A year ago, I was you... worrying about college (and Vanderbilt)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
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<p>Let me just preface this by saying that Vanderbilt was actually the school I vetted the least. I applied on a whim (mostly because they took the Common Application with no additional essay), but now I officially am in love with this school. So, since I mostly read College Confidential without ever posting, this is my giving back, if you will. </p>

<p>Hopefully this might help someone who is looking at Vanderbilt? I’m just going to write about the living, social, and academic aspects. So, here’s why I love Vandy:</p>

<p>Living-
1. Time Magazine actually wrote an entire article based off of The Commons. The entire freshman class (A</a> Frosh New Start - TIME) lives on a new, $150 million 10-year project. You think you want the venerated ivy-covered dorms? Let me tell you, when I visited friends and lived in those dorms, going to restrooms and living in buildings built over a hundred years ago gets, well, old, really fast. Our dorms were either built in 2008 or very newly renovated. Bathrooms are cleaned for you (that actually makes a big difference, trust me), and rooms are huge. Living here is like living in a palace. See New</a> Residence Halls Open at Vanderbilt if you don't believe me.</p>

<ol>
<li>I cannot praise the dining hall enough. Seriously. I have eaten in about a dozen different colleges—both visiting friends and living on campus for camps, etc—and Vanderbilt doesn’t just exceed these other colleges on a scale of 1 to 10; Vandy would rank about a 20. Some of the pasta dishes are Italian restaurant quality; we have wood-fired ovens to cook pizza in the Commons’ Dining Hall. I think the BBQ Chicken pizza on campus is actually better than California Pizza Kitchen’s. There are so many choices; there’s Asian food at “the wok,” grilled burgers, chicken, fries (better than most restaurant fries), veggie burgers, a huge selection at the salad bar, soups, a full sandwich bar, a traditional “dining area” with meals that change every night (think rice, couscous, mashed potatoes, medley of steamed vegetables, lamb (what other college serves lamb?), chicken, steak, etc.), five options for that divine pizza, fresh fruit, vegetables, and a dessert bar to rival many cruise lines’ dessert bars. All these options are available every lunch and every single dinner. And if you don’t have time for a full sit down meal? The “Munchie Mart” is right next door with lots of amazing sandwiches, to-go meals, and snacks galore. To get to those morning classes, coffee (gourmet, free-trade, and organic) is part of every meal plan. Basically, you can choose one of the following options</li>
<li> an entree, two sides, a drink</li>
<li> an entree, three sides, and water
For lots of colleges, if you don’t have time for breakfast, you waste the meal. For me, after my class ends at 10:50, I wander by a munchie mart before the day’s breakfast meal period ends at 11, and pick up milk, granola bars, and cereal for the next day’s breakfast. </li>
</ol>

<p>Social-
3. The people here are amazing! Yes, the stereotypical “vandy girls” and “vandy boys” do exist. I was actually terrified about the party/drinking/rich stereotype before I came here; it was a big consideration for me, and I almost didn't come to Vandy because of it. Good thing I still accepted Vanderbilt's offer! </p>

<p>I was actually really surprised by the great balance of the people here. Nashville is great; downtown is accessible through the (very safe) public transportation—free with your Student ID. Clubs and bars are within a few blocks of campus, and downtown Nashville is like a $15 cab ride away. Splitting that among five friends equals a great weekend for very little. Also, Taylor Swift even tweeted that she saw Vanderbilt kids moving in! (and apparently you can just wander into places and see celebrities just getting a cup or coffee). Also, the music nightlife is great; lots of great concerts (even for those who might not like country).</p>

<p>Vandy has a motto of “work hard, play hard,” and we probably have the best nightlife and club scene of any top 20 school. But if you don’t drink, there’s an amazing array of options for you as well. My floor is split about 50/50; some don’t drink and have lots of fun, some go out to the frats every weekend. Each to their own. If you want to go Greek (1/2 the women and 1/3 the men at Vanderbilt do), then rush at the end of your freshman year. Note: you can still party without going Greek, and by no means does the Greek scene dominate the social scene. Although the numbers sound intimidating, think about it: half of the girls (and more than 2/3 of the guys) don’t rush. With 1,600 people in our freshman class, then more than 1,000 don’t go Greek. Think you can find people who are like you in that majority? Also, we have so many clubs that you'll meet people like you even if they aren't living on the same floor as you.</p>

