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| Bright |
This school has a certain type of student.
If you are upper class, white, jewish, and liberal you'll fit right in. If not, you're not going to be able to relate to a lot of the issues that people are talking about and you might find yourself getting annoyed with some of the arrogant, haphazard attitudes a lot of students here have towards politics and religion.
Just because people here are liberal does not mean that they are open-minded. Keep that in mind.
There are lots of friendly people here, but in general people here are kind of unmotivated. Everyone complains about the lack of social life or social awkwardness, but nobody ever actually wants to hang out or do something to change their behavior. That being said, greek life is okay. ZBT guys are nice but throw bad parties, AEPi guys throw good parties, Phi Psi sucks, nobody cares about ADPhi, and SAMy is more of a country club than a frat. SDT is mostly rude, spoiled girls with some exceptions... and there's DPhiE, who I think are generally very sweet and friendly (even though I'm not a member).
The dorms here are terrible. They're old, they are never cleaned, and lately a lot of cealings have been caving in due to the rain. I hate living on campus - printing is expensive and the wireless sucks. There isn't a lot of parking for people who have cars - they have to park in Grad. The room selection process is a bitch - beware! The gym facilities, however, are very lovely. The dining here is overpriced and pretty bad, but it's not as bad as people say it is. It's a campus cafeteria - you can't expect spaghetti and meatballs like your mom makes at home!
The academics are the only thing I have no complaint about - all of the professors I've had have been very helpful. Even in the case of a bad professor, the TAs here are amazing. This campus also has a lot of fun job oppertunities - you can work in the offices, at the daycare, the cafeterias, in labs, even in the lab with the famous parrots! Brandeis is really a goldmine for a lot of subjects - I love my department, and the business, economics, the language and cultural studies departments... they're all really good! The only department I have heard bad things about is the art, but that's mainly due to the controversy over the Rose Art Museaum. However, there are some weird minors that I have no idea what they consist of or why they exist. I can't speak for those departments.
Their financial aid office has been very helpful to me. If you ever have any questions (even the smallest ones) don't hesitate to stop by. The people there are amazing. Whenever I've needed to make an adjustment on my account or had a question about loans, they've helped me and my family out.
Oh! I almost forgot - transportation. The Boston/Cambridge shuttle and the Waltham shuttle are both very reliable, but Branvans are not. I'd sooner call a cab than call a Branvan. | Education Quality: A, Campus Aesthetics: D- |  | | |
| | Mar 15 2010 | 3rd Year Female --
Class 2011 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Super Brilliant |
I am reviewing this school as a student who attended it for one semester of college before transferring out. It was my first semester of college ever and I was from South Florida so it was a very meaningful time for me, and though I sometimes wonder if that clouds my opinion of the school, I'd still have to say I have a positive opinion of it in retrospect.
I transferred out because you aren't allowed to have a car in your first year and I had always dreamed of going to New York City for my undergraduate work... it killed me to be twenty minutes outside of Boston and never able to go in (the rail system absolutely sucks and the Bran Van only runs Thursday to Sunday). I also think I was trying to distance myself from some personal bad choices that had nothing to do with the school... but either way, I transferred, and when I did I was extraordinarily happy to "get the hell out." I really, really, really wish I had stayed now. Three schools later (long story), I've discovered that Brandeis is still what I consider my alma mater, and the best institution I've ever attended (including all of my schooling since kindergarten). I think it says something that I feel that way after only attending for four months.
People bitch about the social life and I guess if you're a "typical" college student, you'd be right about that. I'm basically married and a cat lady who plays World of Warcraft, so I was actually unhappy because I was placed in a dorm hall I thought was too loud (Brandeis took the twelve jocks who got in and put them on my floor, they had women over from other Boston schools who burst into the bathroom to throw up, drunk, while I was showering... the boys themselves then came in to make sure they were okay, and all the while I was in the shower). I do think the campus is pretty, though not breath-taking; the hill is a pain in the damn ass but you'll have great calves. Everyone also bitches about Sherman and granted, I only had to eat it for four months (and really not even that because I spent a lot of time off-campus at my boyfriend's house), but I loved the food, especially the brownies and ice cream that led me to the freshman fifteen. I'm a relatively timid person (and by relatively I mean very much so) and I met some amazing people who I'm still in contact with, and people actually know things and care about their intellectual endeavors, something I never encountered before Brandeis.
All in all, the worst part (and the only part that is actually bad) is the town. Don't get me wrong, I love Waltham for a variety of reasons; it's cute and picturesque and beautiful and the birthplace of the man I'm probably going to marry (who followed me back down to Florida from his hometown when I decided to move back), but not having a car means you're stuck on Brandeis's campus, and if you're someone like me (not super involved with your peers, wanting to have stuff to do off-campus that's not school related), it's kind of a bummer. I need escape, I guess, and Boston is not at all as accessible as you'd think. However, I would encourage anyone considering Brandeis to GO and STAY FOR AT LEAST A YEAR. I think if I had given it another semester I would still be there and not be thinking fondly about the very very limited days I spent there, not be planning to attempt to go there for grad school, not be fantasizing about teaching there as a professor. | Perceived Campus Safety: A+, Innovation: C | | | |
| | Feb 09 2010 | 1st Year Female --
Class 2012 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Quite Bright |
The Campus
- bad maintenance (huge potholes etc.)
-ugly (they brag about the castle but it's just tacky)
-very very hilly
Attractiveness of the Students
-males: short, pale, not too athletic overall. Yes there are definitely exceptions but they tend to be more difficult to find and/or taken.
-females: short, not many 'hot' girls'-but keep in mind i'm a girl so i'm not the best judge of these things
Weekend Life
-although the university doesn't officially recognize any greek life we still have some (4 frats and 2 sororities)
-there's usually something going on fri/sat night even if it's not always that much fun
-frat houses are really far off campus which is a big consideration considering the freezing weather
-things get broken up by 12/1 in the morning
-you meet new people for awhile but it's not a very big school so at a certain point you run into/recognize most of the people at the parties
Friends
-everybody is very nice and very open and friendly
-you won't feel intimidated by anyone
-not much of a sports scene/school spirit
-heavily jewish even if many people aren't religious
-you'll have great friends
-people can definitely be awkward though
Academics
-great choice of majors
-science majors are really tough
-generally small classes (even some lectures are only 40-50 people)
-mostly good professors | Perceived Campus Safety: A+, Education Quality: F | | | |
| | Jan 24 2010 | 1st Year Female --
Class 2011 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Bright |
the good:
-Faculty and teachers, most are brilliant and leaders in their fields.
-Small class sizes if you are not in an intro class.
-The social life is what you make it, if you want to party there are more than enough opportunities, but it is also very easy to stay in and study.
-The students match the brilliant faculty, everyone is very intelligent, but i have yet to meet someone cutthroat or snobby.
the bad:
-The campus is an acquired taste, the buildings are in a nontraditional / modern style.
-The freshman dorms range from very nice to almost ancient.
-The meal plans are required (much more expensive than using regular money).
-Athletics and Frat life are a small part of university life here, this was a dramatic change from most of the colleges i was looking at, it also took me a long time to get used to that fact. | Faculty Accessibility: A+, Campus Maintenance: C | | | |
| | Nov 23 2009 | 1st Year Male --
Class 2013 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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