U Chicago vs. Vanderbilt

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Anyone here applying to both?</p>

<p>So I just had my U Chicago interview where I was asked where else I was applying, and not thinking too much of it I gave my complete list, which included Vanderbilt. I like both schools, although I have visited neither, but my interviewer seemed to think I was completely misguided in my college search because they are in her words, "completely opposite experiences".</p>

<p>I do think I have researched both colleges enough, and have different reasons for applying to both so am not just applying blindly. I know that Chicago is way more academics-focused and Vanderbilt is heavily Greek (one thing my interviewer asked me my opinions of), and though I know experience I would have at each would be very different, I can honestly see myself at both, and I like both a heavy focus on academics and on social life. I do believe I will be able to adapt to and enjoy whatever environment I end up in. </p>

<p>But now I'm having second thoughts because of what my interviewer said to me...So, who here is applying to both and what are your reasons?</p>

2

<p>you might be the first person in history to apply to those two schools. it's not about vanderbilt being "heavily greek" (which it really isn't...there's a presence but "heavily" is an exaggeration), it's about one being the most social aka "work hard play hard" school in the top 20 and the other being "where fun goes to die"...they are COMPLETELY opposite experiences.</p>

<p>go take one of those collegematchmaker tests on collegeboard or princetonreview. you do not want to end up at a school that you liked on paper when in fact it really isn't a fit.</p>

3

<p>Okay, guys, here's the news: williamsf1 fan is NOT the first person in history to apply to those two schools. I know several, most notably my son, who was admitted to both last year, with merit scholarships to both.</p>

<p>I realize it is a bit unusual, but I think the stereotypes of both schools are heavily exaggerated. My son is a very sociable intellectual type. Yes, they do exist. He would have made a lot of friends at either school, and he would have taken full advantage of educational opportunities at either school.</p>

<p>In the end, he decided on Vanderbilt. It was down to the wire. Two reasons were foremost: the merit award at Vanderbilt is very large, and hard to pass up. Second, his primary major had more opportunities for hands-on, applied research at an earlier stage at Vanderbilt. </p>

<p>It wasn't the weather; he likes cold weather. It wasn't the "fun goes to die"; that is a bunch of nonsense. It wasn't the core; he is triple majoring anyway and takes a lot of different kinds of classes. He liked the VU offer. He liked the VU campus when he visited. He very much liked the faculty and their obvious devotion to the undergraduate program at VU. And he has found quite a few fellow students who take their studies seriously but also like to hang out and have fun.</p>

<p>My suggestion to williamsf1 fan: Visit both, sit in on classes, very carefully investigate the details about the academic program you are interested in, try to determine what the students do for fun at both campuses. If you are really into cities, there are differences between Nashville and Chicago, so check that out.</p>

<p>Another thought. I thought there was a noticeable difference in the approach of the administration of the two schools toward the details of undergraduate life. The new freshman residential commons/campus at Vanderbilt will have a very different feel than the dorms at Chicago. You might want to think about that.</p>

<p>Good luck. And by the way, I think the Chicago interviewer was pretty ignorant. Someone should enlighten her.</p>

4

<p>I'm a Chicago student who has friends at Vanderbilt. Though I didn't apply to Vandy, I guess I, a somewhat textbook example of a nerd, am walking proof that I could find people there whom I like.</p>

<p>College is what you make of it, and as long as you're flexible, you could make either work. If you're trying to decide between the two come the spring, you'll probably want to look at other factors to help you make a decision. Midmo's pointing out the dorm setup is one place to start-- Chicago's dorms are interspersed throughout the neighborhood and house all four years together-- a lot of social life and bonding happens within the 70-person houses, which serve as sort of co-ed fraternities. Then, there's also the matter of the core curriculum (not everybody's cup of tea) and the super emphasis on academics.</p>

5

<p>Chicago is so much better. Unless you want to go Pennsylvania.</p>

6

<p>Thank you. Most illuminating. Some rethinking to do. Will get back soon.</p>

7

<p>Yeah, I applied to both U of Chicago and Vanderbilt back in the day (2002), and was accepted to both.</p>

<p>I applied to both because at the time I was planning to be premed (ha!), and I was tired of being put on a pedestal and isolated from the people around me because I was smart. So I wanted a big name with good life science programs and top academics in general, where I would be surrounded by very smart people. I didn't have much of a social life to speak of pre-college, and I'm pretty adaptable, so there wasn't any particular type of social scene that I felt I needed to have (or exclude).</p>

<p>Incidentally, people play up the "heavily Greek" thing for various schools without having the foggiest idea what it means for any particular school. One school's Greek system is not equal to another school's Greek system, and a fraternity at one school is not equal to a different fraternity at the same school.</p>

8

<p>I'm not surprised that your interviewer reacted that way; regardless of the actual differences between the schools, there's a huge difference in self-image. In other words, U of C SEES itself as very unusual. That identity, and pride in that identity, are a big part of the culture at U of C.</p>

9

<p>
[quote]
my interviewer seemed to think I was completely misguided in my college search because they are in her words, "completely opposite experiences".

