I know there are a couple of similar posts but I couldn’t find any that were both recent and focused on my intended majors.
Here is the thing, my head is telling me to go one place (ND) and my gut is telling me another (Vandy)
Vanderbilt
I was part of a visitation program and I feel in love with the school. I was completely sure I was going to go to Notre Dame before this program, and considering I was really sick throughout the weekend, I think the fact that I liked it as much as I did says a lot.
Everyone was really friendly and social and I did get to see some of the greek party life (It was St. Patrick’s day). Although it is not really my scene (I love being social but have no interest in drinking) , I did meet a lot of people who were independent and said they were doing just fine.
Their engineering program is pretty wonderful and they have a new building opening up. They also have this modular system where you can try various engineering majors before officially deciding (perfect for someone like me who has no idea what type of engineering I am interested in)
I can double major and graduate in four years (Supposedly). I want to double major in mechanical engineering (for now) and English with a concentration in creative writing.
Advisors are supposedly hit and miss.
The FOOD. It was delicious and there were SO MANY healthy options
They also have a super expansive study abroad program for engineers.
Nashville is pretty cool
The weather is perfect
I already have an awesome potential roommate
Notre Dame
I just came back from a visitation program in ND, and had previously made up my mind to go to Vandy, but now I am extremely torn
Full Disclosure: The weather was unusually bad (the program coordinators apologized often for the weather) so this might have affected my opinion a bit
The campus was also beautiful but it seemed more dreary to me (but again the weather wasn’t cooperating). The basilica was amazing and so was the grotto. (And the library oh my gosh I could die happily there)
I loved the spiritual and service aspects of ND. I am Catholic but not the kind the goes to church regularly. I feel like I could really grow as a person here (and in ways I wouldn’t at Vandy.) We attended one of the dorm masses and it was amazing.
The people in the dorms are very tight knit. They have a really strong community vibe that was really amazing. I could tell that I could easily find a lot of support here during inevitable bouts of homesickness and academic “breakdowns”.
The traditions. Bikes up in trees, senior marshmallow fights in the stands, the “pool Parties” in the reflection pool before football games-> I love these kind of things
For some reason the engineering aspect at ND did not get me as excited as the one at Vandy. I can’t double major but they do have a five year dual degree program that does offer financial aid for the fifth year (I can’t decide how I feel about that, I kinda think it could be a good thing) They don’t have the modular program, which worries me a bit, but I’m sure it is pretty easy to change engineering majors the first year.
From what I gathered, advising is one of the strongest aspects of Notre Dame. I want to do a lot in my undergrad and it seems that I would have a lot of help and support in accomplishing those goals.
The whole sports vibe. I played competitive sports my entire life and absolutely want to play club in college.
Football.
The food was decent. Other kids in the program said the food was amazing but I suppose Vandy just set the bar a little higher (Vandy had fresh smoothies for breakfast…It shouldn’t be a big deal but I can’t get over it haha)
Study abroad was not as expansive (especially for engineering) and it seems that it is more competitive than at Vandy. But they do have the places I am most interested in.
I didn’t get to see much of South Bend, but Vandy wins the location round for me.
Bottom line, I can’t help but be really excited for Vandy. But I feel that I could grow more as a person at Notre Dame. The social scene at Vandy gives me pause, but something about ND doesn’t feel quite right. Although, granted the weather played a part in my initial impression (also there is a lot of preassure/support down here in the south to go to Vandy).
Any outside advice or perspectives would be really helpful. Sorry for the long read but I was also trying to organize my thoughts.
Financial Aid:
They are both affordable for my family but ND is a little more expensive than Vandy as of now. However, ND does accept outside scholarships and uses them to reduce loans and work study FIRST (unlike Vandy). So ND could potentially be cheaper.
