<p>First of all, congratulations to the students who were accepted in their preferred school. To those students who did not get into their preferred school, please remember not to take it personally. I took the first few rejections badly, until I realize THERE WAS NO PATTERN. I got rejected or waitlisted by schools in much lower rankings than the schools that accepted me. One of the top schools that waitlisted me was totally a "shot across the court"...would not dream of even stepping into their college lawn! My father said, don't worry about "school ranking", focus on "your fit" to the college!
For those who are interested, my stats are 2150 SAT I (800 in one of the tests), 700+ in SAT II, great references from two teachers who knew me for four years (one was a mentor in on EC activity), 1 varsity sport - not captain, but one of top scorers, one very deep EC activity where I excelled every year for four years in high school, community service activity that was real (I started it in middle school for sincere personal reasons before I knew it had any college advantage), heterosexual male, no perceptible ethnic advantage, upper percentile of an academically and athletically tough east coast high school, I took two undergradute college courses last summer in one of the top 25 colleges -some have programs for selected junior students (where I got two A's, competing against freshman and sophomore college students), studied multiple languages, play multiple musical instruments very well. So, I hope this helps those who are interested in this information. I did not do everything, but I did a few things very very well - is the essence of my resume. Not planned, just happened that way because of the nature of my interests and the passion that I have for my interests. Most would view me as simply a passionate butwell-rounded student, not a top notch scholar, not a star athlete, and not a social activist. My mother is from the south, and my father is from the midwest, and I now live in the east coast.
I was accepted at Notre Dame and Vanderbilt. I am waitlisted in one of the Ivy League schools (surprise! So, I'm not thinking about this yet - it's still too far-fetched at this stage). It's like comparing apples to oranges - Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt.
So, school stats aside, I consider myself a regular guy. I am religious and have a good moral compass (full credit to my parents for introducing me to and helping me understand the real essence of faith and morality), heavy partyer (I'm part Irish, who loves Beer Pong, but do not lose my faculties), love dating girls (not girl-crazy, but genuinely enjoy the company of the other sex - hoping to meet the right woman to marry someday. So, I'm not a "player". Just don't know what I'm looking for yet), I will study hard but not extremely hard (I will not sacrifice my social development, musical interest and community service for pure scholastic pursuits), I compose and sing my own songs (have a band), and I mainly enjoy lifting weights (so, no athletic sports preference).
I have always wanted to go to Notre Dame since I first heard about the school. But I have also learned a lot of new things about Vanderbilt - know several close people who go there, and love it. All the alums I've met from both schools, love their school! Whew!
I plan to go to grad school - business or law. After grad school, I would like to work in government or military service, to pay my dues to our great country (Not perfect, but still the best in the world, if you sincerely assess it without political bias. It's "work in progress", just in the last 200 years). After that, I plan to start my own business or join an entrepreneurial business environment or an exciting law firm. I apologize for the specifics. I tend to dream in specifics :-).
So, for current students, alums, administrators, parents of students of Vanderbilt and Notre Dame, I welcome your opinions and advise. My father said, I can't go wrong with either choice. He does not want to weigh in - he said, this is the first most important decision in my life that I will have to make myself.</p>
<h2>Vanderbilt and Notre Dame are both great schools academically so I agree that your choice needs to come down to social fit. </h2>
<p>Vanderbilt has a much better social scene than Notre Dame. Vanderbilt is very close to downtown Nashville, and there are lots of great restaurants and places to hangout. Thursday night is "college night" and since Nashville has lots of colleges in the area its always a great chance to meet new people. Some places even take the Vandy card (Cabana, Sams, etc.) which is a nice plus.</p>
<p>Nashville also has a great music scene (and not just country music).....lots of major rock bands come into the Ryman and Summit Center. Not to mention Titans (NFL), Predators (NHL) play in downtown Nashville. Vanderbilt's campus is also in a much nicer, safer area than South Bend Indiana.</p>
<p>The girls at Vanderbilt are significantly more attractive than the ones at Notre Dame (College Prowlr gave Vandy Girls an A+ while ND girls got a very generous C+). During many of classes at Vanderbilt, I am constantly amazed how many beautiful girls there are in the classroom. Notre Dame is well known for the complete opposite (a first year student on CollegeConfidential made long post about how disappointing the ND girls were). [Also Search Notre Dame 2012 and Vanderbilt 2012 groups to see the vast differences in girls.]</p>
<p>Alot of people on the CollegeConfidential Notre Dame board are saying, Vanderbilt's degree is only prestigious only in the south. These people are either seriously misinformed or blatantly lying. I am from the Northeast and had no problem getting a summer internship at a bulge-bracket investment bank in NYC. EVERYONE I interviewed with was familiar with the school. </p>
<p>Since your plans are to go to law school -- I think both schools will give you a great chance. I took a Freshmen Seminar with a Vanderbilt Law Professor who was very willing to write kids recommendation letters. And although Vanderbilt and Notre Dame may be relative equals at the undergraduate level, Vanderbilt is far more prestigious than ND's law school (far easier to get into BIGLAW firms). This is important for you because Vanderbilt's undergrad is a feeder into Vanderbilt Law (many law schools take a large number of their undergrads).</p>
<p>Both schools have tremendous school spirit and are tightly-knit communities (and you will be the first year to use Vanderbilt's Commons -- brand new residential college type housing). I would suggest visiting both before making a decision. Congratulations and best of luck!</p>
<p>Thanks much for the info, TheOC89. I was hoping to hear more from other students or alumnus.</p>
<p>I'm neither a student nor an alum. I'm a parent of a current student and my spouse taught for a short while at Notre Dame many moons ago. I haven't lived in South Bend or been on the ND campus in a very long time, so my observations might be really out of date, but my impression is that there is a lot more to do in town and on campus at Vanderbilt, more opportunities for community involvement at Vanderbilt (the town-gown relationship is very important to Vanderbilt administration and board), and unless South Bend has changed a whole lot, Nashville is a much more interesting city. You are obviously interested in music, and Nashville is a great place for people interested in music; it isn't all country, either.</p>
<p>I don't mean to knock ND here. It is a very fine school, the faculty is excellent and I think undergraduates get a great education. Chicago is an easy two-hour trip by electric train, straight into the museum district. However, as you describe yourself, I see you at Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>And forget about the Ivy. Just make a choice and start looking forward to next year.</p>
<p>Have you visited the two campuses? I think a majority of your questions will be answered if you take a trip. Vanderbilt has a prestigious reputation and a beautiful, vibrant campus. There's a really solid, happy atmosphere. People smile at each other, they are engaged in a variety of projects and there is a genial "buzz" around the campus. Some people call Vanderbilt the most "balanced" college in the country. I think that might be true. Great academics, great sports, great city, great campus, great professors. Go take a look---and then come join me in the Class of 2012!</p>