I will not complain about being in such a horrible position because I know I am incredibly lucky; however, this is one of the hardest decisions I will ever make. I do not need anyone to tell me what to do, but I would like information from possibly current students or people who know a lot about both schools. What is the social life like, the atmosphere, the economics program, and the overall school spirit? Cost is not an issue as they are all expensive-- please give me some feedback!!
(I also got into UVA as an Echols Scholar and UC Berkley (in state) and Washington University in St. Louis, but I mostly have ruled those out. However, if there is some compelling reason I should consider, please let me know!!!)
@oneanddones Overall, Penn is stronger in terms of academics, research, overall reputation and overall quality of the student body, faculty etc. Of course Vanderbilt is great as well. Specifically for economics Penn is also stronger and also in terms of recruiting opportunities it has the edge.
Penn has a great social life and atmosphere. It is not called the social Ivy for nothing. The location also helps. Philly is a great city with many social offerings without being huge and overwhelming like NYC. Also Penn is super close to the city center but it has a distinct campus so you get both a campus atmosphere and the offering s of a big city.
Vanderbilt is known for its great social life and school spirit. Actually I think both schools have a lot of similarities in term of social life and vibe.
U Penn is an Ivy, and going there will entitle you to network among a lot of Ivy alumni groups, not just U Penn alumni groups. Vanderbilt has a more Greek and football type of school spirit, while U Penn has pride in its incredible academic reputation. At Vanderbilt, most of the students are from the South. At U Penn, most of the students are from Pennsylvania, New York and California. Regarding atmosphere, Vanderbilt is situated in a metro area with less than 2 million people, while U Penn is in Philadelphia with more than 6 million people. At Vanderbilt, you will probably want a car eventually to get around the city. In Philadelphia, the public transportation will serve your needs. Climate is also going to vary, with Philadelphia getting three times the amount of snow as Nashville. You can also hop on the train in Philadelphia and have day trips to DC and NYC, while Nashville is rather isolated. As far as economics, U Penn has the stronger reputation. From a prestige standpoint, I would say U Penn is by far your best option among these two, and Berkeley would be preferable over Vanderbilt. I’m surprised you ruled out Berkeley already, since it is probably not as expensive for you in-state as these other universities. If you are going to spend a lot, you may as well spend it on an Ivy.
Atmosphere. Penn is as challenging school with a strong work hard, play hard atmosphere. Ben Franklin founded Penn as a school that would balance theory and practice, and it still does. Students tend to be collaborative, hands-on doers who get very involved in whatever they are doing.
School Spirit. From a school spirit perspective, The sports are division 1, but are not typically as competitive as Vanderbilt. However, students do attend football and basketball games and have school spirit.
Greek life may be bigger at Vanderbilt, but there is also a significant presence as Penn, if that interests you.