<p>
[quote]
"Even if she's BS'ing about transferring because of the superficial atmosphere, if people are transferring out because of failure to get into the "top 4" sororities, that wouldn't be a very positive statement about superficiality, either.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>exactly... haha im glad you pointed that out</p>
<p>Yes, there are people like that at Vanderbilt. A very vocal minority I'd say.</p>
<p>But school is what you choose to make of it. I have many many many friends who are not part of the frat scene, don't drink, don't party (well, maybe a little but we do have fun), and enjoy their Vanderbilt experience immensely (including myself). Personally, I can see where the conservative/white/preppy image comes from, but I'm sure enjoying my time at Vandy while being only one of those things (libertarian) :).</p>
<p>what about a liberal girl who DOES like to drink and party but hates shallowness and general stupidness (or people who pretend to be stupid when they arent...which is surprisingly common in high school)? kind of in-between? can someone like me find a place there, and even go to frat parties (and maybe even join a sorority!) without being irritated by the stereotypical people?</p>
<p>If you are looking for overall academic and name recognition, Emory has the clear advantage of the three choices.</p>
<p>I have a S who was admitted to Vandy and Wake Forest but is going to attend Duke because it is a fit for him in some specific ways. He did classroom visits to all of them and some overnights. Vandy was very hard to turn down because we know from our own life experience how fabulous Nashville is to newcomers. Vanderbilt is a very friendly campus experience from the faculty, staff and student levels. Half the girls at Vandy still feel compelled to do the sorority thing so it is not that unusual to hear that someone got hurt. If you go to a place like Vandy with independence in mind and without needing to feed into this old social system, you will find plenty of excellent and diverse company. Check out evil robot's posts. Also you don't need frats at Vandy...all you have to do is open the paper daily...Nashville and Vandy offer great options daily.
I have lived twice in Atlanta and lived twice in Nashville and live nearer to Wake now. We have many friends with kids at all these schools, and my husband has a Vandy grad degree. We are pretty Northern. If you want more details re our experiences/opinions, feel free to PM me. I will say that Nashville is extremely attractive as a city--welcoming and progressive without dwarfing life like Atlanta can sometimes overwhelm Emory. Vanderbilt is knit into the heartbeat of the city which makes it different than Emory in the Decatur area of Atlanta, Durham which can be very dreary and Winston-Salem which is also nothing to write home about. </p>
<p>Vanderbilt is admitting its strongest and most diverse student body ever. Admission stats are demanding now. The new admittees are going to break the stereotypes about Vandy down a few pegs and the school is actively seeking religious, racial and geographic diversity. </p>
<p>Wake Forest will offer you a small classroom environment, research opps and access to full professors all the time. Wake is rigorous and will get you ready for grad school plus I do admire the fitness level and love of sports of all kinds on campus...to balance out academics. It does feel more mainstream and White and Protestant in a way that can be disappointing for college years, but has plenty of kids from Middle Atlantic states to balance out New South students. </p>
<p>However, if Wake feels like a fit for someone out there...I say go and be the diversity factor that the faculty would love to teach. I went to a school a lot like Wake for undergrad and found that being a little different than the mainstream was a plus in the classroom, was appreciated by many kids and teachers, and was a great thing if you can embrace who you are. </p>
<p>Finally, admission to none of these schools above is easy or to be counted on, so prepare your applications very aggressively. Visit, attend classes, and write very specific and thoughtful essays. Best wishes as you make your choices and put yourself out there!</p>
<p>Hi hilary,</p>
<p>I responded to your PM, but the answer boils down to "You'll fit right in :)."</p>
<p>Of the schools mentioned, I'd dump Wake Forest and take a careful look at the dance opportunities at Emory (& Atlanta) and Vanderbilt (& Nashville.)</p>
<p>My D visited and applied to Vandy and Emory. She is a dancer too (pre-professional ballet, but with some jazz and some modern). She looked into dance opportunities as she wanted to continue her training while majoring
in biology. Was possibly interested in double major, or dance minor.</p>
<p>There was very little dance at Vanderbilt--no classes except through PE type opportunities which are not-for-credit. She would have had to take class at the Nashville Ballet (it's only about a mile away though). At Emory, there is a dance department, a wonderful fairly new performing arts center and they do offer decent ballet. Their primary focus is on modern (don't recall if they even offered jazz). Emory was extremely flexible in terms of allowing a minor to perform. Also the Atlanta Ballet isn't far away and they offer a wide variety of open classes as well.</p>
<p>She ultimately was accepted by both. Vandy offered more money than Emory, but she went elsewhere (full scholarship). By the way, Emory
is known for paying attention to how much interest a student shows. Make
sure your D makes the necessary contacts, visits, etc. It seems to matter.</p>
<p>If she can't visit Emory before applying, be sure to request the video from the school website. You might also look into your area adcom's visiting schedule - in some cases, there are evening receptions/info sessions. My d didn't visit Emory (she added it to her list after the travel budget had been, um, exhausted), but was accepted anyway. I've read here that asking for the video is considered a visit substitute, especially for kids at a great distance from the school.</p>
<p>This is an interesting thread, especially because my d was considering both Emory and Vanderbilt (and UVA) until she decided on Vandy last month. She hesitated for several of hilary6's concerns about campus atmosphere, but was reassured after talking to one of her older sister's friends who just graduated from Vandy and is on her way to med school. The friend was extremely happy there, though she was never a social butterfly in hs, wasn't interested in the Greek scene, partied little, is Jewish (never felt out of place on that score), and is committed to her studies. I'm sure Vandy's rep comes from somewhere (perhaps that "vocal minority" evil_robot writes about), but it seems to be a school with room for many types. It's certainly going to be more diverse than our high school!</p>
<p>My husband and I met at Wake and loved it. But we live in so cal now and my daughter is a big city person. She is a freshman at Emory and just finished one of the happiest years of her life.
