<p>I am in a bind trying to decide between Case Western with good scholarship and Vandy with no scholarship/aid. Planning to do Pre- med with Neuroscience major. Visited both, love Vandy campus but am also worried about party life as distraction, where as Case students seem focus on academics more. On the other hand Neuroscience major at Vandy exists and looks very good, plus the prestige makes me consider Vandy over Case, but Money at Case is a big factor as well. So really in a tight spot trying to decide last minute ? Any thoughts ??</p>
<p>Vandy with no aid is a huge price to pay. If Case is significantly cheaper and you enjoyed the visit, you should go there (unless Vandy’s price tag is reasonable for your family). Vandy does have a great neuroscience department and is more prestigious than Case, but Case is still a great school, and highly regarded for science/math/engineering (though I have no idea about their neuroscience).</p>
<p>guruz9: My son, also pre-med, faced a similar dilemma. His final choices came down to the highest level merit scholarship from Case (where he could also play a D3 varsity sport) and a small amount of merit aid from Vanderbilt. We also encouraged him to seriously consider our state flagship universitys honors college where he received a small merit scholarship and would pay in-state tuition for the remainder. It was never a question in his mind, however, and he chose Vanderbilt hands down. He felt the academic opportunities and caliber of students compared to the lower Ivy League schools, and he liked the atmosphere better than any school he visited (HYP, Dartmouth, Northwestern ). Vanderbilts prestige and selectivity are rising, and it appears to be for very good reasons. As parents we have always believed that giving our son the best education possible is one of our most important roles. The result of a survey on savingforcollege.com shows that parents overwhelmingly desire to send their children to their first-choice college. 80% would put off retirement to do so, and only 9% would tell their children to find a less expensive school. Going to a school where you can graduate debt-free is a huge consideration, but I know there are many deserving students at Vandy without merit money who are have decided the hefty price tag is worth it for such an exceptional experience.</p>
<p>Take the merit and go and perform…you will be fine at Case. If your parents have a liquid (cash & equities) net worth well north of $1 mil and earning minimum $150,000 with job security then Vandy might be worth it but only if your parents don’t mind spending the $s. I’m part of the 9% unwilling to pay 250,000 for something I can get for 50 or 75% off. Don’t pay any attention to the financial calc schools use to determine EFC…they’re comical. You need to remember undergrad is likely just the start of your education and grad school you’ll be paying full price.</p>
<p>@guruz9: Have you decided? Are there any Vandy parents or students who would like to comment on the OP’s concern about the party life distraction? Any perspective on how “southern” it is as well?</p>
<p>I faced a similar stiuation between Vandy and Case and chose Vanderbilt. However, I will not be going to med school. I will go to grad school, but I am hoping for a fellowship/scholarship or perhaps getting hired and having the company I am working for pay for school. This being said, only you can decide what is right for you. Personally, I was looking for the entire undergraduate experience and I felt that Vanderbilt’s overall vibe was much better than Case’s. I don’t think I would be as happy at Case. Both are great schools though and you cannot go wrong either way. Do some serious soul searching.</p>
<p>There is no reason to be afraid of the “southern” stereotype. Nashville is certainly southern but Vanderbilt has a culture all it’s own.</p>
<p>“Party life” isn’t a distraction considering parties are on friday and saturday. Greek life can be a distraction because fraternities have things going on all week. But it’s all what you make of it. It’s a distraction if you LET it be a distraction, just like it will be at any other school. The great thing is that there are enough social events that you don’t feel left out if you skip them to study.</p>