<p>Is Vandy all greek parties and southern prepsters? D has a great financial aid package from Vandy, but she is concerned that she won't fit in there. She has a strong interests in musical theater, poetry and philosophy and great academic ability. Will she find like minds on campus? Decision day is fast approaching - any comments/feedback appreciated!</p>
<p>There is something for everyone here at Vandy, it only appears to be dominated by the party scene because it is the LOUDEST. That said, there are many small intellectual and special interests communities loitering around the campus, and one won’t be left out of any social scene unless he or she so chooses.</p>
<p>Like all stereotypes, “indie” “prepster” and “greeks”…are words with meaning and also with distortions. My sophomore “indie” owns some prep clothes and came from a fairly conservative town but he finds the Greek scene to be aversive unless a really great girl asks him to escort her to a party or two. Some Prepsters who wear uniform conformity clothing in year one and live for hoping to be included on Greek Row will become Indies by sophomore or junior year, some Greeks are Indies with all sorts of unusual talents that are not traditional. Some prepsters are artists.</p>
<p>There are more greek females than males so that is a consideration. Can your girl be happy with the half of the female class that doesn’t pledge or rush? Can she make friends with her sorority sister classmates with a graceful outlook? </p>
<p>Our son is heavily involved with all sorts of arty and discussion based subgroups in the student body and he does have some male and female friends who are in Greek orgs. </p>
<p>A no Greek affordable campus was not in the cards for him although he was admitted to a couple of the little Ivies…he took his financial offer at Vandy and ran with it.</p>
<p>In the long run besides your daughter’s social fit, she should be looking at her career goals in this horrible economy…is Vandy going to be great for that important path? I guess I think it is foolish to eliminate UVA, UNCCH, Vandy, Emory and Duke because of fears of feeling dissonant about Greek life. Learning to make your own way socially and to find like minded people will only help you in grad school and life. Many Greeks and independents do ASB together…alternative Spring break. Almost any purpose at Vandy is done by Greeks and independents…theater, band, sports, the newspapers, orchestras, singing, dancing groups, housing. But it is safe to say that most of my son’s close friends’ weekend plans have zero to do with Greek life and his weekends and nights are very packed with activities. In my view, Nashville is much more fun for non Greeks than the home towns of many colleges with active Greek cultures on campus.</p>
<p>I am not at all discounting your concerns which were part of my son’s initial placing of Vanderbilt at the bottom of his application list. I still sometimes wish we could have afforded to send our son to one of the schools with zero Greek life where his personality was so much more a fit. However, he is much more based in reality at Vanderbilt which admits such a broad spectrum of kids with divergent political and geographical origins. </p>
<p>My final statement is not meant to be confrontive at all. But look at the stats of the admitted class this year. ALL these students have great minds and are very ambitious. Some feel happy on Greek Row and others feel the opposite but there is no bottom quartile at Vanderbilt anymore. My Duke son went Greek (not at all my style btw) and his frat brothers are doing stunningly ambitious things and had their eye on the ball the entire four years they were at Duke. </p>
<p>All these kids got up in high school at the crack of dawn and worked and did ECs till midnight and they are all disciplined. There is also hardly a smidgen of difference between today’s Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar’s profiles and the whole student body. </p>
<p>So when parents of high school intellectuals on the last minute fence post that they are concerned that Vanderbilt isn’t intellectual enough or is a party school, I really want to laugh. Unless you are a genius, and there are some at Vandy for sure, you will not be able to make decent grades at Vandy without serious study</p>
<p>The Class of 2015 is full of nothing but tip top academic talent…they will have divergent social beings but they are also all changing every year and every semester. I believe the dissonance at Vanderbilt for my non Greek son has its own educational component in it for him about the workplace and his future reality.</p>
<p>Faline2;</p>
<p>As a parent of a son considering Vanderbilt, who sounds like your own, I wanted to say thanks. A very thoughful, helpful, well written post.</p>
<p>Faline2, thank you for your reasoned response to my question. This kind of perspective is very helpful.</p>
<p>you are welcome. my son the indie has gleaned a great deal of faculty support by simply being himself and walking his own path at Vanderbilt and ignoring the “old” version of things. he has fantastic opportunities from energy he has directed elsewhere than Greek Row. you will find other threads on this subject and other parents of indie female and male students at Vandy. </p>
<p>That said, there are some very innovative students at Vandy that go greek and I think there is a skill set for enjoying that scene that my son simply doesn’t have in him. While Duke Greek son failed to maximize some things he could have done at Duke because he put so much of every weekend into his frat which I found distressing at times. Results? In the recession, a Duke frat alum hired my son and he enjoys meeting people in the Duke club in his city for sports nights. His Duke frat bros will soon be operating on brains and running nuclear things so it is a mistake to view Greek=not serious.<br>
My Vandy son couldn’t possibly enjoy Greek Row, seriously…so wrong for him on every level and he seeks out debate and artistic outlets and enjoys the merits of Nashville as a host town and makes new friends every semester. Does he find himself at times in rooms where Greeks in like outfits dominate things…yes. And yes, I sometimes wish he was at College X or Y where no such culture war or divide exists on campus however…</p>
<p>I like to think he is getting a preliminary on how the world works and on how to learn to carry on civil discourse and to pick up social skills, self reliance, “knowing thyself” and the use of manners across cultural divides. </p>
<p>Vanderbilt has not disappointed me on other scores. Access to teachers exceeded our hopes, reference letters are generously offered if there are good reasons or programs your son or daughter applies for, </p>
<p>And a true melting pot exists on campus now. My son has friends from so many countries and new cultures inside the USA (to him) that my head spins. It really is a new Vandy on many levels in the undergrad school. Nothing like the Vandy we knew during grad school years and our early first job years in Nashville.</p>
<p>I have a D who has also found her own way at Vandy. She has never visited a fraternity or sorority house at Vandy (by choice). She has found plenty to do. She studied abroad, spent a summer doing paid research (social sciences), hosts a radio show, participates in several activities (leadership positions in a couple of these), has been inducted into academic honor societies, and has an active social life. My D actually attended another school freshman year, and she liked it better from a social standpoint, but she found Vandy to be far better for her academic and career pursuits. She is graduating magna cum laude in a couple weeks. Her growth as a person has been amazing to watch. </p>
<p>I cannot say enough good things about the opportunities she has had. Of course, she had to take advantage of them. There are countless opportunities available to Vanderbilt students, but they must seek them out and seize them.</p>
<p>My D has also taken advantage of the opportunities available to her in the Nashville community. She plans to remain in Nashville after graduation, and the connections she made in the community are a blessing as she plans her life after school.</p>