Um, what's with all this talk about good-looking people?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
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<p>Almost everyone who knows about Vanderbilt seems to say that it's full of good-looking students. I recently visited when practically no students were there, so I personally have nothing to go by, just what others say.</p>

<p>Now, is this really true? And if so, a question no one seems to ask is, WHY? What on earth would cause Vanderbilt to have a higher proportion of good-looking students than other schools? I can understand why a school like the University of Texas or the University of Georgia might have a lot of good-looking people; they're large, southern state schools---and let's face it, a lot of those attractive people are dumb, attractive people, which is only half-impressive. Since not too many idiots slip by the gates of Vandy, apparently Vanderbilt is full of smart, attractive people, like some sort of mythical paradise.</p>

<p>This (assuming it's even true) can't just be a coincidence; there has to be a reason for it. I consider myself an amateur social scientist, so naturally I'd like to get to the bottom of this!</p>

<p>The simplest explanation would be that it's a Southern school, and folks in the South tend to be easier on the eyes than people from other areas (although why exactly that is, I have no idea---is it the sun?). But that doesn't really explain it, considering Duke, Emory, Tulane, etc. never get compliments on their sexy student bodies. (Vandy is the only private, academically acclaimed school that gets such compliments, as far as I know.)</p>

<p>Another explanation would be that it has to do with a lot of the students being wealthy (and wealthy people can afford to look nicer than other people). That could be part of the story, but hardly all of it, considering there are plenty of schools with rich, ugly kids.</p>

<p>Perhaps it's just a snowball effect? In other words, a lot of people at Vandy are good-looking simply because everyone else is, and they feel they have to compete? Mostly attractive people apply; the not-so-attractive people are scared off and apply elsewhere?</p>

<p>Someone help me here! I'll admit it's an incredibly superficial topic, but I've always wondered about it, and I bet it's on all your minds too!</p>

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<p>Snowball effect. Ugly students think their ugliness will be magnified and go elsewhere. Vanderbilt also has arguably the best social scene in the T-20 which may attract the better looking kids. </p>

<p>Schools without D-1 sports generally are nerdier:
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Athletic_Association%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Athletic_Association&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>People at Vandy seriously care about what they look like. It's not a school where you would normally just roll out of bed and go to class in your sweats. I think the whole "good looking students" thing basically comes from that.</p>

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<p>Indeed, it's a group effect. If everybody in your 9am seminar came in sweats, why wouldn't you? Conversely, if everyone in your 8am discussion is actually presentable, you're less likely to roll out of bed and head straight to class, not matter how well-adjusted and self-confident you are.</p>

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<p>You should post this thread to either th College Search or College Life forum. I'd be interested in seeing the comments.</p>

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<p>I don't think it's just about being in the South. I believe 83% of the students are OOS. Some may be from the South regardless, but I met many kids from RI, Wyoming, California, Ohio, etc. </p>

<p>It's also not just about wealth, because Vandy is known to be pretty good about financial aid. I know several kids who have pretty big scholarships and who are not naturally inclined to spend an a ton of money on brand names or self-appearance.</p>

<p>As for the rest, I agree with the other posts. It may be a peer-pressure thing. Or potential applicants who aren't into that might think "Oh, I could never stand to be in a place so preppy and focused on appearance," and in that way they get weeded out. In any case, I may be wrong, as I won't be an official student until the Fall!
Mal :)</p>

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<p>CBS Ranks Girls In The Southeastern Conference (Vandy -- 3rd out of 12)</p>

<p><a href="http://cbs.sportsline.com/spin/story/9920854%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://cbs.sportsline.com/spin/story/9920854&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]

Vanderbilt: Per capita, an absolute gold mine. Top four Vanderbilt Law School topics of conversation:</p>

<ol>
<li>You get this round</li>
<li>Oh my God, did you see that girl?</li>
<li>Your team sucks</li>
<li>Oh my God, did you see that girl?</li>
</ol>

<p>Plus, every Vandy girl I've ever met could actually carry on a conversation without a nonsensical giggle by the third sentence. Not to say that Vandy girls are completely bereft of the nonsensically giggling contingent, just that they are much reduced. Also, Vandy is a much smaller school than the others. So there's much less of a barrier between the largest male dork on campus and the hottest girl. You can imagine why this might appeal to me. Don't get me wrong, Vandy isn't a campus where Lucas wannnabees come to find fulfillment, but it's closer than every other school in the SEC. Also, if you ever spent a Tuesday night in Sportsman's Grille here in Nashville, you would never feel comfortable arguing in favor of any other SEC school. It's an absolute gold mine of hot girls.

[/quote]
</p>

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<p>i definitely agree to the posts above. alot of my friends at northern private schools roll out of bed and go to class in sweats, but you will hardly ever see anyone walking around in sweats on vandy's campus during class hours.</p>

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<p>Ok listen this is why. Vanderbilt has been a school established as the Harvard of the South, essentially. It was targeted to the wealthy land-owners, entepenuers, government types, and eventually oil tycoons of the South. Now these rich southerners, not necessarily being good-looking themselves, would marry gold-digging, or money hungry, attractive Southern women. Thus the rich families in the South have predominatly become more and more attractive over the generations. And as they go, and have gone to Vanderbilt for years gone by, Vanderbilt still attracting the wealthy Southerners, will continue to have a good-looking student body. Plus the 'snowball' affect comes into play with regards to smart northerners applying.</p>