I’m accepted at both notre dame and Vanderbilt and plan on studying chemical engineering. Financially, both schools will cost me about the same and I’m having trouble deciding. I’m looking for a well-rounded college experience between academics and in a social sense. As of now, it seems notre dame has an edge socially whereas Vanderbilt is better known for their engineering program. Any opinions on the matter?
These schools are peers – which, of course, doesn’t help you with your decision.
Vanderbilt is in Nashville, which is a pretty cool town with great music, a full-size replica of the Greek Parthenon, and pro football and hockey.
Notre Dame is in more of a suburban setting.
Try to find out about dorms/food and zero in on academic fit, specifically:
- Program availability, access, and degree requirements
- Intro level class sizes, TA involvement, etc.
- Internship and research opportunities for undergrads.
These schools are equal in rep and overall quality. You can’t make the wrong choice if you decide based on fit.
That’s what I’ve been finding, they’re very similar in a lot of ways besides setting and location. Thank you for the advice!
I think that both schools are equally excellent for what you want to study. (I applied to both - waitlisted at one, denied at the other haha)
Have you visited both places? I would just go with that gut feeling that is making you more inclined to a certain school. If that feeling isn’t there, maybe read more about both schools and see how you feel. You can’t go wrong either way you do it, though. Both schools are awesome - congrats to you!
Take a look at the location. They are really different. ND is more rural than Vandy is. I don’t know if that’s important to you. Also the major airport is 2 hours away for ND. I don’t know how close it is to Vandy. Maybe @wneely16 would know?
My D was in a similar situation as you. She loved ND but didn’t like the town so she chose a university where she loved both the university and town. The town was important to her.
So pick the school that has the things that are important to you. Fit is really important. Good luck!!
The Nashville airport is about 15-20 minutes from Vandy, depending on lights/traffic and how much lead is in your foot.
Wow that’s really nice. Thanks!
There are more important differences in these schools than the towns they are in and how close the airport is. Also Notre Dame’s non-urban setting is part of what contributes to its strong school spirit and close-knit student body. Consider also Notre Dame’s residence hall system (stay in same hall 4 years, 80%+ stay on campus, no Greek system), much stronger athletics and school spirit, stronger alumni network and its focus on ethics and service. ND is unique as being the only non-secular school in every list of top 20 universities I’ve seen, and as such its mission is also unique among those schools. If those differences are all appealing, then go to ND. It is a very special place… as Lou Holtz said, “For those that know Notre Dame, no explanation is necessary. For those that don’t, no explanation will suffice.” Also South Bend does have a regional airport served by the major carriers, and Chicago’s airport, reached easily from ND by train or bus, is a big hub with direct flights virtually anywhere.
I agree that the schools are academic peers so I’d base your decision on other things that will factor into your college experience. Catholic school v secular, location, residence hall system v Greek Life, sports scene, gut feel of where you’d fit in best etc. Congrats on having such great options.
http://admissions.nd.edu/connect/news/62358-how-i-chose-a-college/ “I ultimately chose Notre Dame because I wanted to focus on who I wanted to be instead of what I wanted to do.”
I’m always griping about Midwestern winters here on CC, but in your shoes I’d pick ND (love that Lou Holtz quote above and suspect it is very true).
We visited Vanderbilt and - as cool a town as Nashville is (wow) - we just didn’t feel it for Vandy. For us it had too “preppy” a vibe, and the engineering didn’t seem different enough to pick expensive Vandy over a good ABET state university. But since you’re comparing two privates, our analysis is probably not germane.
I’ve always heard what a special place ND is.
I will say that the Nashville airport is very easy, clean, and as pleasant as an airport can be.
Chicago is pretty accessible from Notre Dame. There is a train that runs from the South Bend airport (there is a regional airport there, about 15 minutes outside of campus) all the way in to downtown Chicago. There are also buses that run from campus to Midway and O’Hare. My D is a freshman and just went in last weekend to visit the Art Institute of Chicago.
Since you’ve posted this on the Notre Dame page, I assume you know you will get more information about Notre Dame than Vanderbilt. I don’t know much about Vanderbilt myself, have never visited, so can’t help with a comparison. But I have one student who is a junior at ND, and another who will be a Freshman in the fall. So I can comment on ND.
Since it looks like we’re quoting Lou Holtz today ^^^^, I’ll add to that. Lou Holtz also says that you go to Notre Dame for two educations, 1) An education on how to make a living, and 2) An education on how to live. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWwwIIkhzls
I think that sums up the experience at Notre Dame because the education at ND is more than just learning the academics, it an education with a goal of both knowledge and purpose.
The support at Notre Dame for students is really phenomenal. They know that Freshmen can get homesick and so the RAs in the dorms look out for all the students and check in with Freshmen. So do the first year advisors. My D1 was really ready to go away to college but ended up (a surprise to her and to us) very homesick. We are really grateful for the support she received.
Again, I don’t know anything about Vanderbilt engineering, but I do think Notre Dame engineering school is excellent. There’s been a lot of funding for developing the program, and huge investment in research for the University.
We visited both ND and Vandy when we were looking at colleges. Vanderbilt was a beautiful campus and I loved the city there. However, our kids didn’t feel as though it was a good fit in regards to the vibe of the place. It seemed to lack school spirit, the dining hall wasn’t filled with kids talking with one another and when we stopped to talk with students, they didn’t seem overly friendly. It was a completely different feel on the campus of Notre Dame.
@stilldeciding12 Who did you choose?