Washington University in St. Lous vs. Vanderbilt

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I just got admitted as a junior transfer to WUSTL (WashU) and Vandy, I am torn between the two choices!!!</p>

<p>If I go to Wash U, I'm probably gonna do international and area studies, and if I go to Vandy, I'll probably do Public Policy Studies or Political Science. </p>

<p>Please, esepcially for those who go to these places, or know people who go there, give me reasons to go and not to go. I'm mostly concerned about Faculty strengths, Campus life, and also nation and international reputation (I'm from hong kong).</p>

<p>Thanks in advance! =D</p>

2

<p>Nice choices. I don’t know enough about the fields you are interested in to comment on the relative strengths of the two schools with regard to those programs.</p>

<p>Both are attractive campuses, but I would give the edge to Vanderbilt. </p>

<p>Vanderbilt is a bit more urban in flavor. The campus is surrounded by restaurants, coffee shops, stores and music venues. It is about one and a half miles from downtown Nashville. </p>

<p>However, Wash U is not isolated, either. Many students go to the Loop area for entertainment. The downtown, such that it is, is not that close. There is a very large urban park, Forest Park, adjacent to the campus; running trails, a major zoo, art museum and other attractions are easily accessible and some of them are free admission.</p>

<p>The fraternity/sorority scene is much more dominant at Vanderbilt. However, it is not all-encompassing, as many on this forum imagine. My son, many of his friends, his girlfriend, do not belong to any Greek organizations and love Vanderbilt and have no problem staying entertained. However, if you actively dislike fraternities and want to avoid them, Wash U will be a better bet for you.</p>

<p>How about housing? Vanderbilt guarantees on-campus housing, and in fact expects all students to live on campus. I’m not sure about the housing situation at Wash U currently. A few years ago there was not enough on-campus housing for all upperclassmen who wanted it. </p>

<p>The weather is better in Nashville, but it is not really extreme in St. Louis, either. </p>

<p>If you value a major campus sports scene, Vanderbilt will be a better choice (it is Division 1 for major sports). </p>

<p>The Asian/Asian American representation among undergraduates is improving at Vanderbilt, quickly, but probably the percentage of “Asian” students at Wash U is still higher–in case that matters to you. </p>

<p>The student body at Vanderbilt is more geographically diverse than it used to be, but still draws heavily from the U.S south, southeast and southwest. There is increasing midwestern and northeastern representation. Wash U is drawing a lot of students from the U.S northeast in recent years, but I think is still primarily midwestern in flavor.</p>

<p>International reputation? I think that depends on the field. Ditto national reputation. (Wash U is, of course, well-known and respected in Missouri, and Vanderbilt is known throughout the south.) I’ve lived in a lot of places in the U.S. and in my world (an academic one) neither one stands out over the other.</p>

<p>Both have law schools and medical schools on campus. The professional schools add diversity and interest to both schools, in my opinion.</p>

<p>It would be nice if you could visit before choosing, but I suppose that is not possible.</p>

<p>(FWIW, I am the parent of a Vanderbilt student who chose Vandy over Wash U, but not because WashU was a bad choice. I grew up in St. Louis, still visit there regularly because of family and know a bunch of students there who are good friends of my son. So, I am not an expert, nor a former or current student.)</p>

3

<p>Wow thanks for all the info.</p>

<p>Yeah that is actually a huge concern for me, the greek life there. I am not a huge “greek” person really, and I mean, I like partying and drinking and blah, after all that is a big part of the American college life and I do want to experience that. But I don’t want to HAVE TO do that to fit in. you know what i mean.</p>

<p>Also, I’ve seen from another forum that a former vanderbilt international student had graduated with honors, yet its been a year and he/she still couldn’t find a job. and that the vandy careers center did lil to help. Also, they said the job fairs on campus mainly consist of southern companies only.</p>

<p>Now that is gonna be a huge problem for me…</p>

<p>And yes, I couldn’t visit. But i did look through their virtual tours… and by the look of it, I do like vandy more. But it just seems like Wash U has more opportunities for their students…</p>

4

<p>I know nothing much about Vanderbilt but my son went to WashU and it was one of the firendliest places I have ever been. Kids are bright but I thought laid back. Beautiful. Lots to do in St. Louis.</p>

5

<p>

</p>

<p>This is happening all over the country, at even the top schools. It’s hardly a Vandy problem.</p>

6

<p>haavain:
yes you do have a point…</p>

<p>kdos:
Thankss that does sound great!! haha! =D</p>

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<p>kdos:
oh and! may i ask what did your son major in??</p>