<p>Yes, lots of girls wear name brands--Coach, Gucci, Ray Bans sunglasses are popular, but lots of girls shop at Forever 21, Aeropostale, Ross, TJ Maxx, Target. The general trend is more classy, preppy, clean-cut looks. But there’s a little bit of every style here. Moreover, after the first weekend, Vandy Student Government sponsored shuttles to Target. I saw so many girls coming back with clothes from Target that weekend! There's really a lot of diversity. On the note of diversity: I’m a minority race here from the Northwest. Feel absolutely fine in the South; I love it here!</p>

<p>Also, ladies, southern gentlemen are amazing. First, very attractive guys here. They’re also incredibly polite; yesterday my friend was telling me about how two guys from her dorm’s downstairs floor (floors are single gender) baked her entire girl’s floor chocolate chip cookies from scratch. In another friend’s dorm, their guys’ floor sponsored a movie night. What other college do you have guys who will not only willingly give up sofas and comfortable chairs when the girls walk in, but will also get angry at any male friend who won’t give up the seat for the ladies? Guys here will literally walk a bit faster than you to get to a door, so they can open it for you. And none of this chivalry is that forced, “look at me, I’m a gentleman” chivalry. It’s all very natural. It’s just how it is here in the South.</p>

<p>For the guys: there are lots of very pretty Vandy girls. There have been entire threads on Vanderbilt’s College Confidential page about the “smokin’ hot girls,” so I won’t elaborate. But basically, people here are amazing.</p>

<p>Academic-
4. The liberal arts requirements here are actually really lax. None of this “core curriculum” mass of required classes that seem to be the status-quo for many of the top 20 universities. Vandy allows you choose from an amazing and really interesting array of classes. Check out our options. One of the main indicators of whether you’ll be happy at any college (and happiness is why we do what we do, right?) is if you’ll like the classes you’re taking. Also, the professors here are amazing. Student faculty ratio: 8:1. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Vanderbilt offers a ridiculous amount of financial aid and merit-based scholarships. Also, if you’re a National Merit Finalist (and last year we had 147 merit finalists), Vandy will give you an automatic $5000 a year (if you don’t get another scholarship). If you get the full tuition Cornelius, Chancellor, or Ingram Scholarship, you’ll still get an additional $2000. People turn down Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the like for Vanderbilt’s merit scholarships. The New York Times ran a blog of someone who just turned down both Harvard and Yale for Vanderbilt. See Vanderbilt or Yale? - NYTimes.com</p></li>
<li><p>People here are smart. There are two Presidential Scholars in the class of 2014 (121 Presidential Scholars chosen out of 3 million high school seniors by the U.S. Department of Education), a girl who was on Oprah... and tons of other brilliant students. Talk about great people who will only further everyone else’s learning experiences! </p></li>
</ol>

<p>In closing, I’m just going to tell one quick anecdote. Last weekend, Vanderbilt rented out the entire Nashville art museum and threw the Class of 2014 a freshman celebration. What other college do you know of who will rent out an art museum, set up a dance floor and a dessert bar, hire DJs, caricaturists, and then shuttle out all the freshmen for a night of amazing fun? This could you be you: Albums</a> | Class of 2014 Celebration at the Frist</p>

<p>If anyone has any questions or other concerns, I'd be happy to reply to your post! I absolutely love Vanderbilt, and I am so incredibly happy here. :)</p>

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<p>Great post, thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Unfortunately the dorms after your first year are nowhere near as nice. But everything else carries over!</p>

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<p>That was my first thought when I read this too. I agree with most everything here, but keep in mind the Commons residences/dining halls will be much better than the years beyond freshman year. Good post.</p>

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<p>^Wow. Really nice post! Thanks so much for “giving back!” You made Vanderbilt sound even more amazing than we thought.</p>

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<p>what a great post…my son is a sophomore, independent and extremely happy, too. He has amazing friends and really loves the communities near the campus you can get to on foot…like Hillsboro Village, Elliston Place, Centennial Park events and West End etc… but he also just has terrific things to say about his professors and the quality of his educational experience. Definitely exceeded his expectations.</p>

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<p>to answer your last question, University of Pennsylvania :)</p>

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<p>■■■■■. </p>

<p>.</p>

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<p>I’m so glad I chose Vanderbilt over Penn.</p>

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<p>Good post. Although as a New Yorker I think you’re overexagerrating the opening doors thing. guys will open doors for a hot girl pretty much anywhere in the country. Hell me being the nice guy I am I hold doors for guys too, yeah I’m so nice, and yeah I’m from new york.</p>

<p>As for #4, what are you talking about? yeah there is a core cirriculum just like many other colleges but you are right in saying ther’es a lot of stuff you can pick so you never really have to take a class you dont want to. </p>

