<p>I've recently been accepted to both JHU and Vanderbilt, but I'm having a really tough time deciding where I should go. I'm a white/asian male in NJ majoring in electrical engineering. Both schools cost the same. I might go to grad school, so maintaining a good GPA is pretty important.</p>
<p>JHU
Pros:
*World-wide reputation/considered more prestigious (ranked 13 USNWR, 25 for engineering)
*Close to home (~2 hour drive from NJ)</p>
<p>Cons:
*Grade-deflation?
*Baltimore isn't the safest/nicest area
*Cutthroat environment?
*No social scene?
*Relatively bad food</p>
<p>Vandy
Pros:
*Well-known domestically (ranked 17 USNWR, ~35 for engineering)
*Nashville is awesome
*"Work hard, play hard" mentality
*Newer facilities, good food, etc.
*Building up their reputation (maybe comparable to Duke in 5 years?)
*Attractive females ;) (not trying to sound shallow)</p>
<p>Cons:
*Heavily Greek (probably not joining a frat)
*Far from home (have to fly)
*Predominantly white student body
*Extremely preppy/Southern?
*Grade deflation? (though, not as bad as JHU)</p>
<p>Is JHU significantly more rigorous than Vandy?</p>
<p>I'm planning on visiting both schools in the next month. Thanks in advance for your help!</p>
<p>Attend JHU. Its closer to home so it will keep the transportation cost down. Neither are known for their engineering but JHU is better for it. It also has world wide reputation because of its medical center.</p>
<p>WRT academic caliber: I think you’re splitting hairs. They’re both extremely well respected, and there’s probably not a nickel’s worth of difference between them.</p>
<p>For me, the decision would hinge absolutely on how I felt about living in the South. </p>
<p>Baltimore is a peculiar place (I say that with affection for Charm City), and there really is something to the Mason-Dixon line, but it’s not like Richmond or Charlotte or Atlanta. (I’ve never been to Nashville.) Maryland is kind of too southern to be the North, and too northern to be the South. It’s neither fish nor fowl, as they say. </p>
<p>But I’d imagine Nashville is really the South.</p>
<p>Congrats on your acceptances! As a disclaimer, I’m just another hs senior, so I can’t really judge the rigor of either school, but I have a friend at Vanderbilt and she likes it a lot. It also seems from your list that you have a lot more “pros” for Vandy over JHU. The cons for Vandy are, like you listed, the social environment. I’m not sure how preppy it is but I know that Greek life basically dominates there - especially for guys.</p>
<p>As for JHU, I’ve been to Baltimore a few times and while there are some sketchy places (like in every city), you can still have fun if you know where to look. I guess you just need to consider the kind of atmosphere that you want since the academic differences between the schools are not as significant. They’re both really great schools though so I’m sure you’ll have a great experience at either one. </p>
<p>I’d say JHU is slightly better than Vanderbilt in terms of academics/name recognition. However, Vanderbilt’s social environment/atmosphere is significantly better than JHU’s. As an Asian dude from NJ, I’m going to address your “cons” regarding Vandy’s social life:</p>
<p>*Heavily Greek (probably not joining a frat)</p>
<p>Yeah Vandy is pretty Greek, but there is a lot of interaction between the Greek and non-Greek community. This is unlike at a lot other schools, where there is a clear divide between Greeks and independents. Plus, there’s tons of stuff to do if you’re not Greek; it’s absolutely not true that you can’t have a social life if you’re independent. </p>
<p>*Predominantly white student body</p>
<p>Vandy’s around 70% white, which could be a large or small percentage depending on what the demographics were like at your HS. As an Asian guy here, I had some reservations about the demographics here before school started. However, I found out it’s actually not that bad; you won’t stand out if you’re a minority. </p>
<p>*Extremely preppy/Southern?</p>
<p>This is also something I was worried about before I came here, but in reality the environment’s pretty chill. Many people like to dress better than the average New Jersey kid, but nothing’s too over the top and you won’t feel out of place if you don’t dress nicely. </p>
<p>And overall, there really isn’t that big of a difference between Vandy culture/atmosphere and NJ culture/atmosphere, except for the fact that people here tend to be a lot nicer :)</p>
<p>In the end though, both JHU and Vandy are great choices, and you can’t go wrong with either of them.</p>
<p>Think about what type of campus life you want too. Vanderbilt’s facilities- dorms, campus, engrg labs are pristine. I can’t speak for JHU-- but there is no student union. When I asked about that people told me that the students socialize in the libraries and cafeterias. I have a senior d going for engineering and her choice has not yet been made. She visited both JHU and spent a few weeks at Vanderbilt for a summer program. Neither of these schools are in her final choices.</p>
<p>When you visit both campuses, try to meet with an engrg student or faculty if you are comfortable requesting directly. My d did that at many schools and it really helped her to get a sense of the engrg programs, priorities etc. </p>
<p>The campuses have a totally different vibe which you’ve researched. I just am not sure how it realistic it will be with so many accepted students on campus. Also, think about the D1 sports vs. D3. Vanderbilt probably has more school spirit around that while JHU is known for lacross. I don’t know if you’re a sports fan and if you’d want to rally around a team on the weekends.</p>
<p>Good luck! And congrats for some wonderful choices.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt offers a great college experience with really fun SEC sports, a great city and a gorgeous campus. The Vanderbilt Med Center is also top notch. I am familiar with both schools and I think you would fit in fine at Vanderbilt- even without joining a frat. See how you feel after the visits and let us know!</p>
<p>For you, they both seem to have the same amount of cons but Vanderbilt has more pros. I’m not even sure that “extremely Southern” IS a con; I suppose it depends on your stereotypes, but realize that most Vanderbilt students are probably not from the South anyway. Both universities have predominantly white student bodies (Vanderbilt 63%; JHU 50%). JHU has a considerably larger Asian population though.</p>
<p>I’ve heard good things about Nashville as a city for students.</p>
<p>Personally I would choose Vanderbilt, but I am from the South and I went to college in the South.</p>
<p>Nashville is an interesting town and, certainly, the music scene is fun. But Baltimore is a much larger city with some great cultural institutions. And DC is only one hour away. And Philly just 2 hours. And NYC about 3 and1/2 hours. You get my drift. </p>
<p>Alfred Blalock–the famous Hopkins surgeon who pioneered cardiac surgery and about whom the movie “Something the Lord Made” was made, moved from Vandy to Hopkins before he became famous. This, of course, has no bearing whatsoever on where you should go to school today but I thought you’d want to know. [Alfred</a> Blalock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Blalock]Alfred”>Alfred Blalock - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Its good that you will visit both. One will feel more right for you. Good luck.</p>
<p>I don’t really agree that in the future international ratings will matter more.
The environment at these two schools is quite different. East coast folks will continue to hate on the south, but see what fits you best!</p>
<p>MWC, there are lots of East Coasters who love Vanderbilt (New York is the second heaviest represented state). At my high school in NY, it is one of the most popular colleges.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine a future employer/grad school says, well, let’s pick this JHU candidate; his school is four slots higher than Vandy. In this case it’s boiled down to personal fit. Visit the schools.</p>
<p>Definitely visit. But JHU’s grad programs are universally known to be stronger than Vandy’s (especially in engineering (where programs within 5 ranks are generally a wash - look at the breakdown of ranks below not just “overall engineering school ranks”):</p>
<p>While undergraduate education might be similar, grad schools make funding decisions in part with how reputable the school is in a particular field.</p>
[Alfred</a> Blalock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“