I am a senior in high school; and am therefore neck deep in the college search/ admissions process. I am very involved (clubs, community service, sports, etc.), have a 4.0 and above average tests scores, blah blah but that’s not the point - I’m not asking about my chances of acceptance. I just would like a different perspective on schools, since my judgement is clouded by, well, my judgement!
I am interested in studying biochemistry during my undergraduate career, with the intention of pursuing medical school thereafter.
I live in Nashville, and have essentially grown up around Vanderbilt (parents work there). I’ve always thought of applying ED to Vandy, however over the past few months have expanded my horizons tremendously. Here are the schools that I, tentatively, plan to apply to in addition to Vandy, not in any specific order: Washington University in St. Louis (toured/ interviewed), Bucknell University, Colgate University, Davidson College (touring this week), Sewanee: The University of the South (toured), Williams College, Elon University
My biggest thing is not wanting a competitive environment at school…I Don’t want to be competing with people? Collaborative is good. Also, as many of the schools on my list communicate, I like the small-midsize (under 7k enrollment) schools, as well as private with a liberal arts appeal.
I would appreciate ANY opinions on the schools I have listed, or schools that I should consider! Though I love Nashville and don’t necessarily want to ‘get away’ from my family, I would love to dive into a new place and have new experiences (so don’t worry about staying close to home).
Again, ANYTHING (though personal experiences are great) would be awesome.
Thanks in advance.
Do you have to apply ED at Vandy to get tuition benefit associated with your parents’ employment there? Is RD an option?
Have your folks given you a budget if you opt for a different school?
When I think of liberal arts schools that are cooperative more than competitive, the following come to mind: Grinnell, Macalaster, Haverford, Colorado College.
I’m less familiar with the other colleges on your list, but Davidson certainly meets your criteria. Davidson expects students to engage with one another and collaborate, and it’s the only college I know of that requires a peer evaluation letter. (Dartmouth, also well-known for its strong sense of community, strongly encourages them, however.) The heavy emphasis on the honor code – best paralleled by Haverford – gives students a great deal of freedom and creates a more laidback feel to the campus atmosphere. Davidson also has great relations with the surrounding community. For example, community members have baked students cookies during finals week.
The tuition assistance isn’t limited to Vandy.
Plan for those employed prior to 9/1/2012 - Your benefit will be the greater of the following, but not to exceed 70% of what Vanderbilt would charge for similar level coursework:
100% of up to $2,000 of the total tuition per semester, or
70% of the total tuition.
https://hr.vanderbilt.edu/policies/dependent-tuition-assistance.php
*How do I know if the college or university my child is attending is approved for the tuition benefit?
If the college or university your child is attending is accredited and offers academic courses providing college credit that can be applied toward an undergraduate degree, it is most likely eligible. Policy does require the school to be listed in the Higher Education Directory. *
https://hr.vanderbilt.edu/policies/faq-dependent-tuition-program.php#six
My D attends Sewanee and loves it. It has a collaborative environment, beautiful campus, and meets your other criteria too. Feel free to pm me if you have specific questions.
Cal Berkeley engineering. They are very cooperative and collaborative there
Thanks so much everyone for the responses! I really appreciate the thoughts/ ideas. As far as the 70% off goes, @warblersrule has it right (thanks by the way for that). I do not have to apply ED to Vandy for the discount, and the 70% applies to any school in the U.S. The only reason I have thought I would apply ED is because of the greater chance of acceptance (supposedly).
@lifehiker That is one sweet deal. I wonder if there’s a job at Vandy for me? 
@mamaedefamilia Haha it’s worth a look!
Bucknell has a very different vibe than, say, Sewanee. Make sure you visit if you are serious about it. D attends Sewanee and loves it. But my sense is that Bucknell doesn’t have nearly the collaborative atmosphere and I think she would not have been as happy there. Did you consider Kenyon?
Williams is in a class of its own, and I know people who have loved it there. Beautiful setting, too.
I’m not that familiar with the other schools on your last but they are all strong academically, obviously.
Thanks so much for your insight @MidwestDad3. I have not been to Bucknell, so I appreciate your thoughts.
I have not looked at Kenyon super in-depth, however I have done some surface research.
Do you think Williams fits my criteria, as far as you know?
Thanks again!