Accepted to both. The heart says Vanderbilt, the head says UVA. Vanderbilt will cost twice as much as UVA. Is it worth paying twice as much for the quality of education/environment/opportunities at Vanderbilt?
Not worth it, especially if med school is in the future.
UVA
No, go to UVa
The head is right. Both are excellent schools, and the pre-med education you’ll get at either university will be one of the best in the nation. The main differences will be in the universities’ respective “extras” - do they have a climbing wall, how many fraternities a campus has, whether the school paper/debate team/football team is a standout, what color the dorm walls are painted, etc. But there’s no qualitative advantage to Vanderbilt to offset a price that’s double the cost of UVA. MCAT scores, GPA, and the things you learn in your pre-med courses are all that’ll matter when you apply to med school. Once you see what med school tuition is like, you’ll be glad you chose the cheaper undergrad.
UVA, for the reasons cited above. IMHO, it is probably the state university most similar to Vandy; they have a good deal in common. Vanderbilt considers UVA a peer institution. https://www4.vanderbilt.edu/facultysenate/files/SPAFreport14.pdf
UVA seems like the sensible choice. There is no relative advantage for medical school admission by going to either school. UVA is well respected and allows you to save money for medical school (a debt that many of my classmates from medical school are still paying off 15 years later)
Heck, going to UVa wouldn’t even mean a drop in prestige or opportunities.
I personally rate UVa higher. If you’re in-state VA, you have a really good deal that the vast majority of the country doesn’t get to enjoy.