<p>Ok, so I sent in my deposit to Vanderbilt today (as a transfer from Ohio State). However, I was wondering how much is too much to sacrifice just to have a Vanderbilt degree. If I stay here, which I still have the option of doing, I'll be giving up a full scholarship, but I'm ok with that much. However, I'll also probably be giving up graduating with honors, distinction, and cum laude. I also want to do research on Appalachia, and probably wouldn't be able to if I left Ohio State.
Is this too much to sacrifice? Would a Vanderbilt degree really get me that much more attention than a degree from Ohio State with honors, distinction, and cum laude?</p>
<p>Will you be entering Vanderbilt as a sophomore or as a junior? Either way, can’t you still qualify to graduate with those distinctions at Vandy? Here’s a link to the page that establishes the requirements for Latin honors: [CAS</a> Registrar’s Knowledgebase / What are the GPAs required for Latin honors?](<a href=“http://eight.cas.vanderbilt.edu/kb/index.php?View=entry&CategoryID=1&EntryID=24]CAS”>http://eight.cas.vanderbilt.edu/kb/index.php?View=entry&CategoryID=1&EntryID=24) Cum laude requires a 3.44 GPA.</p>
<p>Have you established that you can’t do research on Appalachia at Vanderbilt? A quick search of the website turned up a history prof (David L. Carlton) who has taught a course on Appalachian history within the past 2 years. It wasn’t offered in 08 or 09 (he taught courses on the Old South and the New South instead), but he sounds like a possible mentor. </p>
<p>Ohio State is also a great school, of course. When I clicked on this thread, I thought you’d be talking about the financial sacrifice involved. How happy have you been at OSU?</p>
<p>Can’t really respond to your question w/o further information. An Eng Lit major who graduates with honors from OSU is just as (un)employable as one who graduates from Vandy w/o honors.</p>
<p>Well, I know it would still be possible for me to graduate with honors or cum laude at Vanderbilt, but the chances of that happening would be significantly lower, whereas at Ohio State I’m on track to do so.
If I go to Vandy, I would enter as a sophomore econ major.
And the reason I said I wouldn’t be able to do research on Appalachia at Vanderbilt is that I wouldn’t be able to travel there to study any of the labor markets or anything. As it is now, I have the money and time to travel to Appalachia, since it is quite close. At Vanderbilt, even if it was close, I wouldn’t have the money to travel there often.
And I really do like Ohio State, it’s just that I’m not sure if it will get me into the caliber of grad schools/jobs that I’m hoping for.</p>
<p>schrute, you went to a lot of trouble to be accepted as a transfer student to Vanderbilt. </p>
<p>Good luck making your final decision. Once you make up your mind, you can give your all to one school or the other. </p>
<p>I am sure there are ways to do supervised independent studies via Vanderbilt that are topical as well as service learning options you have yet to fully explore or propose. I don’t think I would let the idea of an Appalchian Studies research project be a factor. Vandy has quite a history as a center for the Southern Agrarians, and there are many musicians teaching and studying at Blair who are doing roots and new age music…Nashville has many connections to southern Ohio/Kentucky/and Eastern Tennessee heritages in all the arts.</p>
<p>hope you decide to come …</p>
<p>guess the question is do you have the “urge for going?” and starting a new chapter of life with new people in a new city…
are class sizes greatly reduced at Vandy in your line of study? Why did you think of leaving in the first place? How much of the college experience for you is about meeting other people who are coming to a geographically diverse institution? Social learning is an important part of these years before you are all about vocation and grad school.</p>
<p>Personally, I think your financial option at Vanderbilt is a rare opportunity for a traditional liberal arts/ private school undergrad experience. We have been looking at the cost of grad schools and sort of going into shock lately–in state costs in VA for grad schools are very high. Instate for grad school may be a viable financiallly driven option again for you someday…stipended grad school is less likely if you are not going into a hard science or research mode…</p>
<p>I’m not sure what kind of “attention” you’re looking for. Employment-wise, I’d say that you’re more employable having graduated with honors from OSU and done research in Appalachia. What you’ve done counts far more than where you did it from employers. That said, doing well at either school is difficult. If you’re on track to graduate with honors from OSU, I’d think you could do it at Vandy too.</p>
<p>It also depends where you want to live. Within the mid-west, an OSU degree is probably more valuable than one from Vanderbilt. In the South, the reverse.</p>
<p>Edited to add: I see you are interested in graduate school. IMO, it’s not the school, but your advisor that’s the key to getting you in a good one. Ideally you want one with a) some status in the field and b) a good relationship with you. If that’s the case at OSU, I’d hang in there.</p>
<p>schrute, it sounds like you are pretty focused for someone just finishing up freshman year. Frankly, I don’t think it will be hard for you to graduate with honors from anywhere. </p>
<p>Since you are specifically interested in the field of labor economics, I took a quick look at the faculty of the economics department. There are four or five regular permanent faculty who specialize in labor economics, a couple more “visiting professors” who list labor as a primary interest (sometimes they visit for a long time) and a law professor who is listed jointly as a labor economist. That is pretty large number of labor economists. Perhaps you should take a look at the web sites of each of these people and see if any are doing research that relates to Appalachia. (There are also some development economists; generally that means an interest in the development of poorer countries, but there may be an interest in development issues in poorer parts of this country also.)</p>
<p>There is an internship program in economics (follow the links from the department web site). Perhaps there could be an opportunity via a formal internship. </p>
<p>If you peruse the list of regular, tenure-track professors, one of them is listed as the “undergraduate director” for the department of economics. There is a link in red. The job of that person is to answer questions undergraduates and prospective undergraduates have about the program, including research opportunities. I highly recommend sending an e-mail to this professor and asking specific questions.</p>
<p>Also, I know labor economists who specialize in the education labor market. They work with faculty (economics PhDs) at Peabody. I don’t know if anyone there is looking at the labor market for teachers in places like Appalachia, but you might want to check into it if it interests you. There is research money there.</p>
<p>As I have opined on some of your previous threads, if you are happy at Ohio State and it is presenting you with great opportunities, there is no reason to transfer for the ‘prestige effect’. You might find more personal attention at Vanderbilt–but then again, you may not; I’m not familiar enough with Ohio State to guess.</p>
<p>Is there NO WAY you can visit Vanderbilt? Just a quick visit, with some appointments lined up with econ. and other faculty? You might be very pleased with the rest of the campus and Nashville, as well. Then again, you may realize you have everything you need at Ohio State, and you will never be tempted to second guess your decision.</p>
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<p>I’m quoting myself, above, because I forgot to mention that one of the questions you should ask is “where do your students who graduate with an economics degree go to graduate school?” The departmental web site says econ is the biggest major in CAS, and it mentions that a handful of graduates each year go on to pursue a doctorate. The information you are looking for should be immediately available.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your help, guys. And I know this might sound weird since I’ve been talking about Vanderbilt/Ohio State this whole time, but I actually found out today that I got accepted to UPenn as well, which is quite a bit closer to home and, from what I hear, quite an excellent econ program. I really do like Vanderbilt, and had actually decided on going there, but I don’t think I can really turn down UPenn…</p>
<p>Congrats if you are happier with the idea of Philadelphia and UPenn, and best wishes for a fulfilling experience in every way.</p>