<p>Really, choose Vanderbilt...it's not even like you are choosing some unknown state school over a prestigious college (which many students still do for scholarships). Vanderbilt is still a VERY prestigious and pretty well known name all around. and money-wise, the next four years is really NOT a good time to be spending so much money on Stanford if you have a much better option of getting full tuition at V. nobody even knows how bad the economy will sink and you cannot predict what kind of situation your parents/family might be in.</p>
<p>Hi marktwain,</p>
<p>I'm a bit reluctant to weigh in again on this thread, since I have already posted my thoughts. After reading your last post, however, I feel compelled to wonder why you are still debating the issue. You used the word "love" twice about your visit to VU. (Loved everything about it, fell in love...) It would be another story altogether if you had a lukewarm response to the campus, or the town, or the engineering school. No campus needs unhappy or unsatisfied students hanging around, especially if they are in the habit of posting on public message boards like this one. You seem quite predisposed to being an enthusiastic, energetic student, though, so why the angst?</p>
<p>Another thought: based both on personal experience and looking at the data, you are going to be a bit surprised if you expect every undergraduate at Stanford to be a genius or on some "intellectual pedestal". The mid-50 score range is not very different, and--if one of Hawkette's recent posts is correct--there is a larger percentage of students with sub-30 ACT scores at Stanford than at Vanderbilt. (Probably not among engineering students, however.) Remember, we are not talking about graduate programs, here.</p>
<p>Thank you all for helping with such a hard decision. @midmo, you are right. After visiting it has become a lot easier to accept Vandy, it's just there's still a tiny bit nagging feeling that I would be making a sacrifice to give up Stanford...Now hopefully I will just get all rejection letters on Apr 1 to make it easy haha...</p>
<p>if you go to stanford, you will graduate with debt.
but that debt will leave. you will make a lot of money, and for the rest of your life, you will have come from stanford.
debt can be paid off, but an education is priceless.</p>
<p>go for stanford!!</p>
<p>The problem with asking on a board like this is you can never really convey your unique perspective to others, and, frankly that's all that matters. The respondents are just applying their perception and values which are colored by their own scholastic and financial situations. They can't really see or appreciate your goals, concerns and potential so their opinions are truly irrelevant.</p>
<p>We're dealing with the same situation - Vanderbilt on CV Scholarship vs MIT (with a couple of other outstanding but expensive schools also in the mix). The final decision won't be easy, but once made we'll do our best to support our daughter's decision and put her in the best possible financial situation (i.e. minimize loan debt to the greatest extent possible) no matter which path she selects.</p>
<p>Your experiences in college, and the friends you make will dictate the outcome more than which institution hands you your diploma. If the only thing you like about Stanford is the name, then I think you have made your decision.</p>
<p>I've never been to Stanford, but I've come across their bioengineering department in my trips to national biomedical engineering conferences. I'm a grad student here at Vandy and I can tell you that the collaborative environment here at Vandy is unmatched by other schools. It's one of the most underrated biomedical engineering programs out there because I think of its location. Sure, Stanford kids are probably nerdy, but their bioengineering department (undergrad) is way younger; it only came into being within the last couple of years and so there are lots of things in there that have yet to be worked out.</p>
<p>At Vandy, you have the benefit of:
(a) A fully accredited BME dept that is among the oldest in the country
(b) Research environment (if you get into it) that is very supportive and well-suited for mentorship
(c) Plenty of opportunities to get into medicine since even we, as grad students, get to hang out in the VUMC (VU-medical center) very often. That's something that not many universities can boast about.</p>
<p>I think the fact that you have a full ride here should be seen as a pretty huge draw. But that's just me.</p>
<p>I am a Stanford alum & HYPS grad school alum with a D who is looking seriously at Vanderbilt. A few thoughts:</p>
<p>o Stanford is a paradise, but they teach most of the same stuff to undergrads that is taught at other top schools. It's not unique that way. </p>
<p>o The Stanford student body is exciting and diverse, but also contains a substantial number who got in for non-academic reasons (athletes, mostly). There is definitely a bottom quarter (or more) of students who aren't going to knock your socks off academically, although they are interesting and worthwhile people. The two schools will have many of the same kinds of folks, with somewhat more of the top achievers at Stanford. </p>
<p>o From personal experience, I can tell you that HYPS and other top grad schools admit lots of applicants from the Vanderbilts of the world, and far lower in the rankings. You just have to do well and impress some faculty who will recommend you. And I agree with the other posters, grad school is where prestige really counts. </p>
<p>o The monetary difference you cite is large, but won't seem as large in ten or twenty years when you are earning well. </p>
<p>o Vanderbilt looks like a school on the way up. For prestige purposes, you care about how the school will be years in the future -- not as much now. My classmates and I have benefited from Stanford's rise in the ranks since we left. </p>
<p>o Regionally, Vanderbilt will serve you a bit better in the south, Stanford nationwide and worldwide. Internationally (if it matters), I understand the prestige of your undergraduate school matters more. </p>
<p>o The social climate will be different at the two schools. Stanford is a little nerdy, and the cliche about the ducks (calm on the surface, paddling furiously underneath) is so true as to be hilarious. My impression is that the socializing may be more natural and relaxed at Vanderbilt, although Stanford certainly has some pros in this regard. </p>
<p>Congrats! The one think you can't do is make a bad choice, since you will win either way. And if you decide to pay the extra $$$ and have some further admit letters to celebrate, I would say that Stanford is clearly the best undergrad choice by comparison to the rest of the HYPS places.</p>
<p>What school did you end up going to? haha i feel dumb commenting two years later</p>
<p>Economics is definitely a class you can struggle in, and BME is also tough. Since economics means adopting a new way of thinking and making observations based on thinking in a new way, it is hard to adapt to. Also, the culture, the people and the nightlife are all absolutely amazing. Truthfully, the difference in education at top universities is marginal. I got into Dartmouth, Columbia and Vanderbilt of the schools that were at the top of my list. I chose Vanderbilt and I have been having the best time of my entire life.</p>
Any updates?
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Please do not resurrect old threads. This one was started 7 1/2 years ago! The original poster hasn’t been on the website since April, 2009. @LILDWAYNE