Brandeis University

Date: Jul 31 2002
Major: Political Science (This Major's Salary over time)
The number one complaint you will hear about Brandeis is that "there is nothing to do." I'm going to try and set the record straight. People expecting a party school should not come to Brandeis, simple as that. That being said, the chronic complaining that seems to be a Brandeis epidemic has made the University focus on improving student satisfaction. (We have a running joke that Brandeis students are the types who will get a big group of people together, buy a couple of kegs, turn on some music, and then sit around and complain that there arent any parties.) In my opinion, no other small, elite, liberal-arts school puts as much effort into creating a social scene as Brandeis. Granted, there is only so much "fun" a school can actually sponsor without crossing the limits of decency. The frat scene, while still unrecognized by the administration, is becoming a bigger and bigger factor. We're not talking Animal House style or anything, but on the weekends there are usually legit frat parties where you can exercise your college-student right to binge drink, and everyone who wants to pledge is given a chance. The school's alcohol policy is pretty lax. There is a bar on-campus. There are a couple of "wet" dorms that allow alcohol provided residents are 21. Will you get busted if you get caught pounding beers in your freshman dorm room? Yes. But that doesnt mean kids don't do it.

As far as school sponsored sober fun goes, Brandeis puts tens of thousands of dollars into clubs and organizations that sponsor endless dances, raves, performances, and general student gatherings. I guarantee there is not one weekend during the school year that there is not some sort of attempted entertainment being held. There's even "fun" stuff to do during finals week, and that's no joke. Brandeis also manages to attract top notch concerts each year. Over the time i have been there, we have had George Clinton and P-Funk, Ben Harper, Guster, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Perfect Circle, Tiffany (did i say top notch?), and Less than Jake. In the past we've also had Adam Sandler and Blues Traveler.

Bottom line, if you want to be able to walk out on a Sat. night and see lines of drunken students waiting to get into any number of cool parties…go to U of Arizona or something. Stuff like that doesnt happen at Brandeis. Or, in my opinion, any other school in Boston for that matter. Brandeis is a school where the number 1 priority is academics. That is the type of kid the school attracts. Hell, we dont even have a football team to add some testosterone to the place. In fact, i can attest that athletes in general are considered a minority and sometimes feel that they don't necessarily fit in at the school. I'm not gonna lie to you, there are a lot of kids content to stay in and study on the weekends. But that is their choice. It doesnt have to be yours.