Brandeis University

Brandeis has a great community of students who want to see each other succeed, which I think is sometimes hard to come by in higher education. I feel so supported by everyone in my classes and extracurricular activities. If you’re dedicated to service, this is a great place for you! We have a huge community service and engagement department! I love my experience here!

I will say that academics are challenging and once midterms start (and they start earlier than in other schools) you don’t really get a break until finals are over. But overall, I love my experience here!

The open community of students, the faculty, and professors, the overall peaceful atmosphere on campus, and how close it is to Boston.

The food and dorm life isn't that great but you can overlook it.

So far the classes are very interesting and taught by women and men currently in the field. For example, my Documentary Journalism class was taught by Ann Silvio, a former executive producer at CBS and during class, we have the opportunity to meet with professional journalists and documentary filmmakers. Professors that actually know what they are talking about and teaching can really help with connecting to the right people to launch students into their dream internships/careers.

The biggest problem I have is with my scholarship program (MKTYP) As there is no credit for the classes you take the very first year so essentially for your first year you only get credit for two classes that are actual Brandeis courses and the TYP classes are just to transition into the college experience but do not provide the necessary credit.

I think there are a lot of quirky people with a variety of interests. People don't fit into boxes for example some kids who play sports are also exceptionally talented in music or mathematics. I think the community is pretty inclusive and awesome.

The lack of diversity is a concern however they are implementing changes to raise awareness about certain issues.

Brandeis has a great academic program. Most people I spoke to (within the humanities and social sciences) enjoy their major, in regard to their professors and the content. I loved my professors and gained a lot of great experience from working with them. They were extremely personable and interested in me both as a student and a person, and I value that. Brandeis is also a convenient and safe campus, and they are relatively more generous than other schools I have seen or heard of.

This campus is very isolated, small, and often lonely and introverted. Even though there is access to Boston through a shuttle, anyone who is looking for a social aspect to college will likely be unfulfilled here. Many STEM majors may not mind this, as many of my STEM friends were so busy that they were not too concerned with social life, but as a Creative Writing/English major, I felt I could not simply stay for my major. Ultimately, I needed a school that fulfilled me socially too, because otherwise, I found myself easily unmotivated on Brandeis' campus. These effects are multiplied when you are a non-white student, like me, where the student population for us is already low. Many black students, in general, expressed distaste for the campus, and it's hard feeling positive on a campus where it seems so many people don't enjoy themselves.

I like the opportunities it provides.

The social life. It is not existent.