I read on other threads that Emory's applications went up 18% this year - one of the highest increases of any school and that they won't be taking any students off their waiting list. I can't confirm this is true. But you'll know later in the year.</p>
<p>This thread is over a year old but Im bumping it up for more recent feedback. D is a HS junior this year and we are planning to visit a few of these schools (Vandy, Emory, ?Wake, Duke, UNC and ? WUSTL) this winter. No test scores yet, but Im guessing Duke, UNC, UVA, and WUSTL will all be major reach schools for her. She attends a small rural public HS in the west and wants to study journalism/English/ broadcast media. Thanks :)</p>
<p>Son is returning for soph. year at Wake.
pros-great faculty, accesible, no TAs teaching classes
-small class sizes
-beautiful campus and weather
-very active student body
-great enthusiasm for their sports
-lots of contact between students and administration
-very low incidence of "problems" on campus ie theft, drug arrests, etc.
-about 50% participate in greek life (frats/sor active but students who don't want to join certainly don't feel left out)
-about an hour to chapel hill and charlotte, 30min to Elon
-not church affiliated for years (can be pro or con depending on what you want)</p>
<p>cons-grade deflation, work load hard
-winston-salem not a "college town"</p>
<p>She could go to Vandy as a legacy, maybe? However, the cramming thing is a grand capital no no over there if you want to finish there. </p>
<p>The area around Vandy is very metropolitan in a way that is only indicative to Nashville. You have a high number of folks from Africa (I cannot remember which Country, because I have lived in Memphis for a while) over in the Vandy area. For every church in the Vandy area there is something cultural. As opposed to where I live in Memphis, where it is like this...for every church there are at least two Blues Bars:)</p>
<p>And, you also have a very fair amount of industries which your child could intern at with no big problem. However, the healthiest economy in the south (in my opinion) is over in the ATL and that is where Emory is, basically. </p>
<p>Vandy as well as the University of the South are the best Universities in Tennessee. </p>
<p>So, if your child, OP, is sociable and wants to earn herself a fine education in a city which has fine employment and internship opps for business related majors, then send the kid to Vandy. Also, in TN, everyone is friendly. And, you are at the epicenter to a lot more than Country Music, if you have an artistic bent of any sort. </p>
<p>But with my representing my home state and all, I must say that maybe Emory would be good with regards to truly seeing diversity. And, the ATL would be a good city for an Economics major because they truly have a great economy. Nashville's is pretty stable and has been established for a fair while, however.</p>
<p>All three schools are great choices, and I know families who are supporter of each. Because Tulane got so many apps last year, and such a small yield, I hear that they are going to be looking carefully at demonstrated interest and true consideration.<br>
This thread is a wonderful in describing the differences and similarities among these schools. Though it has been a while since OP started the thread, if dance is an important factor, Elon is also a consideration, as well as College of Charleston. Both would be in the "safety" category for the young lady.</p>
<p>Thanks, MKM56, for reminding everyone that Wake is NOT Baptist-affiliated anymore and has not been Baptist-affiliated for YEARS. I cannot recall any specific data, but I have read that the Jewish population at Wake is quite numerous now. If I'm not mistaken, at least from figures I read last year, Roman Catholics represent the greatest percentage of WFU's population. </p>
<p>As far as the city of Winston-Salem, it is a thriving arts community full of cultural opportunities for an area its size. Most students at Wake, however, find so much to do right there on campus, that the city means very little to them as far as being that important to their every day lives. Eighty-five percent of the Wake students choose to live on campus all four years. I guess I don't understand/value the importance of the size of a campus's surrounding city so much as many of you do. The college campus and what is happening there are the most important factors to me. </p>
<p>I am a Wake alum, but my daughter is a junior at Duke. Although Durham is not a prime city for entertainment, etc., it has never bothered her in the least. She is SO happy with all that goes on within the college campus environment that she rarely even ventures into Durham. She is very conservative among a campus of many liberals, but that has never bothered her in the least. College is all about being exposed to very diverse opinions and learning to appreciate differences while maybe adjusting your own beliefs or finding that yours become stronger.</p>
<p>"Eighty-five percent of the Wake students choose to live on campus all four years."</p>
<p>My son, who always said he would move off campus as soon as possible, is now saying he thinks he'll stay on campus all 4 years. Everything they need is there, its convenient, and most friends are right there on campus.</p>
<p>When he feels the need for the "college town scene" he will make an overnight to see friends at Elon or Chapel Hill. Honestly, I'm glad there is not a string of bars leading right to campus as there is at Chapel Hill--much less temptation ;).</p>