I would be studying American History and Political Science or Economics – and eventually possibly at the Batten School if I go with UVA. I also got accepted to UNC and Georgetown and W and L and Wash U, but I am torn between UVA and Vandy. My goal after college will most likely be to get into a top tier law school, and then to clerk for a judge. Any advice?
Well of those two, you can’t go wrong, but you mentioned an acceptance at Georgetown - why not go there in the heart of DC with your judicial aspirations? The opportunities would be ridiculous I imagine.
I think Vanderbilt and UVA are both excellent for Poly Sci, with a slight edge at Vanderbilt as for departments in history and poly sci are truly wonderful, but Georgetown is not to be sneezed at for this line of study. Have you eliminated Gtown for its culture of competitiveness perhaps? If so I would certainly understand, in which case you really should visit both Vandy and UVA and see what fits better. They are pretty similar in lifestyle but different in the opportunities they can offer, mainly due to Vanderbilt’s larger endowment and private university status.
The two schools are really quite similar – elite academics, southern, greek life, big time sports conferences, bad football. Beautiful campuses (with part of Vandy’s campus actually being modeled on UVA’s Lawn).
Single biggest difference is UVA is public/bigger while Vandy is private/smaller. But UVA is on the smaller side for a public university, has a big endowment, and is one third out of state enrollment. So UVA feels more private-ish than most publics do.
UVA is strong for pol sci (ever see Prof. Larry Sabato on CNN or Fox News?) because of its proximity to DC. Vandy is good too.
If costs are no issue, pick the one that feels better to you. Either will enable a future law school admission just fine so long as you have a high GPA and a high LSAT. UVA is more of a cool college town out in the country vs.Vandy located in a cool mid-size city. Vandy’s alumni scattergram is probably a bit more southeast/midwest and UVA’s more DC and northeast. If you do end up going to law school, the law school you attend will have much more influence on your career than where you went for undergrad.
Many would pick Vandy (if money is even) to get slightly higher prestigiosity and smaller enrollment/class size of a private school. But I think those are pretty minor factors in the scheme of things.