<p>I'm planning on majoring in economics, mabye some philosophy on the side. I will be a social drinker/ light partier. But that does not mean I do not want to be social; I simply don't see college as 4 years of getting trashed Thur-Sunday night. I want to get a high gpa as I will either do pre-law or vying for ibanking/ management consultancy spots. I would prefer to go back home to the south after college.</p>
<p>Here are my concerns for each:</p>
<p>Northwestern: everyone will be as smart and hardworking as me (34 ACT, top 2% of highly competitive private high school) and getting good grades (3.7) may be impossible. Also, I have heard that everyone studies 24/7: no social life whatsoever, which is concerning. Not sure of reputation in the south.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt: I have heard that the social life revolves so much on getting trashed on the weekends at frat parties. May be tough to make friends. Also ibanking opportunities may be harder to come by. Worried about 50k a year for lesser school.</p>
<p>Notre Dame: Also unsure about strength of econ program/ ibanking opportunities. Unsure about reputation in the south. Also concerned about massive party scene. I will not mind parties, so long as they are not 24/7 once Thursday starts. I am also highly skeptical about parietals. Also I have heard that women are subpar. </p>
<p>I have been accepted to ND and Northwestern already, waiting on Vandy.</p>
<p>first of all, there's no reason to post the same thread 3 times in the same forum</p>
<p>but, i'll try and help you anyway. I think that of the 3 of them, Northwestern is the most prestigious, though it is safe to say that they are all very highly valued. If you want to go into business, Northwestern has some great programs, like the certificate program through Kellogg. </p>
<p>As for the social aspect, I can't help you too much since I'm just a high school senior like you. But, I know that both Vandy and Northwestern have a large Greek population, but tour guides have said that it isn't too overbearing. Whether this is true or not, I don't know. </p>
<p>Overall, I don't think you could go wrong at any of these schools, but my recommendation would be Northwestern [however, feel free NOT to choose NU since i'm on the waitlist =) ]</p>
<p>I agree with Mrchipmunk. Really, these are all 3 great choices. You can't go wrong. CC aside, any of the top 30 or so universities are all grand places to go. It's only on CC where people parse the differences so minutely.</p>
<p>Would you rather vacation at a Ritz on Tahiti or a Four Seasons in Hawaii? Either way, can't go wrong!</p>
<p>Are you Catholic? Perhaps that'll boost ND to the top of your list. Since you intend to return to the South, maybe Vandy is the best choice. If I were advising my children, it would be:</p>
<ol>
<li>Notre Dame</li>
<li>Northwestern (I worked there for several years eons ago)</li>
<li>Vandy </li>
</ol>
<p>Of course, since you are not my offspring, feel free to go to whichever school gives you the best aid package.</p>
<p>All three are excellent, but NU is slightly better than the other two, particularly in Economics and especially if your goal is to land a job with an IB or MC.</p>
<p>However, the ND and Vandy are also excellent, and if you feel like one of those two schools is a better fit for you and that you...or if one of those schools offers you a nicer aid package making it significantly cheaper, then foregoing NU in favor of the better fit or cheaper option would be perfectly fine.</p>
<p>If it is economics that you know you want to study then Northwestern. (Although recent Nobel winner Mohammed Yunnis went to Vanderbilt which is cool)</p>
<p>If you want to study business (and philosophy on the side) then Notre Dame is a better choice.</p>
<p>If you want to watch craptacular football then all three are good options.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also, I have heard that everyone studies 24/7: no social life whatsoever, which is concerning. Not sure of reputation in the south.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>joker: rest assured that NU's social life won't be a disappointment to you. NU's social life is actually one of the best among top 15 schools in the U.S. I visited the campus and have numerous friends at NU, and one very noticeable observation is that NU students, esp. at dorms, are very outgoing and extremely social. Enough activities as well, since Evanston is a cultural city with many restaurants and Chicago is not far from the campus. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Vanderbilt: I have heard that the social life revolves so much on getting trashed on the weekends at frat parties. May be tough to make friends. Also ibanking opportunities may be harder to come by. Worried about 50k a year for lesser school.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>This tells me that you aren't the type of person who might like excessive partying atmosphere. So, I don't think Vanderbilt is a good choice for you.</p>