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Hanna, it is one thing for U of C alums to see Chicago as very unusual, but it is quite another to tell a high school student that another fine university with a strong undergraduate program and great faculty is "a completely opposite experience". That sounds pejorative, not informative.</p>

<p>Students should be encouraged to examine potential schools carefully, think carefully about what sort of academic program they want, and be flexible. They should not be encouraged to assume prevailing stereotypes serve as a substitute for research and thought.</p>

10

<p>I see your point, and I do try not to express any opinions about peer schools when I interview. But realistically, this kind of thing is par for the course. Most of the time, the alumni who volunteer their time to interview (1) are passionately in love with their school and (2) genuinely believe that it offers something special that they could not have found elsewhere. On balance, that's a good thing. Sometimes that cheerleading carries with it a sense that certain other schools just aren't in the same league. This is particularly true with schools that view themselves as oases in a desert of bland, interchangeable colleges (U of C, Haverford/Bryn Mawr, Oberlin, Hampshire, etc.). This interviewer was not as tactful as she could have been, but the thread can help other students better prepare for this common reaction.</p>

11

<p>^^^Yes, I can see how it happens, but I hope young students are aware that even "mature" adults often use faulty or incomplete judgment.</p>

<p>Here are a few examples of what my son and his dad and I heard about the schools on his list:</p>

<p>--from a U Chicago PhD: "don't let him go to U Chicago. All of the undergrads are neurotic and a mess, socially."</p>

<p>--from guidance counselors and others in town: "don't even apply to MIT. One of the local vals a few years ago had a breakdown when he went there and lives on the streets now."</p>

<p>--from a parent we know whose daughter is at HYP: "I can't believe you are going to let your kid go to Vanderbilt when he has been accepted to higher-ranking schools."</p>

<p>--from two different MIT PhDs: "MIT is no fun for undergraduates. Your kid is too sociable."</p>

<p>A lot of generalizations, some from decades ago, some based on a single example, some borrowed from television...none of them useful for any particular kid.</p>

12

<p>^^</p>

<p>Every school has a label and a knee-jerk association, and anybody who cares to do his or her homework can probably find people who don't fit that association. People are lazy, though, and it's easier to call another school "competitive" or "preppy" or a "suicide school" as a way of writing off comparable school Y and justifying the quality of school X.</p>

13

<p>We have a family friend who's kid goes to Vanderbilt. </p>

<p>At Vanderbilt they dress up to attend football games. I think they said sports jackets & ties.</p>

<p>I'm not kidding.</p>

<p>As far as I know U chicago does not have football games.</p>

<p>At all.</p>

14

<p>I think that the Chicago interviewer was right on target; Chicago and Vanderbilt are very different experiences, although there are certainly valid reasons for a student to apply to both. Perhaps the Chicago interviewer should have inquired further into the reasons that the applicant applied to these schools.</p>

15

<p>
[quote]
At Vanderbilt they dress up to attend football games. I think they said sports jackets & ties.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Some people do take dates to football games. But taking a beautiful girl in a sundress to a football game really isn't the end of the world. While dating has vanished at most schools, its a nice tradition that occurs at Vandy.</p>

<p>Second, I'd say only 35% of people dress up for games. While the majority are wearing t-shirt and jeans. Some kids even paint their faces in gold and black paint. Either way, Vanderbilt has great school spirit and its a really nice community to be a part of.</p>

16

<p>Remember, Chicago has no athletic community to speak of. I think they dropped their football program decades ago.</p>

17

<p>I was at a Vanderbilt football game this fall. Some guys wore "dress shirts", some added ties. Some wore polo shirts with cargo shorts. Some wore T-shirts. I didn't see any sports coats. A lot of girls did wear sundresses; it was a warm evening, and they did look lovely.</p>

<p>It is my impression that few, if any, dress up for class. </p>

<p>It is true that if a student wants to watch Division I sports, the choice is clear and non-overlapping.</p>

18

<p>
[quote]
Some people do take dates to football games. But taking a beautiful girl in a sundress to a football game really isn't the end of the world. While dating has vanished at most schools, its a nice tradition that occurs at Vandy.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>What do dating and dressing up have to do with each other?</p>

19

<p>"taking a beautiful girl in a sundress to a football game really isn't the end of the world"</p>

<p>I don't think you're helping your argument, unless you're trying to highlight how different Vandy is from U of C.</p>

<p>We don't know the OP's gender or orientation. Speaking as a straight woman, I can see how someone might be uncomfortable with what you're describing because in order to participate, she has to put on a sundress and be judged beautiful by somebody else's standard. On the other hand, despite its reputation as a pressure cooker, the U of C is remarkably free of pressure on women to look a certain way. Women's looks and clothing are a virtual non-issue there. That's a geunine cultural divide. And if you ask me, the fact that you don't HAVE to dress up at Vandy does not mean that the cultural gap is bridged. If 2,500 of your schoolmates choose to celebrate in a way that makes you feel excluded, it's legitimate to consider whether another school might be a better fit.</p>

20

<p>As far as football/sports is concerned, my high school does not offer any (besides ultimate frisbee?), but I did enjoy the one football game I attended at a local high school. So I really don't have any expectations for college as far as sports-watching goes, but I'd surely attend games if there were any at the college I end up at.</p>

<p>I do agree that a visit to both is in order. I'm from Washington state though, so I plan to do that after acceptances in case I don't get into one or both.</p>