I’ve done a ridiculous amount of research on my own, but just looking for a few more opinions.
Thanks!
You may not get a lot of answers because these two schools are not on the same lists very often. Cold Northeast vs warmer South. Different character of the cities.Liberal environment at Brown vs more conservative Vandy, Both GREAT choices. Academics at this level may depend on your field of study. Where do you want to live.? What are you looking for in a college? Based on #7 it sounds like you need to engage with actual students on campus at each school. have you visited both? I suggest you decide based on the “feel” you get during visits.
Vanderbilt is going to have more of a work-hard play-hard culture than Brown, which most of us prefer. I’d agree with Disneydad that Vanderbilt is “more conservative,” but like at most colleges, the student body still leans liberal. Gives the school a nice sense of balance, which really defines the whole experience here. Don’t know enough about Brown to speak to their culture, though I do believe it’s much less cutthroat than other Ivies. Vanderbilt has an obvious advantage in weather! I don’t think you’re going to find much of a difference in intellectualism – the caliber of students at both schools is very similar.
Brown definitely has an advantage in alumni network and prestige. They may now be equals academically, but Brown has had a strong academic reputation for far longer than Vanderbilt. Brown was ranked 15 in USNWR back in 1980 – at the time, Vanderbilt wasn’t even on the radar.
Both excellent options. Totally agree with Disneydad that visiting will clear your mind.
I’m planning on studying neuroscience, and although I’m not sure where I’m going to live, it most likely will NOT be in the South (partly why the name and the networks of the school outside the South are a factor for me).
I’ve visited Vandy, and I’m visiting Brown soon, but the thing is, I don’t feel like I really get a ‘feel’ for the true campus. Even candidly speaking to students and professors, I feel that schools tend to put their best foot forward in order to court potential students. For example, I expressed concern about the party-culture at Vanderbilt, and I was met with overwhelming assurance from the students and teachers that it was not at all a problem.
On the partying problem, for example, [and I’m picking on Vandy, sorry], there’s really no way for me gauge the situation at Vandy other than through hearsay, since there’s no way for me to attend a greek party or anything.
So, actually, I would love if someone could give me a no frills, definite answer: how huge is Greek life and partying culture? I have answers from all over the place, all contradicting each other.
And I also would love any more input on my original post. Thank you everyone who’s replied!
Greek life is pretty big at Vandy (much bigger than I thought it would be). However, as someone who is not a part of it, I can assure you that there are so many events/student organizations on campus that you will be able to follow your passion and stay extremely busy. I am an international student and I had a very stereotypical view of Greek life before coming here. Some of the stereotypes are true, yet there are so many people in Greek life who are merit scholars, presidents of non-Greek organizations, VUceptors etc. All of us are extremely focussed on academics, Greek or non Greek, but we also like to party hard. It is your decision to party or not, drink or not. I have never been forced to/felt the need to do something I haven’t wanted to.
As a girl, it is easy for me to attend a frat party even though I am not a part of Greek life. I haven’t ever felt left out because I have never wanted to be a sorority girl.There are enough things on campus to keep me busy and enable me to contribute to Vandy. Sometimes I ‘go out’, but I personally I like to attend concerts at Blair or plays at the VU theater instead, just like hundreds of students.
I actually like the fact that we have a great balance of academics and social life. You will find students who are solely focussed on academics or only on their social lives, but the majority of us like to maintain a balance between the two, whether we are Greek/non-Greek. I’d also like to add that greek parties have security/strict measures against underage drinking.
Non-greek students are still the majority on campus. Greek life is big socially because everyone lives on campus; there are really no other centralized places to throw large “parties” or even large social events other than fraternity houses. Regardless, I am always disappointed when prospective students have some disdain for Greek life without even giving it a chance. What is the basis for this, stereotypes from movies and new stories? That’s a really poor way to evaluate large, diverse groups of people
Greek students come from the exact same pool of accepted, high-caliber candidates as everyone else. They hold tons of leadership positions around campus and spend a lot of time doing community service and philanthropy. They have even higher GPAs on average. I think you’d be absolutely shocked by what many of our fraternities and sororities look like: absolutely normal college students enjoying the best four years of their life.
Thank you Sophie! That was really helpful.
Pancaked,
It is partly stereotypes, I’m sure. For me, it’s simply because, as an introvert, I am not into parties whatsoever. Actually, I find that party-type people (which I tend to equate with Greek life) tend to tire me out - which is why I’m struggling to see myself on a campus so teeming with Greek life.
That’s not to say that I don’t like these personality types (in fact, I have plenty of friends who would love Greek life), or that these students are inferior in any way. It’s mostly that, as a student who will probably never willing attend a stereotypical Greek party and loves spending nights reading alone or talking with a few friends, and who is definitely not the ‘work hard play hard’ type, I’m trying to gauge fit.
Just to clarify what Pancaked said above re: “there are really no other centralized places to throw large ‘parties’ or even large social events other than fraternity houses.” It’s not like the ONLY parties on campus are at fraternity houses.
He is correct that the fraternity houses are almost the only ones to have huge parties where alcohol is served but there are many dances/parties/events at the Student Life Center sponsored by non-Greek organizations, various dorms have parties/dances (most notably McGill), there is a Commons Ball every year, there is tailgating near the stadium prior to football games (not just at fraternity houses) and of course, on a smaller scale, there are lots of dorm room parties that do involve alcohol. Not to be overlooked: campus-wide events such as Commodore Quake, Lights on the Lawn and Rites of Spring which aren’t exactly parties but are pretty “festive” in nature.
And as Sophie pointed out, there are plenty of things to do on campus that don’t involve partying such as Blair musical concerts, other performances involving dancing, theatre, comedy, juggling(!)