<p>Since you describe yourself as a light drinker, hard working student, yet want to get a decent social life, I think that NU will be the ideal match for you since NU provides a very well balanced academic as well as social experiences to the students. Especially, NU's reputation in Economics and business/finance sectors is impressive.</p>
<p>Sorry for posting the same thing three times. My computer froze while I was trying to edit the post, and so. . . Anyways, I am catholic, I play the bagpipes, and I do love sports, which is why it would be so hard to pick against ND, but I guess my opinion is skewed by people over this forum who make their college decisions solely on the basis of us news and world report rankings. For the record, after hearing from patless, I would have to say that I would be happy at both ND and NW, as NW is very strong in economics and still has a social life. However, I'm still waiting to hear from Vandy and hopefully they give me some money; then, I would go there.</p>
<p>In the meantime, I am stuck with a excellent dilemma, but a dilemma nonetheless. Can anyone give me more info about each, especially student perspectives. I want to know if NW is cutthroat competitive. I don't mind competition, but will people sabotage my lab reports at NW? Also can anyone attest to Notre Dame's prestige outside of the midwest. Do any financial consulting companies from the south recruit at ND?</p>
<p>Oh, please, everyone listen in: my son attends Vanderbilt. He does not get trashed on weekends, his social life (which is good) does not revolve around fraternities and parties. I'm not saying no one fits into that convenient and ridiculous stereotype, but there are a lot of students that do not, so please don't let "what everyone (i.e. other teenagers) says" keep you from visiting and talking to students who attend.</p>
<p>By the way, the percentage of males in fraternities at Northwestern is about the same as the percentage of males in fraternities at Vanderbilt (about 32 percent at each, last time I checked). More females in sororities at Vanderbilt, though.</p>
<p>joker, if you are from the south, surely you realize that much of the anti-Vanderbilt nonsense comes from non-southerners who have never been to Vanderbilt or anywhere else in the south. (I'm not a southerner, either, and I lived most of my adult life in New England. I've heard the rhetoric. I'm a bit tired of it.)</p>
<p>Look Northwestern is the clear choice...unless you want good DI sports which is Notre Dame. Notre Dame doesn't have a whole lot of influence ibanking wise and its in Indiana...so I doubt the girls are gonna be hugely attractive. Vandy has the most attractive girls of the three easily, but it's overrated as a school. Northwestern DOES have a decent social scene, so i dunno where you heard that from. And Vandy's Greek influence is the biggest of the three... it's basically like a regular SEC school...just with smarter/richer kids. As far as ibanking in the South...where do you wanna do that... because its pretty much gonna be Atlanta/maybe Nashville. Texas will have the most opportunities in Houston and Dallas...plus Texas is better :)</p>
<p>All three are great choices academically and socially. Of the three, number four--CMU--might be your best choice as they have a full scholarship reserved for bagpipe players. There is no school on your list of three that is more prestigious than the other two. Social life is alive & well at all three, but for a light or non-drinker Evanston's restaurants, Chicago's theatre & comedy/entertainment options & Northwestern's own renowned productions might tilt your selection in NU's direction. With respect to economics, Northwestern University, along with the University of Chicago, are certainly top 5 programs for undergraduates--as well as for graduate study in economics. According to an earlier post--about four weeks ago on CC--Northwestern University enrolls the third highest number of National Merit Scholars of any college or university in the nation behind Harvard University & the University of Texas. For your major & career goals, Northwestern is hard to beat.</p>
<p>From my screen name I'm sure you can tell I'm a senior at Vandy. A few things:</p>
<p>As much as I love Vanderbilt and always love when people decide to come here, if you are looking to experience life outside of the South, then perhaps you should try NU or ND. This is a great time in our lives that we're able to experience new environments, people, etcetera; if that is something that appeals to you then I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity. You can always come back to the South.</p>
