<p>Over the past year I've been narrowing down choices. I finally decided on some schools that I will apply to:
Wash U in St Louis
Dartmouth
U of Rochester
Lehigh
Case Western Reserve
Valparaiso
Ohio State</p>
<p>If you notice there's a large gap from Dartmouth to U of Rochester in terms of selectivity. I am undecided about schools in that gap. Between Notre Dame, Tufts and Vanderbilt, what are some pros or cons? Who is the best? Or the worst?</p>
<p>Very different cultures.</p>
<p>Notre Dame: Catholic, football-oriented. People in Chicago sometimes refer to it (unfairly I think) as "the world's largest high school." Conservative.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt: Southern. Preppy. Fraternities and sororities. Urban. Strongly conservative.</p>
<p>Tufts: New England. Preppy. A number of people there seem to spend a lot of time convincing others that "we're just as good as an Ivy." Politically balanced (so I've read).</p>
<p>All have things to recommend them. If they all have the majors you want, look for the cultures and decide if they appeal to you or turn you off. These schools are very different from each other, culturally. All seem to have a real commitment to undergrad education, which is a very good thing.</p>
<p>You might want to look at Cornell, Colgate, Middlebury, Bucknell as similar schools to the ones you've listed to fill the selectivity and geographic gap you have.</p>
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Vanderbilt: Southern. Preppy. Fraternities and sororities. Urban. Strongly conservative.
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<p>This is incredibly inaccurate. Vanderbilt's student body is moderate -- split evenly between democrats and republicans. I agree, that 50% republicans is greater than other elite colleges but it is no way "strongly conservative". Also, being a life-long New Yorker I haven't found Vandy difficult to adjust from the Northeast. The student body is extremely friendly and in recent years less than half the population is from the South. I have met kids from every part of the country.</p>
<p>In many respects, Vandy feels like an LAC. Small classroom sizes and the opportunity to really get to know the students/professors. I love it here.</p>
<p>college2332:</p>
<p>Perhaps what you say is true, and I'm glad you love it there, but you are contradicted by other sources.</p>
<p>Here are some quotes from princetonreview.com.</p>
<p>"Vanderbilt students are renowned for "the Vandy ‘look': Louis V purse, pearls, and flipped collar." Students concede that the typical Vandy student has a "preppy, country-club style [and] is well put together and always looks polished and professional." They add, however, "A lot of people here look similar on the outside—they have money, they are pretty, they seem smart—but really, everyone is still learning about life."</p>
<p>"Most students are "religious, conservative, Republican,"</p>
<p>"For many, "frats are the weekend social entertainment."</p>
<p>"Among the most popular are service groups and religious organizations ("A good portion of the population is involved in religious groups, Bible studies, Young Life (as leaders), or churches/synagogues," explains one student.)"</p>
<p>Also, by my count, approx. 53.5% of the student population is from old Confederate states which I would normally consider "the South." With 8% international students, that means that only roughly 38%, of the student body is from some part of the US that is not the South. Nothing wrong with that, but it hardly makes for the "less than 50%" you asserted.</p>
<p>50% of women at Vanderbilt are in sororities and 34% of men are in fraternities. I'd say that's a pretty large Greek scene. Once again, not good or bad. Just something you need to know if you are into that scene or not.</p>
<p>Vandy does have small class sizes and is a wonderful place to go to school. But it is very, very different from ND and Tufts.</p>
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Perhaps what you say is true, and I'm glad you love it there, but you are contradicted by other sources.
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<p>I am only being contradicted by one other source (Princeton Review) and they have kept the same exact description since I was a freshman (3 years). Being an upperclassman I know Vanderbilt inside/out and the article is not an accurate representation (or atleast an outdated one). </p>
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Also, by my count, approx. 53.5% of the student population is from old Confederate states.....nothing wrong with that, but it hardly makes for the "less than 50%" you asserted.
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<p>According to Vanderbilt's website, less than half the student body is from the South. The numbers are as follows: South (45.6%); Midwest (14.7%); Middle States (11.9%); New England (4.3%); Southwest (8.0%); West (6.6%); International (8.6%); Unspecified (0.3%). But I don't feel the numbers tell the whole story. Florida is one of the heaviest populated "southern" states. When I was applying to colleges, CollegeConfidential had lead me to believe that Vanderbilt would be "very southern" but I quickly realized that many of these perceptions were false. My freshman year hall [Vandy/Barnard] was filled with kids from the Northeast (especially New York). In reality, the geographic diversity is great and you will meet kids from all over the country. </p>
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"frats are the weekend social entertainment."
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<p>This is true. There are also lots of people who have parties in Tower Suites, Morgan/Lewis, and Mayfields.</p>
<p>
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"Vanderbilt students are renowned for "the Vandy ‘look': Louis V purse, pearls, and flipped collar. Students concede that the typical Vandy student has a "preppy, country-club style [and] is well put together and always looks polished and professional." They add, however, "A lot of people here look similar on the outside—they have money, they are pretty, they seem smart—but really, everyone is still learning about life."
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</p>
<p>There is an element of truth to this statement -- but it is misleading because the majority of kids dress casually (t-shirt/shorts, etc). Vanderbilt is definitely a preppy school (wealthy, good-looking kids) but there are also lots of different types of kids (alternative/indie/surfer types etc.) which the article neglects. The student body is very friendly.</p>
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50% of women at Vanderbilt are in sororities and 34% of men are in fraternities. I'd say that's a pretty large Greek scene.
