<p>HYPS are unusual in their generosity of need-based aid that extends to families earning $150K-$200K. However, 49 schools (including Stanford) are need-blind and full-need for US applicants; another 6 (including HYP) are need-blind and full-need for all applicants. I wouldn’t assume that all of them other than HYPS would expect a MUCH larger contribution from a family with your income. Maybe most of them would … but the aid still might be adequate (enough, at least, to bring the net COA down to $25K or so.) All of them are selective, but not all of them are super-selective admission “crap shoots” like HYPS.</p>
<p>Nearly all schools are “need blind”. That just means that a school doesn’t first look to see if you can afford the cost before accepting a student. That means that it will accept a poor child on the child’s merits without looking to see if he has the money to pay. That does NOT mean that a need-blind school will give him aid. </p>
<p>It has nothing to do with any aid you might get. Many people get NO AID at “need blind” schools. </p>
<p>think about it. If it meant what you thought, then the schools would just admit kids and not bill them at all. Everyone goes for free. lol</p>
<p>At “full need” schools the FA offices look at your family’s income and assets and determine what your family can pay. At full need schools you may get nothing as well.</p>
<p>I’ve never seen a break-down of how many schools are need-blind v. need-aware. Whatever that ratio is, “need-blind” is an admission policy, not an aid policy. So-called “full-need” schools do commit to meeting 100% of determined need. However, it’s the college (not you or your parents) that ultimately decides your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and how much of the balance it will cover. Many families cannot, in fact, afford the EFC (even though the school would claim it is offering to cover 100% of “determined” need).</p>
<p>Vanderbilt is very prestigious - at least in the south/east. Coming from the West I didn’t know much about it except it’s ranked pretty high. People in the area know of it very well though (in a positive way) and I’ve heard of it to be called the “harvard of the south.”</p>
<p>I haven’t read the UMich v Princeton thread, but all you can infer from the data quoted in post 17 here is that admitted applicants to Harvard Law from Michigan and Stanford have extremely similar GPAs and LSAT scores. We also know from the data that more applied from Stanford and a higher percentage were accepted from Stanford, but we don’t know anything about the GPAs and LSAT scores of those who were rejected from each undergraduate institution, which for all we know could also have been comparable. In fact, that’s this likeliest scenario, since all credible sources now say that except at Yale and possibly at Stanford, law school admissions is now driven almost exclusively by LSAT scores and GPAS. NOT by the prestige of the undergrad institution. That’s long since gone by the boards.</p>
<p>In the Southeast, Vanderbilt will carry more prestige. In the Midwest, Michigan will. in the Northeast and on the West Coast, I’d guess it’s pretty much a wash; both schools will be reasonably well respected, but neither with anything approaching a HYPS aura. But mostly, I think “prestige” is a pretty dumb criterion on which to base a college decision. This is 4 years of your life, and in a way you’re married to the institution and its alumni and for that matter its future generations of students forever. No one in their right mind would choose a spouse or life partner on the basis of prestige. I don’t think choosing a college is quite as momentous as choosing a mate, but it’s right up there, and close enough, and important enough in its own right, that the decision shouldn’t be based on such frivolous and trifling considerations. It’s only vanity—teenage narcissism, really–that leads HS students to place prestige in such an exalted position.</p>
<p>bclintonk, I’m not sure you read the OP’s initial post and the subsequent discussion properly; the OP is deciding whether Vanderbilt is worth it over The Ohio State University, not the University of Michigan. At any rate, I would agree with your statements.</p>
<p>However, the learning environment that a school offers can impact how seriously you focus on your studies and how extensive your preparation is for the LSAT. There are dozens and dozens of pre law students at even Berkeley and Michigan that end up at pretty mediocre law schools like Cooley, Hastings, Jefferson, and Pepperdine.</p>
<p>At the elite schools (not sure if this applies to Vanderbilt), there will be a much more concentrated pre law population that will be overall more successful in the law school admissions process. At my top 10 alma mater, easily 50% of the students who went to law school went to a coveted T14. Being around such ambitious individuals will force you to strive for the best so don’t discount the “peer” effect.</p>
<p>I agree.
This concept is as formless as the medieval “aether”. It is assumed to exist and have real meaning; it gets no end of attention on College Confidential … but what does anyone even mean by the term? </p>
<p>It seems to have something to do with the power of a school’s reputation, per se, to create desirable effects (such as higher salaries, admission to better graduate/professional schools … whiter teeth, fresher breath, or more desirable mates.) If a school’s reputation, per se, really had the power to do all that, then maybe there are cheaper ways to achieve the same results?</p>
<p>Credible sources like CC postings from parents justifying why they should not save for their kids’ education or sacrifice anything financially when they can send their kid somewhere on a merit ride?</p>
<p>A great many law schools in this country are just not competitive for admissions as is true for the vast majority of colleges in this country. For them I’ll believe that only GPA, LSAT, and ability to pay matter. There are too many high stats kids applying to law school to believe that these schools don’t have the opportunity to distinguish between a 3.9 GPA at a top tier UG school and the same at a third tier private or regional state flagship. Parents on CC even tell kids to go to those schools since it will be easy for them to get those high GPAs there. How is it possible to believe that an easily obtainable high GPA means the same thing as a tough to obtain GPA in a super competitive environment?</p>
<p>Your “credible sources” are published from which top tier medical or law school? Without better data a reasonable person will believe what appears to make sense.</p>
<p>Vandy is prestigious in the south. It doesn’t hold as much in the northeast or west coast, but in the south it is seen as a very good university on par with a Duke or Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>LazyKid sounds like he knows what he’s talking about, although he does not cite any sources. Can anyone produce evidence that students from less prestigious schools need more than a ~173 on the LSAT to get into Harvard Law, or that students from more prestigious schools can get in with lower scores? I’ve seen approximately the same score cited as the average for Harvard Law admits from Stanford, Georgetown, and Michigan.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt rocks! they also have a great med school! the only reasons I would not go to Vandy is if you think the student body is to large and or you do not like frats and sororities and are more of a free thinker ( look down on the greek system and high school style cliquey groups)…then check out Rice!</p>
<p>OP is only a Sophomore… However, if ranking means everything to OP, I am happy to inform everyone that based on tOSU’s academic strategic plan, the school will certain to move into USNWR Top-50 national university in the next year or two, and by the time OP graduates, Ohio State should be ranked in the high 30s as many public universities currently ranked ahead of tOSU continue to struggle financially and suffer leadership setbacks. OTHO, tOSU continues to improve in all areas of academic, as well as gaining academic prestige along the way with increasing student selectivity, new research facilities and world-class faculty recruiting around the world. </p>
<p>Vanderbilt is an excellent school for undergrad education, but it is certainly not worth the extra money imho especially if you intend to study Pre-med. Ohio State Honors Program is just as good in preparing students for Pre-Professionals, and I am certain that President Gee (of Vanderbilt & Brown) agrees with me!! </p>
<p>I believe I saw something where Yale students going into a top ranked law school (don’t remember which one) had lower GPAs and LSAT scores than students from other schools</p>