<p>Hey everyone. I was wondering if I could have advice on the pros and cons of Vandy and Emory. I will be doing Pre-Med, which I have heard is better at Emory but Vandy will be costing me $10,000 less, which is a huge deal. Which school has the better worth? </p>
<p>Similarities:
liberal arts, similar ranking, similar size, similar relation to city (though emory not as close to Atlanta), private</p>
<p>As of now, I'm probably going to Vandy, but I have some fears of going there... any reassurance would be greatly appreciated =)
Vandy...
1. Food, the meal plan is mandatory, 19 meals a week!!! and there's only one cafeteria and a few restaurants. No chick-fil-la, no asian fast food (nothing asian as a matter of fact), etc.
2. Greek Life- I never thought much about Greek life until this year. I wouldn't really mind doing it as long as it's in a group I'm comfortable with. still kinda worrisome
3. Pre-med acceptance rate: i know it's 70%, but how many have a chance at the extremely elite colleges like Yale or UCSan Fran, or Penn, Harvard... etc (it's what I'm aiming for)
4. Minority- I'm 100% Asian American, (Asians only like 6%) but I get along with almost anyone, but will I be accepted by everyone or stand out too much? (now I'm beginning to feel stupid. I take it back. I don't mind much. It's just going to be different. The HS I'm at is majority minorty)</p>
<p>Other than those worries, I really wouldn't mind going to Vandy, it's just that I don't know whether or not it's best for my future as an investment. (My other choices are UGA, Berkeley (with an enormous debt after graduation), or GA Tech. Please give imput on those if you have any opinions about those. )</p>
<p>1.) Food is pretty good on campus. There was actually an article about this in the paper today. Theres also a Quiznos on campus (on the meal plan), burgers are good at CT West, and Chicken Quesadillas are good at Rand. Theres also a Taste of Nashville program where you use your rollover money at Papa Johns, Chili's, RolyPoly Sandwichs, Bruegger's Bagels, Noshville (great for breakfast), Wendy's, Sunset Grill, Cafe Coco (alternative/indie style cafe open 24-hrs) among others. Sam's is also on the card which is a popular sportsbar on Tuesday nights. Also -- theres lots of restraunts (chinese, italian, etc.) immediately surrounding the campus so food isn't really a concern.
2. Greek Life -- I'm independent but about 50% of my friends are Greek. Lots of DJs and Live Bands will come to the houses and all you need is your Vandy Card to get in. Theres also lots of other parties on campus (Towers, Chaffin, Morgan/Lewis) so your social life won't be limited if you don't join. Theres also tons of bars/clubs downtown in Nashville (college night is Thursday).
3.) I'm going to law school so I have no idea. I'd say getting into schools like Harvard for med school are probably largely dependent on your GPA/MCAT score.
4.) Being Asian won't be a big deal at all. I'm white but I have lots of friends who are Asian who love Vandy as much as I do. Vanderbilt also has much more school spirit than Emory. Football Tailgates, Memorial Magic, #1 Baseball team in country, etc. The campus is gorgeous and people are really friendly. Definitely visit if you haven't already.</p>
<p>If Vanderbilt will be costing you 10,000 less than Emory, you should definitely go to Vandy. You are going to need all the money you have to pay for med school. I'm interested in why people say Emory is better for pre-med. I live in the metro-Atlanta area and I have many friends who are currently at Emory; they say studying at Emory is just like studying at any other school. They also say that the students there are absolutely cutthroat and Emory sufferes from grade deflation. Internships (esp for undergrads) with the CDC are much harder to attain with the glowering problems of national security in perspective. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, offers the same small class sizes, prof taught classes that Emory boasts about. Internships with the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center are much more feasible. In fact, when it comes down to it, Vanderbilt's Medical School is ranked higher than Emory's School of Medicine --
<a href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdrrank_brief.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdrrank_brief.php</a></p>
<p>One word of caution regarding tech - if you are thinking of going to med school, you're going to need to preserve a high GPA, and tech is an extremely difficult school to receive good grades.</p>
<p>The choice seems almost clear, but like college2332 said, you should definitely visit if you haven't.</p>
<p>I agree with the above posters supporting a decision to attend Vanderbilt -its an amazing university. But maybe the best way to approach your decision is to ask yourself if what you will gain by attending Emory is worth $10,000.</p>
<p>If you want to go to one of the med schools you mentioned, you shouldn't be joining a fraternity.</p>
<p>You can certainly get into any of those med schools as a Vandy student. However, you will need to be one of the top students, just like at Emory.</p>
<p>In my experience, Asians tend to form racial cliques, but I see no problem with acceptance of Asians by other races. </p>
<p>Sorry, but I can't think of a stupider criterion for selecting a college than proxmity to Chick-fil-a.</p>
<p>According to Revealed Preference data, Vanderbilt wins the lions share of cross-admit battles. Emory’s admissions office even tracks interest when you apply because they know yields are generally low. I’d rather be at a school where most people genuinely wanted to be at rather than the fallback for somewhere else. SEC sports > DIII AAU. The hotter girls plus money makes the decision even easier.</p>
