<p>I also got accepted at UPenn. Any idea on the pros/cons of Vandy and UPenn?</p>
<p>Vandy is a great school, but it is hard to turn Penn down for Vandy. To the extent that degree has value, the Penn degree has greater value.
If you have a clear feeling that you'd be happier at Vandy, go there. If it's a close call for you, you should absolutely go to Penn.</p>
<p>Need more info. What do you intend to study? Other interests? Financial concerns/benefits?</p>
<p>While they are both urban campuses, the area around Vanderbilt is far safer than the area anywhere near the Penn campus. Students live on Vanderbilt's campus for all of undergrad, so there is no need to locate an apartment that is at least a bit safe. While there is a lot going on on the V campus, there are also a lot of restaurants and the like in the vicinity, and downtown is a mile and a half away. Leaving campus is a pretty safe experience for a Vanderbilt student, but nobody claims that is true for Penn. Even the Penn rep for this region, who tried very very hard to get my son interested, admitted that safety remains a problem.</p>
<p>Send a PM to the poster MomofWildChild (one word). Her son is a student at Penn, and she lives in Nashville now. She has a lot to say on the subject, and I believe she would advise you to go with Vanderbilt, but get it from her directly.</p>
<p>Edit: yes, icy9 is correct that one cannot really recommend or talk about overall strengths and weaknesses without knowing a bit more about your goals.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your posts, and for reinforcing the value of UPenn and Dartmouth, and pointing out the attraction of Vanderbilt. Academically, I'm interested in law or MBA for graduate school. I'll try to visit as many schools as I can this month. Does anybody know why Vanderbilt had the highest percentage increase in applications this year? (Over 30%, higher than UChicago and Harvard). I heard Class 2011 at Vanderbilt was oversubscribed...over 150+ more acceptances than expected (high yield). What's the "buzz" with Vanderbilt these last two years? Are there any other attraction factors, aside from the new frosh dorms? Any insights?</p>
<p>Darkhorse: I could go on for years about this but I think it comes down to 3 things:</p>
<p>1) Balance: Many students want a work hard/play hard atmosphere....in a top academic school....There are not nearly enough spots in the schools that fulfill that requirement...if you visit Vanderbilt, you will understand what everyone has been trying to tell you in these threads.....(and you can't put UChicago in this category at all in terms of the criteria....)</p>
<p>2) Common App: Don't know how much of the increase can be attributed to Vandy making the "sweet 16" in NCAA BB last year or the fact that they eliminated their "Why Vandy" supplement....If you add them together and the fact that Vandy Road Shows have attracted so many more students to their school...You get the picture....</p>
<p>3) Vandy specifically states that they DO NOT track or care about demonstrated interest....That means that basically, a student can hit submit on the common app and forget about it...No visits required or attendance at Road Shows tracked; You don't have to jump through hoops....Makes it pretty easy to apply.....</p>
<p>Now add all the positive aspects about Nashville, the Commons, teacher interaction etc and you would wonder why the increase didn't happen long ago.....Unless some actually enjoy cold weather 6 months out of the year....</p>
<p>OP, I have the same decision to make as you - however, I've been accepted to the engineering schools at each. I'm having a hard time making a decision.</p>
<p>vandy is hot these days because of all the merit money they are giving out. that by far is the biggest reason</p>
<p>u penn is a much more prestigious and competitive school. you might have more fun at vandy though if you're into greek life</p>
<p>^i disagree</p>
<p>vanderbilt is now "hot" because people realize the great aspects of the university. i assume you don't attend here from your overtone, but seriously, if you visit you may understand the panache that vanderbilt has...</p>
<p>at any rate, it is not as long-standing as UPENN but it is as prestigious</p>
<p>it has a 23% acceptance rate now, and more applicants than UPENN lol</p>
<p>that MUST mean something.</p>
<p>I really dont see the point to posting these threads, unless you have absolutely no way to get a plane ticket to the two universities, because that is really the best way to decide. I had a decision between doing early action stanford, yale, ed to vandy, ed to dartmouth, and I chose Vanderbilt. The reason I chose Vanderbilt is this: college is about what you make of it, going to Stanford or Yale does not garuntee anything in life, it just gives you more oppurtunity. If you are talking about any school in the Top 20, you will have plenty of oppurtunities at hand to take advantage of, so it really comes down to your feel when you visit. I really thought Yale and Stanford were a bit sterile, and Yale just seems stuffy to me. Dartmouth was just to isolated and cold in my opinion. Vanderbilt just had a spark, the campus was beautiful, the people were very friendly, simply a great feeling. You will be on a good path with either choice, it is really about you.</p>
