Written by Shannon Ingram
It may seem like a lot of Brandeis students really hate their school, but deep down, most know they would not be happy anywhere else. Some students seem to be bitter when they first get to Brandeis because they are either here since it made financial sense—Brandeis is quite generous when it comes to financial aid allotment—or because Brandeis was their third or fourth choice, and they got rejected from the Ivies or NESCAC schools. But after a little time to get adjusted, that bitterness soon subsides. You must work to have a positive experience at Brandeis, more so than at a lot of other colleges. There are so many opportunities out there, but you need to be willing to put forth the effort to get the most out of them. If you sit in your room and do nothing, you will get nothing out of your experience at Brandeis. Students are very studious, but they are also very involved, so the best way to meet people and have fun is to join clubs and be active in them.
There is a stigma attached to Brandeis of not being a school that knows how to party, and certainly there are schools that do it better. The administration and faculty here sometimes seem to have the position that the cheapest way to do it is the best way. Parking, religious influence, and a shortage of “hot” students may be the other things that people complain about, but there are many ways to get around these and have a good time. And more often than not, Brandeis students find a way to do just that. Many students come in and have no clue what to expect, and many of them leave with memories that will last them a lifetime. Brandeis gets a bad reputation because of the homogenous population, but the students at Brandeis, though awkward, are friendly and welcoming, more so than at schools with a “hotter” or “cooler” student body. And the academics are starting to reach the level of the top schools in the country—Brandeis continues to be ranked among the top 30 schools in the nation in many academic polls. The University is constantly changing and improving, sometimes radically, which should inspire many new students to apply.