<p>and great guacamole!</p>
<p>I will agree that USC will probably beat Vandy in the off campus food category, with the exception of BBQ and amazing biscuits. Things have gotten much better in the past decade as the mid-South has had an influx of transplants but my one ongoing Northeast lamentation revolves around all the food I miss. However, the Vanderbilt Commons dining hall is out of this world. People eat there even when they have other options ;)</p>
<p>as a native angeleno, i can’t deny the greatness of southern california mexican food–it is bomb. LOL</p>
<p>on a more serious note (though off topic), everybody knows that pete carroll threw reggie bush under the bus. that “wannabe agent” (referenced by trojanchick) was very likely being paid by usc. of course usc isn’t the first school to cheat in this way, and it won’t be the last. but the way it all happened was very sketchy. and it’s not the first time this kind of thing has happened with the school.</p>
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<p>I don’t think that will be the case here. No one has registered yet, and all freshman are assigned to housing in the Commons. All the rooms are doubles, and there isn’t any choice of rooms.</p>
<p>I think there must have been an influx of immigrants into the Nashville area in recent years. My son and his gf take me out to various ‘ethnic’ restaurants when I am in Nashville, including Thai and Korean, and they are most definitely authentic. The owners and their families are the cooks and the waiters. They come to the table and attempt to improve their English by making jokes with you. Most of these types of places are not in the immediate vicinity of the Vanderbilt campus, though, and students without cars probably don’t have any idea where they are.</p>
<p>Going entirely by what I think of their reputations and not based at all on any knowledge of the two schools, I have to say I would be slightly more favorably inclined towards a USC grad than a Vanderbilt grad. I suspect that this preference may be due to my prejudice against the Southeast which slightly exceeds my prejudice against California :)</p>
<p>I think in the long run if the student wants to come back and live and work in the Southeastern US, then it would be a good idea to choose Vanderbilt. </p>
<p>If the student wants to live and work anywhere else in the country then I would recommend USC.</p>
<p>ETA: Just re-read OP’s first post. Student wants to live in NY or Boston? Definitely choose USC.</p>
<p>And About the NYC thing, I think yes, New Yorkers <em>are</em> very friendly. They are rude, but friendly.</p>
<p>The sports culture side of things at USC has been troubling, I agree. For his legacy, I wish that outgoing Pres. Sample did more, rather than leave so much of the clean up to incoming Pres. Nikias. Or perhaps it was calculated to be better that way. In any event, I think Pres. Nikias and new Athletic Director Hayden have set up a lot (and are spending a lot) of new safeguards against future such infractions. They realize it did not show well for the university.</p>
<p>That being said, I can assure you that my H has never had any institutional resistance the few times he’s had to mete out academic discipline on cheating students. He doesn’t feel there is any more of that kind of thing going on at USC than other places. This is probably more a relevant point for the OP than what the athletic department is doing.</p>
<p>when u consider that a huge part of the reason usc is so well-regarded in the first place is due to their student-athletes (football players, specifically), then what the athletic department is doing becomes very relevant, as it is essentially the nucleus of the school. and the department has treated many of its players horribly. </p>
<p>i hope the changing of the guard makes a difference.</p>
<p>and–by the way–none of my comments are meant as a ‘slam’ of your husband or any of the other faculty of integrity on that campus.</p>
<p>'as it is essentially the nucleus of the school."
oh brother… maybe in another era it was the “nucleus” of the school to some people especially those who only care about college sports.
