<p>Would it be worth the money to attend? Is it internationally recognized? I know its not an ivy or a Stanford but is it atleast up there to command prestige? Point being, would I be able to take the Vandy degree and have it open doors?</p>
<p>Although I do hear Gee is doing some great things to Vandy and its star is rising. I just dont want to turn it down and ten years down the road it breaks into the Top 10.</p>
<p>Are you planning to attend Vandy for undergrad or grad school? In what field? </p>
<p>Vandy is a top of the line institution and - if prestige matters to you - it's rank is rising exponentially. It is second to only Duke in the south, and with "southern" cities like Houston, Washington DC, Nashville, Atlanta, etc. emerging as thriving metropolises, the opportunities are growing as well. A degree from Vanderbilt will not only open you many doors, it will help you bring home the bacon as well.</p>
<p>thanks. I am planning on attending to get an MA and a PhD in Econ.</p>
<p>Econ is one of Vandy's greatest strengths, I've heard.</p>
<p>So with a BA in International Relations from a top 20 school, and an MA or PhD from Vandy, I should be pretty set then right?</p>
<p>Yea you should have a lot of options upon graduation... what school did u get/ are getting your undergrad degree from?</p>
<p>In another thread I posted on this forum, there seems to be popular opinion that Rice is above Vandy. How can this be, when Vandy beats out Rice in ALL of the rankings guides minus US News? I think that people take Rice's "ivy like" look a little too seriously and downplay Vandy because it appears a bit more southern fried, IMO.</p>
<p>Another rankings fanatic. Here's the most important element to understand: Vandy could have been in the top ten up to ten years ago if they had cared even just a bit about the rankings. Nonetheless, this will probably still occur within the next ten years at max. Vanderbilt is in a hub that attracts students from every major city in the country and is beginning to do so from major cities in the world. Rice can't really say that.</p>
<p>With a Vandy degree, it's pretty safe to say you're set.</p>
<p>As for Vanderbilt vs. Rice, I really prefer Nashville to Houston, so I think that is one plus. Vanderbilt seems to have more prestige among laypeople. More people on the street recognize the Vanderbilt name than compared to Rice. I've gotten the impression that for those "in the know," Rice carries a little more weight. Obviously, I'm biased, but I feel like Vanderbilt has a lot of upward trajectory and has been steadily increasing its rankings and could very well pass Rice in the opinion of recruiters and graduate admissions personnel in the very near future.</p>
<p>Its not just about rankings, sir brian. It is about how Vanderbilt has all the makings of academic powerhouse yet it's still viewed as a notch lower than some of its competitors (Rice, Emory). I just think that there is a bias against the school because of the percieved image of the student body, it's involvement in a big southern sports conference and how its not "northern" enough in atmosphere.</p>
<p>You really think Vanderbilt is viewed in a lesser light than that of Emory? I have met at least twenty people (including myself) that are admitted at both and among them only one is even thinking about possibly choosing Emory over Vandy...and that one person is from Atlanta.</p>
<p>Vandy's atmosphere is one of its biggest draws. It has one of the most unique mixes of cultural diversity in the nation. I'm not sure who's feeding you information Ruben, but you're sorely mistaken.</p>
<p>"You really think Vanderbilt is viewed in a lesser light than that of Emory? I have met at least twenty people (including myself) that are admitted at both and among them only one is even thinking about possibly choosing Emory over Vandy"</p>
<p>Academically yes. U Chicago, Johns Hopkins, etc. are highly regarded but are also well known to be drab on the social side. Emory is not as extreme, but Vandy definitely has a better party scene.</p>
<p>Sir Brian, (it feels really odd to call you that, btw), academically, Emory is seen by some to outrank Vandy. I dont know why when Vandy outranks Emory in almost everything except business, but that's how some see it. The same goes for Rice. Both schools give off that ivy like vibe that shoves Vandy into that UVA, Washington and Lee corner; i.e. southern school with an aristocratic lineage.
Vandy has done well to counter that image, especially with Gee running the show but it still a ways to go. So far it's seen as a party school to some and an academic powerhouse to others. I see it as both. After living in Houston, having friends that attended Rice and visiting Vandy, I can safely say that Vandy has Rice beat on ALL levels except harboring that image that Rice gives off as a northern school in the south.</p>
<p>how does vandy compare with duke? i hear duke is better, but not by that much?</p>
<p>Not to bad mouthe Duke, but the truth is that Duke is on the decline. Let's face it: all of the controversy over the past few months has really impacted Duke quite negatively. The whole lacrosse ordeal has brought A LOT of bad publicity to a fine institution. Even after that dilemma seemed to subside, the cheating ring at Duke further worsened its reputation. Duke experienced a large drop in applicants for the Class of 2011, which will inevitably bring it down in the rankings. Its academic prowess, while strong, seems to be affected by all of this controversy.</p>
<p>Of course, I'm bias, but Vanderbilt's surge to the top is quite hard to ignore.</p>
<p>It's hard to be objective about things like this, but Duke is still the better school. The past two years have not been great for the school, but I think that there is little question that it's the top school in the south. Whether Vanderbilt keeps climbing in the USNWR rankings and Duke keeps falling remains to be seen. I wouldn't expect Vanderbilt to top Duke for a while.</p>
<p>No, I agree. At least for the moment, it's outlandish to think that Vanderbilt is better than Duke. I'm just saying that all of the controversy will inevitably take its toll.</p>
<p>:/ I don't really think duke will fall below Vandy, at least not anytime soon...</p>
<p>or at least not until I go to Vandy...</p>
<p>Vandy is such a fun school. The Frat parties are the best in the south. I think Duke is more academic than Vandy from what friends say. Vandy is an amazing party school!</p>