Anonymous
01/09/2026 18:09
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Brandeis has a strong Jewish tradition used to be a lot deeper. It’s like saying ND is not Catholic.
Except that ND is literally run by the Roman Catholic Church and Brandeis is not run by any Jewish sect.
Notre Dame is not "run by the Roman Catholic Church." It's affiliated with the Church, yes, but it's been "run" by an independent board of lay trustees since 1967.
Who are overseen and selected by a clerical Board of Fellows.
LOL Notre Dame is constantly getting shit from Catholics and Catholic bishops for not being Catholic enough. People freaked out when Obama gave the commencement address and when Joe Biden got the Laetare Medal because he favored abortion rights. It's not Ave Maria University.
You're just another knee jerk DCUM poster with zero actual experience with the University.
I have no problem with Notre Dame. I'd be perfectly happy to send my Jewish kids there. But to suggest that ND isn't a Catholic school or that Brandeis is just as Jewish as ND is Catholic is either stupidity or a complete lack of understanding of the significant organizational differences both of the two schools and the two religions.
Maybe. But when you think Notre Dame you think Catholic, as do many others. And when I think Brandeis I think Jewish, as do many others. And the "organizational" differences have very little bearing on the day-to-day experience of the student body.
There is a day to day difference. The student body at Notre Dame is more religious and aligned with Catholic values. It is run by a religious organization…Brandeis is NOT. At Notre Dame, over 80% of students identify as Catholic. You are tiresome and I can’t understand your agenda other than antisemitism and being uncomfortable with a college that dares have a 30% population of Jewish students.
DP: How is a student being Catholic versus Jewish a day to day difference in your engineering class?
DP: You are being purposefully obtuse. OP's kid is choosing a community, not a place to take classes. Certainly, engineering classes will be similar (does Brandeis have engineering?) but the tenor of the communities will likely be different for many reasons, including that ND's president is a PREIST who has been ordained in the Catholic church. I don't know much about Brandies's community, and am very surprised it hear that the student body is only 30% Jewish. All the people I knew who applied there in the 1990s were Jewish -- every one -- and I got the sense that being on a majority-Jewish campus was a major draw for them.
Anonymous
01/09/2026 18:04
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Not a big city but w&m? my daughter had villanova and brandeis on her list but went to w&m.
what does your child want from a big city?
We are in NYC so w&m is probably too much of a reach as well. I don't think he needs to be IN a big city, like an NYU type campus, but when we looked at remote schools it was a hard no ("there's nothing here.")
I have had 2 kids go thru the college search process. When we started with Kid 1, I interpreted his similar statement (“there’s nothing here” in response to a tour of Middlebury) the same way as you, OP, so immediately set my brain to looking for city-adjacent colleges with their own campus.
What I came to realize is that he just didn’t want a super remote tiny college.
Agree with posters that Brandeis and Villanova have wildly different vibes.
If he likes the Villanova sports/spirit vibe, look at UGA, U of SC, College of Charleston, Pitt.
If he likes the more studious vibe, look at Case Western, Rochester, still Pitt.
Thanks! Were all those on your kids' list? I would prefer not to send DC to a ginormous state school like UGA or U of SC. I think he might get lost. Although we will of course apply to SUNYs.
Anonymous
01/09/2026 17:50
Subject: Re:Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t consider Brandeis a religious school. Villanova barely is.
And you’re not “mixed religion”, you are non-religious.
Brandeis academic calendar:
Wednesday, April 1 - Thursday, April 9 Passover: No university exercises.
Friday, May 22 **Shavuot.
It is hard to make the argument that Brandeis is not religious
DC public schools give off for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, so it's basically like a Yeshiva.
DCPS does not give off for the Jewish holidays.
Large majority of the Baltimore/Philly schools do
Anonymous
01/09/2026 17:48
Subject: Re:Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t consider Brandeis a religious school. Villanova barely is.
And you’re not “mixed religion”, you are non-religious.
Brandeis academic calendar:
Wednesday, April 1 - Thursday, April 9 Passover: No university exercises.
Friday, May 22 **Shavuot.
It is hard to make the argument that Brandeis is not religious
DC public schools give off for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, so it's basically like a Yeshiva.
DCPS does not give off for the Jewish holidays.
