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<p>The important point, fakemedstudent, is that YOUR opinion doesn’t really matter and certainly doesn’t represent that of most people.</p>
<p>“fakemedstudent”</p>
<p>It’s almost as if I’ve returned to my elementary school playground. </p>
<p>I laugh at playground bullies!</p>
<p>Oh I forgot. Vandy is known for “audiology.” LOL!!!</p>
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<p>All that confirms is that school reputations are highly regional. Trust me that all the best students in the midwest and the south – yes, some even at schools that send lots of kids to Ivies! – know Vandy and think it’s prestigious. You may think that your little northeast world is indeed “the world” but it’s not. </p>
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<p>One more time – depending upon what region of the country you are in. </p>
<p>Speaking as a former northeasterner, the kinds of people who think that the northeast defines “everybody” are indeed, often, the most parochial and naive of all. </p>
<p>Penn and Vandy are two very good schools, but they are apples and oranges. Instead of trying to prove that apples are always more prestigious than oranges or that “everyone knows apples,” just figure out which one appeals to you more and move on.</p>
<p>I apologize for stooping to your level, but it annoys me to no end on this forum when certain posters have nothing positive to contribute but spend every post attacking and belittling fine universities about which they know absolutely nothing. It’s sad to me that someone can feel such hostility towards a SCHOOL!<br>
There are schools I would not have enjoyed attending and there are a couple of schools I would not have chosen for my kids. That does not mean that these schools are not worthy places for other people. For example, NYU was off the table for my son. I simply was not willing to pay for that particular kid to live in New York City and I thought he would benefit from somewhat more of a campus experience. I don’t feel compelled to slam NYU on every forum. I think it is a fine university.<br>
When high school students such as yourself ■■■■■ the threads to seek out occasions to slam schools such as Penn and Vanderbilt- repeatedly- it gets obnoxious and, frankly, somewhat perplexing.</p>
<p>Uh, mrmedstudent, the M in MIT stands for Massachusetts, so I’m going to have to assume my neighbor has never heard of it.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t brag that I’ve never heard of a major university, by the way, as you are. I’ve been in or at a variety of universities as undergraduate, graduate student, post-doc and faculty non-stop since 1970, and I’ve been “hearing” about Vanderbilt all of that time. Perhaps you had better spread the word among your fellow feeder-Ivy high school students that there is a whole continent to the west of the East Coast.</p>
<p>“All that confirms is that school reputations are highly regional.”</p>
<p>Isn’t this what I just said? Except for HYPSM, all schools are regional schools.</p>
<p>BTW, high school kids – even at Ivy feeder schools! – don’t constitute the world of “highly educated people.” What high school kids think they “know” about schools and what’s “prestigious” and what’s not is meaningless.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t brag that I’ve never heard of a major university, by the way, as you are.”</p>
<p>I am not “bragging.” Just stating a fact (regarding when I was 16 or 17). You’re the one who’s bragging about “hearing about Vanderbilt all of that time.” What is it you hear about Vandy? Its wonderful football program?</p>
<p>The kids at my high school know very well that there are great schools outside of the East Coast. They highly regard Stanford and Caltech. Vandy, not so much.</p>
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<p>My field isn’t football. It’s one of those “pre-med” fields you might be studying some day.</p>
<p>What you don’t know about higher education would fill many threads, so I’m done here.</p>
<p>“I apologize for stooping to your level, but it annoys me to no end on this forum when certain posters have nothing positive to contribute but spend every post attacking and belittling fine universities about which they know absolutely nothing. It’s sad to me that someone can feel such hostility towards a SCHOOL!”</p>
<p>This is a public forum about college admissions and search. I am free to express my opinions; you are free to ignore them as I do yours.</p>
<p>Everything I do is in accordance with the TOS. The moderators have no problems with what I say; neither should you. If you don’t like what I have to say, then just ignore me and move on. You don’t have the right to tell me how and what I say; I certainly don’t care what you say.</p>
<p>Whether I am a high school student or a college student or a med student is highly irrelevant. So long as I am over 13 (the minimum age limit), I can post here and will continue to do so.</p>
<p>^^ That is true, but the fact that you are mis-representing yourself (by your screenname) as a med student sort of takes away your credibility.</p>
<p>As more proof of your ignorance about Vanderbilt, their football program is not exactly top ten in the country. They had a good year last year with a bowl invite, but they struggle against the SEC powerhouses. The spirit is there, though. 
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<p>Again, why the hostility?</p>
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<p>Well, so what? Are the kids at your high school any more important than kids at any other high school? See, you’re under the mistaken impression that your little corner of the world constitutes the entirety of the world. So some smart high school kids in the NE don’t know Vanderbilt. So what? Some smart high school kids in Chicago don’t know some of the schools that the NE kids are drooling over, but would love to go to Vandy. And some smart high school kids in LA would rather just hang out at Stanford, Caltech, or Berkeley and don’t see a need to think about the East Coast at all. Now what?</p>
<p>“Well, so what? Are the kids at your high school any more important than kids at any other high school?”</p>
<p>When did I ever say that. I am simply making an observation. You are making all the “impressions.”</p>
<p>You’re the one who specifically said that Vandy was a “charm school”, when that is not the case, it’s a top 20 university. And you’re the one who extrapolated that “Most people draw a complete blank when you ask them about Vanderbilt; it’s not known for anything” (your words!) when in truth your “most people” is limited to “my high school buddies.” Given that you’re a high schooler, you don’t even have enough life experience to have a clue as to what “most people” think, since you’ve not lived in the world as an adult, you’ve not been in the business world, etc. And if you go to a HYP feeder school, chances are you’re particularly high on the sheltered and naive side of things, and think that “the world” thinks like your little corner of the world does. </p>
<p>Guess what. Plenty of places in this country where Vandy is quite prestigious. Too bad you hadn’t heard of it til then. Oh well.</p>
<p>There are probably students at “elite” high schools that may choose Penn or Vandy as their top choice college. Imagine that.</p>
<p>I know my S went to a so called “elite boarding school”, and a lot of his friends had no interest in HYP. To some of them, these institutiuons were too much like the elite East Coast boarding schools they attended, and they were ready for a change. ;)</p>
<p>OP:</p>
<p>If you are interested in film studies why are you focusing on these two schools neither of which seem to offer an extensive program in the major? If you like Vanderbilt you might consider USC, a similar school with the the best overall film program, including Critical Studies, in the country. It is also strong in business.</p>
<p>I suspect that there are also other Ivy League schools that could offer you a better film studies program than Penn, for example, Columbia.</p>
<p>“Given that you’re a high schooler, you don’t even have enough life experience to have a clue as to what “most people” think, since you’ve not lived in the world as an adult, you’ve not been in the business world, etc.”</p>
<p>I currently attend an HYPSM school, so I do have some life experience though obviously not as much as you do. No need to imply that my opinions are less valid than yours just because I am younger than you.</p>
<p>“And if you go to a HYP feeder school, chances are you’re particularly high on the sheltered and naive side of things, and think that “the world” thinks like your little corner of the world does.”</p>
<p>I attended my HYP feeder school on scholarship. I come from an immigrant, working class family and grew up in a tenement, so I am anything but “sheltered” and “naive.” No offense, but I have more “street smarts” than you’ll ever know.</p>
<p>^ Nevertheless, anyone who refers to Vanderbilt as a “charm school” and Penn as a “trade school” reveals a great deal of ignorance, naivete, and, quite frankly, immaturity–regardless of his/her age, background, education, etc.</p>