<p>Any thoughts in general would be appreciated. Specifically, though, D is a fun & social non-drinker. We are wondering if she will fit one of the two schools better than the other in this regard. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>I really think there is more variety socially at Vanderbilt and more fluidity over the four year life span of an undergrad for shifting around a bit socially as they come into their own preferences, majors, living arrangements. </p>
<p>That is not exactly what you asked. However, I think it is the advantage of a large college with several dining places over a great liberal arts college like Wake with one central student gathering spot.</p>
<p>I also think that there are a lot of non drinkers in both colleges although I would say the culture of both schools would include social drinking. These poor kids who had perfect everything as seniors…in many cases didn’t have a great social life in high school.</p>
<p>I am not a Greek fan but one of my son’s pledged (at Duke) and my Vandy son is independent so I try to stay open hearted. Independents drink at all these colleges so that is something to be clear about. I bring up the Greek thing because I recall that Wake had living rooms in the lower level of residential halls that were sort of “designated” for each frat. I thought it was sort of lame.</p>
<p>One thing I don’t like about a few good southern colleges is the reality that male frats got dorm/residential space and female groups did not. (I am talking about Duke, Davidson (girls in very good dining circles/clubs not sororities, boys in Frats have houses for their gatherings) and Wake.) Duke has recently reversed this policy which my Duke grad son has the nerve to be upset about…ie sharing designated dorm space privileges with women in living groups or sororities who previously only partied on male Greek turf. Imagine that! hilarious to see him calculate the desirable dorms and get upset that sororities might get some of the best turf as well. what took Duke so long?</p>
<p>I don’t think you should base your decision on the drinking issue. </p>
<p>I think this is also true of the question of Should you reject a college because Greek life has prominence? I don’t think you should reject a college with an active Greek life…then we would have to eliminate a lot of fantastic colleges.</p>
<p>Both colleges require a great deal of work for As and Bs. (Work Forest…my eldest liked it and was admitted so we spent significant time there and know many grads). Vanderbilt though by far is made up of students with across the board high stats. There really is no bottom quartile in most classes at Vandy except when students do not manage their study skills. Even though Vandy has personal small classes (for a school of 6000)…it is still a school of 6000. </p>
<p>Wake has small classes and there is no place to hide. The profs will know the students and set high expectations. There are the occasional large classrooms at Vandy and more classes where you will not be interacting on a personal level with your prof. </p>
<p>Wake has more preprofessional programming in accounting I recall. </p>
<p>People on this board will tell you that Vanderbilt girls have more involvement than the boys … sorority participation at 50% is a lot. So if your girl would be bothered by this and by coming to Vandy part of Winter break for Rush would be wrong for her…then that is a negative. I personally theorize that having a group helps keep your spirits up in a rigorous college and also helps navigate a world where fewer boys date in the old fashioned sense right away. But what do I know. </p>
<p>I think you can “go far” with a Wake Forest education. There are a lot of NEasterners and Middle Atlantic students there. And Wake gives you a very strong foundation indeed. I like the place a lot. A sound foundation ethically, a strong place to build your identity.</p>
<p>With the rapid globalization of the work force, I feel Vanderbilt reflects our children’s future more accurately. Mind boggling change. Big shifts. My 26 year old applied to Vandy with under 12 thousand applicants 8 years ago. This year 31 thousand. And all new stats. </p>
<p>Anyway, my ramble. You can’t lose but loneliness, deciding on drinking or how to respond to peers drinking…will happen everywhere. </p>
<p>I have asked our sons to exit rooms/groups/parties with drug use going on (as in my day where it was rampant) because the legal consequences are so severe.<br>
He also had so much to do in Nashville itself on weekends…and was out in Nashville instead of at Frat events. More than you can find to do in Winston Salem or for that matter…Durham.</p>
<p>But what we teach them about social drinking…we had 18 years to get that done…the laws are clear regardless of personal preference on drinking. </p>
<p>good luck with your great options</p>
<p>I am biased of course, but I think that the Vanderbilt degree will be worth much more than the Wake Forest degree by graduation time. Vanderbilt is undergoing a huge growth in prestige and national recognition at the moment, and leaving behind schools that were once peers, like Wake. In 4 years, the school will be more compared to Duke. </p>
<p>For the social issue, I think that Vanderbilt would be a great fit. Both schools have pretty large sorority and fraternity scenes, but we have Nashville. I don’t know a great deal about Winston-Salem, but I do know that it is a good deal smaller. A social non-drinker could have a lot of fun exploring a bigger city and all the events within, rather than being trapped on campus.</p>
<p>I don’t know a lot about Wake Forest, but I do generally get the sense that they are a school which is somewhat stagnant in terms of growth as an institution (and yes, in rankings as well). As the person with the nonsensical name touched on above, Vanderbilt is a place where there is an acute sense that the school is constantly getting better (partially fostered by the university through their incessant proclamations of “best class ever,” even if they are at least quantitatively true). Nashville is definitely a great place to go to school. Not drinking can be a hindrance if it prevents you from forming friendships with people who drink, but if your daughter is fun and social as you say, it won’t matter. It sounds like she would fit in well here.</p>
<p>Both schools attract balanced students looking for a holistic college experience and can get you where you want to go. Like the TV ad that asks do you want more? Vandy offers more name recognition, more research, has more resources, more students, more endowment, more top students and faculty, more things to do in Nashville, more fin. aid and merit money.<br>
As the above post states look at the direction the schools are going. Vandy proudly reports the increasing academic profiles of each years class and WF decided to stop looking at SAT/ACT scores.</p>
<p>I’m a huge fan of both schools – if I didn’t get into Vanderbilt, Wake was my #2 choice. Vanderbilt has the edge in reputation and student quality, and for a non-drinker Nashville would probably provide more options (NFL Games, Museums, Concerts at Summit Center Arena, etc). Both schools have D-1 sports and lots of school spirit. Congrats!</p>
<p>Vanderbilt…not really an equal comparison.</p>
<p>Socially, I think both schools would be offer similar on campus experiences. Nashville of course offers much, much more variety of off campus entetainment than does Winston Salem. Don’t forget any academic differences between the schools. Wake for instance has good undergraduate programs in business mgmt and accountancy. Vanderbilt does not offer a business major but has the Peabody school of education. And so forth.</p>
<p>I think timetodecide12’s sentiment ^ is typical–Wake is seen by many as a back up to Vanderbilt. It is a good school with a beautiful campus in a nice part of Winston-Salem but overall, the city is not that great, (& the airport is less convenient if you will be flying back and forth at holidays) and Wake has a smaller, less diverse student body than Vandy.<br>
For what it’s worth, a friend told me a couple of years ago that her daughter was having trouble finding non-party related things to do on weekends and didn’t think the school did a good job providing alternatives (in contrast to her other daughter’s experience at Elon University). Of course, this is the slightly outdated opinion of only one person.
Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>many thanks for all the thoughtful replies! we just returned from nashville & the decision was rather easily made! wake is a great school on a beautiful campus, but vandy just seems to have so much more to offer, in so many different ways! and winston-salem just can’t hold a candle to nashville. D & i picked up some cowboy boots on our way to the airport, so we are all set for august! 
go 'dores!</p>
<p>congrats, and thanks for coming back to share your daughter’s decision. It is great being in a city where the college is beloved. My Vandy son has friends from so many cultures, so many first and second generation students, students from every state, and some from other nations. After watching my Duke son enter the competitive work force during the peak of the recession, I feel that Duke and Vandy better approximate the world our children will be engaged in and that this was an essential part of their formative years.</p>