Wow, those schools are sooo different from a cultural standpoint. I doubt you will find girls in sundresses and boots at Brown sporting events. Although the students at both schools will be very smart, the population at Brown (and I realize that I am over-generalizing here) will tend to be much more artsy, unconventional, and politically liberal than the population at Vanderbilt. But “intellectualism” at both schools is definitely prevalent. Both are excellent schools filled with really birght students, but I would think that most students would see themselves as a much better fit at one of them than at the other.
And I definitely give the alumni network to Brown. The creative-types who tend to find their way there end up in really cool jobs and can open doors for recent grads.
@LHSCary is absolutely correct, I should have been clearer. Just meant to say that that a big driving force for Greek life at Vandy is everyone living on campus. Can’t really throw a big party in your dorm – there are very few “house parties” like you’d find at schools where students live off-campus. People certainly still have smaller social gatherings in dorm rooms and there are many Vanderbilt-sponsored social events.
Vanderbilt has just opened Warren and Moore housing that will be set up and run more in the residential college housing model seen at other universities. I suspect this is to offer non-Greek students the opportunities to stay connected to peers and create smaller communities within the larger university. Many other U’s have moved away from the Greek system and started a residential housing system. I think the two systems will provide more options for students to stay connected to their peers and the university which is a good thing. From what I hear Greek students may live in these residential colleges but I suspect their main advantage is they help create work/play/social/academic/dinning communities for those not interested in Greek life. Pancaked and Sophie please correct me if I’m wrong.
Vandy , Brown and just about any other U will have party and non-party groups, introverts & extroverts, and it is easy to find where you belong. One neat thing about both the Brown and Vandy is the party groups are also academic & intellectual as well.
As Pancaked stated there is a lot more to Greek life than parties. They tend to be excellent students, involved in volunteer groups, intramural sports, philanthropy, leadership positions on and off campus, develop lifelong friendships, and stay connected to their universities long after they graduate but they don’t get much credit for those activities.
I would add that there are plenty of introverts in Greek life and plenty of party-going extroverts outside of Greek life.
Brown has fraternities too. Just saying…
And my understanding is that there are very few Commodores who actually live in the houses.
@bud123 All students live in campus housing for 4 years. Vandy Greeks do not live in the greek houses, only the officers of the house live there. The housing problem with Warren and Moore is that if you do not get into the lottery in your sophomore year, you have no opportunity to live there.
Warren and Moore housing sounds great - from what I’ve read about the residential housing system, I’l love it.
In response to the Greek life comments: I suppose I just got the feeling that since Greek life at Brown is so much smaller, I would find more students that had the same ideas of fun socializing. That’s it, really.
Thanks, everyone. If you have more comments, pleas do post them!
Parent of a student who took a merit scholarship to Vandy with trepidation because he is actually one of those people who finds Greek life grating and is philosophically opposed to some things that don’t bother most people. He ended up abroad and in McGill his final two years with his “tribe” of people who like to throw parties with the Joke at the door being “Which Brother do you know” hahahaha before admittance. (No one in McGill would keep anyone out of a party for any reason).
Anyway, I personally believe our Vandyson has a much stronger view of how the world really works by going to school alongside Greek organization undergrads who will after all soon be running businesses, operating on people and teaching school just like the rest of Vandy grads. In other words, he got over himself somewhat at Vanderbilt re taking things so seriously. He realizes that the academic talent is superb in or out of Greek life and that some people enjoy affilations like Greek life during those years of 18-22 and that does not make them superficial “party” people.
Because every student at Vandy is a gifted academic person, I totally agree with those above when they say introverts are everywhere at Vandy. (People who are selective about how to spend their time and who are perfectly fine in a lab or in the library solo for hours and hours). Not everyone in Greek life is an extrovert.
Sororities are an interesting phenom at Vandy. The student body is more selective, more international, more national and more hyper-intellectual than ever before yet half the women still like to be in a sorority in today’s Vandy.
I have no real idea but I don’t think this is Old South so much as a bonding experience for young women who need a little friendship and a little sense of a safe place to get through the ups and downs of four years of academic rigor when the modes of dating have altered greatly since my generation. So Sororities can also be Square and comforting.
That said, if you are a highly sensitive person who will feel upset when half the girls rush and join these groups as 18 and 19 year old newbies to college, you might like Brown better when you are 18 and 19. By the time you are 21, you will see that there is no difference between independent and Greek and plenty of future networking to be had in your Vandy class forever. Everyone moves on by sophomore year to focusing on summer jobs/internships/junior years abroad and prepping for grad school or your next move in life. Greek life fades to a nice sheen of presence as you age up as an Independent at Vandy. Your outlook will be the source of how you do with it. And you can go on Alternative Spring Breaks (they mix Greek and indepedents on purpose) with classmates you may not have gotten to know because you were not into Greek life. Or you may work with them in sports, debating, volunteer work or publishing and research on campus.
Academically, I think Vandy has a little more of a Pre-Professional feel to it with a handful of stellar graduate schools on campus. Brown degrees certainly get you in doors esp in the upper East Coast and graduate schools appreciate the Brown and Vandy name in my opinion equally.
ITE. In This Economy. If you are a daydreamer who has been cooped up in books as my son had been… It can be a nice brisk experience to be on a campus of people who are seriously working on getting a job. Vandy has a strong Real World feeling to it and many of the students are very shrewd and motivated to get out on their own two feet.
Wow, thank you so much, Faline. That was such a great picture.
I actually come from a very Vandy-like high school, so I suppose I was hoping for a change in student body - more daydreamers, etc. It’s going to be a difficult April!