<p>My S applied to both and I would say that both are great schools and held in about equal esteem. Vanderbilt is more of a "Southern" school. Emory has a huge student population that has gone south from the northeast. Also, there is a difference between Nashville and Atlanta. Vanderbilt is a little bit more downtown. Emory is very close to downtown geographically, but it is in more of a nice suburban area close to downtown.</p>