<p>Hey everyone, I'm having a tough time deciding between SMU and Vanderbilt. I know these schools are hardly comparable academically, but I received SMU's most prestigious award, The President Scholar... It's a full ride, honors program etc. However, my parents can afford Vanderbilt. I don't know whether I want to go to Vanderbilt as an average student or go to SMU and be a President Scholar. Can someone comment?</p>
<p>If you want to attend Law School, MBA programs or graduate programs that often do not have anything but mega loans to offer to offset the high pricetags (perhaps you think you can get into your home state grad schools at a reasonable rate…our home state’s grad schools targeted by our sons are over 55 grand each instate at the grad school level)…I would reluctantly encourage you to take your full ride because in this economy…jobs that can pay back megaloans are not as plentiful. Many top med schools will also expect parents to pay their FAFSA rate till you are 28. If you have a clue about such matters, take a look at your parent’s resources and if you can shoulder the entire cost of graduate programing or if they are also in a good position to help offset some of your grad school plans. If you are majoring in a hard science, Vanderbilt can often help you get into a graduate program that is cost effective indeed. Vanderbilt can probably assist you in many ways and in many fields of study that can pay off in grad school, but I think your full ride is quite impressive and hard to turn down. </p>
<p>If you truly can afford it, hope you will be a Dore. I am sure if you are a Pres Scholar at SMU, you have what it takes to make SMU an excellent beginning in your life…it is a fine college.</p>
<p>They are both very strong schools. SMU has the edge in some undergrad academic programs (business, performing arts, advertising), Vandy has a great national rep and the benefit of a medical school but they also have larger grad programs, so may use grad students and TAs to teach undergrad classes and save the nobel laureats for research and teaching grad classes. There are certainly financial implications to your decision (esp if you’re thinking longer term about grad school). But there is also the question of fit. Where do you feel like you’ll be happy?</p>
<p>Vanderbilt does not use TA’s or Grad students to tech undergraduate class.</p>
<p>^^^My son is a junior and has not had any TAs or graduate students teaching a class. There was a lab portion of an intro engineering class (a “sampler” course for introducing students to various fields) that used graduate students for some of the hands-on lab activities.</p>
<p>You will find Professors teaching every class and only large courses like Intro to Econ or Ethics…will have TAs for small discussion groups, which is often part of how the graduate students receive their training. Really impressed to see the Professors also in the labs with freshman.<br>
I wouldn’t agree that SMU has the edge in performing arts? This is Nashville. There are artists all over tarnation in the city and in the university which is one of the assets of Vandy life. Undergrads here can also get into graduate school courses and lectures sometimes as honors students and upperclassmen. TAs are NOT teaching at Vandy. Not at all. Business…HOD does a very good job with job placement and there are several clusters in Econ that have some business components. Like many schools like it, Vandy doesn’t offer a business undergrad degree per se.</p>
<p>I guess it really depends on how wealthy your parents are?? 200,000 vs 40,000. I am assuming you have to pay your living expenses at SMU. Do an ROI??? Sure Vanderbilt might be ranked higher, but is it worth the extra 160,000?? If your parents are worth more than 5-10 million, go to Vanderbilt. If you are middle class, I would take the offer from SMU, and let your parents use the extra $$$ for their retirement.</p>
<p>Congrats on getting into both schools and the scholarship offer!</p>
<p>Four years at Vandy is upwards of $240,000. Unless you’re filthy rich, I’d say SMU. You’ll be a top student there with a lot less stress too.</p>
<p>Guys, this thread is from 2010.</p>
<p>I blame tsherman</p>
<p>lol ;)</p>