I’m going into premed and I’ve heard a lot of stories about Vandy grade deflation–would Dartmouth be better/easier in terms of premed grading? I’m also kind of concerned about diversity/subtle discrimination against Asians at Vandy–does anyone know how prevalent of an issue on campus this is? Overall I vibe with Dartmouth more but I’m not sure if it’s worth an extra 200k. I’m fortunate enough to have parents that can comfortably pay for my undergrad + med school/grad school, but 200k is still 200k.
I’m also not 100% set on premed and am I still considering going into business/finance-- would Dartmouth have more opportunities for BB recruiting, or are there also a lot of similar opportunities at Dartmouth?
Also is there anyone that has personal experience with the College Scholars program?
The mean GPA is similar for both schools. Take the money.
Vanderbilt. I’d make the same choice even if the $ was the same. Both great schools, but students at Vandy are generally among the happiest in the country. Better weather. Already have award on resume. Congrats!
Go to Vanderbilt (and we visited and really like Dartmouth a lot…eldest son rejected there). Dartmouth had a pleasing historic campus, an intimate classroom vibe, lots of school spirit for sports, and an earnest student body well connected with the faculty. But from my perspective, the isolation is oppressive geographically despite the frequent opportunities to get on a bus and leave town with classmates. The weather makes dependency on the dominant Greek system a drag on weekends unless you are certain you can get in the spirit of doing that. Alternatives to immersion in Greek life are not really there so you must succumb and enjoy Greek life. Just not how I would personally want to spend four years of my life socially. Much prefer the freedoms and fluidity of Vanderbilt’s social life alternatives and much much prefer Nashville as a host city (lived there twice, son and husband are Vandy grads). Since you can comfortably afford to pay full price, I would certainly not judge you for accepting your seat at Dartmouth. For most people, turning down the CV would be extremely foolish. My Vandy son decided in the end that he wanted the mid sized research university experience. Your CV is only as good as the experience you build and create for yourself at Vandy. What I love about the CV is that it was open-handedly given and you can make it your personal experience with zero strings attached. Worrying about your GPA is not something to consider in your position. Both institutions will guide you for grad school competition if you do the work. Only choose on financial, academic fit and mental/social health fit. I wrote a recent post on the College Scholar program as experienced by my son who did the full program of Scholar courses. A CV on your resume doesn’t hurt as you apply for internships and grad school. Even so, most students at Vandy were good enough to be considered for the CV, and they will also succeed in landing variations on honors diplomas while at Vanderbilt sans the Scholars program. You might even prefer to skip the Scholars program but for my son, one of those courses per every semester turned Vandy into a magical liberal arts college on a mid sized university campus.
Go to Vanderbilt. I wouldn’t even think about paying 200k more for Dartmouth.
Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship is a significant award that looks great on a resume. (In short, the CV looks great on one’s CV.)
Vanderbilt and not particularly close since Dartmouth doesn’t seem to be giving any aid. Vanderbilt is a great school! And with a full scholarship, it’s a great choice! However, you’re right that for business and banking and consulting Dartmouth would have a pretty significant edge since it’s so well entrenched in those industries, but you can definitely do that from Vanderbilt too. It’s worth noting that student life quality and weather will be much better at Vanderbilt, so I’d take the money and be happy there!