<p>I have one last day to make the decision. I am a transfer student, and I am steadfast in my desire to continue my concentration in political science, with an special emphasis on conflict resolution and ethnic genocide. From six months of research, I am pretty sure of the following two things: Emory has the better undergraduate political science department, and Vanderbilt has more sex appeal and raises more eyebrows in California (my home state). Does anybody know about respective reputations concerning law school placement from these two universities? I don't much care about atmosphere or where I would be happier. I have plenty of time to be happy after school is done. I just want the best possible education in the short run, and the best tablesetter in the long run. Anybody with insight or opinions, please help. I'm getting desperate here. Thanks so much, and I hope all of you are feeling better about life than I am right now.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt has more street name recognition (partially due to the name, sports and part school reputation). It has polisci department that has been troubled in the last 5 years (high turnover) and was never strong to start with.</p>
<p>Emory has much better polisci department, Carter center, Atlanta with internships opportunities.</p>
<p>For law school there is no difference between these schools. </p>
<p>I would decide based on fit, money and where you would get a higher GPA (very important for law school).</p>
<p>I agree with the above poster. Your GPA will mean more to your acceptance in law school, more than if you attended Emory or Vanderbilt. Internships are also important, so you should research how much help each school gives in finding positions for you. </p>
<p>Are the schools costing you the same? And you are right to believe that Vanderbilt has more name recognition. Political science and econ are the most popular liberal arts majors at Vandy. If you call Vanderbilt, they should be more than happy to have a student or advisor contact you. The school goes out of its way to help students and that will be apparent if you attend.</p>
<p>I lived in Atlanta four times and in Nashville twice for work and once while getting grad degrees with spouse who was at Vandy Law.<br>
You need to consider the undergraduate experience you are looking for before making your choice. I have a friend who went to Emory premed who is a dentist now and and he said they made Tshirts saying "Emory..we are apathetic but we don't care"..as a reflection of the lack of a sports culture on campus. Now I never attended Vandy football or basketball games and this would not be an issue for me at Emory...but they do add a lot of school spirit and a sort of tradition that is special. Not only are Vandy students at these events, but the Vandy Alum base is enthused about Vandy sports so there is school spirit. Your LSAT and GPRs will matter most for law school as well as any EC's you do that seem to point towards ethical thinking and public service. Obviously, both Atlanta and Nashville offer very good field placements and places to volunteer in gov't or civic organizations. The work and GPR issues are similar challenges in both schools..you have to put a lot of focus in to get the high GPR at Vandy or Emory. So now you need to ask yourself other things. In my view, forget Atlanta if you don't have a car. And at your age, I was in love with Atlanta. But it is not for the poor or underfunded and car-less. Emory students spend a lot of time off campus because Atlanta has just an incredible amount of tempting things going on. And although there are cool neighborhood enclaves for hanging out near Emory, you have to drive and get into some major stop and go traffic to survive Atlanta if you venture far. My spouse actually still didn't have a car in law school and could catch a quick bus from Vandy to work for the Public Defender or to intern in the Legislative buildings. Downtown Nashville is actually much closer to Vandy than Emory's location is to Atlanta. Nashville also has traffic issues but is simply more do-able in the car and once you find your way around you can avoid much stress and have a pretty happy smaller big city experience. Qualilty of life issues.. if you are looking for a cohesive cozier undergrad experience on the edge of a city's heart, pick Vandy. Although the student body is increasingly Northern, West coast ect..Vandy is a warm, friendly campus in the more southern tradition..with a more intimate thing going on for the undergrads that they sometimes refer to as the Vanderbubble..although my spouse and I were constantly also out working in agencies in Nashville to get career oriented exposure. So even as an undergrad, you can find places to intern if you ask. Emory students tend to move off campus more as upperclassmen and Atlanta pulls their attention outward. If this is the stage of life you are in, this might appeal to you. This next statement is true for colleges in DC or other large cities as well..your teachers at Emory sometimes have to drive a far piece to get to their own homes in Atlanta's many burbs and neighborhoods and counties..this also sort of seeps into the culture of people commuting in. Nashville neighborhoods in general are also just closer to Vandy, so there is more of a feeling of people living within a closer radius teaching and working there and supporting the students. Whereever you go, you will love either city! And you will meet excellent teachers and students. Congrats on having two great options.</p>