Nowadays? to the students who actually go to USC? yeah, right…
Lets remember that Stanford also has a very well regarded athletic record- Sears cup winner for how many years? and no one would say the athletic dept is what Stanford is known for. Same now goes for USC…</p>
<p>Remember folks! If you repeat a lie enough times, eventually people will start to believe you!</p>
<p>Whatever, I don’t have to fix other people’s ignorance if they choose to remain ignorant. Yes, USC is a wonderful athletic institution. Did you know that USC students have won at least one gold medal at every summer Olympics since 1908? If USC was its own country we would rank 19th in the world in total medals. We recently just started an NCAA Women’s Lacrosse program, and are one of the pilot program for NCAA sand volleyball as well. Our Men’s Water Polo team are now three-peat National Champions. Our Men’s Tennis program has been National Champions the past two years, and is fighting for a third. We also have a plethora of club sports that students participate in. USC even has an ice hockey team! And of course there’s the intermural sports, or just groups of friends who go play. We have a cricket team. It’s not official or anything, but it exists, and it’s one of the best in the region. We have an archery club. Heck we have a Quiddich club!</p>
<p>USC has a wide and diverse set of athletes and athletic clubs, reflecting its talented and diverse student body.</p>
<p>There would be no reason not to assume that Vandy didn’t also have a diverse set of athletes and athletic clubs, reflecting its talented and diverse student body. That is a non-differentiator between the two. This decision comes down to personal preference, nothing more. Both schools will give plenty of opportunities to any student.</p>
<p>Never said that vandy didn’t, I’m just trying to steer the sports conversation in a better direction.</p>
<p>Ok, Ok. My D really isn’t all that interested in sports, although she is going to try to enjoy the football at either school because she thinks it will be fun to go to the games and tailgate with friends. (Shes like baseball and would enjoy hockey at USC.) Regarding food–my daughter is a semi-vegetarian (she eats fish, but no meat or chicken). Will that be a problem in Nashville? I am hearing lots of talk about bar-b-que, which is not so great for vegetarians. The on-campus options looked pretty good for vegetarians. She does enjoy quirky ethnic restaurants.</p>
<p>I work with a number of vegetarians & it doesn’t seem to be a problem. Although Nashville has some good BBQ, and “meat and three” restaurants are prevalent, there are a lot of other types of restaurants. The VU food service always seems to have a lot of options. And there’s a decent amount of restaurants within walking distance of campus. I’d say you should probably post that question over on the VU forum though because the current students would have a better idea about that. </p>
<p>Vandy football, although in the SEC, is not as rabid as at other SEC schools (probably because they’re not quite as good.) If she likes hockey, the Nashville Predators have a good team (just got eliminated in Game 6 last night against Vancouver) and they have $10 College Nights. With live music between the periods!</p>
<p>Lenny- My Vandy grad student daughter is Vegetarian and finds plenty of options around Vanderbilt. Indian food, in particular, is plentiful. There is also Calypso Cafe close to campus with great choices.</p>
<p>I do believe it says something about a school’s culture if they have big ethical issues with their major sports. Things happen, of course, and the test is what the school does in response. Hiring Lane Kiffin tells you a lot, unfortunately. Again- I am NOT perpetuating rumors. I KNOW the background of this man and I am familiar with the sworn pleadings in the litigation against him. It is what it is.</p>
<p>That does not mean that USC is not a wonderful school. It is. But my response was to a previous poster who was promoting the football team as part of that excellence.</p>
<p>I haven’t read through all 8 pages of this thread. I’m assuming the reason the OP’s child remained on the waitlist for Vandy was she really wanted to go there. Has that changed? If so, why stay on the waitlist?</p>
<p>This is a funny and eye-opening thread for me…
Grew up in the north, live in the south</p>
<p>Had no idea that USC wasn’t a public Cali U
Never thought of Vandy as a southern school*
Couldn’t believe how much LESS racism there was in the south compared to the north when I moved here.
Always something to be said for “southern hospitality” though</p>
<p>*I know it’s technically in the south, but always thought mostly northerners went there. </p>
<p>If it helps, I have friends who have lived in NYC for 15+ years and they just moved to Nashville and LOVE it.</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad, D had not visited USC until she got wait-listed at Vandy (we did visit Vandy last spring). After she was wait-listed there, she attended an admitted students’ day at USC and began to really study the programs there and found it to be a very good fit. She hadn’t given it much thought before because she thought it was a rather long shot for her (her school did not have a good track record with admissions there) and she had other schools higher on her list, including Vandy, which was at the top of the list for her. After Vandy wait-listed her, we had to set it aside, as we assumed she wouldn’t get in, and she really fell in love with USC. Once Vandy came back into the picture, that’s when things got complicated (and remain so). We have to decide soon!</p>
<p>Looks like it’s going to be . . . Vanderbilt! Gut check kept drifting back to Vanderbilt, although she has had a hard time letting go of USC. Much thanks to all of you who took the time to give us your thoughts. I can assure you that many of your comments were part of our discussion and helped us think things through.</p>
<p>If you want to meet for coffee or lunch when you come, send me a message! Congrats.</p>
<p>Congrats, lenny and D!</p>