Brandeis may not be the most attractive campus, but it is one of the most community service oriented schools, according to the recently released 2018 edition of Princeton Review’s guide to “The Best 382 Colleges.”
Brandeis University earned a spot on two top ten lists, ranking 10th in the “least beautiful campus” in the country and the sixth on the “most engaged in community service,” according to The Princeton Review’s guide.
The lists do not reflect the opinions of the writers at Princeton Review. Instead, they reflect student’s opinions of their own school. The lists are compiled yearly by Princeton Review using an 80-question survey. For the 2018 edition, Princeton Review received 137,000 surveys from students at 382 schools. Princeton Review does not release the number of students surveyed at a particular institution.
To determine the least beautiful/most beautiful campus, students at Brandeis were asked, “How do you rate the beauty of your campus?” The survey takers then measured beauty on a scale from “excellent” to “poor.” Though ranked tenth, Brandeis still beat Boston liberal arts college Emerson, which ranked ninth. The least beautiful and most beautiful campuses can both be found in California. Harvey Mudd College in Claremont was ranked the least beautiful while the University of San Diego was ranked the most beautiful.
Brandeis students were also asked how strongly they agreed with the statement, “Students are committed to community service.” Their responses earned Brandeis its ranking as sixth most engaged in community service. Brandeis ranked better than two other Massachusetts schools in this category, Stonehill College and Clark University. In 2015, Brandeis earned the number one spot on this list.
A commitment to community service has been key component of education at Brandeis for a long time. The Waltham Group, an umbrella organization for all community service oriented clubs on campus, celebrated its 50th anniversary during the last academic year.
A new building on campus may affect student’s opinion on the beauty of their school. Major construction occurred over the summer to knock down parts of Usen castle.
Architects at William Rawn Associates will oversee plans and construction of the building. The firm is known for their work on the Cambridge Public Library, Berklee College of Music and Northeastern University Buildings G and H.
Construction of a new and yet to be named residence hall will occur over the next three years and is projected to cost $38 million, financed in bonds. Brandeis’ ranking in the Princeton Review may see an impact thanks to the modern look of the building and the environmentally friendly geothermal heating and cooling system within.
