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I did not claim - or, at least, it was not my intent to claim - that Vanderbilt is “only good for staying in the south.” I do claim that Vanderbilt’s edge in national prestige is enough to outweigh the advantages of Minnesota for this student if and only if s/he intends to live in the South, where Vandy experiences an additional edge in regional prestige. UMN gets a similar prestige boost within its region; we can probably quibble all day over how far that geographic pull extends from the Twin Cities. More importantly, the relative strength of Minnesota in computer science must be accounted for in the prestige equation when we think about the people OP is most likely to want to impress.</p>
<p>Under other circumstances, the smaller and more undergrad-focused atmosphere at Vandy might be very advantageous for the right kind of student. But here, OP has already completed most of the big lower-division courses for his/her degree at UMN and has expressed no preference for Vandy other than a perceived difference in prestige drawn from USNews rankings and admissions selectivity statistics.</p>
<p>You’ve written some excellent posts on the topic of “prestige,” but frankly I have never understood the supposed distinction between “top 20” schools and all others. It might be helpful for the many prospective students here if you could just list the “top 20” schools and the specific qualities that clearly place them “at a different level.” You could create a new thread on that topic so as to ensure that everyone on CC will see your new and improved method for stratifying schools.</p>