Vanderbilt vs Emory - comprehensive comparison?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
1

<p>[ I have also put this on the Emory forum]</p>

<p>A bit of background about me: I am a first generation Asian (Oriental) female from Atlanta. I come from a large, highly competitive, top ranked, extremely diverse high school (where Whites are a minority and Asian are the majority). I'm highly active in my religious life and church and place religion as a top priority. As of now, I am planning on majoring in Biology with a premed track, having some sort of minor in Chinese, and hopefully spending a semester or year abroad in China. </p>

<p>Vanderbilt:
Pro's-
-Financial aid package extremely generous without any loans - I'll be able to graduate debt free, which is important to be considering the cost of med school
-Beautiful campus, I like it a bit better than Emory's
-About 4.5 hours away from home - far enough so that I can have the "college experience" but close enough to drive back for breaks or on a weekend when I'm really homesick. Or, I could just fly.
-I know a couple people from my school and neighboring schools who attend there/will attend, which is assuring, but I still have a completely new environment to explore
-Decent weather - I get cold super easily</p>

<p>Con's-
-From what I hear and the general stereotype, it's a very White school. Coming from my background, I'm terrified of the sudden change and am afraid I won't fit in
-Greek life - I've never really researched about it nor do I know anything about it and it worries me that Greek life is so big at Vandy
-Rumored grade deflation - enough said</p>

<p>Emory:
Pro's
-Highly diverse population, which, for now at least, I enjoy more and am more comfortable with
-I'll know a lot of people, finding a roommate would be no problem (meaning I won't be paired with a stranger) Though this a both a pro and con
-Not as prevalent of a Greek life
-Good weather
-Close to home
-Close enough to other schools that my friends are attending for comfort, but far enough to be able to branch out.
-I've grown up around it and so it has a more homey feel</p>

<p>Con's
-I'll know a lot of people - won't be able to have as "fresh" of a start
-Will have to pay $2,000 more and part of my financial aid package is student loans
-Not too big of a fan of DUC food</p>

<p>What do you guys think?</p>

<p>And some questions for everyone:</p>

<ol>
<li>How are the classes/professors are each school? What about the course work and rigor? </li>
<li>Which school would have the better premed advising and opportunities?</li>
<li>Pertaining Vandy - how is the Asian social scene...how do you think I'd fit in? What Asian student organizations are there and how active are they? And are there any Asian girls in sororities? Which ones? What are the sororities/sorority life like?</li>
<li>How are the campuses in relation to the cities that they are in?</li>
<li>What are the religious organizations on campus like? And generally what denomination are they?</li>
<li>Which school would have the better abroad opportunities + does financial aid completely transfer?</li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks for everyone's input!</p>

2

<p>I don’t know much about Emory, sure you will get answers on their board. From my understanding it’s pretty similar to Vandy.</p>

<p>To alleviate some concerns and answer questions…</p>

<p>-Make sure you’re seriously considering finances. Emory asking you to pay more and take loans is a big deal and will add up over the years. Not saying it’s not worth it, but just keep that in mind. As your family’s finances change year to year, you may find yourself paying even more later on.</p>

<p>-I would say Vanderbilt’s weather is more than decent, you’ll appreciate the lack of sweltering heat during walks to class!</p>

<p>-Vanderbilt is nearly 30% minority students. I don’t know if that constitutes “very white” to you. I just googled it and Vandy is about 67% Caucasian while Emory is 63%. Don’t let that 4% make a big difference.</p>

<p>-You have no reason to be worried about Greek life. Some students join and it’s one of the most important decisions they make during their college experience and they love it. Others feel they don’t want to be a part of it and do just fine as an independent. Especially for girls, it’s very easy to be independent. But still, you should give Greek life a chance! It actually draws a lot of students here. Greeks CHERISH our Greek life.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>I don’t think you’ll find grading is much different here than at Emory. Emory’s average GPA is like a 3.35. I don’t know the exact stats here but I’m certain it’s not much different, at least in the college of Arts & Science and in Peabody. College of Engineering is tougher on grades.</p></li>
<li><p>You can expect both schools to have great classes and professor. Rigor varies course to course, prof to prof. Shouldn’t be a deciding factor. Same goes for religious orgs-- present at basically every school in the nation.</p></li>
<li><p>I think there may be an Asian sorority… but Asians are fully incorporated into the regular sorority system, so it’s totally unnecessary. Sorority life is like regular life except you have a network of 50 girls in your pledge class and 200 total in the sorority to provide you support, socialize with, get involved in philanthropy/service with, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>Nashville is so different than all the other prestigious college cities, and it’s great. The Nashville western culture doesn’t penetrate campus much, but it’s a great location. Vanderbilt is kind of in a bubble.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>-Vanderbilt has an incredible study-abroad program. Something like 40% of students participate. It’s a LOT of students. Financial aid completely transfers.</p>

3

<p>This probably won’t matter to you, but a huge difference (in my son’s view anyway) is that Vanderbilt has football and Emory does not. (It made Emory not even worth applying to!)</p>

4

<p>It sounds like Emory is your “safe choice, in your comfort zone” and Vandy means more change, a new opportunity and challenge and may push you outside your comfort zone. This choice is common for many students, play it safe or go for something new that may be an entire new world for you. Only you can answer that question.</p>

<p>I just bought a little league baseball bat for my 10 year old son. I researched the bats for days to find the “best one”. They came in different weights, lengths, drops, materials, swing weights and MOI scores. I entered the store with him with enough data to write a PhD thesis. He spent 5 minutes swinging the bats and said I like this one. I asked why and he said it feels right in my hands. I threw away my data and bought the bat.
Go visit the schools and find the school that feels right for you.</p>