Five Things to Know About Brandeis

October 31, 2012 :: Admissionado Team

Every year, Brandeis has ranked among the top 35 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. Just in case you’re curious to learn more specifics about this fantastic school, here are five things to know about Brandeis to help you decide whether it’s a good fit for you:

1. Huge Variety. Brandeis’s undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences offers a whopping 43 majors and 46 minors in a wide variety of topics, ranging from the sciences, to the humanities, to the arts. Some of the less commonly found minors offered by Brandeis are Journalism, Legal Studies, Education, and Film, Television, and Interactive Media. New programs are added all the time, so if you don’t see what you’re looking for, chances are Brandeis may offer it eventually. With this much variety, you’re bound to find the right course of study for you.
2. Lighter Core. The Brandeis core is pretty darn flexible, and not incredibly demanding, either. You take the University Writing Seminar, and one class each from the School of Science, School of Humanities, School of Social Science, and School of Creative Arts. In addition, you need to satisfy one quantitative reasoning course, one non-western and comparative studies course, an oral communication requirement, two physical education classes, and demonstrate foreign language proficiency. Since you have to take 32 courses in order to graduate, Brandeis’s core won’t dominate your academic experience, but will still provide a widespread liberal arts education. Win-win!
3. Global Studies. Brandeis places great importance on understanding the world beyond the campus, and beyond the United States. They offer 350 approved study abroad programs in 70 countries, with options to study during the academic year and over the summer. Some globally-minded academic highlights include studying visual neuroscience at Oxford, ethnographic research in Mongolia, and special education internships in Australia. Recently, Brandeis even created the International and Global Studies program, a new major for students interested in studying how globalization affects politics, economics, and culture.
4. Experiential Learning. Brandeis doesn’t just want their students to be book-smart, they want them to be world-wise. That’s why Brandeis emphasizes experiential learning; internships, research assistantships, independent research, and other hands-on projects are a major part of the curriculum. You can partner with a local community group on a service project, or do research at a Boston museum. Brandeis also offers the Justice Brandeis Semester, an immersion program in which small groups of students study a topic or a theme by way of internship or field-research. JBS topics currently offered are the Environmental Field Semester, Ethnographic Fieldwork, and Web Services and Social Networks. At Brandeis, the world is your classroom.
5. Urban/Suburban. There are so many events going on around campus during the week and weekends, you may never feel the need to venture out. But in case you do, the intimate, suburban Brandeis campus in historic Waltham is just a short ride on the commuter rail from the center of bustling Boston where you can explore cultural attractions, museums, theatre, concerts, or sporting events, and interact with students from dozens of universities that call the Boston area their home.

So there you have it! Check out Brandeis’s website to learn more.