Intellectualism @ Vanderbilt

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
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<p>Howdy, I'm highschooled! Inaugural CC post here. </p>

<p>So, choice time is upon us. CC, I'm here to seek our your opinions on the following question: Is Vandy the place for me? </p>

<p>Things I adore about Vandy: Nashville, level of student-community engagement, enthusiasm of the student body, the weather, Nashville, Nashville, this notion of a "balanced" college experience, and the freshman-focused Commons experience.</p>

<p>Concerns: namely, academics, peers and community culture/"vibe."</p>

<p>Let me explain. I first toured Vanderbilt's rolling plains last month for three days. During my sojourn, I grew to love Vanderbilt in all the important ways: I could imagine myself on campus. I met some amazing people. I sampled some respectably tasty froyo. So, all the good things. I left, however, with a few small, but persistent reservations about the aforementioned "concerns". These reservations grew as I later received acceptances to UChicago and other LAC's. </p>

<p>What are my concerns regarding "intellectualism @ Vandy"? I sat in two classes. I spoke with many teachers and students. The three classes I did sit in--sophomore-ish level Enlish and HOD class, and junior level political science--disappointed me; I didn't get a sense students were really engaged with the material or really all that interested in learning. Now, I by no means mean to suggest that three classes is an appropriate or accurate sample size to base my understanding of "intellectual life", but, it's all I got. I came away with a decidedly uneasy feeling. Is this is what classes are like? Can I imagine myself in these classes? Will all my peers be disinterested in their classes, more concerned with grades than with learning/ideas? </p>

<p>So, therein lies my concern. And at this point, I want to be very clear: I don't mean to challenge the intelligence of Vanderbilt students. far from it. The students I met were bright, engaged, hospitable and often hilarious. But, relative to the peers I might find at UChicago or other schools, I'm inclined to think Vandy students might be more pre-professional, and less idea-orientated, engaging and interested in the "life of the mind."</p>

<p>More context: my interests in choosing a college: my #1 factor for college involve peers and faculty. I want amazing peers. I want to be surrounded by engaging peers and teachers. I found amazing people at Vandy doing amazing things--but it seemed they were less academically-oriented (less likely to sit and chat about philosophy) but, on the flip side, more community-oriented (more likely to go out and do and be movers and shakers). Again, painting broad strokes. But that's my sense. </p>

<p>I love that Vandy is a campus of students who seek to strike a balance--academics, sports, social life, clubs, etc. And, as I've mentioned, I've been admitted to the University of Chicago, and I love the intellectualism of UChicago, but love less the weather/town/lack of "balance." Essentially, I suppose this is the question I'm asking is: as an unabashed nerd seeking engaging peers, and a balanced college experience, is Vandy for me? </p>

<p>I would love to hear your thoughts, and thank you CC'ers in advance. // HS</p>

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<p>Vanderbilt is loved because it is well-rounded. It is not like the nerdy-quirky community you would find at a school like Rice or UChicago, where academics and intellectualism are paramount; Vanderbilt is unusually social. It’s a work hard, play hard environment. This doesn’t describe the entire Vanderbilt community; there is definitely a crowd more interested in “the life of the mind,” but I feel those are the students who came to Vanderbilt because it’s prestigious and not because it was a good fit for them.</p>

<p>I recommend you find time to visit the other schools you’ve been accepted to and see if the intellectual life truly feels any different. I think your vision of frequently sitting around with kids from your dorm and chatting about philosophy is an unrealistic dream of college that you won’t really find anywhere. We certainly debate each other to death on a regular basis and have intellectual arguments, but I can’t say I’ve sat down and stumbled into a pleasant chat about philosophy more than once or twice. </p>

<p>Simply considering the stats of the newest admitted classes every year, I have no doubt Vanderbilt will lean more towards an intellectual environment, which is something to consider. The kids who are accepted to Vanderbilt cannot possibly be all that different than the kids who are accepted to other top schools; the Vanderbilt environment just traditionally brings out their social side.</p>

<p>Not sure if this was helpful. Or entirely accurate. Just my take.</p>

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<p>highschooled,</p>

<p>I disagree that:
“your vision of frequently sitting around with kids from your dorm and chatting about philosophy is an unrealistic dream of college that you won’t really find anywhere.”
I bet that you would find that in “the nerdy-quirky community you would find at a school like Rice or UChicago” (that, I liked!)</p>

<p>A relative of mine (nerdy-quirky, so intelligent, interesting, fun to be around) recently graduated from Princeton. He spoke about how he loved being in an environment where he would find himself staying up all night with peers discussing intellectual, philosophical, scientific ideas/events/things…</p>

