<p>I finally got it down to 2 schools, but I really can't decide which one to attend. With financial aid their costs will be very similar, so money isn't a huge concern.</p>
<p>The only negatives I feel with Vandy are that it may be too Greek and I may feel insecure with all the "hot" Vandygirls.</p>
<p>UNC is hugeee and I was really looking for a smaller, more intimate school.</p>
<p>Help?</p>
<p>(I posted this in the Vandy board too, but I thought it'd be best to get both sides)</p>
<p>well personally i wouldnt like to live in tennessee, and vandy is really really conservative. it has a reputation of "spending daddy's money", and it's not racially diverse at all. im not sure how important diversity on campus is to you, but im definitely not into homogenous demographics. i also believe unc is top ranked in basically every major field except engineering, so you really cant go wrong academically if you choose unc. im honestly not trying to sound biased, vandy is a great school but it just depends on what type of atmosphere you're looking for. congrats, though, on getting into both schools =]</p>
<p>I'm pretty liberal so the conservative atmosphere is a bit of a turnoff. I loved Nashville though.</p>
<p>hey i decided to check out the racial diversity at each campus. Looked at the common data set for each school which posts these statistics:</p>
<p>At Vandy 66% of the campus reports to be white, and at UNC 72% reports to be white. The minority breakdown at Vandy: 8.5% Black, 6% Asian, 5% Hispanic, 11% race not specified. At UNC: 10% Black, 7% Asian, 4% Hispanic, 3.6% race not specified.</p>
<p>Another consideration UNC is 80% from North Carolina, where at Vandy 80% are from out of state reflecting other areas of the country/world and those cultures regardless of skin color.</p>
<p>This post isn't meant to be for/against UNC or Vandy, just to specifically address the prior remark that UNC is much more diverse and to confirm or clarify.</p>
<p>thanks for clarifying, i shouldnt have jumped to conclusions about vandy..but i still stand by my point of vandy being really conservative and full of rich kids..because my friend goes there and he tells me thats pretty much how it is.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt’s student body is split 50/50 between liberals and conservatives and 60% of undergrads are on financial aid so we are not all “spending daddy’s money”. But hey – don’t let that stop you from making wildly ignorant generalizations.</p>
<p>If your concerned about the attractiveness of the Vandy girls, than carolina is going to be no better for you. As a public institution, the girls are more attractive on average than the Vandy ones (visits to both and word of mouth can confirm), and theres a much higher ratio of women to men at UNC.</p>
<p>College2332, GQ had an article a while back about how Vandy was the new conservative elite breeding grounds, whether it is true or not it is widely believed.</p>
<p>how am i being ignorant? ive talked to people who go to vandy or have visited there..its just what theyve told me.</p>
<p>and if it wasnt true at all, then why is vandy seen as a campus full of elite rich kids? its not like i, alone, started this perception. like stoneimmaculate pointed out, a lot of others seem to see vandy in that light. sorry, didnt mean to offend anyone..</p>
<p>I know a boy who attends Vanderbilt, and, judging from what he has told me, the school is similar to Wake Forest (kind of going along with what misstinax3 said). That's not neccessarily a bad thing, but it all just comes down to what kind of atmosphere you are looking for. Vandy is obviously a great school, so either way you can't go wrong: )</p>
<p>Well, if you didn't already find Vandy to be a place with presumptuous people, perhaps their rude invasion of this thread will sway your mind ;)</p>
<p>Now, I didn't apply to Vanderbilt, but I can definitely understand any Vandy-er reading this getting upset! Both my parents went there and are very charitable, open minded people. They believed that there was a great number of people that fit with them in that way, too. The comments about Vanderbilt here don't seem constructive, but rather argumentative and defensive. I know it's very easy to feel tied to your own school and thus feel the need to belittle other schools, but, come on now!</p>
<p>From what I've heard, Vanderbilt has pretty much whatever you'd like to find. Being in Nashville, the music industry seems to have a pretty strong impact on the campus in a really good way... There seem to be a lot of things to do. My parents complained, as well as a lot of people I've known, that Greek life is a big deal there, so if you know that Greek life really isn't for you, I'd take that into consideration.</p>
<p>As for political beliefs... I abhor college stereotypes and how detrimental they are to people in making decisions like this. I know several liberals who are attending or have attended Vanderbilt, and they had no problem fitting in and finding people with interests similar to their own. But, college is a time for intellectual exploration! Coming from a very liberal school myself (and I myself am liberal) I do feel refreshed when I get into a well thought out debate with a conservative friend. Not all conservatives are evil!!</p>
<p>To address the beauty issue: I will say that my parents still bring up what they called 'TVCs.' Typical Vandy Coed. These were the blondes with lacoste shirts, rainbows, gucci sunglasses, etc., who seemed to make up most of the student body. So, I'd say for this stereotype to exist there atleast has to be a few attractive girls at the school. :)</p>
<p>.....sorrostitute!</p>
<p>anyway, my sis goes to vandy and is liberal and not into the greek scene. she thought about transfering after freshman year but then found some closer friends, did a study abroad program and decided to stay. but the greek influence is pretty big at unc too. and theres no shortage of good looking females at either schools.</p>
<p>Greek influence at UNC is not that big, especially when compared to other "Southern" schools. My D is at USC (the other Carolina) and its Greek scene is much more dominant than at UNC but even it is still not as dominant as schools in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.</p>
<p>For right or wrong, Vandy does have the reputation of being a rich kids' party school full of those who didn't get into their top choice school. On the other hand, my D has a good friend on scholarship at Vandy but she is the exception to the rule of kids from around here, most of whom are from very wealthy families and private schools. That's the statistic that would be interesting to see, percentage of kids public vs private?</p>
<p>
[quote]
That's the statistic that would be interesting to see, percentage of kids public vs private?
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</p>
<p>57% of students come from public schools
<a href="http://www.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/fastFacts.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/fastFacts.php</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
...who didn't get into their top choice school
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</p>
<p>The vast majority of the people I have met on campus had Vanderbilt as their top choice. Vanderbilt has a unique campus culture -- taking dates to football games, athletic & gregarious student body, political balance, and a strong social scene that is relatively uncommon at other top private colleges. Every non-HYP school will have some "rejects". But Vanderbilt is not like WashU/Tufts/Emory as the school is a first choice for many applicants. People are genuinely happy to be here.</p>