<p>vanderbilt definitely exceeded my expectations too. I like coming here, heck being round here almost makes up for the fact that I have to study and do work for a whole semester. Almost. </p>

<p>Commons is great, but living on main campus is convenient and if you live in anywhere but kissam you will like it equally as much (youre near everything too). Kissam is the only POS on campus, gonna be torn down sooner or later </p>

<p>a lot of praise in your post, I think something more useful to prospective students would be some criticisms. anyone would want to go to a great school, but there are things that separate great school 1 from great school 2. I think vandy is awesome but it aint perfect and there are some things that might be deal breakers for some people.</p>

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<p>^^^Runtime, what do you see as the deal breakers for some people?</p>

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<p>OK runtime, I’ll bite. What are the less-than-perfect things about Vandy that might be deal breakers for some people?</p>

<p>(Cross posted with helpingmom)</p>

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<p>Here’s one. Some people are looking for a really intellectually stimulating atmosphere for their college career. To be blunt, you won’t exactly find that at Vanderbilt unless you search really, really, REALLY hard. </p>

<p>There’s a difference between Vanderbilt and other top tier schools in this regard. People are serious about studying (their GPA), but there’s a huge lack of intellectual curiosity in the student body. In the article that the first poster in this thread linked to, about a guy choosing between Vanderbilt and Yale, someone comments that Yale can offer an intellectual community that Vanderbilt can’t. I don’t know what Yale is like, but this is something I can certainly imagine as true. </p>

<p>Some people might be looking for a more sports oriented school. Vanderbilt basketball is legit, but vanderbilt football isn’t really the kind of huge thing it is at schools like USC, Ohio State, Penn State. Even for basketball, Vanderbilt basketball still is outshined by schools like Duke and Kentucky. </p>

<p>Some people might be religious/conservative or something, and are looking for a dry campus. Good luck with that at Vanderbilt. </p>

<p>Some people might be looking into a very difficult major. If you’re pre-med, Vanderbilt is going to be VERY tough. I don’t know the exact statistic but I’d venture a guess that around a third of all pre-med students who go to Vandy will come out with a different career path. </p>

<p>Some people may want to live off campus for all 4 years. Vanderbilt’s system works so that even in your senior year you might not be able to live off campus. Vanderbit’s meal plan also locks you in for several years, some people may not want to be locked into something like that. </p>

<p>Some people may be looking for a school that’s more tied in with the city around it, and even though this is primarily the students fault, the Vandy bubble is so-called for a reason, most students will find themselves spending their time on or around campus for everything from parties to studying to playing sports. </p>

<p>Some people will want to drive. Not only does it cost a ton of money to have a car at Vandy, but it can become very inconvenient with parking and a lot of times is more of a hassle than its worth. </p>

<p>Some people say there’s grade deflation at Vanderbilt. Courses can be fairly tough and you might not achieve the same GPA at Vanderbilt that you might at a comparable top school. </p>

<p>If you’re a girl, there’s going to be a lot of peer pressure in terms of looks/clothes/etc. A LOT. If you’re a guy, it doesn’t matter at all, but if you’re a girl, there definitely is. Girls often are obsessive about hitting the gym, eating right, and fashion (none of which are bad things). But if you don’t want to play that game, then Vanderbilt is probably not the school for you. </p>

<p>There are probably some other things. Either way point is that Vanderbilt’s a good school, but most people who go to a well known school are equally as happy with their choice. So criticism of the school would be something that’s important to prospective students. Many good schools can offer you strong academics, a decent party scene, and a friendly student body - the differences between each school are what ppl want to know.</p>

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<p>Okay, so I’m a freshman, and after being here a month, here are my thoughts:</p>

