<p>What about vandy would make it a better choice than UVa (oos/Echols) or Georgetown? Interests are math / computer science and ultimately an MBA. From the northeast, both social stuff and academics are important, cost is not a deciding factor. Having a hard time deciding and will revisit all 3 but would welcome any advice.</p>
<p>You have three fine admissions. You are not going to get small classrooms at UVA with Echols although I suppose the upper level math/CS courses may be smaller. You basically get less hassle re class selection problems endemic to large public institutions. </p>
<p>Our sons were Echols, and grateful to be so–UVA is a magical place in a fun town… but they chose Duke and Vandy. The quality of the facilities at Vandy is pretty magnificent. The amount of money spent on each student is pretty amazing due to Vandy’s deep endowment, and here Vanderbilt may be ahead of your other college offers. There is the price you pay for attendance and the amount of money the institution spends on each student to consider. The highly ranked graduate schools within intimate walking distance are pretty fab at Vandy. Your peers at Vandy represent every state and every religion and economic background, although UVA’s deep Northern VA roots bring in a pretty diverse student body for a state school…The quality of life is excellent in Nashville if you like a relaxed but rich cultural vibe. </p>
<p>Obviously being in the DC has its wonderful aspects for access to tip top cultural and internship options. Since you are going after an MBA eventually, I wonder if you are dead set on not applying to the highly ranked business undergraduate school at UVA in year two if you go there. It has beaten Wharton in rankings in some years for undergrad job outcomes. My Duke grad starts his MBA at night while working full time. We blew his funds in undergrad at Duke. He would not have wanted to go to UVA’s undergrad business school when he was 18…he felt it was too pre-professional, he majored in Econ at Duke, and he had to pursue more in the arts and in foreign study. Now he is making up for his lack of business courses.<br>
Keep in mind that top MBA programs do not want to see you till you have worked 4-6 years. Which of these undergrad programs is leading to excellent first post undergrad jobs in business? I would have to give Kudos to UVA’s undergraduate school of business which is highly selective after you have been at UVA for 2 years. Echols students who have taken their work seriously are obviously at an advantage for being admitted. Many UVA students denied go into Econ. If you are a highly self directed person, I might look seriously at that the UVA business undergrad school. Their alum sink money into it more like the backing you get in private institutions.</p>
<p>If you want to be one among an amazingly talented strong student body, I would go into the outcomes for computer science majors at Vandy. I recall EvilRobot in 05 at Vandy graduated in 3 years in computer sciences in the school of engineering at Vanderbilt and was scooped up by Google. </p>
<p>if you have what it takes to do computer sciences in one of these schools’ engineering programs, I would urge you to consider it. At Vandy, you still get all the old fashioned liberal arts foundation courses and you get a classical campus and education. But if you have the mettle for engineering, and you were my kid, I would ask you to consider computer sciences at the engineering school at Vandy or the undergrad business school at UVA because the work force is just a scary place these days and MBAs want students with a strong job history.<br>
Write department heads, look for updates on recent grads on the pages that represent majors you are considering.</p>
<p>congrats and good luck sorting it out.</p>