<p>What sets off Vanderbilt apart from other schools (academically, socially)?</p>
<p>I saw this thread title and wondered if Vanderbilt had reinstated this as a required essay. It was abandoned when they switched from optional use of the Common App to mandatory use. I wonder if anyone writes about it anymore? I thought it was the stronger of my daughter’s two essays. As a parent, I don’t think I should offer too much of a response, but I feel like most people would respond with great academics and opportunities to interact with outstanding professors (as opposed to larger state institutions where introductory courses are often taught by TAs), nice size (not too large, not too small at approximately 6000 undergrads), great city, great weather, great exposure to SEC sports.</p>
<p>what about differences from other private schools? i understand what you mean but isnt that what almost every school says about themselves?</p>
<p>Meaningful undergraduate research opportunities. Socially, we are very different than most other academically comparable private schools, with the huge Greek culture dominance. SEC sports is another big plus. etc. etc. Those are some of the big ones.</p>
<p>Literally the best balance of everything: Top 20 academics, Division 1 SEC sports, big city but still a campus feel, not too big or too small of a student population, thriving cultural community, social opportunties almost every night of the week, beautiful campus, smart but socially competent classmates, relatively nice housing, the commons first-year experience…I could go on, but seriously it is the best mix of culture and social and academics that you will find</p>
<p>it’s the only school consistently ranked in the top 20 nationwide for academics and partying, and we take both very seriously. the typical vandy girl is said to “get good grades, and look good doing it,” and the same could be said for the guys as well. although our football team isn’t exactly up to par, we’re still a part of the SEC which is one of the best leagues in the country (and this is from a person who grew up around big 12 sports, a similarly competitive conference). the commons is a very distinctive resource of vandy, and although it’s pretty expensive, you get a lot of bang for your buck. noted speakers (tiki barber, former german ambassadors, etc.) to big-name performers (o.a.r., pitbull, asher roth, jay-z… and that’s just from this year), along with beautiful architecture, and so many trees. that may sound weird, but we’re the only national arboretum with all of the trees native to the state of tennessee, so i figured it was worth mentioning. downtown is a cab ride away, and relatively inexpensive if you go with friends, but there’s no need to leave the vanderbubble for anything. we’re very well taken care of, and the financial aid offerings are amazing.</p>
<p>would you recommend this school over the Ivies as well? That’s where I’m being pressured to go but I feel something more unique about Vanderbilt than anywhere else.</p>
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<p>I’m sure that the participants on the CC Vandy board would answer “yes” to that question, and for very sound reasons. But nationally, if you construct a “tournament” of cross-admit preferences among the top universities, Harvard finishes 1st, Yale 3rd, Princeton 6th, Brown 7th, Columbia 8th, Dartmouth 10th, Penn 12th, Cornell 15th, and Vandy 36th. Theoretically, if you asked the question above to a national sample of prospective students, their responses would approximate those rankings.</p>
<p>You have to go with what you think is a best fit for you. If you are trying to decide between Vandy and Ivy you must be reasoanbly smart, trust your instincts. My son chose Vandy over U Penn and Columbia. He has never regretted the choice. But those are both great schools that also have a lot to offer. Good luck.</p>
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<p>Hmm, let’s look at this a bit closer:</p>
<p>MA, CT, NJ, RI, NY(C), NH, PA(eastern), NY</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>TN</p>
<p>Perhaps the Vanderbilt board could look into moving the school a bit to the northeast.</p>