<p>The Carter Center was actually the number one I considered when applying to Emory, but I worry that I would be gambling my entire undergrad experience on a highly selective internship that I might not get. That said, I woke up this morning knowing that Emory was the right place for me. I am not a drinker, and partying is something that never really appeals to me. I just dont think I'd fit in very well at Vanderbilt. I played football for three years in high school before breaking my back. I spent my senior year growing evermore disenfranchised with and bitter about the idea of school spirit, especially in athletics... so in that sense, Emory is, again, the better fit. Money is not a factor at either place. I like Vanderbilt's campus much more, but I will be the first to admit that my observations may be a bit skewed because I visited Vandy on a gloriously sunny weekend and my weekend at Emory was filled with rain and thunderstorms. Allow me to digress; are there any Vanderbilt or Emory students who might be able to fill me in on whether or not the alcohol and partying issue is as good as i think it is at Emory, or as bad as I think it is at Vanderbilt? While at Emory, I attended a few parties, and it seemed there was a high rate of students getting stoned. Is that par for the course? Thanks for everbody's help in this process.</p>
<p>go with your instincts..you can handle the party atmosphere at either place by simply being who you want to be and hanging in until you find your circle of friends. Even if you don't get a Carter internship, there are probably ways to volunteer there regardless. Just don't let any stereotypes about Vandy get in the way..but if Atlanta inspires you a bit more..make Emory your home. I am sure you would like to hear from current students a bit more about social issues.</p>
<p>get a 3.5+ and 165+ from either school and you should be in great position to get into a top 20 law school
also while there is alot of partying at Vandy, there is also alot of partying at Emory. Both schools are large enough to the point where you can find your own niche and find people with similar tastes as you.</p>
<p>(I wrote this for a different poster but it may help to give a sense of the social scene). </p>
<p>Dabillano, first off congratulations on two excellent acceptances. At either school I think you will get a top-notch education with small classroom sizes and be surrounded by intelligent students. But I think there are some major differences between the social scenes at these schools and I urge you to visit both before making a decision. Im also from New York and based on my stats all three (NYU, Emory, Vanderbilt) were on my academic radar, but I ultimately decided on Vanderbilt and am very happy here.</p>
<p>Politically Vanderbilt is a moderate school. Every year the Hustler (the student newspaper) does a survey and the student body is always split evenly. Ive seen some surveys that show that the student body is more left and some more right, but overall its split nearly exactly 50/50. People are respectful of each others ideas, but you will be surrounded by a mix of ideological beliefs. In regards to Emory, I think the political atmosphere of the school would be considerably more liberal. Since you are coming from NYU, a predominately liberal school, Emory may likely have more like minded individuals. Also if you are into the emo/hipster scene at NYU, there will likely be more kids like that at Emory.</p>
<p>The Typical Student First off, before I compare the schools it is important to
emphasize that I think at either school you will find your niche. Both schools draw many types of students and from all walks of life and it is your job to investigate whether you believe the following stereotypes are true. Essentially, both Emory and Vanderbilt have a reputation for having wealthy students. An outsider would think that this would make the schools similar, but the students have sharp differences in style of dress. Emory students in particular the girls are stereotyped as wearing more flashy type clothing. Clothing brands such as Juicy Couture, Gucci, and Triple Five Soul are relatively common. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt has more an athletic/preppy style of dress. Brands such as Patagonia, Polo, and J. Crew. At Vanderbilt there is a neater, prep school type of look. Dont be concerned by this at both schools the majority of students wear just regular clothes. When compared to NYU however, there will be considerably less kids at Vanderbilt with dyed hair, excessive tattoos and piercings, gothic-style clothing. Despite the stereotypes, most kids at Vandy are laid-back and you will be fine by just wearing t-shirts with jeans/mesh shorts. The students are extremely friendly and the hospitality is contagious.</p>
<p>Athletics By going to Emory, there will be opportunities to see sports teams such as the Braves (MLB) or the Falcons (NFL). In terms of collegiate sports, Emory is D-III and competes in the UAA. Attendance is rumored to be low and students generally turn to intramurals for involvement. Sports at Vanderbilt are extremely exciting. Historically, our football team struggles but win or lose the tailgates are always lots of fun. One tradition at Vanderbilt that may seem unusual at first is that guys will often bring dates to games. Guys will generally wear a shirt and tie with khakis and girls will wear sundresses (btw, Vandy girls are absolutely gorgeous). Although their may be a lot of drunken hook-ups on weekends, there is a good dating scene at Vandy to counter-balance it (Im not sure of the Emory Dating Scene). Unlike regular dates, asking someone to a football game isn't a big deal and is basically a guaranteed "yes". After the game, many kids will go hang with a group of their friends to a nice restaurant before getting ready for the parties later on in the night. If this isnt your scene, not to worry. There are also a large group of kids on campus that are part of Dudleys Defenders. These kids will dress informally (wear t-shirts to the games) and some of the guys will paint themselves in black and gold paint, wildly cheering for good old Vandy. School spirit is very high on campus. In terms of basketball, we generally have a solid team. Two years ago we defeated NC State to make it to the Sweet 16. Our best basketball players are rising juniors, and we will likely make the tournament this year. Memorial Gym is really loud (kids in the student section are referred to as Memorial Maniacs) and the place is generally packed. One word of wisdom, for big teams such as UFlorida or Kentucky make sure you get to the gym early. Personally, Im more of a football/basketball fan but we also have a really good baseball team. We made Super-Regionals last year (one game away from going to College World Series) and Baseball America ranked our freshmen recruits #1 in America. In Nashville, there are also Titans games (NFL) and Predators (NHL) about two miles from campus.</p>
