<p>I finally got it down to 2 schools, but I really can't decide which one to attend. With financial aid their costs will be very similar, so money isn't a huge concern.</p>
<p>The only negatives I feel with Vandy are that it may be too Greek and I may feel insecure with all the "hot" Vandygirls. </p>
<p>UNC is hugeee and I was really looking for a smaller, more intimate school. </p>
<p>Help?</p>
<p>While I can't really say much about UNC, I can tell you that I had the same concern about Vandy before I came. About half of the girls here are Greek, but that also means half are not. There are plenty of other activities to choose from.</p>
<p>Congratulations on getting into 2 great schools. Your decision may be easier if you go for a second visit at each school this next month. I can tell you that the smaller, more familial community of Vanderbilt is well worth considering. My son at Vanderbilt, has had professors proofread essays (even his high school teachers weren't doing that), offer letters of recommendation, and offer research class opportunites -just to name a few of the ways people go out of their way to help. Vanderbilt offers the academic and extracurricular activites that many larger colleges do, yet has a charming, personal atmosphere that is hard to beat. You can ask me specific questions if you want to P.M. Good luck-</p>
<p>I would definitely recommend Vandy (now of course my opinion is biased seeing as how I decided to attend yesterday =P). </p>
<p>Talking to an '06 alum, I found out that only 43% of girls at Vandy are Greek, or thereabouts. While that's still a lot, he said that almost no athletes or musicians are Greek, due to time constraints and the fact that they have a sort of social "support group" already. Also, the number of engineering girls in the frats is limited (but then, so is the number of female engineers!). While the Greek presence is undeniably noticeable, he said it "wasn't hard to escape".</p>
<p>I suppose only you can weigh the pros and cons based on your priorities, but as hard as they try there is no hope that UNC can compare with Vanderbilt when it comes to intimacy. Sadly, it's rare that state schools can compete with private schools in that respect.</p>
<p>BTW, if you'd like to know who I spoke to, look up Austin Bauman on the Vandy website. He'd did some neat things there, and then something real special this past summer! I met him on the Appalachian Trail.</p>
<p>'Course, with all this said, silversparkles would definitely be a better reference than me.</p>
<p>snajean, I'm going to see UNC again next week. My parents don't want another trip to Vandy because it's pretty far (and expensive) to travel there and I just visited in February.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your advice, everyone. I can tell I really want to go to Vandy but my parents are pushing UNC so it's pretty difficult to make a decision.</p>
<p>Perhaps it would help us more if you tell us your intended major?</p>
<p>Well, the problem is that I'm not really sure what I want to do yet. I want to major in history but probably pair it up with something else, like education or poly sci. Maybe law school later? I really don't know.</p>
<p>Now why are your parents pushing UNC if the cost is approximately the same?</p>
<p>It's driveable and I have some family nearby, but at Vandy I'd have to always fly home and there's no one there in case of an emergency.</p>
<p>Vandy and UNC were 2 of my top 3 (wake forest was the other) but I decided to go ED to Vandy because I just felt more comfortable there. At UNC I could really tell that it was a state school and a lot of instate-OOS rivalry became obvious.</p>
<p>Its probably harder to get into UNC OOS than Vandy but who wants to go to a school where 82% of the kids are less qualified than you? Of course you are gonna get bias since this is the Vandy board but I would tell you to pick Vandy 10 out of 10 times.</p>
<p>As far as your major goes, I can help you out alot. I am an Econ-History major and I know someone who is going Econ-Poli Sci. These aren't double majors but they are combined joint studies for someone like you or me who wants to do history but isn't sure how they want to tie it into everything yet. I can also say that both the history and econ departments rock at Vandy and are thought of a lot more highly than UNC's programs.</p>
<p>Hope this helps and hopefully I see you on campus next year!</p>
<p>I can tell you that I went to high school 600 miles from home, and it is hard at times to not be able to go home, except on break, and to spend a full day each direction in airports, having my flights delayed and cancelled and baggage lost. And the cost to my parents for tickets is big. Not to mention that they can't come visit me without incurring hotel and travel expense. This compares to kids whose parents live close enough to drop onto campus for a day or even part of a day to bring things from home or take them to eat. Everything for me is a bigger production because my family lives so far from my school.</p>
<p>that said, I would tell you Vandy. There is so so so much more to learn than just what is taught in a classroom. My boarding school had students from every state in the country and 32 countries and I learned so much from the change in culture from home to school and also from all of my classmates who shared their backgrounds in class and day to day. This will be a big factor when I choose which school to attend. I think it is a real advantage that 80% of Vandy's students are from out of state where at UNC 80% of the students are from instate. Also, instate kids hang together and run home on weekends, and go back to their high school homecomings, etc. When most kids are from out of state they will be on campus on the weekend and I'm thinking this will equate to a greater community feel.</p>
<p>anyone else ?</p>
<p>I have to vote for Vandy, but spouse is a Vandy Law School grad and we lived and worked there a lot in our 20s and 30s as well. UNC is a very fine state institution and their OOS program is a good one. But do you really want to go to school with 80% of the kids from North Carolina?
