Brandeis University Top Questions

Brandeis professors are known to be friendly, engaging, caring, flexible, and of course, experts in their field! They go out of their way to help you with your academics, professional career, and overall Brandeis experience to ensure you maximize your potential and take full advantage of your college years. The students are definitely stimulated outside of the classroom and always engage teachers over lunch, in general professional forums, career fairs, internship opportunities, and more! Students at Brandeis may be competitive, but you only feel the competition between you and yourself! Brandeis students are known to go out of their way to help one another, even in the most cutting edge classes like pre-med. This says something about the culture of Brandeis and the integrity and deep care students have. I am majoring in Business and Education Studies, with a minor in Near Easter Jewish Studies. The Business major is the only major at Brandeis that you have to apply for, and the school is only about 2 years old. It is a wonderful program! Because the business school is at Brandeis, which has a liberal arts focus, many students do double major to pair business with psychology, sociology, economics, math, etc. Brandeis makes it very easy to double major because the professors are understandable and accommodating. There are also multiple advisors to help you organize your schedule to ensure you are on track and not overburdened. Every single one of my teachers knows my name! Even in my large intro classes, I have introduced myself and build a personal relationship with my professors! They want students to seek them out and contact them--they love it! The school has academic requirements, however you can fill the quota in several ways. For example, if you are not a "science kid," you can take an intro to computer science class.... the truth is that will fulfill most of the requirements when you just complete requirements for your major, it is nothing to worry about!

Going into college, I was expecting the academics to be like high school: I'd get through each day by chatting with friends during and between classes. Classes would be something I did because I was paying for them and to earn a degree and open doors in the future. Instead, I'm able to take classes I love that interest me, and I look forward to going to class, rather than dreading it. Instead of a dull lecture, most of my classes are small discussions with lots of participation, and the conversations continue after class ends. I've even brought up interesting topics or new information at dinner that night with my friends in other majors. General distribution requirements makes exploring different focuses easy and helps guide undecided majors to their passions. As a first year, I had no idea what I wanted to study, and that made choosing a college difficult. I chose Brandeis because I knew I would get a quality liberal arts education no matter what I ended up focusing on, and after taking Women in American History, I knew I wanted to be an American Studies major with a minor in Women's and Gender Studies. With additional minors in Business and Journalism, I'm confident that my Brandeis education is preparing me for nearly any career I could imagine.

Brandeis is known for its rigorous and rewarding academic program. Professors are attentive and engaging; they want to make sure that you get the most out of their class as possible. They are always available via email or through office hours they hold twice a week. Every Brandeis student does major studying- that's the name of the game here. Surely pre-med students are going to have more than other majors but you will see every one of your friends slaving other that test or paper in the library at some point during the semester. Brandeis gives their students a well-rounded liberal arts education. Students must take a class in the Creative Arts, the Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. I am an American Studies/Theater Major with a minor in Journalism. What I have loved most about my classes is that the conversation continues outside the classroom. In my Communications and Media seminar, it is common for students to walk out of the classroom discussing or critiquing the virtues of social networking or the latest campaign controversy. My favorite classes have been in the Journalism program such as Ethics of Journalism and News on Screen. These are small seminar based classes where students are encouraged to speak their mind and analyze the material. There are many big lecture classes of 200 or so students such as Intro to Economics or Intro to Psychology, but professors do their best to learn all their students' names. Some of the most unique classes I've taken are in the theater department such as Collaborative Process, a class in which students create their own original theater pieces using aspects of their own lives and experiences.

I have an interesting view of academics. I do not really like the traditional approach to academics that have been a standard for the past century. I really like to engage with my material and apply it to the broader community. I feel like Brandeis has made a great attempt to balance both my view and the traditional view. I strongly believe real world skills and experience is very important and Brandeis makes it easier for me to do so. I am majoring in Computer Science and I have had a lot of experiential learning opportunities with the field which has made my experience with it much more fulfilling.

While lecture halls at Brandeis can be pretty big classes, it is easy to be as known or unknown to the professor as you want to be. From my experience, professors have generally been scholarly and devoted individuals who are genuinely caring and compassionate about their students and their subject material. Academic classes usually present clear requirements and expectations from the beginning, and they often can be rigorous and demanding, especially in certain areas of study such as science. However, professors are often approachable, hold office hours, and are willing to help you succeed. Maintaining a high GPA may not be a cakewalk, but any student willing to put in the time and effort can do well. Studying is a must, as there will be many papers to write and tests to study for. It is necessary to spend afternoons and occasional weekends in the library. At Brandeis, I am a psychology major, film studies major, and journalism minor, so I have gotten a taste of many different areas. My science-related classes have all incorporated more challenging work and the understanding or learning of more difficult concepts than my humanities classes, which often allow for more freedom and interpretation when writing papers or having discussion. I have generally found my professors to be interesting lecturers and passionate about their subjects. One of my favorite current classes is my Bollywood Cinema class, where we not only get to watch really cool Indian movies from the past seven or so decades, but we also receive compelling commentaries and cultural lessons from the Indian-native professor. From the start of the class, she has made it clear that she wants us all to visit her country, and she reinstates that during almost every class session, though she still ensures we have an understanding of negative aspects of India as well as the positive. She is strict and has high expectations of us to complete all movie and reading assignments, participate in class, write good papers, and study intensively for tests, but the experience and knowledge gained is worth the effort. Additionally, she has almost 100 students but quickly learns everyone's name and encourages students to speak during class sessions. Students are enthralled enough to often hold conversations about her lectures, concepts introduced or discussed, and the movies for this class outside of class time. Many other professors at Brandeis are similar to her, and many other classes are generated like this one.

