<p>Hi everyone, I'm a current senior from Boston and I'm deciding between Vandy or Colgate for ED1. I'm interested in studying economics in college and would like to attend business school after. Although I would say Vandy has the upper hand in terms of academic prestige, I'm not sure how the two economic programs stack up against eachother. Keeping the interest in economics + business school in mind, where do you think I would be better off coming out of?</p>
<p>I think before you stack up their relative econ departments, you should stack up their ability to give you no loans in your financial aid package. I am not informed on Colgate but suspect that they are not need blind or able to give no loans in their need packages. If you anticipate paying full price at both institutions, I think you can excel in life from either college. Colgate is a fine institution with rigorous classes and small classrooms. I know some awfully successfully graduates in medicine and science.<br>
Vanderbilt offers you a superior setting re town/gown offerings and options for applied learning in town and on campus. Also a more national/international student body as an undergrad which is a great way to see how the nation is really changing.<br>
I have a son with an econ degree from Duke. very rigorous with tons of calculus and math required.<br>
Take a look at the undergrad clusters Vandy offers for applied business classes (since there is no undergrad business major). If you wanted to be an accountant for instance, Wake Forest will get you there faster and find you a job… as they have a Colgate style campus experience with business forward degree paths not offered at schools like Duke and Vandy.
Duke and Vandy have one year post grad programs…as does Wake now…to address the need to get students into more applied business coursework. Eyeball those programs which are not MBA programs. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that most MBA programs prefer students who have been in the work force for a while. Where do you want to land post undergrad employment? In a NE city where Colgate alum can be located more readily? Or in the South? Vanderbilt has more of a national footprint. </p>
<p>Nothing wrong with Colgate except the brutal weather and the lack of town gown fun. If you like Colgate and are not looking for a lot of need money…look at Wake Forest as well.</p>
<p>“I am not informed on Colgate but suspect that they are not need blind”</p>
<p>This should be irrelevant to applicants who like a school; it can only raise or lower your chance of admittance.</p>
<p>Hale: We try to provide as generous a package as we possibly can, so we meet the vast majority of need through grant dollars. While many of our wealthier peers actually have a no-loan policy, we can’t afford that, but we work to keep our loans quite low. In fact, the average debt load for the Class of 2010 is about $13,500. In comparison, the national average for seniors who graduated in 2010 is $25,250, as reported by the Institute for College Access and Success’s Project on Student Debt.
[Colgate</a> Connect - A Q&A on financial aid](<a href=“http://colgate.imodules.com/s/801/scene_inside_2col.aspx?sid=801&gid=1&pgid=4131]Colgate”>http://colgate.imodules.com/s/801/scene_inside_2col.aspx?sid=801&gid=1&pgid=4131)</p>
<p>Colgate is an honorable institution that delivers high quality education and that wants to be need blind and to be generous. These quotes are a couple of years old so perhaps Colgate is closing that gap. My own alma mater, Furman is also not able to be need blind but aspires to be. </p>
<p>Graduating with debt from loans is a factor that has to be weighed by parents and there is no right path, only what is best for each family. </p>
<p>For Full Pay students, these issues are not relevant since merit money is one of the only ways they can win reductions in tuition.</p>
<p>Another Colgate quote: Need Aware Admissions
A need aware admissions policy, or need sensitive as it’s sometimes called, means the school may take the student’s financial resources into consideration when debating whether or not to invite the student to join their college. In other words, they may reserve some spots for students who are able to meet the college program’s full cost of attendance without the need of loans, grants or scholarships. With this admission approach, the students who are marginal applicants and financially needy can be rejected. Wealthy students who are marginal applicants can be accepted.
A good example given by The College Solution is an admission rep from Colgate University estimated that 90% to 95% of his liberal arts college’s freshman class is selected without regard to need. By the time that many students have been accepted, the financial aid money has run out. At that point the need aware admissions policy would kick in and the remainder of the class would be selected among applicants who don’t need financial aid.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt and Colgate are both generous with financial aid and both schools have similar student bodies. Both schools also have gorgeous campuses. The biggest difference is Vanderbilt is a university in a cool city with great nightlife, Colgate would be great if you want a liberal arts experience and love the outdoors.</p>