<p>Also, I would not recommend coming here if you think of and plan to continue calling Vandy a "lesser school." Even disregarding the fact that we have a lot of school pride, your fellow students will find that extremely insulting.</p>
<p>With that said:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Catholics make up the greatest population of undergrads on campus. There are services on campus on Sundays and during the week; the Catholic Community is very active; and if you decide you're unhappy with what the campus priest and community offers, the Cathedral of the Incarnation is less than one block from campus. (I've been a member of the Cathedral for 4 years.)</p></li>
<li><p>I was on the exec board of my sorority for 2 years, but my life didn't revolve around Greek life nor drinking 3+ nights a week. I have had a great social life here, and it's definitely possible to make friends if you don't drink all the time or are not Greek. (Assuming stats haven't changed, only 1/4 of the male population is Greek.) If you don't like the frat scene, there are a lot of great places to go downtown, 18+ and of course when you turn 21.</p></li>
<li><p>The Career Center has TONS of opportunities for people interested in consulting, ibanking, etcetera. (It's great for students like you, not so much for ones like me who are looking to work for the government. Anyway ...) Last fall a number of my friends found jobs through the Career Center with Deloitte, Goldman-Sachs, and Morgan Stanley.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Overall, my best advice is to go to the school where you feel most "at home."</p>
<p>I personally do not know for sure which one is the lesser school; if I go Vandy, I would not say so. Thank you for posting the info about Catholics; its very impressive. For the record, I would not mind staying in the south for college, but Northwestern with its top-caliber academics and Notre Dame with the football and the Catholic environment are both very appealing. I actually currently live in the midwest, I just lived in the south for a period of time earlier in my life and wish to return. I just wish Vandy would make it easier with some merit money.</p>
<p>The major merit awards have already been announced at Vanderbilt, but some more (substantive ones included) will be included with acceptance packets at the end of this week. You will know soon. However, I don't recommend going to Vanderbilt just because they give you a scholarship. Be sure you like it there, and can see yourself there, if you plan to accept merit money. </p>
<p>They had a very large increase in applications this year, by the way. That will probably translate into a stronger than ever student body, even in those majors that were already very strong.</p>
<p>I like it at Vandy, but money is it important midmo. W/ no money it becomes a question of ND vs. Northwestern. I could feel at home at either place. One qualm I have about NW is that it will impossible to get a 3.7, my goal, in econ there. For the record I got a 34 on the ACT and am in the top 2% of a highly competitive Midwestern high school.</p>
<p>Someone's been handing you years outdated stereotypes. Northwesterners have about as active a social life as any top 20 school could HOPE to have. From Chicago and a revitalized Evanston, to Big Ten sports, to all-inclusive intramurals, to dorm/frat/residential college/apartment parties, to a great music and theater scene, it's hard to find this kind of variety anywhere. </p>
<p>Course work will be hard - especially in econ - but many chose NU specifically to get away from the hypercompetitiveness of top, alternative, east coast colleges. This is a VERY supportive campus environment.</p>
<p>if u feel that u can't possibly get a 3.7 at NU, then the chances are likely that u won't get that gpa elsewhere either, esp. at other good schools. Don't over-analyze this kind of future 'uncertainties' and don't choose a school based on this. NU isn't known for grade deflation anyway, and my friends manage just fine at NU. Schools like MIT, CalTech, and UChicago are some of the few schools in the country that will be significantly more difficult than others, but NU isn' that type of school at all.</p>
<p>patless, I don't "feel" anything with regards to a 3.7. I am simply "wondering" about it. Nonetheless, thank you for your post; I really appreciate knowing from a student who goes there rather than rumors from other parents/ students from my high school. More perspectives welcomed.</p>
<p>in terms of sports vandy is actually better overall than ND. more opinion of mine than fact but still. and NU is good- its in the big 10 so cant go wrong i guess</p>