At Brandeis academics are a huge priority. Almost every student on campus has at least a major and minor, if not two majors. I personally am majoring in sociology, while minoring in journalism and classical studies. While that might seem daunting, the school makes it very easy to double major or minor. As well, unlike most schools, most students don't take part in "Thirsty Thursdays" once the semester gets going. Instead, Sunday through Thursday Brandeis students are doing homework or taking part in activities on campus. As well, intellectual conversations are a normal part of campus life. Partying is left for Friday and Saturday nights only for the most part. Brandeis professors are also very approachable, and the difficulty of the classes vary. The hard sciences are considered the most difficult by most people, however, humanities and social science students can expect to do a lot of writing.

The university requirements are great, mostly because there are hardly any. They've already made more requirements for the latest freshman class, but they're still totally reasonable. I didn't realize how much I'd care about that, but it makes it a lot easier to take classes I am genuinely interested in.

Every professor I have had knows my name. In general, professors care about teaching. I would estimate that class participation has counted toward the final grade in about half of the classes I have taken, indicating that it is an important part of a Brandeis education. I love that I can have intellectual conversations with other students outside of class.

I am a double major in Computer Science and Economics. I went into Brandeis undeclared, but with a wide array of interests. I took a bunch of different courses freshman year, without a particular focus on a major or area of study. I highly recommend that everyone does this, because as human nature and statistics are bound to show you, most people end up changing their major at least once over the course of four years at school. Out of the 800 or so people in my graduating class, more than 400 people came in as pre-med. I think roughly half have changed their majors. (Speculation, I don't know for sure.) Double and triple majors, or multiple minors are commonplace at Brandeis. It is probably because so many of the students are dedicated to their own education, and the quality of the classes here. I decided on my Economics major early in my college career, and was still doing some 'freshman year dabbling' at the beginning of my sophomore year when I took a course in the Computer Science department. Having taken several courses in programming in high school, I had a pretty comfortable background in CoSi. The class I took is one of the 'intro' courses, but it is intense, both in workload and difficulty of material. I thought the professor was engaging, smart and he really taught the material well. The very personal nature of the CoSi department is probably what made me decide to stick with the major. The quality of the education I have received at Brandeis is top-notch, and after talking with students who are majoring in similar fields at other schools, I can say that Brandeis is right up there with the Ivies in terms of the resources it offers and the professors it staffs.

The courses and professors, for the most part, are stimulating and interesting. We sometimes forget that Brandeis is a really prestigious school and that we are lucky to be receiving such a fantastic education! The requirements are reasonable and still allow enough freedom for exploring interesting electives.

Being from Oklahoma, few people there know what Brandeis is, but those who do are impressed that I go there. They say things like, "Oh? That's a pretty.. uhm.. academic school, right?" Yes, it is. There are a lot of smart people there- yes, smarter than you. And the classes are hard. You will be challenged. The art department is surprisingly awesome. It's a tight-knit community with small classes where the professors care about you and your work. Classes at Brandeis are geared toward learning for its own sake. I took classes on American conspiracy theories, anatomy and gender, aging, ethics, and one fusion of studio art and russian literature. They have some weird classes, that's for sure, but some are so fascinating. Most Brandeis kids plan on going to grad school, so the classes are meant to expose you to new things and help you find an area of interest.

Brandeis students work really hard, there's no doubt about that. I am premed, so I may be part of the extreme, but I have literally worked my ass off in my science classes. Students can be competitive, but it's not a sabotage kind of place. Especially for premed kids though, the stress level is high. I also take lots of Spanish literature classes, which are never more than 15-20 kids, and the professors knew my name within the first week or so of class. If you're willing to put in a little effort and have a few awkward moments, you can certainly get to know your professors. The general education requirements (creative arts, non-western, quantitative reasoning, etc...) are relatively easy to meet, but it varies based on your major and interests. I satisfied all of the requirements by the end of sophomore year. There are so many different options/ways to get them done. I took an American Musical Theater class which I absolutely loved, but a lot of people would absolutely hate it. There is something for everyone (ex. my friend hates theater and so he took a 3D art class which wasn't an insane amount of work but satisfied the creative arts requirement). There is also a phys. ed. test to get out of the 2 semester requirement, and it is not too difficult to get out of at least 1. I really do believe that I am getting a good education here, but I do have to work really hard.

