Vanderbilt vs University of Virginia

Colleges and Universities A-Z Vanderbilt University
1

Hi all,

I was accepted as a third-year transfer to UVA’s Batten School for Public Policy last week and also applied to Vanderbilt as a public policy major (although I am still waiting on a decision). I’d like to see if anyone had any advice for one school over the other, assuming I get into Vandy. Both schools seem to have very similar social settings and reputations. Both schools offer virtually the same coursework for me. I know UVA is bigger, but the Batten school itself is very small, so they are about equal in that regard too.

I’ve visited UVA many times and know quite a few people there, whereas I’ve never so much as set foot in Nashville and don’t know anyone. I am unable to visit before the deadline.

About me:

  • Looking for a school that positions me well in the field of lobbying (or for grad/law school)
  • Definitely would enjoy classes with lots of writing and critical thinking
  • Sucker for beautiful campuses (call me shallow) and prefer big cities to other settings
  • Would get in-state tuition at UVA. I know that Vandy offers 100% of financial need, so I’m guessing it’d be about the same price

Would appreciate any advice or experiences with the unis! Cross-posting to UVAs thread too.

2

Vanderbilt has a DC office, and our Vandy son competitively interviewed and landed two summer jobs in DC–one summer was paid. He had very good positions in the Senate, the House and at CNN. He had a very competitive resume for those positions and worked hard to get them. There is also a Maymester in DC (extra cost) at Vandy which is there to make placement links for undergrads.

That said, we are also VA natives. I would strongly consider choosing UVA’s Batten School of Public Policy due to their strong placement history, UVA networking (UVA is over-represented in many federal agencies and in the state department) and UVA’s advantage due to close geographic access to DC and surrounds. You have already missed out on Vandy’s superb freshman year experience. I would be sorry if you didn’t get to enjoy the Vanderbilt campus in a terrific town like Nashville. But in this case, I think you would be foolish not to go to the UVA School of Public Policy.