<p>I applied to Vanderbilt as a backup school, never visited, and only picked it because I couldn’t pay for my first choice.
The financial aid here is fantastic; as is the merit aid. That’s what got me in the door, as well as the kid who wrote the NYT article about how turned down Yale and Harvard for here (he’s a pretty cool dude).
Campus life is pretty fun, lots of stuff to do, but a little frat-centric. As a freshman, there’s a lot of pressure to go to frat parties and rush, it seems like that’s been the focus of my social life since I got here. There’s a lot to do in the city, but it seems like few people (at this point at least) are concerned with getting out and exploring town. There’s a definite bubble containing the campus and a few bars near the campus and downtown. SEC football is a lot of fun, and a lot of people say we aren’t a “football school” because we suck at it, but every home game is pretty much the focus of the day for everyone.
The food is really good. Commons, Rand, CT West, and Chef James are all fantastic, and you can go to Quiznos as part of your meal plan too. The “munchie marts” are really good too, great for breakfast and fourthmeal, though the selection of healthy food is even more limited here than it is everywhere else. Other than salads, the selection of vegetables is utter crap. Not gonna lie there.
Again, the commons are fantastic, but the quality of the dorms drops off seriously after your first year. Sophomore year dorms are especially bad. There’s more/better choices junior/senior year.
My major complaint here is the academics. The professors are knowledgeable and care about their subject, but the students make the classes just kind of suck. I would say Vanderbilt’s a “pre-professional” school, as in everyone here wants to go into business, medicine, law, or banking. Everyone. Even the engineers. I’ve found few are here because they simply thirst for knowledge and enjoy learning. This leads to a few things:
A. There is no atmosphere of intellectualism. Zero. Most people only care about their grade in class; very few people discuss academic or philosophical questions that are not related to their current homework. I probably have 3 friends that I feel I have intellectually engaging conversations, the NYT writer included, otherwise, nobody has a real interest in that sort of thing. I’m currently debating whether I should just bite the bullet and try to transfer somewhere that has this sort of atmosphere and take out loans to pay for it because this is not the kind of atmosphere I’d hoped to find myself in in college. It’s not that it’s not fun, it’s just not rewarding in the ways I’d hoped it would be.
B. People only learn to make the grade, not to become educated. This leads to a lot of unprepared, and quite frankly, stupid people in your classes. I placed out of the intro econ classes and signed up for intermediate micro thinking it would be a challenge; I have never been in a room with so many people that are functionally ■■■■■■■■. We go over the same problem six times because the juniors in this class can’t do arithmetic. I feel somewhat like the standards are kind of low here, too. I was incredibly disappointed when I found out I won the freshman summer reading competition simply because I wrote my entry in twenty minutes, and it was incredibly bland and poorly written compared to other work I’ve done. The administration claimed they had to expand the winning pool because the quality of work was so fantastic, so it’s not as though there was no other competition, either. Eh, whatever.</p>

<p>Reading over this, it kind of sounds like I think the academics are terrible. This is untrue, many of the classes phenomenal and interesting. If you pick your courses well, you will end up really enjoying them. I signed up for Math 205, which is a combination linear algebra/MV calc class for people that got a 5 on BC calc. I have never so thoroughly enjoyed a class. The work we do is thoroughly proofs-based and it’s an entirely new way of learning math, and I basically have my mind blown (in a good way) every day. Most of the people in there are academically curious and I would easily say that the class matches, if not exceeds, the quality of any ivy-league class. My freshman writing seminar, about environmental toxins and corporate interests, is wildly interesting and the professor is amazingly knowledgeable, though the class is a bit easy. My spanish class, intermediate writing, is a very difficult and work-intensive class for me, but I definitely feel that I’m learning a significant amount.
Basically, the academics here are what you make of them. People tell you not to take hard courses if you can, but they are dead wrong. Basically, if you want to be intellectually challenged, you have take the hardest courses you think you can handle, but in the end you will find yourself rewarded.</p>

<p>Overall, I’m definitely happy that I’m here, and the social life here is a blast. If you are looking for a more intellectual atmosphere, I would look elsewhere (even at schools that are-gasp!-ranked lower), but it is what you make of it. If you branch out and join clubs and do activities that interest you, you’ll have a fun time, and the everyone here has been incredibly nice and fun.</p>

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<p>As a soph just wanted to say a few things about what^^ wrote</p>

<p>You mentioned you liked Math 205 more than your intermediate micro course. It’s all in what subject you are taking. Not going to lie, but some of the lazier students tend to gravitate towards certain subject areas <em>cough</em> HOD <em>cough</em>. I’m an ECON major, but I will readily admit that some of the hardest working, most studious people are in the sciences. That includes biology/chemistry/math/engineering/etc. The reason? Cause if you don’t work extremely hard you may not pass, they’re the toughest classes at vanderbilt. Sometimes your grade depends on you doing better than everyone else (and there are some smart students you have to compete with).</p>

<p>Social life will be frat-centric for freshman, that’s just the way it is. As a sophmore and an independent I will have a harder time getting into the frats, especially in those frats where I or no one in my group knows a brother. But tbh for upperclassmen frats become less important, even for those in the frat (they aren’t required to devote as much time to party planning and things along those lines), there are Towers parties where you just need to know someone to get into, and upperclassmen tend to take the trip downtown that freshman rarely do, and finally get to know Nashville. But for freshmen…you’ll find a ton of people whose fridays and saturdays nights are frat parties. </p>