Classes are "difficult" in the sense that to do well in them, you actually have to go to class and do the reading. Professors are generally very friendly, very helpful, and want to get to know you. Students are more likely to help each other study than compete.

All of my professors knew my name. It's more difficult in larger classes like lecture classes where there is an upwards of one hundred students. However, it all depends upon if you make yourself known to your professors and you are engaged in your classes. My favorite class last semester was one about Totalitarian Regimes and how authors' writings are affected by those influences. It was incredible and opened my eyes to so many world issues. I haven't noticed that students are very competitive. Everyone does their best in class, studies hard, writes their essays, and goes out to party on the weekend to relax. It's just the right balance of fun and work. The requirements for academics are really realistic. I'm a sociology major and have found that completely the requirements and meeting with advisors is fairly easy to do as long as you keep on top of what you're doing. There are so many internship and fellowship opportunities. It's hard to decide where to begin sometimes! However, there are a lot of career services and internship advisors to narrow down your choices. Brandeis alumn are VOCAL on campus and ready to help.

Classes are usually small, professors make an effort to get to know students. Professors are ALWAYS available and for the most part truly care about student success. Professors are open to relationship with students and are never too busy to talk. Students at Brandeis like to get good grades, but support each other and often study together.

professors definetely know your name, they even take attandence.. profs really show alot of effort to help students individually.. class participation is very common.. profs make sure to encourage you to participate.. they are always available outside of class, they value your opinions truly, always push you to fillout evaluations about them so they can improve.

My favorite class this past semester has to be Acting for Musical Theater with Liz Terry. It was great; who wouldn't love spending three hours a week singing and dancing? In that class, we were paired with another student and during the semester, we learned a scene and duet from a musical in one hour sessions while also learning social dances (everyone loved the Cha-Cha). My partner and I sang "A Little Priest" from Sweeney Todd-- it was the best time!

The classes are great. I have had great professors who I have gotten to know very well. You need to make an effort to get to know your professors. Most students are pretty good about participating and are genuinely interested in what they are doing. The professors really care about your learning, they are always quick to answer questions and will make extra time and give you extra advice if you ask for it. Brandeis certainly emphasizes learning for the sake of learning, but some of my peers seem a little too geared toward the job market and not geared enough toward learning. Others, however, genuinely love to learn and are just learning now with no future job in mind yet. The career center, which had been dormant before I came here, has undergone significant changes and is a great resource. While they try and help you find jobs, internships, etc. they also put heavy emphasis on taking classes purely for the sake of learning.

I love the education I'm getting at Brandeis. I can't speak for any science or math or theater or psychology classes- or really that much out of the spheres of history and politics, of which I am a double major, but the classes I've taken at Brandeis are amazing. My largest class to date has been The American Revolution last fall with David Hackett Fischer. It was a 150 person lecture with a weekly discussion with a TA, but Fischer is such an amazing professor that it really didn't matter that the lectures were large for Brandeis standards. Lectures with the most amazing and well loved professors and intro level lectures are probably all around that size or a little smaller. For the most part, classes are discussion based with 30-50 or so students as a large class. I'm currently in a class with only 2 other students. Professors are really good at having one on one relationships with students and class participation is expected in all but the largest lectures. When it comes down to crunch time, almost everyone studies, the library is open 24 hours during finals, but for the most part, Brandeis students both study and do work and have fun. Most people don't study all the time and most people don't completely slack off and do nothing. I think most people might skip readings, but pretty much everyone goes to classes and does the general work for a class. Another thing that's important about Brandeis academics is that we have no majors specially for certain jobs. There's a pre-med track, must most of the education at Brandeis is directed away from professional training. What professional or pre-professional stuff we do have typically take the form of minors. For example, we do not have a business major, only a business minor. The same is true for education and pre-law. The general Brandeis education, the requirements of the university, are for a well rounded liberal arts education. Everyone has to take certain types of classes- the freshman seminar, freshman writing, and a class with a non- western focus are probably the only real universal requirements. Everything else you can opt out of. We need 3 semesters of a language, but AP or SAT II grades or a placement test can get rid that requirement. AP scorces can also be used for the required humanities, science, social science and creative arts class each student needs and also for the quanative reasoning course everyone needs. If you do have to take a QR, it doesn't mean a math class, there are a handful of social sciences classes that for some reason or another count as a QR. We also have to take 2 PE classes or opt out with a fitness test, which is fine. Overall, because the requirements are really flexible, it's not too bad to have these requirements. And I do like the idea of learning outside of one's specific fields of interest. And it's crazy easy to double or even triple major. Most of the humanities and social science majors are really small in terms of course requirements. Outside of science and theater, it's really rare for someone to have just one major with no or only one minor.

The classes at Brandeis are pretty varied, but in general the standards are very high. Class discussions are excellent and the professors are approachable. The academic requirements aren't too strenuous - two english/writing classes, one science, one math, one art, one non-western, and a language. You'd probably end up taking some of them anyway. Cross-listing is allowed, and double-majoring is really common. My friends at least are intellectual, but I am too so I can't really speak for the rest - if they weren't intellectuals we wouldn't hang out.