<p>^Not sure how you went from Yale to Vandy, but you might have considered Duke. </p>
<p>Vandy is AWESOME. I LOVED it. </p>
<p>But being Ivy, being old, and being in the top-five versus the top-twenty makes a big difference. I'd only choose Vandy if you REALLY need good weather, good looking girls and better parties (Or if you just don't feel at home in Philly, which is actually fairly likely to happen). But for the things that matter the most, UPenn takes the cake. </p>
<p>UPenn is definitely stuffier though. Most of my friends who go there seem to be wanna-be-yallies, not freakin-pumped-to-be-year-vandies.</p>
<p>PS: the acceptance rate is great - awesome - but it won't mean anything unless the yield is equally as strong (we can blame it on the Common app and a GREAT Vandy admissions office). Sadly, I don't think it will merit the same enthusiasm.</p>
<p>UPenn but both are great schools. You can't go wrong.</p>
<p>the prestige of your school doesnt matter THAT MUCH if you want to become a teacher or a researcher or an entrepreneur or plenty of other jobs</p>
<p>just b/c you go to an ivy doesnt guarantee success and i dont know if it gives u that much more opportunity</p>
<p>It's a tough decision. I'm going to Vandy, and I've met a lot of great students from around the country at three-day programs at Duke and Wash U who are going to Vandy, like me, because of merit money. I did not actually visit or apply to Penn, since my parents went there for grad school and did not enjoy it, on account of the pretty dismal surrounding area. It just so happens that they went to Vandy for undergrad and really had a great time. </p>
<p>Both schools have a similar social atmosphere I think, and though Penn has a higher academic reputation and Ivy league standing, Vanderbilt is definitely coming up (acceptance rate down 10% and applications up 30% from last year). The classes I visited at Vandy were taught by brilliant and engaging professors, with one of the senior faculty teaching a freshman intro course, though this may have just been the luck of the draw.</p>
<p>If it's still a close call, visit both, if you haven't already. If one really stands out for you, go there. I can't help but be biased in favor of Vanderbilt, so consult as many people as possible. Know that wherever you choose, you will be attending school with many unusually smart and talented students, and learning from some of the best minds in the world.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt's social life, athletics and school spirit, girls, weather, and general Undergraduate experience all blow UPenn out of the water. UPenn's academics and reputation in the North are slightly better. </p>
<p>Ultimately it just comes down to which one of those is more important to you.</p>
<p>I would vote for U Penn since you are applying to professional school in a few years and the Ivy status adds prestige to your future applications, especially outside the South. Penn's reputation blows Vandy out of the water in CA, for example.</p>
<p>Palmettrotree - "Upenn's academics and reputation in the North are slightly better." Slightly? Are you kidding? </p>
<p>Vanderbilt is looked at as a "good school" in the North. At best, a "very good" school and at worst (and often), a "southern party school." The difference is pretty huge in term of reputation in the North.</p>
<p>jct30, what are you basing your information on? I'm from New York and worked an elite investment bank. During my interviews, everyone was familiar with Vanderbilt and many commented that it was a great school. Nearly every prestigious company comes to Vanderbilt now (Goldman Sachs has seminars in the Student Life Center, etc.) If you look at Dore2Dore.net, you will see lots of Vanderbilt alumni in New York City who work at Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Blackstone, McKinsey, etc.</p>
<p>Socially, Vanderbilt blows UPenn out of the water. Not to mention that Penn is in a crime infested area.</p>
<p>
Nearly every prestigious company comes to Vanderbilt now (Goldman Sachs has seminars in the Student Life Center, etc.) If you look at Dore2Dore.net, you will see lots of Vanderbilt alumni in New York City who work at Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers, Blackstone, McKinsey, etc.
2 of the 5 prestigious companies you listed do not come to Vanderbilt to interview undergrads. That does not mean Vandy students are precluded from these positions, but it's harder to get an interview. </p>
<p>Penn is a better choice if working for a prestigious company out of undergrad is all that matters to someone. Penn SAS is probably viewed as slightly better than Vandy while Wharton is viewed as significantly better.</p>
<p>This doesn't mean Penn is necessarily the right choice. I think Nashville is more fun than Philly and probably a more enjoyable place to spend one's undergrad.</p>