Anonymous
01/08/2026 13:49
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
I assume how you swear when you break stuff in the lab. Probably.
Anonymous
01/08/2026 13:20
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Brandeis has a strong Jewish tradition used to be a lot deeper. It’s like saying ND is not Catholic.
Except that ND is literally run by the Roman Catholic Church and Brandeis is not run by any Jewish sect.
Notre Dame is not "run by the Roman Catholic Church." It's affiliated with the Church, yes, but it's been "run" by an independent board of lay trustees since 1967.
Who are overseen and selected by a clerical Board of Fellows.
LOL Notre Dame is constantly getting shit from Catholics and Catholic bishops for not being Catholic enough. People freaked out when Obama gave the commencement address and when Joe Biden got the Laetare Medal because he favored abortion rights. It's not Ave Maria University.
You're just another knee jerk DCUM poster with zero actual experience with the University.
I have no problem with Notre Dame. I'd be perfectly happy to send my Jewish kids there. But to suggest that ND isn't a Catholic school or that Brandeis is just as Jewish as ND is Catholic is either stupidity or a complete lack of understanding of the significant organizational differences both of the two schools and the two religions.
Maybe. But when you think Notre Dame you think Catholic, as do many others. And when I think Brandeis I think Jewish, as do many others. And the "organizational" differences have very little bearing on the day-to-day experience of the student body.
There is a day to day difference. The student body at Notre Dame is more religious and aligned with Catholic values. It is run by a religious organization…Brandeis is NOT. At Notre Dame, over 80% of students identify as Catholic. You are tiresome and I can’t understand your agenda other than antisemitism and being uncomfortable with a college that dares have a 30% population of Jewish students.
DP: How is a student being Catholic versus Jewish a day to day difference in your engineering class?
Anonymous
01/08/2026 13:16
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:BC and Nova have strong Catholic affiliation.
So what?
Brown was founded by Baptists, Columbia by Anglicans, Dartmouth was founded by New Light Congregationalists to educate and evangelize Native Americans, Princeton was also NLC, Havard was Puritans, and Yale by Congregationalsits who thought Harvard wasn't religious enough.
In practice, what do you think that means for a college student?
Anonymous
01/08/2026 13:08
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Brandeis has a strong Jewish tradition used to be a lot deeper. It’s like saying ND is not Catholic.
Except that ND is literally run by the Roman Catholic Church and Brandeis is not run by any Jewish sect.
Notre Dame is not "run by the Roman Catholic Church." It's affiliated with the Church, yes, but it's been "run" by an independent board of lay trustees since 1967.
Who are overseen and selected by a clerical Board of Fellows.
LOL Notre Dame is constantly getting shit from Catholics and Catholic bishops for not being Catholic enough. People freaked out when Obama gave the commencement address and when Joe Biden got the Laetare Medal because he favored abortion rights. It's not Ave Maria University.
You're just another knee jerk DCUM poster with zero actual experience with the University.
I have no problem with Notre Dame. I'd be perfectly happy to send my Jewish kids there. But to suggest that ND isn't a Catholic school or that Brandeis is just as Jewish as ND is Catholic is either stupidity or a complete lack of understanding of the significant organizational differences both of the two schools and the two religions.
Maybe. But when you think Notre Dame you think Catholic, as do many others. And when I think Brandeis I think Jewish, as do many others. And the "organizational" differences have very little bearing on the day-to-day experience of the student body.
There is a day to day difference. The student body at Notre Dame is more religious and aligned with Catholic values. It is run by a religious organization…Brandeis is NOT. At Notre Dame, over 80% of students identify as Catholic. You are tiresome and I can’t understand your agenda other than antisemitism and being uncomfortable with a college that dares have a 30% population of Jewish students.
Anonymous
01/08/2026 10:01
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Brandeis has a strong Jewish tradition used to be a lot deeper. It’s like saying ND is not Catholic.
Except that ND is literally run by the Roman Catholic Church and Brandeis is not run by any Jewish sect.
Notre Dame is not "run by the Roman Catholic Church." It's affiliated with the Church, yes, but it's been "run" by an independent board of lay trustees since 1967.
Who are overseen and selected by a clerical Board of Fellows.
LOL Notre Dame is constantly getting shit from Catholics and Catholic bishops for not being Catholic enough. People freaked out when Obama gave the commencement address and when Joe Biden got the Laetare Medal because he favored abortion rights. It's not Ave Maria University.
