<p>I'm deciding between Vandy and Dartmouth. Any ideas about comparing national/international reputation, academics, types of professors, preparation for grad school, campus atmosphere, campus social life, or other criteria? Thanks.</p>
<p>Dartmouth or Penn over Vandy.
All are great, but Dartmouth and Penn are greater (although not more beautiful), so unless you want the warmer climate, choose whichever of D or P feels like a better fit for you.</p>
<p>Visit them. Dartmouth is in beautiful Hanover, NH; lots of trees. Vanderbilt is an urban campus; it has lots of beautiful trees, too, but other stuff as well.</p>
<p>To be more serious, the two campuses are very different, not just in the fact that one is urban and the other is...not. </p>
<p>I think one of Vanderbilt's strengths is the accessibility and enthusiasm of its professors for teaching undergraduates. There is a lot of opportunity for research for students in a variety of fields. There is also a lot of opportunity for various types of service work with the Nashville community, if that is of interest to you.</p>
<p>As for reputation, people from the northeast think everyone in the world knows more about, and cares more about, schools in the northeast. I spent 15 years of my adult life in New England, and the focus is very local. In my experience, Vanderbilt is well known and well respected. In the midwest and the south and parts of the west, it is better known than Dartmouth. I can't speak for other parts of the country or the world. But really, Dartmouth is not Harvard, Yale or Princeton in terms of renown, even if it is (and it is) a great university.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is a better school with regards to reputation and academics. I suspect the professors and preparation for graduate school are better as well.</p>
<p>As for the atmosphere and social life, I can't say. Both schools have high Greek populations, but one is urban and the other is not. Like midmo mentioned, I'd vist them both to form your own impression.</p>
<p>Dartmouth may be slightly more selective, but it's definitely not worlds apart. Dartmouth may be lesser known because it is just another college in the northeast. There are fewer fantastic southern colleges, so vandy stands out more.</p>
<p>just the difference in geography i think gives the two different cultures. visit</p>
<p>Dartmouth is arguably much more selective. Its acceptance rate this year is 13%, higher than Penn, Brown, Duke, and close to MIT. Vandy's acceptance rate is 23% and avg scores are 70 points less. </p>
<p>Dartmouth does much better with recruiting (job placement) and its placement into top grad schools (WSJ, Harvard law, Yale law, UVA law, etc) is 2-3 times that of vanderbilt and the next Ivy after HYP. Dartmouth is a much stronger school, although Vanderbilt is still a great school.</p>
<p>well i have been to both schools
reputation wise..dartmouth is very well known its in ivy league
but vandy is a rising star...one of 25 new ivies..this yr admit rate went down from like 33% to 23%..
vandy also has a residential college called the commons so the dorms are all new
dartmouth is middle of nowhere...vandy is in nashville
both schools are very undergraduate focused
dartmouth has better academic reputations..esp w/ faculties..but vandy is recruiting new professors and top faculties..but vandy is definitely well known for blair school of music and peabody college (education and human development) and this program is only ranked behind harvard (#2)
vandy is in SEC w/ typical big school football and basketball team
both schools are very fraternity focused
so it depends wat u want out of it..dartmouth will give u better academic reputation, prestige, and grad placement...vandy better student life and weather..but vandys rising so their career and grad placement are top..just not as good as dartmouths</p>
<p>Lots of good advice, especially posts #3 & #5. The two schools have similiar campus cultures. Both are equally prestigious and equal academically.</p>
<p>Great points for Vandy - I'm impressed. When I first read the title of this thread it was a no-brainer for Dartmouth (full disclosure, I am from the North).</p>
<p>I'd choose Vanderbilt, assuming the financial offers are the same. Dartmouth is just too small and too rural for my tastes, and if you're coming from the north, you'll get the wonderful experience of living in the south for four years. Nashville is a major city with great music, cultural attractions, and opportunities for internships, while Hanover is kind of out in the wilderness. The academic reputations of both schools are pretty much equivalent for undergrad (unless there is a certain discipline you're interested in that would tip the scales in one direction), so your decision will probably hinge on factors such as the size, surrounding area, money, etc.</p>
<p>There is somewhat of a reputation of drinking at Dartmouth, and though Vandy has a large Greek life and its share of drinking I'm sure, I visited over St. Patrick's Day and the campus seemed quite tame (then again, maybe they did all their drinking over the weekend...). I also met a lot of great students and the classes I attended were taught by lively and engaging professors.</p>