<p>As for football, it’s the first two games. As the excitement of a new season wears off and the reality of our standing in the SEC becomes clear you won’t find as many people willing to attend a game in the cold to watch a beat-down. IMO the focus of the day for everyone is tailgating, know plenty of people who just go tailgate and forgo the game. </p>

<p>And yeah you’re right, there are a lot of schools ranked lower, particularly liberal arts schools, where you can find the intellectual atmosphere Vandy lacks.</p>

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<p>do you like vandy overall?</p>

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<p>yeah, pretty much everyone does. its just that there are some things some people might not like, and its important that they know what they are before they come to Vandy.</p>

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<p>If you’re a girl, there’s going to be a lot of peer pressure in terms of looks/clothes/etc. A LOT. If you’re a guy, it doesn’t matter at all, but if you’re a girl, there definitely is. Girls often are obsessive about hitting the gym, eating right, and fashion (none of which are bad things). But if you don’t want to play that game, then Vanderbilt is probably not the school for you. </p>

<hr>

<p>As the mother of a young woman who is a senior, I think it’s more like, “if you don’t want to play that game AND you want to be popular with people who expect you to be this way, then Vanderbilt is probably not the school for you.” My daughter has no interest in playing that game, and she is very happy at Vanderbilt.</p>

<p>In addition, she does venture outside the Vandy-bubble. </p>

<p>She has never been to a Vandy fraternity party or a Vandy football game. And yet, she still likes the school. She has found lots of things that she likes to do. </p>

<p>Vandy is what you make it. There are great opportunities available to those who are not afraid to try things out.</p>

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<p>Hi all, Vandy sophomore here. This is my 2 cents:</p>

<p>Vanderbilt probably was not the best school for me, but I am making the most of it. A lot of people (including myself) have applied to transfer, feeling like they don’t fit in. There is an intellectual scene, but it’s not mainstream Vandy.</p>

<p>There’s a lot of pressure on everyone (not just girls), to succeed -after- college, thus the GPA obsession. Most people are at Vandy for the purpose of going to med school or grad school, not to enrich themselves academically. There are people who do just love to learn, and they are hard to find… but they’re worth searching for. I’ve met some of the smartest, greatest, most interesting people in the world at Vandy, and I’ve made some my best friends here.</p>

<p>There are good and bad sides to everything here. And to second the person who said premed at Vandy will be hard, I will say this: the purpose of bio 110, gen chem, and calc below 175 is to break you. Don’t expect a 4.0 med school gpa coming out of Vandy for your future applications–just be happy to survive the premed track.</p>

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<p>While Vanderbilt may not have as big of an intellectual “scene” as some other colleges and universities, I disagree that the intellectual atmosphere is lacking. I’ve actually had quite a few stimulating discussions with my peers. Granted, if you’re hoping that everyone is talking about Sartre and Nietzsche 24/7, then yes, you will be disappointed. But it’s that kind of pseudo-intellectualism that I find repulsive anyways. Vanderbilt kids are smart, but they also understand that college is a place to have fun and let loose. We realize that college is one of the last places we will have to enjoy being a “kid.” It really is the perfect combination of work and play. And yes, we are all mainly focused on going to professional school. While the idea is romantic and idealistic, don’t kid yourself that college is all about enriching oneself - you could do that for free at your local library. It’s a great side effect, but no one’s going to lie and say they aren’t here for the purpose of later having a good job.</p>

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<p>As a freshman just through his first month at vandy, I feel like there are some things i want to say. First off, I love vandy. This school is great. Honestly the people at vanderbilt are great. Everyone is welcoming and nice. There is a drinking culture so beware. I drink so I dont know what the kids do who dont drink but they seem to be having fun. Vandy kids are smart, you’ll know it if you have a conversation with anyone. The caliber of conversation is higher, even if it’s not some obscure philosophical debate. So, no dont come here if you want to have intellectual conversations everyday but they def do happen. If you drink and/or like to have a good time, frat row is great. Guys as freshmen, getting into frats is easy. I’ve heard it gets harder as you get older if you dont know brothers but you will. The commons does a great job of bonding the freshmen class. We all know each other due to use living in one common area. Girls, sororities are more of a status symbol but in reality it means nothing. Girls go to houses where they know brothers, not where the sororities decide to hang out. Your group of friends will most likely be mixed with sororities and non greeks. Vandy is great, I am having the best time of my life.</p>