I was recently admitted into Vanderbilt RD and received a scholarship that is from a local endowment that provides the cost-of-attendance at Vandy for 4 years. On the other hand, I am a National Merit Finalist and received the NMF scholarship at the University of Alabama (5 years tuition, 4 years housing, $500/year book scholarship, $3,500/year stipend, $2,000 summer research/study abroad scholarship).
The main reason why I am having such a hard time committing to Vanderbilt is the increased rigor. I am afraid it will be overwhelming, as I am from a small, rural high school in Tennessee and a first-gen college student. I only took one AP class (because that was all my school offered) but took all of the Honors classes that my high school offered. Additionally, I took mostly Dual Enrollment classes my junior year and all Dual Enrollment classes my Senior year through a local college to try to increase my experience with harder classes. Although I have a 4.0 GPA and am valedictorian, I am worried that my high school course load simply pales in comparison to many Vandy students and did not adequately prepare me for Vanderbilt’s academics.
However, I recognize what an amazing opportunity I have to attend Vanderbilt for free (I did not think I would get in, let alone be able to afford it with my family’s EFC). I want to major in Economics at either school and eventually work in a real estate development firm or some time of business after I graduate (eventually obtaining either an MBA or JD). Vanderbilt and Nashville itself seem to be better environments for this type of goal, as my college access counselor mentioned. I love Vanderbilt (the campus, classrooms, student spaces, etc) and the city of Nashville, but is this love of the university and acknowledgment of prestige enough to justify the extra rigor and lower GPA? I am having a hard time coming to a decision. I see myself being happy at both schools, and I am undeniably thankful for both opportunities I have been given.
Thanks in advance, and I appreciate any and all opinions.
High-performing kids tend to do well regardless of whether they go to elite privates or state schools . . if they come from an upper-middle-class background.
Elite privates really only help lower-SES kids. That is, someone like you. Going to Vandy will plug you in to a network that you would otherwise not have access to and expose you to opportunities that you may not even know exist now.
Yes, Vandy will be a challenge. But will you persevere or will you shrink from the challenge? And then would you shrink from challenges your whole life?
Don’t worry too much about your GPA in college. Although if you’re aiming at law or business school, you should worry about it some. Don’t make the mistake believing that an easier courses or course of study will result in a higher GPA either. The idea of school is to learn and an increased challenge helps with learning.
It seems to me you have imposter syndrome. You don’t believe that you are good enough for Vanderbilt. This is common for first generation students (I was one). Remember that Vanderbilt would not have accepted you if they thought you couldn’t handle the academics. As a small private university, Vanderbilt will have more resources for you if you do find yourself struggling. Students can get “lost” at big public universities like the University of Alabama. I think you should go to Vanderbilt.
I agree with the posters above. IF Vanderbilt is truly full cost of attendance it seems like a much better fit for you. If it is full tuition, it is not renewable for all 8 semester, or it is dependent on a higher GPA (3.5 or higher) then you will need to figure out if you can make the finances work with your family. The UA NMF scholarship is amazing but if they are financially close you need to go with the best fit.
You prefer Vandy’s location and environment more and I would not worry about advance rigor UNLESS there is a scholarship component. I think there is a myth out there that more prestigious schools are more challenging but that has not been the experience of my DD and her friends - including a high school classmate who is at Vandy. Several are at much higher ranked schools with seemingly higher ranked students. My DD is learning as much or more at her school. She is in classes with brilliant students who also were accepted (or had the stats to make it through the gates) to top 20 schools. She is having a wonderful experience and gaining a top notch education at UA and I do not think she would have been as successful at Vandy. Vandy saw something in you. Trust them. Take the opportunity and go be amazing!
Beyond college- in the business world- the cliche “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is very true. The Vanderbilt alumni network has the potential to open more doors, especially in TN than the Alabama alumni network.
It’s understandable to feel intimidated, but what I’m hearing is that feeling intimidated is the only reason that you would choose UA over Vanderbilt. This isn’t to say that UA isn’t a great school and that others might not have perfectly valid reasons for preferring it. But what I read here is that everything points to Vandy for you except for your fear of not measuring up. This isn’t a good reason to give up a fantastic opportunity!
Honestly, there’s no reason to expect that you won’t do great at Vanderbilt! Especially in the kind of major that interests you. It would be a more legitimate concern (although still not a deal-killer) if you wanted, for example, an engineering major, and knew that many other students would have a much stronger math and science foundation than you would. (People succeed under those circumstances too, but there can be some real ground to make up.) For Econ… honestly, it’s going to be a pretty level playing field for the most part - hardly anyone gets that big a head start in high school. And if you do need a little extra support, the resources and individual attention will be there. If you feel anxious, channel that anxiety into getting set up with tutors from the very beginning, and you will be golden. (Meanwhile, many of your over-confident peers won’t descend upon the tutoring center until midterms when they realize they’re actually in trouble for the first time in their lives!) Make your humility work for you, stay on top of things, and there is NO reason, NONE, that you can’t be a success and even a standout at Vanderbilt. You wouldn’t be getting the scholarship you are if people who have seen many kids’ paths through college didn’t see your potential and have faith in you. Believe them! And congratulations!!!
P.S. Only reservation I would have is if the scholarship to Vandy comes with an unforgivingly-high GPA threshold to maintain your funding. The stress of having to worry about losing your scholarship would definitely be a negative. Are there specific criteria to maintain the scholarship?
Choose Vandy or Alabama b/c it’s the right place for you, not because you are afraid that you aren’t good enough.
You stood out. Vandy believes that you can be enough of a star that they are willing to pay your COA. Your DE coursework says you can handle the work. And I can guarantee you that you won’t be the only one who is afraid that they are in some way ‘less’ than the other students.
Whatever you choose, be pro-active when you get to school. Until you have a couple of semesters under your belt, make a habit of:
do the reading before the class. This is a hard thing for a lot of college students to learn, b/c they are used to doing the reading as homework- but it can make a huge difference in what you get out of class.
do your homework as soon after the class as possible- that way it’s still fresh, and if you struggle you have time to get help.
you will get the course outline on the first day. Identify all major / long term elements and lay them out in your schedule. Work ahead so that when mid-terms hit you are not overwhelmed (well, not as overwhelmed)
use all of the many, many resources that you can: prof office hours, TA hours, math/writing labs, etc. Set up study groups for each class (great way to start getting to know people btw).
College moves faster than college, so stay on top of things. And if it goes wrong- bad quiz, homework doesn’t make sense- ask for help immediately. As little as a week or two can change the whole trajectory of the class.
Don’t allow fear to hold you back. If you start living that way at 18, fear will dictate how you live your entire life. Go to Vandy. Find out if there’s free tutoring resources and the where, when, how of those resources. Stay one step ahead on studying. Go to your professors’ scheduled office hours to get help if you need it. And enjoy yourself. You can do this!