<p>If you haven't already, make sure you visit both campuses so you can get a good feel for the two schools. My visit really made Vanderbilt shoot to the top of my list (if only for the scholarship I got as a result of my interview). Whatever your decision, remember that they are both great schools, and best of luck!</p>
<p>(Disclaimer: I may be a little biased since I've never visited Dartmouth and I'm going to Vanderbilt this fall!)</p>
<p>Reputation and grad school placement definitely favor Dartmouth. It is Ivy League, and that counts for a lot. Also, Dartmouth has that great schedule in which you attend one summer and take off one school year quarter to pursue internships (less competition than during the summer for these opportunities.) Can't comment on social life.</p>
<p>Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Social Life -> Vanderbilt
Academics -> Dartmouth
Weather -> Vanderbilt
Girls -> Vanderbilt
Campus -> Vanderbilt
Reputation in South -> Tie
Reputation outside of South -> Dartmouth
Undergraduate Experience -> Vanderbilt</p>
<p>Totally disagree on undergrad experience. Dartmouth can hardly be beat by any school in this area. Also the Dartmouth social life is pretty strong, not a huge difference there.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is a totally fun school with an outstanding focus on undergraduate education and lots of school spirit, and it is still significantly more selective than Vandy. I loved Dartmouth's authentic historic campus and the high spirits of the student body...but the stats for Greek life participation are higher at Dartmouth, and the alternatives for independents are fewer in Hanover. If you have reason to need a city to be part of your life from 18-22, consider Nashville and Vanderbilt. Dartmouth is very sporty, supports it teams, and has an amazing alum network, and does have an impressive cultural arts series that comes to campus, but so does Vandy, plus every speaker and artist and politician on tour comes through Nashville if you are a culture/arts addict. The weather...is pretty fantastic in Nashville give or take a tornado..but I have to say that the summer in Dartmouth would be the only time you get to really soak up a New England sunshine, and that isolated colleges have to make an effort to ship students out for internships and other experiences. Internship opportunities in Nashville in business, medicine and other service agencies are very plentiful and it isn't pitch dark at 5pm for months at a time either.</p>
<p>I had to make this decision, but it was a little easier for me since I live 20 minutes from Vanderbilt. Let me tell you that Nashville and the surrounding area are just plain awesome. I really loved growing up there, but I wanted to try something different for college, and I also really like New England. It will be much colder in New Hampshire, but you can go skiing pretty easily. Also, you can spend lots of great time outside hiking, running, or whatever else you want to do. </p>
<p>I think each school has a lot to offer academically, and you can't quite go wrong. I'm a bit biased toward Dartmouth, since that's my alma mater, but whatever your decision, you're going to end up in a great place.</p>
<p>dartmouth clearly prevails. ivy league, very solid rep. vandy's an excellent place but the oppurtunities you will get from dartmouth after undergrad are overpowering!</p>
<p>lmao. Definitely Dartmouth. Vandy seems to have misled many students into thinking that it is better than it really is.</p>
<p>TelleTube, Dartmouth is a great school but it is also in a cold, isolated location. Vanderbilt is more appealing to me because it also has small classes/great professors, but has the better social life in my opinion (D-1 sports, access to a major city, etc.)</p>
<p>These are VERY different schools. Vandy is a southern SEC school in an upscale urban neighborhood near downtown Nashville. Dartmouth is a northeastern Ivy League school in a much smaller suburban-esque city. The kind of student who did well at one, would not necessarily have the same kind of experience at the other.</p>
<p>Both schools have basically equal reputations at this point with grad schools and recruiters. However, Vanderbilt is essentially an amazing pre-professional factory and churns out I-bankers, consultants, doctors, lawyers, teachers and other business-types like nobodies business. That said, those folks who feel the need to continue their education have no problem getting into the top grad schools in the country (Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, UChicago are some places acquaintances and friends are going for grad school). Vandy is highly recognized.</p>
<p>The environment at both schools is likely very different as well. Vandy tends to be Greek-oriented, though that is changing, and is non-competitive, friendly and Southern. I can't speak for Dartmouth. Make the decision based on which of the two seems more for you based on visits to both.</p>