<p>Diversity When comparing schools, Emory has the higher overall diversity of students of color. But it largely depends on the group. At Vanderbilt the numbers are as follows: African Americans (8.3%), Asian (7%), Hispanic (6.3%), with students of color making up 22.7% (not including International Students). I have been pleased with the diversity but I think old perceptions die hard. At Emory, the numbers are as follows African-American (9%), Asian (16%), and Hispanic (3%). The diversity numbers are similar but I think the major difference is that Emory has a much larger Asian population. Historically, when looking at Southern schools, Emory- WashU and Tulane also generally attracted relatively larger Jewish populations. While Duke Vanderbilt Wake Forest were predominately more protestant/catholic. But I think that these distinctions have largely diminished over the years. For instance, Vanderbilts Jewish population has improved over 400% in the last couple of years (Its around 10-12% now). One area where Vanderbilt is not diverse is that there isnt a big gay/lesbian population. If you are gay, Emory being in Atlanta would likely have a larger gay scene.</p>
<p>Social Life/Greek Life Hopefully, an Emory poster could elaborate on the Greek life at Emory. Although Im an independent, most of my suitemates are in fraternities and I have good knowledge of the scene at Vanderbilt. Vandy differs from many schools in that fraternity members (aside from the officers) do not live in houses. The vast majority of the parties are open parties meaning that all you need to get in is your Vandy Card. Thursday night kids generally take cabs and go downtown to bars/clubs. On the weekends, the Frat parties center largely around themes: Paint parties, 80s, Great Gatsby, White Trash, Golf Pros/Tennis Hos, Middle School, Anything but Clothes, foam parties, jungle/army and about a million others. A typical pregame is generally playing beirut or flip cup in towers and generally there will be several kegs. Most kids are pretty responsible mostly just a lot of dancing and kids just having a good time. There are also tons of live bands and DJs on campus every weekend. Vanderbilt will spend a lot of money to bring in huge bands Homecoming and Rites of Spring (multi-day festival on campus with like 30 bands) will always have big name talent. Nelly, OAR, Modest Mouse, Maroon 5, Weezer, Counting Crows, Busta Rhymes, Dave Matthews, The Wailers, Ben Harper, Better Than Ezra, Cake, Robert Randolph, Afroman, Hootie and the Blowfish, Nappy Roots, SR-71, Pat Green, My Morning Jacket, Yonder Mountain, Bone-Thugs have all played recently, among others. (If you listen to Indie/Alternative, a lot of those type of bands play at Exit/In, Ryman, and The End along Elliston Place in Nashville with a lot of vintage style shops similiar to around NYU.)</p>
<p>Although there is a big party scene at Vanderbilt, do not be deceived. The kids here are highly motivated and put tremendous effort into their school work. The workload here is very demanding and it is not unusual for kids to have to pull numerous all-nighters. The teachers are also brilliant and foster classroom discussions. Finally there are definitely alternatives for kids that do not drink. Last year, I lived on Peabody and a lot of the non-drinking kids would just grill out on the BBQ, bring out some music, and play some beach volleyball (the court is right next to the dorm) with the girls who lived upstairs.</p>
<p>Misconceptions Many people on this board consider Vanderbilt a regional, southern school but this is simply not true. I have lived in New York for my entire life and I have been here for three years and the campus could really be anywhere in America. I have friends from every single region of the country. If my car broke down in Oregon, Colorado, Massachusetts, Kansas, Texas, or Florida I would have a friend to call. Less than half the student body is from the south and NY is one of the most heavily-represented states. The preppy stereotype has more truth to it there are a lot of kids here from top prep schools and the kids here are very articulate, athletic, and sociable. But all in all the kids at Vanderbilt are extremely friendly; it feels like a big family. People will greet you on your way to class and it has a tightly-knit, community feeling. Hopefully, an Emory poster can provide insights on the campus life of Emory, so you can make a balanced decision. I would definitely visit both schools as both schools are great academically so it should come down to overall fit. Good luck choosing.</p>
<p>college 2332..what a thorough and fair post. I always read what you have to say about Vandy since I was not part of the undergrad world when in Nashville years. I am copying and pasting it to friends who are considering Vanderbilt for this HS kids now. So helpful!!<br>
I will add that my S did overnights at a three schools and by far his student hosts at Vandy were the most helpful/gracious and went to the most "trouble" to help a then 17 year old--introduced him to staff and students in his areas of interest and made sure he had someone with him for every meal and for time in the gym..really friendly student body.</p>
<p>JohnPaul, if you dont mind me asking, but what were ur stats?</p>
<p>college... post of the year!</p>