<p>Well the info still works really well anyways. Thanks everyone! I'm pretty confident that I want to go to Vandy. I'm sending in the deposit tomorrow. Can't wait to meet everyone (if you go to Vandy that is) =)</p>
<p>Vandy over Emory anyday. Vanderbilt commands more respect, you will have a blast there, and on top of that it will 10k cheaper. This is a no brainer. Good luck with everything.</p>
<p>vandy has more of a college experience, i've heard. a family friend went to emory, you will be going to bars a lot of the time when you go out because apparently the social scene is not centered around campus at all. at vanderbilt you have the frat scene and other things to do on campus but can go into nashville just as easily if you feel like it. socially i'd say vanderbilt is way better</p>
<p>I have lived in Atlanta four times, and was just there quite recently. Father is a Ga Tech grad. Ga Tech degrees are way worth the trouble but not what I would choose for premed. I have lived in Nashville twice, once to get a masters and spouse is a Vandy law grad. I have great love for Atlanta, believe me, especially for the young. But quality of life is better in Nashville for a student. Nashville has four or five walkabout neighborhoods, and you can walk off two sides of Vandy into districts with places to eat. Getting around Clifton Road at Emory almost requires a shuttle bus due to the CDC and hospital. Vandy Hospital is very inviting for experience and less hassle for an undergrad student to walk to. People in Nashville are less harried and driving is less of a big challenge. Vandy has tons more school spirit and I am not even interested in sports but it can be way fun to be with your schoolmates and alum at games now and in the future. Atlanta and Nashville have great cultural institutions to visit, but don't overlook Nashville's constant flow of celebrities for performances. Don't flame me but my doc here who went to Emory said they had Tshirts that said Emory: We are apathetic, but we don't care. He transferred out. Yeah, I know it is mean to repeat that. But Vandy is much more Rah Rah and you are only young once. The issue re grades for med school..tough anywhere of course. Both places will teach you well and have great faculty members. The issue about diversity..Vandy is making big changes fast, but you can make the Greek decision later after you have had time to survey the scene. It is most definitely possible to be happy without the sorority scene but it is prominent for females at Vandy no doubt. My S at Duke went Greek against my inclinations and he has loved every minute and certainly received a great deal of moral support and coaching in many arenas from his frat brothers, studies, jobs, internships, school leadership work. One nice thing about Vandy is there is both an old fashioned on campus world with trees and tradition and an off campus life if you forgoe the frat party rounds and simply want something to do in the evenings independently. Atlanta is a different ball of wax. Its charms off campus from Emory are rather hypnotically attractive so kids leave campus quite a lot and have to drive a bit to get to great things. This may leave some Emory kids with less of the desirable couple years of on campus centered serenely on ivory tower undergrad life. Re the Asian minority issue at Vandy, I would encourage you to be part of the change. Vandy wants you and seeks change in their student population. This is only four years of your life, and choose where you think you will get the most support for not only classroom preparation but warm friendships. They are looking for a nationally based student body. I warmly recommend Vanderbilt, but I have to admit you would also love Atlanta as a city, too.</p>
<p>Emory has a lower level college called Oxford and after 2 years those with the low GPAs and SATs from high school can matriculate to Emory. I know because some idiots from my school got in. Nashville def more celebrity and culture and in my opinion the pre meds are way smarter and hotter. Atlanta is a cesspool of crime so don't believe the fake stats that are thrown out there. And if you don't have a car or know someone with one you are going to be very lonely on the weekends.</p>
<p>After a semester and a half here, I believe that I've made the wrong choice.
-The school has bascially screwed over the year of 2011 with housing, and it seems that they don't particularly care about individual students, but rather their overall prestige and reputation (which we would I guess benefit from to a certain extent).
-Greek life is insanely huge. As a nondrinker/partier, it's difficult to network and people here overall are not very friendly or caring about their college education. Even people who orignally decided not to drink, have changed their view, b/c honestly they have no other choice but to give in, if they want to have a strong social network. Drinking is the norm and most everyone has gone out at least once.
-The campus is extremely segregated according to race, greek vs independent, and even participation in different events/activities is very segregated.
-The pre-med courses are insane to the point where I don't believe it to be worth the trouble anymore, and I've switched to another major.
-There's nothing to eat on the weekends if you live in Kissam b/c everything's closed on campus.
-The atmosphere is tense, uptight, and very on the surface and it is difficult to make truly personal and deep relationships with people
-A few people on my hall transferred out, and over half my friends have thought about transferring.
-And as shown on Juicycampus, there is a hidden anger and hatred that people are not brave enough to express out in the open.