These schools are not alike.<br>
If you want undergrad business...maybe UNC. If you want a very amiable college town like Berkeley, Athens or Charlottesville full of thousands of in state kids and with a relaxed upbeat student oriented young vibe, OK to UNC. Many people have such happy memories in Chapel Hill, Athens and Charlottesville.<br>
But Nashville is a real city. It is very underrated and misunderstood on the East Coast but it is cram full of talent in many professions and the economy is great. You will have oodles of internship options, volunteer options and there are plenty of people working in Nashville who are not natives. Nashville is also a capital city which means access to many things. Yes there are a lot of handsome and affluent students at Vandy but Vandy is much more eclectic than its old incarnation and all you have to do is go there with a truly open mind and make your own path with or without the frat scene. Vandy has school spirit, plenty of sports and way more cultural arts to savor on campus and just off campus in Nashville than you can find in even a good college town.<br>
I think Vandy's facilities are also pretty world class, and as much as I like our nation's great state schools..did you really see the inside of Vandy's buildings and new construction? I like the cohesiveness of a university that requires students to stay on campus a long time, too. Pretty impressive if you are paying the same rate at either place.<br>
Flights in and out of the Nashville airport are quite plentiful although I won't pretend the drive isn't pretty tough from NJ. Plus Gee is in your screen name.
was that on purpose?</p>
<p>If you already have a gut feeling you would be happier at UNC, fine but Vandy is going to give you a different four years than Chapel Hill.</p>
<p>MM2007, you really hit the nail on the head about location and student body. It seems like heathergee's parents might want her to go to UNC; is it because they fear being separated or is it the extra travel expenses? It is better to talk about that now before you send your deposit. When you are at UNC this week, really soak in the feel of the student body (I used to love to linger in the cafeteria and book stores).</p>
<p>And Faline2 is right about the advantage Vandy has in its location -a state capital with an amazing music scene. It really does have world class facilities; I think their dorms might be the nicest I have seen in 22 college visits.</p>
<p>Haha, no "gee" is in my screen name because my last name starts with the letter G. </p>
<p>Also, my mom may be getting a new job which could alter the financial aid package. It's a little uncertain and we're not really sure how much financial aid we'd lose. They gave me mostly grants but I'm not sure how much they'd take away.</p>
<p>But my AP Lit teacher suggested going to Vandy for the 1st year, then if something drastic were to happen to my financial aid, I could transfer to UNC.</p>
<p>Southwest flies cheap between Raleigh/Durham and Nashville direct so it will be easy to get to and from home. I know because my freshman daughter goes to Vanderbilt and her boyfriend goes to Duke. They have flown back and forth 3 or 4 times. </p>
<p>Go with Vanderbilt!</p>
<p>UNC girls are very hot and havestrong Greek system. go with Vandy.</p>