Hello. I have not been on CC as much as in years past. This is my 10 year mark for looking into at CC way back when…for my two sons who are now graduates of Duke 09 and Vandy 13. Duke son majored in Econ and in History and played in the Duke Symphony Orchestra for pleasure-- which added a lot into his life as he loves to play music but he is not talented enough to have earned a seat in the Vanderbilt Symphony. Duke has a superglam Cultural Arts budget so he saw many world class performers at Duke as well…these opportunities are shared with Durham locals. Both sons went abroad.
Vandy also has a superglam budget for events…these are the perks of a larger college with a big endowment. Nashville doubles these blessings as the host city to tons of events.
Both schools have strong professional graduate schools on campus which I like a lot. Adds a sense of reality to undergrad and more opportunities for speakers and events.
That said, I will make a few points that the original poster probably doesn’t need spelled out but someone else reading might.
ED is only for people who can afford to pay their full EFC. If you can, and you are facing reality square on…ED is golden. (We weren’t very reality based with first son and paid full price for Duke. He ended up going into business and working on his MBA and UVA would have been just great for half the cost. The recession hit his senior year. and Vandy son was told that it was flagship school or merit scholarship). Do not pay full price if you can’t afford to help your son or daughter in some manner to defray a portion of graduate school and other expenses. If I had a nickel for the adults who tell me “graduate school is On Them.” out of touch. Duke son goes to night school because he can’t afford the full time two year MBA path. He has a good job he can’t afford to quit. Think about all this when you make your plans. Think about your long game. if you are chosen for such things as stipended PHD programs–you gotta be good to land them. both Duke and Vandy have strong ROTC programs btw. (I am a military brat). Yes you can choose a graduate degree that is not going to cost the price of a nice home and is taught very well at a state funded college. But if you have your eyes on Medical School, Law school or a top MBA day program, do not be naive. Be realistic. Your family income will be required on FAFSAs in some professional schools till your son or daughter is 28 years of age. They are not emancipated in many schools.
Be grateful for Obama care. You will be surprised how many people have their college grad children on their own family plan now because of the ACA till they turn 26. It takes longer to launch financially these days for often legit reasons. Landing a job with full benefits at age 23 can be difficult. And many grad schools want work experience before you show up.
I personally think everyone should tell their kids to buck up re Greek life. If you dislike it --as Vandy son does, --too bad --because colleges free of Greek life are few and far between and often private. Behavior that you think is snotty or country clubbish as a freshman or sophomore may turn you off —but all these 20 year olds grow up, lighten up, mature and often into pretty tremendous people. Our Duke son loved his Greek life experience and he benefitted from the moral support and camaraderie for many years hence. I am not a fan of the system. But I like my son’s friends.
Vandy son picked Vandy because of Vanderbilt’s superior location, and superior access to cultural opportunities, internships and agencies in Nashville. 50 percent of Vandy females go Greek. Going off campus is a tonic if this is not for you. By junior year, all of this has shaken out and everyone is more about internships, going abroad, volunteer work and getting their majors accomplished. Nevertheless, Nashville is a great college town and Nashville loves Vandy.
In my opinion, Durham is less user friendly for 19 and 20 year olds so it has a little less splendor to offer as a
distraction when Greek life seems to be on the minds of a lot of your class. That said, Duke has many Non Greek living houses now that are interesting. Since my son left, women also got turf in the dorms for their sororities, thus ending a century of only Greek men claiming turf in dorms and thus men controlling on-campus parties. Go Girls. Long time coming.
Went to see The Big Short last week. Christian Bale plays a Vandy grad btw. Brought up some sour memories of when all the Duke gals and guys were so keen to land jobs in IB on Wall Street. Pre recession mind you. Even MIT was putting a third of its classes on Wall Street. It was a national delusional system. Not unique to Duke. There is no doubt that Duke had a funnel into Wall Street entry level jobs and still does. Johnny Mack. Just had to type that name too. Those were the days my friend. Duke still has a very strong presence in financial institutions. Do not doubt it. Networking matters but so does talent.
There is no difference in who is at Duke or Vandy anymore re “numbers”. I will say this. Vandy son had a 36 on his ACT math. Here is a secret I think we should all share with our kids. Doesn’t mean beans once you hit the next level if you want to life in quantitative work. A 36 does not translate to an A in Econ. It just means you nailed high school math. So. Think realistically about your kid. Duke son was thrilled if he got a B minus in Calculus at Duke. Thrilled to make a C on an exam. Because it was his very very best effort even with a national math champ from some small town in Maryland tutoring him (what a terrific guy that Maryland boy was).
Be cautious re focusing on Wall Street. This was the daydream of everyone in 2006 at Duke. Job offers go to the few. Therefore, it is wise to embrace the business “Clusters” offered at places like Vandy and Duke that will not give a business degree. Duke son would not do it when he was there. He had other growing up to do. Must take music lessons on his instrument. Must learn a language. Must study History. All good. Must go abroad. Now he is paying the price learning accounting at night after working full time all day. Duke son is a huge Blue Devil fan. By that I mean that when your classmates are world class athletes and scholars, he would go cheer them on if it was fencing, volleyball, soccer, football, lacrosse. Following them gave him pleasure. If you don’t love sports, it is sort of a waste of one of Duke’s signature qualities. And you gotta root for your classmates and give them some respect. That said, Vanderbilt sports has a following in Nashville and among alum. And Vandy has a fabulous cultural life.
I have crushes on some LACs that our sons didn’t end up attending…schools like Bowdoin Davidson and Haverford. You will never get the intimacies with the teaching staff those schools offer at a Vandy or Duke or a state flagship. You will need to make an effort to know your faculty mentors. But you will get an amazing and varied peer group. My sons eyes seemed to be on their very proactive peers at Duke and Vandy who were in many ways their true teachers. Bigger schools can be great if your son or daughter is mature enough to extract the best from these institutions and can initiate, create their own learning path, and take charge of their days as if they are in fact working.
good luck shaking it all out