Vandy or Brown? Stressing over decisions, please help :)

Hi Everyone!

I am a current high school senior who is deciding between 2 colleges with just a little more than a week left to decide, so any quick answers would be much appreciated! I have been accepted by Vanderbilt University as a Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar, which means tuition is covered, I receive a 6K stipend for research/studying abroad, around 2K as a National Merit Finalist, and automatic admission into the Honors College. I have also been accepted by Brown University, who gave me around 10K.

Currently, I am torn between these two options. I am thinking about going pre-med (majoring in Chem/Bio/or Neuro) and going off to medical school in the future, so I am aware of the massive amount of costs in the future. However, I love just about everything about Brown, and I feel that its Open Curriculum is much more suited for me and my career goals. I want to double major in Applied Math/Econ so I have something to fall back on, which is much more achievable at Brown. The only reason why I am considering Vandy at this point is money. Brown’s acceptance rate to med school is consistently 85-90%, while Vanderbilt’s is around 66-70%. I am completely torn. Anyone have any advice? Thank you so much

bbman888 you have nailed down the issue quite well. It’s difficult to an spend an extra $120,000 to attend Brown. If you need to take loans for college or med school you will end up paying $240,000 in after tax dollars to repay those loans. Medicare, Obamacare, and third party payers pay a set fee and don’t take your debt in consideration.

On the other hand Brown is heaven for pre-med students. It’s probably one of the top 5 schools for pre-meds. Not only do 85% of Brown pre meds get accepted but more importantly very few get weeded out thanks to the open curriculum, drop policy, and grade inflation. At Brown you could be in the bottom 25% of your class and still get into med school. At Vandy the risk of being weeded out is higher as there is less grade inflation, you can’t avoid classes in areas of weakness, and your classmates are better test takers.

If you feel comfortable in your ability to earn a 3.7 at Vandy then take the money and run to Nashville. If you have concerns about your work ethic and ability to perform well at Vandy then go to Brown. You will pay more but it is a safer route to med school.

Should geographic region be a factor?

Thank you @bud123! Those were exactly the issues that were bothering me. My parents talked to a few people, including my Vandy interviewer who is a mom of my friend, and I think they decided Brown would be a better choice for me.

@momcan geographic region isn’t that big of a deal for me, since I like to travel. It may be easier staying connected with family and friends if I stay in the Northeast, however.

Brown is easy to get into Medical School because of its insanely high grade inflation (highest in the entire ivy). However, im not sure it is worth to pay all the extra money for the high grade inflation. I always thought Vanderbilt has a very good pre-med program. I been told that over 90% of people on pre-med go to medical school. Vanderbilt is also has the best party scene in all top 20 school, best social scene in all top 20 schools, and the hottest girls in all top 20 schools. To me, the decision is simple, Vanderbilt. You receive money and distinction. You will do fine. But be prepared for slightly tougher work at Vanderbilt than Brown (at least it isn’t Cornell or Princeton lol).

The higher GPAs at Brown are NOT because classes are easier and students have to work less. A lot of it has to do with the open curriculum (students aren’t forced to take classes that don’t interest them and that they are not strong in) and because of the S/NC option.

Many students at Brown get weeded out of premed. Organic chemistry is a killer class at Brown.

If your parents are perfectly fine paying all that money for Brown – if they are not raiding their retirement accounts, if no loans are needed, if their lifestyle will not be affected – that’s one thing. If not – if you need to take out loans, if paying that much is a financial hardship in any way – then go to Vandy.

Fire… brings up a good point from a parents prospective. If Brown costs an extra $120,000 and your parents are 10 years from retirement that money should grow to $240,000 by the time they retire. Your decision to attend Brown will cost them about $20,000-25,000 a year in retirement income.