<p>So i was accepted to Vandy as a cornelius vanderbilt honors scholar with a full tuition scholarship, and i got into University of Miami as a Singer Scholar (full tuition) and a Foote Fellow, which is an honors program that waives all my General education requirements (core curriculum) so i can go straight into my major. (economics and pre-med)
I'm having trouble deciding which one would be the best school to go to, as Vanderbilt is ranked higher (17th vs 38th), but UM allows me the Foote Fellow program to advance academically and possibly double major.
UM is close to home/family, i grew up in miami and love the city, it has the latin/jewish community that i'm used to. I visited Vanderbilt and liked the campus, but wasnt a huge fan of nashville, at least when compared to miami. also, it seemed that vanderbilt has more of the "college town" type of atmosphere, whereas at Miami you have the suburb of coral gables as well as downtown right nearby.
is nashville better than i think it is? do the vanderbilt students stay mostly on campus or is there actually nightlife off campus?
is going to UM or vanderbilt going to affect my entrance into Medical school or any type of graduate school, for that matter?</p>
<p>You know you can double major at Vanderbilt too, right?</p>
<p>I am sure you can do well at UM and get into a med school, especially with the advantages you have re being an honors scholar. I think you should go where you feel you will be your very strongest self after four years. Do you feel that you need the maturation of changing cities and being far away from the familiar? Or would that actually dampen your spirits because of Miami’s unique multicultural life and vibrancy? These are personal questions that are intangibles. Do you feel you want a very ambitious high stat peer group in undergrad school? Or will you be just as inspired with the core group of top premeds at UM? </p>
<p>I agree that as much as I like Nashville for its artistic and academic offerings…it is not much like Miami…starting with its being in the heartland of America and far from the oceans.</p>
<p>The AXLE requirements at Vandy can be nice to mix in with your most challenging premed classes and some people want a strong liberal arts last hurrah before med school. Vanderbilt has a few large introductory courses but the majority of classes are amazingly small…does this matter to you? Our sons had Echols at UVA with no core curriculum as the perk as well but you do realize that you still will need to follow your premed advisor’s recommendations and you will be doing a lot of the core curriculum anyway? </p>
<p>You can read in Vanderbilt’s research juried publications just to get a gander at research opportunities for students who are so inclined. They are available online. </p>
<p>Perhaps you should be looking a bit at the med school placements from UM vs Vanderbilt. Clearly your peer group at Vanderbilt is going to be stellar academically speaking. Our Duke and Vandy sons learned a great deal from their peers…as much as from their teachers. However when you are math/science focused, I really think you can excel, ace the MCAT and learn at UM just as well. Vanderbilt is also a regional health care giant and a research center with a fine hospital on grounds. But you should have access to the best UM has to offer.</p>
<p>If you test very well (thinking MCAT prep), I don’t think you should go to Vandy just because of the higher ranking, although it is possible that in general Vanderbilt students get a harder looksee at some med schools. I think the very top UM students with the stats to back them up will do just as well at that juncture. </p>
<p>good luck with your happy problem</p>
<p>Sounds like UM is the better choice in this case. Vandy has more academic prestige but you’ll probably end up with a better GPA at UM which is important for pre-med, and UM is still a great school. It just sounds like a better fit. Nashville absolutely has a night life, the entire downtown strip is lined with bars.</p>
<p>I’m not sure getting out of “general education requirements” is much of a perk really. Those general education requirements are there to make sure your education isn’t entirely focused on your major. They also tend to boost GPA and give you easier classes to take amongst your more stressful major-related classes.</p>
<p>Given your fabulous scholarships, I would seriously consider taking the next four years to expand your horizons, meet lots of people who are no so much like yourself, and to grow as a person by moving away from Miami and experiencing life at Vanderbilt. Nashville is a wonderful city with a very vibrant nightlife away from the campus. The bars won’t be like the ones you find on South Beach, but isn’t this the time in your life when you would like to experience something new? You can always return to Miami for graduate school, if that’s what you want. But, if I were you, I would take the opportunity that Vanderbilt has offered you to really grow and mature over the next four years. They will pass so quickly.</p>