<p>I plan on majoring in molecular biology and international (or latin) studies. I am also a pre-med. I'm well aware that WashU has one of the best med school preparation in the country. I also know that these are two very different schools in terms of emphasis on the greek life.</p>
<p>However, I have no idea which to choose. I visited WashU recently (I went for finalist weekend and received a half-tuition scholarship), and I absolutely loved it. The only thing that bothers me is that I'm not a huge fan of St. Louis. I ended up receiving very little additional aid, and part of it is loans. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, has given me a great financial aid package (with no loans) and it would probably be more affordable than my flagship state school.</p>
<p>As someone who puts academics and community service first, would I be able to find my niche at Vanderbilt? Is WashU worth the extra money, or can I find the same pre-med/international studies opportunities at Vandy? I'm a New Yorker and never really considered being in a sorority. Will this TRULY cause me any problems at Vandy?</p>
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<li><p>Community service is a very big thing at Vanderbilt. Frankly, I’d give Vanderbilt a big plus for that one. You should have no problem at all finding service activities that will involve you in the Nashville community.</p></li>
<li><p>Premed majors are pretty intense at Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt Medical Center is a major research hospital and students are involved. No problem there.</p></li>
<li><p>Half the females at Vanderbilt do not belong to sororities. You would have plenty of company not joining one.</p></li>
<li><p>I prefer the location of Vanderbilt over that of Wash U. And I grew up in St. Louis, so I am not supposed to say that. I give Vanderbilt a plus on this one, too.</p></li>
<li><p>Pay more for Wash U than Vanderbilt for premed? Never. For international studies? I really don’t know about this one.</p></li>
<li><p>The punch line: my son chose Vanderbilt over Wash U without hesitation. He has no involvement in Greek life and takes academics more than seriously. He is quite happy there, has a ton of friends and activities, has been involved in research from the start, and so on. No regrets. </p></li>
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<p>(BTW, his gf is a premed, no sorority involvement, lots of community service activities, and also really likes it.)</p>
<p>Both schools are tremendous and you are getting a much better financial package from Vanderbilt. Also, you make your own way in college, you don’t have to get involved in anything you are not comfortable with. It will be a transition from NYC but EVERYTHING will no matter what school you choose. I would opt for the better deal from an equal school. WUSTL is not worth any extra money than Vandy. If Yale and Columbia offered you admission but Columbia gave you way more money, where would you go?</p>
<p>I agree with vociferous’ points. However, you do need to be happy. </p>
<p>Saying that a school has 50 percent of females not in sororities is the same as saying that Greek life is huge at Vandy. When a Greek system is that big it’s hard to ignore the reality of who is in and who is out. Vandy also has a well deserved rep for being super preppy kids of well-off parents. If you are pretty, love the social scene and your parents will be flying you to the islands or Paris over school break you will fit in beautifully. If not you will still get a strong education but may need to find your own group from the non ‘in’ crowd. </p>
<p>But you likely knew this before you applied.</p>
<p>It’s not junior high, folks. There isn’t any “in” crowd. Both of these universities are mid-size undergraduate programs with a full house of professional and graduate schools. It isn’t hard to make your own group.</p>
<p>The well-off-super-preppy-kid stereotype was well-deserved in the past. Much has changed over the last dozen years, and the pace of change is accelerating. As I said above, neither my son nor his friends, nor his gf, fit anything about that stereotype but Vanderbilt works very well for them. </p>
<p>ctyankee, what does “flying you to the islands” mean? What islands? Do you know that Vanderbilt is the original “alternative spring break” school? A lot of students do service projects over spring break. But I guess that doesn’t fit the ol’ stereotype, so it doesn’t get mentioned.</p>
<p>If Vanderbilt is a school at which you can see yourself spending (and enjoying) the next four years of your life, then it definitely seems to be the better choice as far as saving money for medical school, etc.</p>
<p>However, since you have already received a rather Vanderbilt-biased opinion, I thought I’d provide another opinion.</p>
<p>1.) At WashU, all incoming freshmen begin performing community service during orientation, when they volunteer in the surrounding community. There are a tremendous number of ways to continue this service throughout a student’s four years. </p>
<p>2.) You already know that WashU is almost unbeatable for pre-med. The med school is currently ranked 3rd in the nation for research, and undergraduates are actually sought out by the med school to perform research. It is possible to begin working in a lab the very first day you arrive. </p>
