<p>I've heard quite a bit about the people at Vandy being white, wealthy, and snobs. I have also heard the the school is seeking more diversity. Are my sources that say Vandy kids are snobs outdated and is it true that the school is trying to diversify the school?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Two things:
1) Don't buy into stereotypes (at any school) Yeah there are some wealthy people here, but everyone I've met here has been really nice</p>
<p>2) Vanderbilt is working to diversify the school</p>
<p>i don't go to Vandy, but I have met a lot of REALLY nice, down to earth kids from all over.. and yes, of course snobs. they tend to be everywhere.</p>
<p>There are your snobs, and there are your nerd, there are the jocks and the underprivileged. We have a mix of everyone here but the one overarching theme is that everyone is nice to everyone outwardly.</p>
<p>From an earlier post and may be applicable here. </p>
<p>Over the course of reading CC for over a year, I have noticed a pattern on the Vanderbilt forum. Posters with low post counts and short paper trails visit the forum, create incendiary threads or posts whose major purpose seems to be to harm Vanderbilt's reputation. Vanderbilt has issues (as does every other school in America), but many of the criticisms reflect someone whose motives may not be pure. Perhaps this is legit, but it definitely raises the question of who are these posters and what are their real objectives. </p>
<p>To all the readers who are truly interested in learning about Vanderbilt, I suggest that you take your guidance from those who have high post counts and actual direct knowledge of the school, eg, current students, parents, alumni, etc. They know the real story about Vanderbilt and have demonstrated on CC the history and the integrity to comment on both the school's peccadillos and its many, many strengths.</p>
<p>Excellent point, dajada. The pattern you've noticed has persisted for at least the three years I've been reading the Vandy forum, and who knows how much longer. Alums, parents, and (most significantly) current students seek to respond accurately, but it can be exhausting - also discouraging, since the message doesn't seem to be getting out there. </p>
<p>Here's Vandy's student profile on the class of 2010 (2011 isn't yet available):
<a href="http://www.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/Archive02262007/freshman%20profile.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/Archive02262007/freshman%20profile.htm</a></p>
<p>And here's extensive diversity information from admissions:
<a href="http://www.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/livingDiversity.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/livingDiversity.php</a></p>
<p>I might add that not all white, wealthy people are snobs - also that a considerable number of them will be found at Vandy's peer institutions, as well.</p>
<p>First of all I have noticed this not only happening on CC but on ANY college forum I have ever been on. Vandy is the most tarnished school on any of those boards. And when you defend it, you're automatically called a Vandy troll. Doesnt make any sense? Why is there a bias against it? Why are schools like Rice and Emory with equal stats treated with more respect?</p>
<p>my wife and brother went to Vandy and both had to work in order to go to school. Every friend from Vandy that I have ever might are some of the nicest down to earth people you would ever want to meet.</p>
<p>My D & I went to Accepted Student Day recently. Everyone we met was incredibly nice, and they appeared to be from all walks of life (and many different races). The school is definitely trying to diversify in many ways: geographically, racially, socioeconomically (great need based aid!). One way they aren't diversifying is academically ... the stats climb ever higher for admitted students. My D ultimately chose another school, but it was a very tough decision.</p>
<p>I sometimes wonder if what some perceive as a "snobbiness" is a misperception of school pride and traditions. Vanderbilt is unique in its reputation and size in the South. For example, it is not at all unusual to listen to a sports telecast and hear the SEC commentators talk about how the Commodores aren't just good competitors but they are smarter than the average SEC athlete. Some think the tradition of dressing up for football games is snobby, but that goes on at many schools across the South. Some traditions are more like the Ivy League such as Founders Walk and Senior Day.<br>
I was sharing commencement survival tips with a friend who has a senior at Vandy and we commented how few in our circle of friends could understand the extensive commencement activities at Vanderbilt. That was after I was telling her about the students processing through the gates on Senior Day behind the bagpiper and we finished tearing up! There are many things like that which serve as the "glue" for a cohesive student body and some think of as snobby.<br>
One of Vanderbilt's strongest traditions is the commitment to giving back to the community through volunteer activities, Alternative Spring Break, etc. I am amazed at how these student pursue such rigorous academic schedules and still find time for such extracurricular commitments. Hardly a snobby stereotype!<br>
Finally, if someone wants a real sense of the campus flavor, they should spend some time doing real research on the campus. CC is fun, but it's not always a representative sample. Go online and read some back issues of The Hustler and see what these students are like - smart, talented, diverse, irreverent, caring, etc.,etc.,etc. Be sure to note the overriding themes of the student body like commitment to seeing improvement in wages for staff at the low end of the pay scale. All in all, a fairly typical student body.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt has a history of excluding minorities and those who are not wealthy and that is, of course, where its reputation for snobbery comes from. Earlier this year, then-majority leader Frist's son, a Vanderbilt student, was reported to have had an internet site with a quote about his group's dislike/disdain for Jews, racial minorities, etc. I believe he was dressed in a Confederate uniform and drunk. That is where those "rumors" come from. Does Senator Frist's son represent the Vanderbilt student body, or is he an embarrasing relic of an earlier, shameful era in the school's history? The current administration is clearly working hard to have the latter be true. Nevertheless, the Frists (read: enormously wealthy, arrogant, conservative, white southern aristocrats) of this world will keep that image alive to one degree or another. But anyone who reads CC knows Vandy is much, much more than that. As every other poster has pointed out, every elite university is going to have a lot of wealthy, white, privileged kids. Their wealth and privilege got them the great k-12 educations and support that they needed to get in! But they aren't the whole university.</p>
<p>I wasn't trying to be judgemental or anything of tha sort. I just noticed, as others have said, that it has been said many places many times. I was just trying to get a real sense of the school. So thanks to everyone!</p>
<p>And silversparkle waxed eloquently ...</p>
<p>
[quote]
1) Don't buy into stereotypes (at any school) Yeah there are some wealthy people here, but everyone I've met here has been really nice
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Did you mean, don't buy into sterotypes like, wealthy people being snobs? Or all Vandy students being really nice?</p>
<p>Thanks for the chuckle. Good advice. Best invest in a mirror. ;)</p>
<p>Didn't she say "everyone I've met here has been really nice?" She's not buying into a stereotype if she's reporting her experience.</p>
<p>To Whistle Pig:
Just trying to give a current student's perspective of the school. No need for the rude post. If you feel like attacking my opinion and don't feel it is true, go visit the campus yourself and form your own opinions.</p>
<p>well... not all low post people hate vandy :( I've wanted to go to Vandy my whole life. I lived on campus for the first 4 years of my life and my parents have either been going there working on their PhD's or working there almost all of my life. And from my experiences I haven't met any people who have acted snobby.</p>