<p>I am trying to decide which of these two schools to transfer to, and would really appreciate some feedback.</p>
<p>I am a computer science major. At Wesleyan I would also complete a major in economics, but at Vanderbilt this would not be possible. I have an academic interest in economics but I don't see an econ degree as central to my future plans.
I'm interested in grad school for computer science, or possibly law school, and it seems a high GPA at Wesleyan is significantly easier to come by than at Vanderbilt.
I do not enjoy parties. I don't drink or do drugs. I'm also not into sports.
I don't like hot weather.
I am very interested in industry recruitment for computer science internships.
Wesleyan has several extracurricular activities that i'm very interested in. Vanderbilt does not have them, but has one club that I would join instead.
I'm not particularly politically active, and I think Wesleyan's activist atmosphere could get annoying and frustrating. But I also don't enjoy being around "frat guys".
I like intellectual conversations.
Prestige would be nice.
Campus aesthetics are important to me.</p>
<p>If anyone has insight to offer, it would be very helpful.</p>
<p>To adress your points:
You can study economics at Vanderbilt, and you can double major, or major and minor. So do not let this be a terribly large issue. Which school has the better Comp Sci program? That’s more important!
Grad schools know what the average GPA is at these colleges and will weight your GPA accordingly.
You will find people at both schools who drink and do drugs. You will probably find more alcohol at Vandy and more drugs at Wes. Pick your poison.
You can create clubs at either school.
Activists or frat guys, pick which bothers you less. The frat scene at Vandy is huge, but as is the activist scene at Wes. You have to decide which you can stand less.
You will find intellectual conversations, prestige, and campus aesthetics at both schools. The beauty of the college is in the eye of the beholder, Wes has a very different layout than Vandy and very different architectural style. </p>
<p>At the end of the day these are completely different schools except they are both academically excellent. Good luck and let us know what you decide.</p>
<p>Don’t know much about “Vandy,” except that it has a great reputation as a wonderful college.</p>
<p>Wes offers grad degrees in Math and in CompSci, and a “free fifth year” leading to a BA/MA in five years of study (you can even do it in four, if you’re obsessed and work like a dog).</p>
<p>My understanding is that Wes is very strong in econ, also. </p>
<p>About GPA … making the Dean’s List at Wes requires a 93.5, I believe (seems like kind of a high bar to me, but perhaps that’s a normal standard). About 1/7 of the freshman class made it last semester.</p>
<p>Won’t have to worry about too much “hot weather” there, that’s for sure. 
Last winter, it snowed 36 inches in one day, during the big East Coast winter storm. A bit unusual, but according to our daughter it was pretty cool while it lasted. Students did extreme ski jumping on Foss Hill, among other things, to blow off steam while school was shut down for a day.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you in making your decision.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt is much more of a science center. I would think a Computer science major in engineering or A & S and an economics major in A & S would be great. Vanderbilt probably draws more kids from around the country than Wesleyan. Vanderbilt’s political environment is much more balanced, probably 50/50. Sports at Vanderbilt are great fun, as it’s in the SEC. Vanderbilt has a better national recognition. Nashville has a lot more to do than Middletown. The music scene is great, with everything available (not just country). Vanderbilt’s student body is very diverse in terms of geography and personal attributes of students. You would like it a lot. It’s odd to me that these are your two choices. They are very different and your original post seems like you’re leaning towards Wesleyan heavily.Just wondering why you’re asking strangers for their input.</p>
<p>one more thing - a friend told me she was looking at Wesleyan with her daughter and that it’s “ugly” - never been there. Vanderbilt is beautiful. An arboretum.</p>
<p>^ Swimmer, that’s the first time I can recall anyone highlighting the appearance of Vanderbilt’s campus as a talking point. It’s not exactly the University of Virginia. Or UNC-Chapel Hill. Or even Clemson or Duke, or the University of West Florida, all of whom receive honourable mentions in the cult classic, “The Campus as a Work of Art”, by Thomas A Gaines:
<a href=“http://books.google.com/books/about/The_campus_as_a_work_of_art.html?id=QXNPAAAAMAAJ[/url]”>The Campus as a Work of Art - Thomas A. Gaines - Google Books;
My sense is that both Wesleyan and Vanderbilt have very similar mixes of old buildings that have served them well since their founding and a lot that have been built since. In the end, it’s really in the eye of the beholder as to which university has done the better job of preserving open space, incorporating new styles, blending them with the old, and meeting demands for new space:
<a href=“vanderbilt university - Bing images”>vanderbilt university - Bing images;
<p><a href=“wesleyan university middletown ct - Bing images”>wesleyan university middletown ct - Bing images;
<p>I would just throw in that Wesleyan and Vanderbilt are fairly equal with regards to pulling in students from across the country. If you look at their student profiles, practically identical with regards to geographic spread (though obviously Wesleyan has a Northern skew and Vanderbilt a Southern skew).</p>
<p>@vandywes I noticed that you missed the deadline for Vandy and are seriously considering staying at your current institution. Whatever your current school is, look at the program, look at the financial aid, and strongly consider the new beginning. If you are not fully committed to the transfer, don’t do it.</p>
<p>Circuit rider, the person who initiated this thread mentioned campus aesthetics. No one mentioned UVA, unc, and the others in terms of beauty. The comparison here is Wesleyan and Vanderbilt. These two schools couldn’t be more different and it’s odd that they are being considered by someone who doesn’t seem sure about what he/she wants.</p>
<p>Personally, I think it’s a wash. The 800 pound gorilla in the room is the difference in geography. Middletown is about a hundred years older than Nashville and reached the pinnacle of its economic influence just as Nashville was beginning to take off. The wooden clapboard house is ubiquitous to this day and in many ways that is the scale Wesleyan has adopted for many of its buildings. Vanderbilt is much different, a tad more Victorian. It actually has more in common, aesthetically, with its crosstown neighbour, Fisk University.</p>