I received a $40,000 yearly Hodson Trust merit scholarship at Hopkins, and it is very prestigious, but I don’t like Baltimore, the culture there, the cutthroat environment, and it will be very academically difficult.
I like Vanderbilt’s culture and Nashville a lot, as well as the sports there, but it seems like Greek life is big?, I’d have to pay full tuition, and it’s 11 hours away from home, whereas Hopkins and Georgetown are only 1.5 hours away.
I really like DC and Georgetown seems good for business, but I’d be paying full tuition and it’s not as highly-ranked as Vanderbilt or Hopkins.
Hey, I am a current freshman at Vanderbilt studying biomedical engineering.
Vanderbilt is hands down one of the best schools out there. I, of course, have a biased opinion, but it’s primarily based on facts. I will say that Vanderbilt unfortunately does not have a business school. The closest thing we have to business is a major called Human and Organizational Development, which a lot of students pursue (while usually double majoring). The cool thing about HOD is that your senior year is mostly spent pursuing an internship that is a major requirement; therefore, HOD majors have the highest job placement of any degree at Vandy.
As for culture and student life, it’s awesome. Our football and basketball teams need some work, but they’re getting better. It’s a small school, but that provides a great deal of community. Freshman all live on a section of campus called Commons, and no other students can live there. It’s a great way to adjust to college life because all your peers are right there with you. There’s tons of awesome places to go near campus and the greater downtown portion of Nashville is a short uber ride (or walk if you’ve got time) away. Greek life is not as big as it seems. I am in a professional fraternity (it’s an engineering fraternity with both guys and girls who are all engineering majors) and it’s one of the most fun things I’ve ever been a part of. We do all kinds of fun events. Additionally, you don’t have to be a part of greek life to enjoy Vanderbilt. Most of my friends aren’t in greek life but there’s plenty of parties and tailgates to go to if you’re not.
The full tuition part is a bust, but you can always apply for additional scholarships once you’re in college and have some things to put on your resume.
All in all, Vanderbilt is an amazing university and I’m incredibly thankful that I chose to go here. If finances are the most important thing to you, I would encourage you to consider other options, but if not, I can assure you that Vanderbilt is an amazing place.
Good luck with your big decision!