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<p>Greek life is big but it is very different at Vanderbilt than at other schools. At Vandy, only officers live in the houses (6 ppl) and everybody else lives in the dorms. I'm independent and lots of my friends are in Greek houses and they are fun places to hang out. </p>
<p>
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"Among the most popular are service groups and religious organizations ("A good portion of the population is involved in religious groups, Bible studies, Young Life (as leaders), or churches/synagogues," explains one student.)"
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<p>This comment is just funny. Religious groups are probably there for those who are interested but are definitely not the "most popular". There are alot of kids who are agnostic/apathetic about religion along with those who attend church. I would never call Vanderbilt a religious school though. </p>
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"Most students are "religious, conservative, Republican"
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<h2>According to actual surveys done by our student newspaper, the student body is moderate. Today George Bush came to Nashville (across the street from Vandy) and the College Democrats were out protesting the visit (drums/chants, etc.) and the College Republicans held a counter-protest. There are very few top colleges with a 50/50 split so I guess it is conservative in that regard. Orbis is the liberal newspaper and The Torch is the conservative/libertarian paper if you are interested. </h2>
<p>I would definitely recommend you visit the schools so you can get an accurate representation of the student body. Don’t just write-off schools because of outdated stereotypes.</p>
<p>You could also consider Carnegie Mellon, Emory, and Rice. Guess you don't like places like Johns Hopkins and U Chicago, but they would also fit the bill. I also agree that some of the larger top LACs may be good.</p>
<p>College2332:</p>
<p>You seem to think I have something against Vandy. I don't. One of my favorite colleagues in the whole world teaches at Vandy and we get together as often as we can (not often enough, alas).</p>
<p>I simply wanted to point out to the original poster that Vandy, Notre Dame, and Tufts are very different from each other, culturally. If one must choose from among them, then it would be a good idea to get a feel for how comfortable one would be there.</p>
<p>I got my numbers from the same place you did. But here's what I said:</p>
<p>"Also, by my count, approx. 53.5% of the student population is from old Confederate states which I would normally consider "the South." </p>
<p>Vandy's website is very clear about the states it includes in "South" and "Southwest." Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma were either official Confederate states or were (in the case of Oklahoma), Indian territory sypathetic to the South. I deducted slightly from the number for New Mexico, even though it was more Confederate sympathizing than not, but it was a territory at the time, I believe.</p>
<p>So, as you'll see, I used Confederate states for the definition of "South" which I was very careful to point out to you. </p>
<p>As for liberal vs. conservative split, I'll still have to disagree with you. I'm told by my faculty friend there that the place feels very conservative in nature because the conservatives on campus tend to be more active than the liberals, your example notwithstanding. I would also like to point out that "Democrat" still does not mean the same thing in the South that it means in New York. There are many rural areas in the South that vote strictly Democratic for local politics, but one would not recognize the positions of these local Democrats as having much to do with the national party platform.</p>
<p>Once again, none of this is pejorative in nature. Different people like different kinds of schools. I would strongly steer any conservative away from places like Bard or Antioch, for instance. Unless one really enjoys major conflict and feeling like an outsider, those places would not be for him/her.</p>
<p>As for Vandy not being preppy, have they stopped accepting kids from Montgomery Bell Academy these days ;-).</p>
<p>OneMom:</p>
<p>If the idea is to fit in between Dartmouth and Rochester, then I'm not sure many of the schools you suggest fit the bill. I would think the ones he chose were more "in the middle" than most of the ones you suggest.</p>
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I simply wanted to point out to the original poster that Vandy, Notre Dame, and Tufts are very different from each other, culturally.
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<p>I completely agree. Every school has different cultures and traditions. My post was to make sure that these cultures were displayed accurately because far too often people on CC stereotype schools they have never visited. When I was applying to colleges, Vandy was always high on my list but when I ventured on CC I nearly crossed it off completely. Lots of posters dubbed it a “southern aristocracy” of sorts and this was not the environment I wanted. Luckily, I visited the school and realized many of the posts were uninformed and it has been the best decision I have made in my life. </p>
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I deducted slightly from the number for New Mexico, even though it was more Confederate sympathizing than not, but it was a territory at the time, I believe.
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<p>I’m not here to debate what states were once considered part of the South. My point is the southern feeling isn’t as prevalent as you think it is. There are A LOT of New Yorkers here and the geographic diversity is great. </p>
<p>
[quote]
As for liberal vs. conservative split, I'll still have to disagree with you. I'm told by my faculty friend there that the place feels very conservative in nature because the conservatives on campus tend to be more active than the liberals, your example notwithstanding. I would also like to point out that "Democrat" still does not mean the same thing in the South that it means in New York. There are many rural areas in the South that vote strictly Democratic for local politics, but one would not recognize the positions of these local Democrats as having much to do with the national party platform.
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<p>I’d strongly urge you to read the editorials in the campus newspaper (or better yet come visit the campus). There is a strong liberal voice on Vanderbilt’s campus (<a href="http://www.vanderbiltorbis.com%5B/url%5D">http://www.vanderbiltorbis.com</a>). Ask your colleague about the constant living wage protests that go on campus. Also -- I am well-aware that democrat has a different connotation in the South. But there is a sizeable amount of “NY-type liberals”. I think Vanderbilt’s conservative nature is more applicable to style of dress. Although most kids just dress casually, this is not NYU. If you have excessive piercings, dyed hair, or goth-like clothing your style of dress will be an aberration numerically. As a whole, Vanderbilt IS a preppy school. There will be kids with pastel polos, button-down oxfords, who have come from top New England boarding schools but PR neglects the other groups here at Vandy (indie/punk/alternative subcultures). I think at one time Vanderbilt was “very conservative” but the students who are here now are probably very different than the kids who were here a decade ago.</p>
<p>Might want to look at Davidson and Holy Cross.</p>