<p>I'm not sure if I should apply to vandy or not anymore, I'm asian and it looks like only 6% of the student body is asian, compared to like 17% at northwestern. Would I be comfortable there? Is there a lot of racism, student segregation (by themselves, not forced upon by the school, you know what I mean lol) there? I heard students at vandy rated diversity a C...</p>
<p>Why don't you try to visit and see for yourself? If every Asian student takes the approach "Gee, only 6% of the student body identifies itself as Asian, I'm not applying there", the percentage is never going to rise.</p>
<p>Your name indicates you live in Illinois. You can drive to Nashville in less than 8 hours from downtown Chicago, less if you live outside the Chicago area. I recommend a visit, talk to students, assess the situation for yourself.</p>
<p>If you find the self-segregation, or isolation, of Asian students to be a real problem, you should let the admissions office know that it was a factor for you in your decision not to apply, or attend. </p>
<p>I might also mention that the "culture" of the school might depend somewhat on which of the schools at Vanderbilt you major in. My observations of the engineering school make me think it is a good deal more diverse than other schools in Vanderbilt, but that is just a casual impression. </p>
<p>Of course, self-segregation is a problem that is relatively easy to overcome, I think.</p>
<p>when i visited vandy, i saw plenty of asians (and trust me, i'm half korean and my mom pays a lot of attention to that kind of stuff. i ,on the other hand, don't really care). i didn't notice any racism at the school, or in Nashville.</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Anyone else besides southerncharm who has visited and willing to comment?
Any current students care to leave a comment?</p>
<p>i'm surprised it's that low
come visit...plus, northwestern vs vandy is a pretty straightforward decision after you see the culture here</p>
<p>it would be lying to say that vandy's asian population is comparable to other schools of similar academic quality. i visited schools such as emory where there was definitely a larger and more noticeable asian population on campus, where as vandy its much smaller. i think your best bet would be to visit here and then decide for yourself if you would be comfortable or uncomfortable with the diversity situation.</p>
<p>id be lying to you if i didnt tell you that vandy is crap right now for diversity. but the staff are gunning hard and aggressively for better diversity here. </p>
<p>self-segregation is hard to overcome. it happens naturally here. i dont know why</p>
<p>uh, diversity doesn't mean "high percentage of asians"... Vanderbilt has one of the highest percentages of african americans of elite schools. </p>
<p>You are complaining about a lower percentage of asians at vandy and saying that you want diversity...? How would more people that are of a similar ethnicity to you make the place more diverse exactly? instead, title this thread: "worried that there are not as many people here who are very similar to me " to avoid confusion</p>
<p>The overall feel and look of the campus and its immediate surroundings is actually pretty diverse, and that includes people who appear to be from south Asia, east Asia and southeast Asia. Many of these people seem to be associated with the large medical complex, either as med students, residents or faculty.</p>
<p>If one spends any time at the engineering school, one will notice right away that the school includes many black students and students from the middle east. It does not appear to be "non-diverse".</p>
<p>That said, the number of undergraduates who self-identify as Asian is lower than peer schools nation-wide. The administration recognizes that, and would love to have the opportunity to impress visiting students with what the school has to offer them.</p>