Brandeis Sociology Major

That everyone is Jewish, rich, and democratic.

For the most part. Personally, I am the opposite of the stereotypical Brandeis student. I am not Jewish, I'm a Christian. I come from an upper-middle class family, a conservative one at that.

Brandeis University is an incredible place to go to school. I know everyone says this, but choosing to attend this college was the best choice I have ever made. It's just the right size, in a residential area, with the conveniences of being close to a big city - Boston. When I tell people that I go to Brandeis they immediately say, "Oh, the 'Jew' school?" Though a great percentage of the student body is Jewish, not everyone is, and I'm not. I was raised Christian and consider myself a Christian. A lot of people ask me if I find it difficult being a Christian in a Jewish University. Absolutely not! It is such a gift to be surrounded by peers with such a deeply rich culture. I have learned so much about the Jewish faith and the Jewish people, a college experience that I would have missed out on otherwise. The Brandeis Administration is, for the most part, welcoming of student imput. There are open hours with the President of the University where students can, independently or in groups, meet with the President and give feedback. The biggest recent conversation on campus is mixed-gender housing. There is a great deal of school pride. The big joke on campus is that we're all socially awkward, unathletic (we don't have a football team), and pretty big nerds. For the most part, that's true! But for a socially awkward student body, we know how to party, get involved in the community, and represent our school in a truly unique way. I LOVE Brandeis, through and through. It's an amazing place to be.

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.

Brandeis students are primarily Jewish. There is a huge orthodox Jewish community on campus that are visible. We have a kosher dining hall available. Our basketball team is pretty good and Brandeis has one of the largest percentage of a capella groups on campus! They're great! Brandeis students are all unique in their own way. There are a lot of sketch comedy teams, bands, and dance troops. We even have a step team. I'm from Maine, but most Brandeis students are from either New York City or California. Most of the student body is well off but money isn't really an issue, it's a private matter. If you are ignorant to world issues, into looks and status, or a slacker, you might feel out of place at Brandeis. Brandeis students are fun!

Greek life is not official at Brandeis but there are underground sororities and fraternities. I am closest friends with those on my hall and those in my major. Everyone leaves their doors open and people in the hall are really talkative. It helps if you're on a co-ed floor, like me! I'm involved in a poetry group, I go to a lot of the live band shows, and I like going to the basketball games and cheering for our team. Dating is kind of hard at Brandeis. There aren't a whole lot of couples on campus, everyone kind of dates and has a good time, nothing serious though. People party every weekend. During the week it is WORK time. Some fun events we have are a Naked dance every fall where people wear their underwear, DiscoTent which is a huge party in the woods behind the school, Purim which is a Jewish holiday kind of like Halloween where you get to party in a Rabbi's house!, and Culture X where all the cultural groups and dance teams on campus perform in a big show in the spring. Life at Brandeis is never boring. There is always a speaker or a band playing or something going on. If you don't drink, that's not a problem. There's a late night diner where people hang out and get pancakes at 3am, karaoke, and plays to go to. Plus, Boston is only 9 miles away! It's fun to go out to dinner, go dancing, or shop on Newbury St. I love going to Brandeis.