You're just another knee jerk DCUM poster with zero actual experience with the University.
I have no problem with Notre Dame. I'd be perfectly happy to send my Jewish kids there. But to suggest that ND isn't a Catholic school or that Brandeis is just as Jewish as ND is Catholic is either stupidity or a complete lack of understanding of the significant organizational differences both of the two schools and the two religions.
Maybe. But when you think Notre Dame you think Catholic, as do many others. And when I think Brandeis I think Jewish, as do many others. And the "organizational" differences have very little bearing on the day-to-day experience of the student body.
Anonymous
01/08/2026 09:57
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Brandeis has a strong Jewish tradition used to be a lot deeper. It’s like saying ND is not Catholic.
Except that ND is literally run by the Roman Catholic Church and Brandeis is not run by any Jewish sect.
Notre Dame is not "run by the Roman Catholic Church." It's affiliated with the Church, yes, but it's been "run" by an independent board of lay trustees since 1967.
Who are overseen and selected by a clerical Board of Fellows.
LOL Notre Dame is constantly getting shit from Catholics and Catholic bishops for not being Catholic enough. People freaked out when Obama gave the commencement address and when Joe Biden got the Laetare Medal because he favored abortion rights. It's not Ave Maria University.
You're just another knee jerk DCUM poster with zero actual experience with the University.
I have no problem with Notre Dame. I'd be perfectly happy to send my Jewish kids there. But to suggest that ND isn't a Catholic school or that Brandeis is just as Jewish as ND is Catholic is either stupidity or a complete lack of understanding of the significant organizational differences both of the two schools and the two religions.
Anonymous
01/08/2026 09:53
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Brandeis has a strong Jewish tradition used to be a lot deeper. It’s like saying ND is not Catholic.
Except that ND is literally run by the Roman Catholic Church and Brandeis is not run by any Jewish sect.
Notre Dame is not "run by the Roman Catholic Church." It's affiliated with the Church, yes, but it's been "run" by an independent board of lay trustees since 1967.
Who are overseen and selected by a clerical Board of Fellows.
LOL Notre Dame is constantly getting shit from Catholics and Catholic bishops for not being Catholic enough. People freaked out when Obama gave the commencement address and when Joe Biden got the Laetare Medal because he favored abortion rights. It's not Ave Maria University.
You're just another knee jerk DCUM poster with zero actual experience with the University.
Anonymous
01/08/2026 09:51
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Brandeis and Villanova don’t have the prestige to command $90 thousand a year. State flagships much better deal. Both of those schools are not top50 ranked schools.
Anonymous
01/08/2026 09:48
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Oh also some colleges in Florida - I don’t think you posted his stats but U of Miami and U of F are good places to start, and U of Tampa easier admit.
Anonymous
01/08/2026 09:47
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Not a big city but w&m? my daughter had villanova and brandeis on her list but went to w&m.
what does your child want from a big city?
We are in NYC so w&m is probably too much of a reach as well. I don't think he needs to be IN a big city, like an NYU type campus, but when we looked at remote schools it was a hard no ("there's nothing here.")
I have had 2 kids go thru the college search process. When we started with Kid 1, I interpreted his similar statement (“there’s nothing here” in response to a tour of Middlebury) the same way as you, OP, so immediately set my brain to looking for city-adjacent colleges with their own campus.
What I came to realize is that he just didn’t want a super remote tiny college.
Agree with posters that Brandeis and Villanova have wildly different vibes.
If he likes the Villanova sports/spirit vibe, look at UGA, U of SC, College of Charleston, Pitt.
If he likes the more studious vibe, look at Case Western, Rochester, still Pitt.
Anonymous
01/08/2026 09:35
Subject: Schools with a similar profile to Brandeis and Villanova, minus the religion
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Brandeis has a strong Jewish tradition used to be a lot deeper. It’s like saying ND is not Catholic.
Except that ND is literally run by the Roman Catholic Church and Brandeis is not run by any Jewish sect.
Notre Dame is not "run by the Roman Catholic Church." It's affiliated with the Church, yes, but it's been "run" by an independent board of lay trustees since 1967.
Who are overseen and selected by a clerical Board of Fellows.