<p>Trying to decide between Vandy (Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar - Arts & Science) and UT Austin (Deans Scholar - Natural Science). Cost would be the same either way. </p>
<p>Would like to get input on the academic side of things. Am comfortable with the pros and cons of social aspects of each.</p>
<p>Thanks for any/all comments!</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation, those are my two options, same schools too. Small World. The only thing I am thinking, or that others have been telling me…is that depending on what you are majoring in (like I will be majoring in Bio), UT Austin has a stronger Natural Science program than Vandy, but Vandy has a better name/prestige when it comes to getting a job or going to grad school after you graduate. So it all depends on what you are looking for. Where are you from?</p>
<p>But I would also love some more incite on this…Goodluck! I’m sure</p>
<p>**I’m sure you’ll be happy at, and get a great education from both of those schools…that’s what makes this decision so difficult!! lol</p>
<p>IN_DC, thanks. </p>
<p>Have you heard anything about the Physics or Math offerings at Vandy? I’m considering a Math/Physics double major. </p>
<p>I’m from Austin, so I’ve had an opportunity to really check out the DS program at UT. But am feeling it would be nice to “go away” for school. :-)</p>
<p>I’d post this in the UT Austin forum as well.</p>
<p>You both are obviously very intelligent and hard working, and will do well wherever.</p>
<p>Of course, I, in addition to others on this here Vandy forum, will probably be biased towards Vandy. =]</p>
<p>I would go with Vandy. I don’t think you can received a horrible education in any field. I myself will be pre-med and will probably major in molecular biology and latin studies. Their pre-med is top notch, considering they have a very high percentage of students being accepted into med school. IN_DC - I wouldn’t worry about bio being a problem then. You will have great research opportunities as well.</p>
<p>OP- I’m sure you will receive a quality education in math or physics. I know most schools each have their own strong points, but once you get to top academic schools like Vanderbilt, I would say each department offers a quality education.</p>
<p>I’m a little astonished that this is actually debatable…</p>
<p>If you’re considering a Biology major then this shouldn’t be a question. The research opportunities (as I have harped on in almost every thread) are incredible.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt is a medium sized research institution which serves as a leader for the entire region of the USA near it in many arenas…but inside the undergrad school are many opportunities for intimate classrooms. In other words, you can have big school/small school life at Vandy based on how you map out your four years there. You can have a liberal arts school experience similar to the intimacy in classrooms you find at a Pomona or Davidson when you opt for seminars and enroll in upper level classes in your major while still enjoying a larger more fluid social life full of variety in classmates, a decent bigger school sports scene, school spirit and an urban setting that is remarkably not stressful and is strikingly pastoral/lovely considering the short distance to downtown central from campus.</p>
<p>Graduate school is the time for super specialization. If you want a very rich, balanced undergraduate school life where you will know many of your professors, Vandy has a lot to offer. You will not be short changed in hard sciences…which are very rigorous at Vandy. Vanderbilt has extremely high standards in the classroom and opportunities to do research are plentiful.<br>
However, my son is coming because he is attracted to the many “stress-reducers” that come with life on Vanderbilt’s friendly personal campus. Like most kids at Vandy now…classwork is very rigorous for them in college…my son chose Vandy for the “fun” factor in the air that he feels will lighten his heart and help him do his best in the classroom as well. He is likely going independent and after walking around the streets off campus decided that there were tons of things for him to do on weekends…he is from VA but not Nova. Nashville is a big step up in city size for him…but not overwhelming in size.
I know zip about UT Austin.</p>
<p>In regards to Faline2’s comment, “I know zip about UT Austin”:
I am from a San Antonio, TX school where the majority of students go to either community college, local religious colleges, Texas Tech, UT, or A&M. I have been on the UT Campus and in lecture halls, etc. several times, and know a bit about the school. Therefore, I will attempt to help 
The main decision for you is going to be based on the social aspects of the colleges. I can say that UT is an excellent school for the sciences, and that if I were to go to an in-state college I’d probably go (I have guaranteed admission there). However, keep in mind that it is a university with a MASSIVE campus floorplan and 40,000+ students. At UT you are a number for a very long time, unless you get to personally know your professors, and the rumors are true that they try to weed out freshman–don’t know if you know this, but in Texas if you are in the top 10% of your graduating class you have guaranteed admission to Texas colleges; this means that they have to let in more students than they really have room for and they <em>seriously</em> try to fix that. The town scene is pretty good (keep Austin weird! :P) and the academics are good, but keep in mind that it if your child likes a feeling of intimacy in school, Vandy might be a better choice. Just my personal opinion. I turned down the Harvard waitlist for Vandy because of similar reasons–sure, there are amazing opportunities at the other option, but do you really want to be a number? At least freshman year?</p>
<p>@VandySAE, "I’m a little astonished that this is actually debatable… " Actually, for reasons outlined above, it IS! UT is an amazing school. Just because it’s public and not an Ivy or a Southern Ivy doesn’t mean it isn’t–they have one of the foremost natural sciences programs in the nation, especially if you factor in their connected programs in San Antonio, Port Aransas, the UT Health Science Center, etc. Hook 'em!</p>
<p>Here’s my two cents, Vanderbilt for undergrad, UT for grad school. And yes SAE, this is a valid dilemma. Texas is a phenomenal university, and 40k students means that there is an army of faculty members. In other words, if there is some specialty that you already know that you really want to study, then perhaps it would make more sense to attend UT (though this is a very rare case for an undergrad). I think you should just consider which university/city you think you would like better socially. Austin and Nashville are similar in some ways and different in others. Austin is a bit more liberal and much less religious than Nashville, and both have vibrant music scenes.</p>
<p>This is gunna be biased</p>
<p>UT has better programs than Vanderbilt in several areas. The schools’ sizes and social scenes are also pretty drastically different.</p>
<p>They’re both great schools, and ones I was debating between as a prospective engineering major. UT is actually one of the best schools in the world in my field and Vanderbilt is something like top 30 or 40. A degree from UT will carry weight because of the natural science dept’s rep, and a Vandy degree carries the prestiege. You cannot go wrong academically. What you really should be considering is where you fit in better socially. This is what the decision came down to for me and I decided I would be less satisifed at UT. Definitely believe I made the right choice, but everyone has different social preferences.</p>