8

<p>i’ve heard that international studies is just a watered down version of international relations…and wustl isnt exactly known as one of the stronger schools for IR (See foreign policy rankings)
however they do have a fantastic poli.sci department</p>

9

<p>as of 2007 washu had the #1 undergraduate political science program in the nation</p>

10

<p>siiigh u guys, I’m getting more and more drawn to washU. =P</p>

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<p>They’re both excellent schools with beautiful campuses. I have a son at Wash U and the facilities are amazing, the students are incredibly friendly, helpful, collaborative, bright and down-to-earth. You can’t go wrong with either.</p>

12

<p>I would opt for Washington U, its location will allow for you to experience many cities in the upper midwest (Chicago is a 5-6 hour drive) and frankly I think you will find a much more open minded and diverse population at both the university and in the city. </p>

<p>The South can be a bit daunting for those unaccustomed to its “traditions”</p>

13

<p>true… i know nothing about the south… and that does scare me a lil’, although that also makes me more curious about it.</p>

<p>and to be honest, vandy’s acceptance rate for transfers is a lot higher than washU’s, and that does make me wonder if the academic standards of the incoming transfer juniors can live up to the high standards of the small class of freshmans</p>

14

<p>^^^The driving distance to Chicago is about the same from Nashville. However, there is a train to Chicago from St. Louis, and that is not true for Nashville.</p>

<p>I am quite familiar with St. Louis and visit Nashville frequently. The suggestion that St. Louis is “more open-minded and diverse” than Nashville is incorrect. The Nashville of today is not the Nashville of a generation ago. St. Louis has been slower to adapt–but it is better than it was when I was growing up there.</p>

<p>The anti-South sentiment on CC has become so predictable that I am coming to the conclusion that CC does more harm than good to students who ask questions on this forum. Vanderbilt is the warmest, friendliest campus I have ever visited or been associated with in my many years as a student (two undergrad. degrees and PhDs), post-doc, faculty member and spouse of an administrator and faculty member. I know numerous international and permanent resident alien undergraduates, and I have heard no complaints about unfriendliness or being left out.</p>

<p>OP, Wash U is a very fine option for you. So is Vanderbilt. I suggest you look further into the specifics about the programs you are interested in. If Wash U is better in that regard, then that is the place for you.</p>

<p>I would check into the housing situation, also. Is there a place for you on campus at Wash U?</p>

15

<p>

Such traditions include but are not limited to:</p>

<ul>
<li>Smiling and greeting others while walking past</li>
<li>Politeness (“yes, ma’am”)</li>
<li>Saying “y’all” </li>
<li>Frying any and all food items</li>
</ul>

<p>Utterly intimidating, to be sure! :eek:</p>

16

<p>I believe washU would be able to provide housing for me. I’ve heard of some people who transferred to washU also got housing.</p>

<p>But I know that Vanderybilt students have a very tight and close-knit housing community. Making it easier to make friends and meet people. I’m not too sure about that with washU.</p>

<p>I’m currently studying in Pennsylvania… and ah well… honestly, I think people are a little bit “too cold” here… I’m really hoping to transfer to a place where, y’know, I can call home.</p>

<p>hahaha. CLICHED AS IT IS. =P</p>

17

<p>I believe from what I heard, WashU also provide very close-community feeling. People are all friendly and willing to help</p>

18

<p>The students at Wash U seem like a very nice, friendly group, as are those at Vanderbilt. Personally, I don’t think there is a basis for choosing one over the other on this score.</p>

<p>Have you looked into student groups at the two schools? Since you are coming in as a junior, it might be more difficult for you to find compatible fellow students, as compared to freshmen, who benefit from programs designed to introduce students to the school and to each other. Perhaps it would be helpful to peruse the listings of student-run groups and see if one place has more to offer you than the other. (I would follow up by contacting the groups’ officers by email and asking questions about activities and membership.)</p>

<p>Re housing, again: You need to make sure of this. Make a phone call or send an email. Finding housing on your own in the vicinity of Wash U would not be a simple thing.</p>

19

<p>There are very nice apartments (may be suites) style housing for the upperclassmen. The campus is flanked by the freshman/sophomore dorms on one side and dorms for juniors and seniors on the other (which is closer to the Loop area).</p>

20

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<p>You’ve obviously never been to convocation at WashU!! WashU has probably THE most close-knit housing community I’ve ever visited. The spirit begins at convocation (which is a truly moving experience, even for transfer students), and continues throughout.</p>

<p>OP, you have a great, but difficult, choice to make.</p>