-Maybe the people who are here do want to come here, but not for the reasons I want to be here for. </p>
<p>The only thing that is keeping me here is the amazing campus, speakers/presentation, and academic/educational programs offered.</p>
<p>None of that should have been much of a surprise. Vanderbilt is very southern and greek. With that said, it doesn't seem like Emory would have been that much better of a choice for you. My advice, try to transfer to Chicago or something of the sort.</p>
<p>sorry to hear you are doubting your choice at Vandy. You mention dropping premed. Vandy is tough, no doubt and premed courses will make tons of students drift away after year one from their original goals. Lots of great students drop premed. This could have happened to you anywhere if you were not 100% committed or ready. My advice to you is to dig in and hang tough socially and in the classroom. I believe you when you say that Greek life looms large..but it looms larger freshman year spring when it "seems" that all the Greek parties matter so much. Some of the fascination with Greek life will fade out although for new pledges this is a Peak interest right now. My son at Duke is a junior, and while he really does love his frat, all he and his friends are thinking about now has radically shifted to internships, summer jobs and getting ready for graduate school exams. He also went abroad which gave him an entirely new social circle as well. Lots of his friends went abroad junior year..which actually cost us less than if he had stayed on campus. Lots of his friends made new friends doing this. There are great places to volunteer or intern in Nashville. If you still generally like your teachers and the campus and town, I think you should dig in and make it work for you.<br>
just the advice of a 50 year old woman who did not transfer out of her undergrad school..which was not a great fit for her either. I talked about leaving and got paperwork to transfer but never followed through. I still correspond with professors and still talk to fellow graduates from my school almost daily. None of us went Greek. I still think you can make Vandy sing for you. Attend all the cultural events, pick something and join it. Try to tolerate the loneliness and focus on other independent students for friendship. I think sometimes we fail to really prep kids on how tough college and the social life can be barren and disappointing at times...and the academic pressure is something that fades from memory like childbirth..we forget how hard you guys have it at times.....it is tough and it is lonely sometimes. best to you regardless of your choice.</p>
<p>I am sorry to hear about your situation. I know of at least one Vanderbilt student like you, my son, who shuns the drinking atmosphere at the school. I know how difficult it is to know that many of the students do not share your priorities. It is a campus where the Greek, party atmosphere prevails. Vanderbilt may not be unique in that respect. My alma mater, Penn State had a strong Greek party scene. But the amount of money that mixes into the Vandy vibe makes it especially club like.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt is an amazing well respected college with many opportunities. Try some of the religious organizations, there may be others like you. If you still feel out of your element, I encourage you to transfer. Between my two college aged children I have visited 22 campuses. Vanderbilt is at the extreme of a rich party school atmosphere. And if it is too much for you to be happy, then you deserve to find a college with a better fit. Good luck -</p>
<p>I'm sorry you've had such a negative experience here so far, but I think you are making a lot of generalizations about Vandy that are not true. I'm also a nondrinker, and I've found plenty of "nondrinker" friends. Yes, they may not be the majority, but they do exist. Pre-med courses are tough, but not impossible. If you are really committed to your education here (which I believe most people are), you really have to dedicate yourself to the classes. They are referred to as "weed out" classes for a reason. As far as food goes, the branscomb munchie mart, common grounds, and quiznos are all open on the weekends. Many students use their meal money for the taste of nashville to go to chili's, wendy's, bread and co, etc. on the weekends. So there are certainly places to eat on the weekends. Again, I'm sorry you've had such a negative experience, but your generalizations seem to stem from your unhappiness. I would consider transferring, as it's no use being miserable all the time.</p>
<p>My son is also a freshman and biomedical engineer major with the intent of going into medicine. He did quite well his first semester and talked extensively about weed out classes, he is having a tough time with one class right now. All premed students arent meant to go into premed. Thus they have to have weed out classes to see if you can handle what is forthcoming. My wife and my brother both went to Vandy and were Greek. And I will tell you that the Greek scene gets old and dies down some as you get more into your major. And the reality of why you are at Vandy comes to light. In other words, it doesnt become as important. A large portion of Greek life is the excitement of Freshmen being away from home for the first time and wanting to experience new things that Vandy has to offer. Some stay with it, in a hardcore fashion and some get more serious with their studies and non greek friends. As I tell my son everytime I talk to him, School is about Balance and Maturing as a person and everything else will fall into place. Parents reading this post needs to realize this also. I went to UGA and it is known as a party school and I was in the Greek system, as I matured my junior and senior years I became more serious about my studies and my circle of friends changed. It will happen.</p>
<p>djoe1: Thank you for posting this updated info. Sorry to read of your disappointment at Vanderbilt. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be the school for you. Based on the limited info. shared in your posts, you may want to consider schools outside of the South. Schools such as the Univ. of Michigan, Rice, Washington Univ. in St. Louis, USC, Tufts, Univ. of Rochester & Northwestern University may be better matches for you.</p>