Brandeis University is located in Waltham, Mass., just nine miles west of Boston. Students are guaranteed housing for their first four semesters. In addition to student-run TV and radio stations, Brandeis has religious and performance groups, service organizations, cultural awareness groups, performance groups and more. The Shapiro Campus Center serves as a hub of student activity on campus, housing a theater, bookstore, cafe, library, meeting rooms and a student art gallery. Cholmondeleys, the campus coffeehouse, is another hotspot for concerts and comedy shows. The Brandeis Judges field more than 15 NCAA Division III teams and are known for their strong mens soccer team. There is no Greek life on campus.Brandeis is comprised of the College of Arts and Sciences and four graduate schools. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers highly ranked programs in Englishand history, and The Heller School for Social Policy and Management is notable for its programs in social policy, health policy and management, and international development. Nearly 50 percent of students participate in study abroad programs offered in about 70 countries around the world. The Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis provides research and information on contemporary Judaism and the Jewish community. Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman graduated from Brandeis, which was named for the first Jewish Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Louis Dembitz Brandeis.

Case Western Reserve University is known for its world class research, but with more than 200 student organizations, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved outside the classroom, too. The Case Western Spartans varsity teams compete in the Division III University Athletic Association. The Greek system, which stresses a commitment to on-campus and community service, involves about one third of students. The campus is located about 20 minutes from downtown Cleveland, where students have free access to a handful of downtown museums like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center. On campus, freshmen live in one of four themed residential communities, which are called Cedar, Juniper, Magnolia and Mistletoe. All students are invited to the annual SpringFest, a collection of music, carnival games and activities that is the largest student-run event on campus.Case Western Reserve University boasts a broad range of top-rated specialty graduate programs, like its health law curriculum at the School of Law. The university also has renowned offerings in biomedical engineering at the School of Engineering and nonprofit management at the Weatherhead School of Management. In addition to its suburban campus, the school owns University Farm, a 400-acre plot of land about 10 miles from campus where students research and take courses in biology, ecology and art. Notable alumni include former U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich and Craig Newmark, creator and namesake of Web site Craigslist.