Hello, Brandeis! Specifically, hello Brandeis first-years! Welcome to Brandeis. We are The Brandeis Hoot, your community newspaper. All of us here want to welcome you to the Brandeis community and to campus.
Brandeis, and college in general, can be daunting. It’s a new place with new people, and most students find themselves away from home for the first time when they arrive here. It’s scary to be taking on so many “firsts,” especially at Brandeis where every building is named Shapiro.
But, despite the odd naming conventions that the university follows, it really is a great place. There’s endless opportunities for socialization and growth here. Every college is a never-ending social scene, but Brandeis truly embodies that. There are over 200 on-campus organizations, each of which allows you an opportunity to find your people.
There are a cappella clubs for the musically inclined, writing clubs like The Hoot for the coolest people on campus and culture clubs for students from all walks of life. You’ve probably already seen someone say this on a promotional flyer, but there’s something for everyone at Brandeis.
As an example, The Hoot has a huge diversity of interests among our writers. We have editors studying biology and editors studying linguistics. We have writers who read over a dozen books this summer and writers who didn’t even finish one. We even have editors who enjoy mint chocolate chip ice cream and editors whose taste buds are fully developed. Even within one club that was formed around students’ desire to write and inform each other, there’s a wide variety of people. This same diversity exists in other clubs and groups too, and it’s wonderful to know that you’ll find a group that’s right for you no matter where your interests lie.
College is scary, especially without the support system of friends and family that many high school students have. But, that same support system can be built here too. If you branch out and try to find the right people, you will have success here. We at The Hoot welcome you to Brandeis, and hope you’ll take the time to stop by one of our production nights to meet us.