<p>Go with your gut. If you picked up on this, Vanderbilt may very likely be a poor-fit for you. Pancaked says “a crowd more interested in “the life of the mind,” but I feel those are the students who came to Vanderbilt because it’s prestigious and not because it was a good fit for them.” Sounds like you/Vanderbilt may be a poor fit.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your post. We come from CA and were waiting to visit Vanderbilt until after decisions, if at all. It sounds like Vanderbilt may be a poor fit for my D as well. You may have saved us a trip!</p>

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<p>I don’t think that is an unrealsitic dream, and to highschooled’s point that environment is likely to to exist more at a U of Chicago, Swarthmore, or Amherst. What draws many kids to Vandy is likely the academic reputation and beautiful campus, but also the fact that they play D1 sports in the SEC, the Greek system, and a taste of Southern culture/Nashville; none of which somewhere like Swarthmore can (or wants to) offer. Also, good portion of Vandy is engineering, and they tend not to navel-gaze. Vanderbilt is large enough that I’m sure you can find that segment (it was there when I attended in the 80s), but it’s not going to dominate the classroom or most dorm rooms.</p>

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<p>Kendamom,</p>

<p>For us West Coast people (We are also from CA), a good comparison is Stanford. They are not the same, but similar. Selective admissions, resident campus, similar size, major hospital, students from all over and major college sports (Pac12/SEC).</p>

<p>If your D was interested in Stanford, you may want to consider Vanderbilt.</p>

<p>Our son visited Vanderbilt last year, applied ED1 and will be attending in the fall. He didn’t apply to Stanford since he wanted to be in a traditional marching band. We’ll be back next week to meet wth different people. Looking forward to spring in Nashville.</p>

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<p>I think what you need to remember is that Vanderbilt is trying to recruit the exact same kids that UChicago and Rice and Princeton are recruiting; it’s not like they see “loves late-night philosophical discussions” and burns their application. The students that end up here are not different on average than the ones that end up at any top school.</p>

<p>I have no doubt there are schools that more frequently have intellectual discussions deep into the night. They certainly happen here-- but I guess there’s something about the Vanderbilt’s well-rounded and unique environment that makes intellectualism not the focal point. At a lot of top schools, a culture of intellectualism is the only result of bringing together a bunch of smart kids. Vanderbilt brings a LOT more out of smart kids than that, and often brings out a side of them that was suppressed or condemned in highschool, and we absolutely love it. There are obviously a ton of intellectuals here, all with ideas and opinions that we love to share and discuss. It’s just that there is so much more to Vanderbilt than intellectualism. At most top schools, there is probably more of an aura of intellectualism just because their culture is so imbalanced. Still, many people like that imbalance. I have friends at Rice who cherish the imbalance, but their lives and college experiences are pretty darn different than mine as a result, and I’m really glad I made this choice.</p>

<p>I should have responded to the whole post rather than just the point about philosophical chats. Many students here are really passionate about their majors. But, as college students, we often just aren’t passionate about going to class-- there’s very often a “get in, take notes, get out” mentality. There are some classes much more conducive to active discussion and participation, and there are professors/classes that are absolutely loved by students here. But other times, there are boring professors are trying to wrench participation out of a dry topic that has students don’t have a direct interest in. Just because you’re passionate about becoming a heart surgeon or politician doesn’t mean you’re going to walk into BioSci 110 or Microeconomics everyday eager to learn and participate. Would have been nice if you could have visited a more interesting course.</p>

<p>GPA is paramount in the mind of everyone at top schools. Seriously. At least, everyone with difficult majors. It’s impossible not to think about. </p>

<p>Not sure what else I can say to be helpful. I’m better at answering direct questions than trying to make sweeping generalizations about Vanderbilt’s entire diverse student body and culture. Any two students may have vastly different experiences at Vanderbilt.</p>

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<p>“but I guess there’s something about the Vanderbilt’s well-rounded and unique environment that makes intellectualism not the focal point.”</p>

<p>Pancaked, thank you for being honest about that and not playing up Vanderbilt to be perfect to an extreme in every way! Your statement I quoted above is the feeling I have been getting about Vanderbilt and I believe is highschooled’s concern.</p>

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<p>@highschooled </p>

<p>Although I’ll agree that most of Vanderbilt is overtly social, I’m thinking you might not have sat down in the right classes. </p>

<p>If you want technical prowess, sit in on a pre-med required class (cell biology, etc.). Watch as things get crazy…</p>

<p>If you want a class where people sit down and discuss philosophy and ideas, sit in on an Honors Seminar. Only about 50 kids a year or so are cleared to take an Honors Seminar (so 200 kids in the undergraduate student body total, called “College Scholars”), and these are fairly intensive classes where intellect likely abounds. </p>

