Cornell vs Duke vs Vandy vs WashU

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So yah, I'm in need of dire help I'm not sure exactly which school to apply early to or which school I like the most. SO PLEASE help here is my criterion:</p>

<p>school spirit (the whole school goes to football/bball games and goes crazy)
work hard/play hard
not too competitive
pretty campus and dorm rooms
within driving distance from a big city.</p>

<p>I wanna major in something with communications, marketing or psychology.</p>

2

<p>bumppppppppp</p>

3

<p>I think Vandy and Duke would be the best fit based on your criterion.</p>

4

<p>thanks. one question about vandy. I’m Jewish and come from a Jewish family and my dad is highly against me going to Vandy because of the lack of Jewish people there. Is this true?</p>

5

<p>According to Hillel.org, Vanderbilt has an undergraduate population of 6500 and the number of Jewish undergraduate students is 1000 (approximately 15%). By comparison, Duke has 6200 students and the number of Jewish students is 700, Cornell has 13,200 students and the Jewish population is 3000 and Wash U has 6904 students of which 1800 are Jewish. </p>

<p>Vanderbilt’s Jewish population has risen dramatically in the past 10 years–maybe your dad doesn’t know the recent statistics.</p>

6

<p>I’d also suggest Duke or Vandy. Have you visited any of these schools, though?</p>

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<p>i haven’t visited any of them because most of them are pretty far from eachother and need a plane flight so im trying to narrow down my list before visiting them all because it’s so expensive.</p>

8

<p>Look at northwestern.</p>

9

<p>what are the major differences between duke and vandy?</p>

10

<p>^^^You mentioned you wanted to be near a big city. Vanderbilt is within Nashville, about a mile from the downtown area. The area around the campus has bookstores, restaurants, music, bars, etc.</p>

<p>You (and your father) should visit if you are still concerned about the Jewish factor. Two families we know well, for whom a Jewish community is important, have visited recently, and both thought the issue was a non-issue, after visiting.</p>

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<p>[NEWS:</a> Percentage of Jewish students increases 10 percent in four years | InsideVandy](<a href=“http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/939]NEWS:”>Hotels Inside)
<a href=“http://paste.lisp.org/display/12638/raw[/url]”>http://paste.lisp.org/display/12638/raw&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

12

<p>FWIW, Gordon Gee, former president at Brown who left ot Vanderbilt, made increasing Jews on campus a major priority.</p>

<p>He came out and said that without a beautiful Hillel and the ability to attract top Jewish students that Vanderbilt would never rise considerably in reputation. He made recruiting Jews a major mission.</p>

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<p>Does that mean that If I’m jewish I have a better chance to get into Vanderbilt?</p>

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<p>No, it just means they’ve been pouring resources into creating an attractive space for Jewish students and advertising to Jewish students and their families to get on the map.</p>

15

<p>I would say Cornell, but with your ideal of a big city near, you’ll likely prefer Duke.</p>

16

<p>i know i’ve already asked this but nobody seemed to have answered it; what are the major differences between vandy and duke?</p>

17

<p>Not much difference.</p>

<p>Vandy is more “southern” than Duke, supposedly a more attractive student body.</p>

<p>Duke has slightly more prestige, and much better graduate/professional school placement.</p>

18

<p>

Location
– Nashville vs. Durham/Triangle</p>

<p>Campus
– Duke has a much larger campus with a separate campus for freshmen</p>

<p>Athletics
– Football at Vandy; basketball at Duke</p>

<p>Greek Life
– Vandy has a larger Greek scene</p>

19

<p>Yeah…about Football. If you like it, go to Vandy.</p>

<p>Tailgate is just a continuation of friday night. A lot of “tailgaters” don’t even go to the game.</p>

20

<p>Duke is something more northeastern elitist would consider before Vandy.</p>