<p>3.) Only a quarter of female students are members of sororities, and these organizations do not have their own housing. </p>
<p>midmo’s other points are all very subjective. These are things that you must discover for yourself. If you look on the WashU forums, you will find stories of countless students who choose WashU over xxxU and have absolutely no complaints. </p>
<p>If you do venture over to those forums, make sure that you read all of the posts by fallenchemist, as they are very informative and relevant to your situation.</p>
<p>Yes, I’ve spent many hours on the WashU forum. I figured posting this question in college search will give me opinions from both sides. It’s really tough because I feel like I’d prefer WashU, but idk if it is all worth the debt and extra cost.</p>
<p>Two great schools with great campuses, great campus life and great premed. Nashville trumps StL, and outside the midwest, everyone will know Vandy but wonder if WashU means you go to school in Seattle or DC. Plus Vandy may have the fastest-rising reputation in America right now. A half-scholarship sounds great, but if tuition is $40K and room/board/fees are $12K, the out-of-pocket cost is still $32K. I’d pick Vandy, but you can’t go wrong either way.</p>
<p>Extrsupervery, I apologize if you think my posts were excessively biased. I happen to like Wash U, and I defend it regularly. In this case, the costs of the two schools are not the same, and in fact it sounds like the difference may be significant. Taking loans into medical school is a big deal.</p>
<p>As for being subjective: while some assessments are necessarily subjective–cannot be quantified–the increased economic/geographical/racial diversity of the student body is not a subjective point. It isn’t really subjective if I report the experiences of people I know well, either.</p>
<p>The fraternities and sororities at Vanderbilt are not residences either. In the case of fraternities, officers live in the houses, but nobody lives in the sororities.</p>
<p>When I gave Vanderbilt the edge on service activities, it is because I have seen it heard and emphasized so often at Vanderbilt. It is a major focus of the board and the current administration. I won’t argue your experience at Wash U, but I visited the campus three times while my son was considering it, and I do not remember service activities being mentioned. Perhaps I wasn’t listening. (Entirely possible, it was a tiring year.)</p>
<p>All of that aside, if the economic situation for this OP were reversed, I would readily recommend Wash U over Vanderbilt. In my son’s case, the economics were far better at Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>I simply don’t think the two schools differ enough to justify the additional cost.</p>
<p>Thanks midmo. You are right, the difference in cost is significant. With personal expenses, travel, and fees accounted for, my cost for WashU is around 30k (including loans). For Vanderbilt - around 13k with no loans. I’m glad to hear so many positive things about Vanderbilt. I want to make sure that I won’t regret turning down WashU (if that be the case).</p>
<p>Am I right in thinking that your anticipated cost is $120K-plus at WashU over 4 years (plus because COA will inevitably rise every year) and $52K-plus over 4 years at Vanderbilt? Yes, they are both excellent schools, but I don’t see how either could be worth almost $70K more than the other.</p>
<p>My d will graduate from Vanderbilt next month. Like you, she’s a New Yorker who puts academics first and has made a strong commitment to community service. She has been beyond gratified by her experiences at Vanderbilt in these areas. The faculty is top-notch. Service opportunities are everywhere (the alternative spring break program was founded at Vanderbilt; it remains a highly selective and sought-after activity). Incidentally, Greeks at Vanderbilt do extensive fundraising and community service on behalf of local and national not-for-profits. Service is an integral part of the Vanderbilt identity.</p>
<p>As midmo so aptly puts it, it’s not junior high. There’s a cadre of rich, superficial, spoiled folks at just about every private college. They’re only the in crowd if that’s what you think they are. Have you visited Vanderbilt yet? </p>
<p>It’s hard to choose between two such strong options. I do think you can find your niche at Vanderbilt - but if you choose WashU, you’ll also have an outstanding experience.</p>
<p>I too am deciding on Wash U Vs. Vandy for biomedical eng. I am waitlisted at JHU.<br>
Trying to decide who has the better quality of life and academics.</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation as you are. I just got back from visiting WashU for two days (stayed in a dorm for the night) and then next week I’ll be flying down (from my perspective at least…) to Vanderbilt to see that. I’ll be sure to post here a comparison of the two schools based on what I’ve seen once I get back. It may be a bit different from you though as I’m looking at Engineering and Pre-Law. I didn’t expect to like WashU when I went, but I really did so I have a tough choice…</p>
<p>Thanks Enigma. It would be great to hear your view of Vandy…I wanted to fly down next weekend also but it’s too much $$ for both me and my mom to go, and I wouldn’t have anyone to stay with on campus either if I went alone =</p>