<p>Just my $0.02</p>

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<p>A few thoughts:

  1. When you visit schools trust your judgement on which is the best fit for you. No one school is best for everyone.
  2. Most top schools have enough diversity to meet the needs of different students.
  3. You are correct that VU attracts students looking for an elite university who believe there is more to life than class and 10 hours of study/day. Vandy will draw students seeking balance and a “holistic” college experience.<br>
  4. You are more likely to see students talking about politics, community service, healthcare or the NCAA “sweet 16” than philosophy.
  5. With 90% of students living on campus there is a nice academic community at Vandy.
  6. The academic profile of Vandy students is now similar to HPYS.</p>
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<p>I also applied to Vanderbilt and got in, but the intellectual environment also worried me. I got accepted in to other “elite” Lib Arts colleges with names that hold just as much weight as Vandy, and it really came down to the “vibe.” Like you, I like sitting around talking about “deep” things and I like environments where people love learning and talk about their classes when they leave. Also like you, I didn’t find this from Vandy.</p>

<p>Even though the people there were clearly intelligent, Vandy seemed much more like a typical “college experience” kind of school. They went to class and their socializing was rather separate from that. I wondered if my preference for staying up late and talking about politics and the like was unrealistic as well. But then I visited my other schools and found out that it’s not unattainable or unrealistic in the slightest and that people do that all the time at my LA college choices.</p>

<p>I love Nashville, and I can see myself walking around Vandy alone, but it ultimately doesn’t have the right vibe as far a socializing with others goes. I’m going with my gut and turning down the offer to go to Vandy, so I’m suggesting that you go visit your other college options to see if they offer what you want more than Vandy does and then just do what you think is right. I’m sure you’ll find your type of people no matter where you go, but going with your gut instinct with this type of thing usually works.</p>

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<p>Any more thoughts on this topic from current students?
My son is looking at Rice, UChicago, Vanderbilt and Georgetown and Vanderbilt’s super social reputation is a bit of a concern.</p>

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<p>Standardized testing killed intellectualism a long time ago. Having said that, I’m sure Vandy is as good a school as any.</p>

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<p>It depends upon what you mean by intellectualism. Vanderbilt students are generally very intelligent, hard-working, and used to being good at any task they put their minds to. However, when it comes to staying up late drinking coffee and discussing philosophy, it probably happens much less at Vandy than it does at elite liberal arts colleges and some of the universities mentioned above (although it does happen and I have witnessed it). This isn’t because Vanderbilt students are less intelligent than their peers, but rather because they tend to be more practical (or dare I say realistic?). This is also probably a part of the reason why Vanderbilt is not as liberal as other top universities (in addition to location). Vandy students are used to doing things which will have tangible benefits and finding real solutions instead of dreaming about an ideal world.</p>

<p>Maybe you want that idealized college experience which fulfills you on a deep, intellectual level (though as pointed out above, it arguably doesn’t exist anywhere). If that’s the case, you should certainly explore other options if you have them. But I will guarantee you three things of a Vanderbilt education: it will challenge you, it will make you confident, and it will make you successful. And that’s a deal I would take over smoking weed and reading Foucault any day of the week.</p>

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<p>^Well said.</p>

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<p>I’ve met a few people good for interesting conversation deep in to the night, but they’ve more been the exception than the norm. High school definitely had a stronger “air of intellectualism” than undergrad for me, personally.</p>

<p>So many people here are shy in classes, I don’t even. They generally don’t like to talk or contribute or argue. Some classes moreso than others, but even ones where you’d expect it (eg, philosophy classes, which I took for a ton of my gened reqs) ultimately devolved into 40 minute discussions between me, the professor, and maybe one or two other students, if we were lucky. Now, I’m a yappy mother****er, myself, so I might have higher standards for talkativeness than others, but I’m pretty sure half the students in half my classes never spoke, like, ever.</p>

<p>If you actively look for “intellectuals” (or pseudo-intellectual, masturbatory hipsters, like yours truly), you’ll find them. But don’t expect to waltz willy nilly into round circle discussions of Schopenhauer, Hegel, and Kierkegaard on the quad.</p>

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<p>If you’re serious about wanting to “sit and chat about philosophy”, then you can just go talk with professors during office hours. That’s what they’re there for. Plus, they get lonely.</p>

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<p>It also depends on which classes and students you are around. Premeds and engineering students tend to be more task oriented and don’t have the time to fiddlefart around talking about philosophy all night. You will get a different feeling hanging out with philosophy majors, another with prelaw students and yet another study vibe with Peabody HD majors. Everyone is a bit different and this happens at all schools.</p>