<p>I am trying to decide between Vandy and UT.</p>
<p>Area of study is Computer Engineering.</p>
<p>As I am living in Austin, UT is just 20 minutes away for me. </p>
<p>Not worrying about the Vicinity or the Cost of Attendance, can you please help me choosing one over the other ?</p>
<p>Also as the time is really short (May 1st is the deadline) what will happen if I accept both and send a message to one of them in a couple of days later that I am not attending that school.</p>
<p>If the cost of attendance isn't an issue, I think it's a no-brainer. Definitely pick Vanderbilt, the classes there are a lot smaller.</p>
<p>But I saw that UT ranked #7 in Computer Engineering vs Vandy at #44 in Computer Engineering.</p>
<p>How important these rankings are ?</p>
<p>Assume class size is not the issue. What will be the choice then. </p>
<p>Is it fine to choose both and say no to one in couple of days ?</p>
<p>Rankings are the most important thing BY FAR in the decision process.</p>
<p>You should totally pick UT Austin, but then again, if you weigh the only other thing even close in importance to the Comp. Engineering rankings, which would of course be the Undergraduate rankings, Vanderbilt beats UT Austin, but then again, #7 is huge so I think your safe bet is therefore to attend UT Austin.</p>
<p>Congratulations on a good decision! It's a great school!</p>
<p>ps I was joking. Rankings suck. My best friend is from Austin and is going to Vandy. If costs aren't an issue, and assuming you've visited, I don't see how you could possibly choose Austin over Vandy.</p>
<p>what will happen if I accept both and send a message to one of them in a couple of days later that I am not attending that school ?</p>
<p>You will be That Guy/Girl. The one that gives presents but then asks for them back. I think you should just come to Vanderbilt though that way things are simple. You're welcome for deciding for you ;).</p>
<p>Do you want to commute to school? Go to a college with kids predominately from Texas? Or do you want to go to a school that has lots of students from all around the country? Do you want a mid-sized school or a very large school? Overall -- Vanderbilt is stronger at the undergraduate level, but go to the school that fits.</p>
<p>I am considering more about job oppertunities, research oppertunities etc. than the factors you have given above in deciding</p>
<p>Sandy, are those graduate department rankings? I'm not completely dismissive of the relationship between graduate and undergraduate programs in the same major, but I think the correlation is often exaggerated. For undergraduates, important issues can include breadth of courses offered, frequency with which they are offered, possibilities for undergraduate research, support finding internships or summer employment, accessibility of professors, extent to which professors rather than graduate students teach the courses, job recruitment on campus. If you have checked out those issues, and Vanderbilt fits your needs, then you should consider other factors such as quality of non-engineering classes, type of campus, type of available clubs and other activities, and so on.</p>
<p>All of this assumes there is not a large cost difference for you, or that you and your family do not consider cost to be a major consideration.</p>
<p>The other question: Since many students send in their non-refundable deposits by May 1st in order to hold their spots even though they are on the wait-lists for other campuses, I don't imagine you will be alone in canceling at one of the schools. You will lose the deposit, I'm pretty sure, and you might not be welcome to re-apply as a transfer in case you later change your mind.</p>
<p>edit: did you attend Engineering Accepted Student Day? You should have been able to ask a lot of these questions at that time.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. I think I can use Midmo's message as the base for making my decision. Cost is not but ROI is still. Hence, comparison will be based on investment difference vs difference in return.</p>