<p>I have been honored to receive the Robert Woodruff Scholarship (full ride with perks) at Emory and the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship (full tuition with research $) at Vanderbilt. I would have approx. $15,000-$18,000 to pay a year at Vanderbilt. My problem is I like the atmosphere at Vanderbilt better but educationally I am not sure the difference is worth it. Has anyone else been in this situation? How do I decide between the two? I welcome any comments to help me decide.</p>
<p>Although Vanderbilt has more name recognition than Emory, both are similar in prestige. </p>
<p>To help make your decision, you may want to look into which school is stronger in the fields in which you are interested. You could contact professors at both schools and hear what they have to say. Talk to Vanderbilt and Emory students and alumni.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Both are wonderful academically, but the college environment is quite different. Vanderbilt has a huge athletic culture (SEC sports), which I see as a positive but you might not. Also, there is a strong Greek presence. Nashville is a really fun city and you would have a great experience. Emory has almost no athletic culture, so keep that in mind. I would give the edge to Vanderbilt with respect to prestige, which shouldn't be a factor to you but it is to nycard.
Congrats on your great options.</p>
<p>How important is living in a city to you? While Nashville may be a fun city, it is limited in what it has to offer when compared to Atlanta.</p>
<p>I have a daughter whose dream school was Emory. She didn't get in and went to Vandy instead. She is a senior now and loves it! I have another daughter whose dream school was Vandy. She didn't get in and went to Emory instead. She is a freshman now and loves Emory.</p>
<p>Both schools are equal academically but have a different atmosphere. Vandy is a more traditional and Emory is more sophisticated. You should visit both and see which one is best for you. </p>
<p>If money is a factor...choose the best deal (Emory). You will be happy there.</p>
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How do I decide between the two?
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I saw in another post that you're interested in chemistry. The sciences are Emory's forte, and you'd have a tremendous amount of resources available there (e.g. the CDC literally next door to campus).</p>
<p>They are too close to pay the extra 60K for 4 years at Vandy. I would pick Vandy if it was equal BUT in this case go with the scholarship at Emory. Either way you are in a GREAT position! Congrats!</p>