy's), and we are so close to other schools in the Boston area that it is really easy to branch out if you want to. Brandeis students don't take fashion all too seriously, which I personally love, and it is great to feel comfortable in whatever you're wearing without being judged. People can be pretty awkward around here, but on the plus side, there is always someone weirder than you!

The size of the school is good. When I'm walking to class I see tons of people I know and it makes me feel like I am a presence, not like I'm lost in a state school with 40,000 kids. Waltham isn't so bad either. When living on campus, it's difficult to appreciate what the city has to offer since you're kind of stuck in a bubble, but off-campus experience has shown me better parts to Waltham. Plus, Brandeis is an excellent school and there's no denying the fact that it is quickly becoming one of the most accredited non-Ivy universities in the country.

Brandeis University is an incredible place to go to school. I know everyone says this, but choosing to attend this college was the best choice I have ever made. It's just the right size, in a residential area, with the conveniences of being close to a big city - Boston. When I tell people that I go to Brandeis they immediately say, "Oh, the 'Jew' school?" Though a great percentage of the student body is Jewish, not everyone is, and I'm not. I was raised Christian and consider myself a Christian. A lot of people ask me if I find it difficult being a Christian in a Jewish University. Absolutely not! It is such a gift to be surrounded by peers with such a deeply rich culture. I have learned so much about the Jewish faith and the Jewish people, a college experience that I would have missed out on otherwise. The Brandeis Administration is, for the most part, welcoming of student imput. There are open hours with the President of the University where students can, independently or in groups, meet with the President and give feedback. The biggest recent conversation on campus is mixed-gender housing. There is a great deal of school pride. The big joke on campus is that we're all socially awkward, unathletic (we don't have a football team), and pretty big nerds. For the most part, that's true! But for a socially awkward student body, we know how to party, get involved in the community, and represent our school in a truly unique way. I LOVE Brandeis, through and through. It's an amazing place to be.

Overall, Brandeis is a wonderful school. I just started graduate school at a higher rated University and only now that I have a comparison to make do I realize what a wonderful institution Brandeis is. The best thing about Brandeis is the organization of the school. Everything is catered to make students lives easy. Everything from protesting a parking ticket to getting a new ID card is convenient. Students at other schools complain about getting "screwed" in terms of classes, credits, requirements, etc. That does not happen at Brandeis. There are so many resources available for students to organize their academic programs and get things done. The registrar at Brandeis is not out to get you; it's out to help you. The size of Brandeis is just right. Not too many people to get lost, but enough people that you meet new people eery day through graduation.

the best thing about brandeis for me is to feel confident about the quality of education we receive.. whenever i mention to someone random that im going to brandeis, first thing they say is always "great faculty great professors!!".. even the required classes i had to take turned out to be very interesting and has taught me so many new things.. if i had to change one thing that would definetely be the ARAMARK dining services.. they suck.. noone deserves such poor quality food!! I think size of the school is perfect!!!! it is not small, i mean obviously it is a UNIVERSITY.. there are quite alot of internationals.. i really like the fact that the size of the school is just right so you can say hi to people when youre walking, you dont get lost in the community..

I love Brandeis, I really do. I think it's a fantastic liberal arts university (although the tuition is far too high) and there is something for everyone and a niche for every possible group. We have religious groups, cultural groups, performance groups, academic groups-- pretty much anything you could possibly think of. There are two major complaints which I hear over and over: tuition is too expensive (think in the range of 24K a semester) and the food is terrible. As someone who has a pretty regimented eating plan, the food does not do great things for me. There are not enough healthy, low-anything choices (the salad bar doesn't count as a meal!) and the dining halls have really bad weekend hours due to the fact that Brandeis is somewhat shomer shabbas as a school. 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my time is spent in Spingold Theater or Shapiro Theater as I'm an acting and movement major and I work in the box office. I love it there-- both places are great for hanging out or getting work done. My dorm (Ziv) is also wicked close so I don't have to go too far at night after a long rehearsal.

I love the size of Brandeis. I wish the administration gave students a little more leeway. They crack down on parties far too much and it would be nice not to have to worry about getting in trouble every time I drank a beer. Brandeis is much better looked upon by those in academia than the general public. I love being near Boston, which is something I didn't even consider when I decided to come here. I have had very good professors and I like the choice of classes.

Brandeis, over the last two years, has become my home. It's seems sort of corny to say, but almost everyone here- from the staff to the students and professors- are so nice and open. And it's really easy to stay clear of the small minority of people here who aren't as friendly and welcoming because they are a really small minority. I honestly think that it's this warm and encouraging environment that makes Brandeis amazing. Since we're a pretty small student population- about 3100 undergrads, the sense of community felt here is pretty strong and the campus life benefits from the fact that we are small and most people live in some form of on campus housing for all 4 years. Of course, since this is honest and uncensored, there are some issues with Brandeis that can become huge since people here often snowball everything out of proportion. We've had issues during my time at Brandeis about racism jokes in a student publication, a controversial visit from former President Jimmy Carter about his book about Israel and student and professor issues with the administration over student money, professor reviews and arming the police. Brandeis students are incredibly vocal and passionate on a variety of issues and sometimes our passions butt heads with the feelings and politics of the administration, leading to a somewhat strained relation between the two camps. But the activism and passion of Brandeis students is part of what makes Brandeis... well Brandeis. In the 1960s we were known for student activism and that spirit continues to live on. When injustices happen both within and outside of the university, Brandeis students take a stand, leading to an environment of political and social discourse. While Brandeis is pretty political, we are also fairly artistic a well. The arts at Brandeis are amazing and with so many student performance groups including acapella, dance troops, improve groups, theater clubs and a sketch comedy group; there is always on campus, student performed entertainment throughout the week. Brandeis, location wise, has the best of both worlds as well. Waltham is a nice town and Moody Street is a great place to go with friends for ethnic food and Lizzy's Ice Cream, which rocks. We're also close to Boston so it's really easy to take a shuttle bus over the weekends or the commuter rail into Boston or Cambridge. In all honesty, what Brandeis has in political and artistic spirit is sort of lost on sports. If you want a school where everyone goes to games and sports make up a big part of campus life, Brandeis is not the place for you. We do have good Division III sports teams and we do have fans, known as "The Jury" who come out and cheer on the Brandeis Judges, but it's nothing like at other schools. Coming from a football orientated high school, I love that sports aren't the focus here, but it's a fair warning to note.

- I fi could change one thing, i'd make campus easier to get around - right now it's full of hills and it's a pain. - I spend alot of time hanging out with friends in dorms or in the campus center cafe. - The food is not bad (in the non-kosher dining hall anyway) and Waltham has a ton of really good ethnic restaurants. Waltha is actually a pretty nice place, especially Main and Moody streets. - The closeness is Boston/Cambridge is a real plus. I go almost every week. - The administration? The President, Jehudah Reinharz, is a dog. A goat. A beast. But he's never around so he doesn't cause too much trouble.