<p>I actually applied to Rice's RD and Vandy's ED2/ and I did(at least I do think so) a great job in my Vandy interview, so it might be a greater chance for me to be admitted to Vandy. However, when I applied for interview for Rice, there weren't no avalible alumnis. </p>
<p>I love Rice very much. But it dose not has ED2.</p>
<p>I am troubling that whether I should withdraw my application for Vandy's ED2 and wait for Rice's RD decision, when I already got the admisson of UVA and UIUC. </p>
<p>If I give Vandy up, I am not sure how much chance I have for Rice, WUSTL, Cornell;
but if I do not give Vandy up, I might be admitted into Vnady(not arrogant(: ), when I still love Rice meanwhile.</p>
<p>any advice for me?</p>
<p>Rice or Vandy??</p>
<p>If you’re not sure if Vanderbilt is right for you, then applying ED2 is probably not the best option. ED (of any type) is for applicants who know that the school is right for them and don’t want to consider other options. You say you love Rice, and nothing of that sort about Vandy, so I’m a bit unsure why you applied under a binding decision plan besides that it was available. Since you are apparently unsure if Vandy is right for you, I’d recommend contacting them and changing your decision plan to RD (no need to withdrawal your application!). That way, you can continue to mull over this question yourself for the next two months (by learning more about both schools - none of us can tell you which is best for you…they’re both great institutions) and wait and see what your options are.</p>
<p>i love me some rice. you should too</p>
<p>First off, I don’t know a ton about Vanderbilt but I’m a senior who will be going to Rice next fall and I live in Tennessee and a lot of people from my high school go to Vandy so maybe I can help a little. To me, the biggest difference between the schools is the atmosphere. At Vanderbilt, greek life has a big influence, especially if you’re a girl, while Rice has residential colleges and no greek life. Vanderbilt is in the SEC and, even if it is one of the not-so-great teams in it, people at Vandy are probably more likely to go to football games, etc. than they would at Rice. </p>
<p>Both have great academics and share the #17 spot on USNews’ best universities. I might be biased coming from Tennessee but I think more people would recognize Vanderbilt’s name (I’ve already gotten some blank stares when people hear that I’m going to Rice) but grad schools, employers, and other smart kids know that both are great schools. </p>
<p>I know people that go to both schools and absolutely love them. But I have known two girls that tried to get into sororities at Vanderbilt, didn’t make it, and felt left out. One transferred to a state school. Decisions are hard but if you aren’t sure, I would change my application to RD so you have more time to decide or visit or whatever.</p>
<p>I hope this helps!</p>
<p>I actually just came home from my Vanderbilt interview. Based on what my interviewer said…going to Vanderbilt would be an amazing experience. A lot of people judge Tennessee as a “dingy” area…but it has a great social scene, and heck, it’s the city of music! Obviously the academics at Vanderbilt are top notch, and I mean it has around 7k undergraduates…so it’s pretty small/medium sized. </p>
<p>Ofc Rice is also very good. It was actually my top choice until today. LOL my Vandy interviewer sorta changed my mind and now both are equally great to me. What attracted me about Rice was it’s ranking in highest quality of life. I mean, academics aside, I want a college that will encourage me to learn how to LIVE life and not just you know…strive to be the best grade-wise. </p>
<p>Both campuses are GORGEOUS.</p>
<p>Idk if this helps any. I guess my answer is that both universities are really great. Haha.</p>
<p>^ the interviewer did their job well 
I think it is easy to be swayed by anyone passionate about something.</p>
<p>I think PoleVault really explains it well. </p>
<p>I think some of the decision process for you will be about what your academic interests are.</p>
<p>For my S, Vanderbilt was never really a consideration. He absolutely loves Rice and Houston and is flourishing academically and personally. It is the right place for him!</p>
<p>crazymomster, wasn’t your S also interested in Caltech? My S, a HS jr., is interested in Rice and Harvey Mudd, but Vanderbilt not so much. I believe that there is a significant overlap between Rice applicants and Harvey Mudd or Caltech applicants. There is also a significant overlap between Rice applicants and Vanderbilt applicants. However, I suspect there is a very small overlap between Vanderbilt applicants and Mudd or Caltech applicants. On the other hand, there is probably a significant overlap between Vanderbilt applicants and Washington & Lee or Wake Forest applicants. So I would suggest to the OP that Rice might feel more comfortable if Mudd or Caltech also seem interesting while Vanderbilt might be a better choice if Washington & Lee or Wake Forest appear attractive.</p>
<p>^ yes austinareadad… S was admitted to Caltech and chose Rice. Harvey Mudd was also on his radar until he went for a visit (also visited Caltech that same weekend) (and for HMC, the problem was a bad “presenter” that in no way presented the school as the right match for my S).</p>
<p>Interesting grouping of schools you are suggesting… I think you are right :-)</p>
<p>The other school my son considered heavily (for bio-engineering/neuroscience) was the University of Alabama at Birmingham (NOT the football school).</p>
<p>A school he crossed off his list quickly was Pitt, despite a very generous merit scholarship.</p>
<p>The OP is really going to just have to evaluate each of the schools to determine what is best for him/her.</p>
<p>If you are not sure about Vanderbilt, then DO NOT apply Early Decision II! If you are accepted, then you have signed a contract with Vanderbilt stating that you WILL attend Vanderbilt if offered admission. If you are not sure, then either switch your application to Regular Decision at Vanderbilt or cancel it. I would suggest that you look further into Vanderbilt before making your decision as Rice and Vanderbilt are both equally wonderful schools.</p>
<p>I have to agree with VandyAnonymous. Don’t apply to Vanderbilt ED if you’re not sure. You’ll be locked in Vanderbilt if you’re accepted
I have a freshman D at Rice. She also applied RD to Vanderbilt and RD to Rice since she wasn’t sure on which school. Got accepted to both but choose Rice. She’s wasn’t too interested in the greek system at Vandy and felt Rice was a better fit. She says it was the right decision for her and loves Rice.</p>
<p>Tough choice. I have both on my list for graduate school. Kind of leaning towards Rice because it’s closer to home & has a great history dept for Southern History. Both are tough to get into so I guess it would depend if you actually had to make the choice. If you get admitted to BOTH, then you are one smart cookie.</p>