<p>Hi guys! </p>
<p>I just got accepted to Yale off the waitlist, but am currently enrolled at Vanderbilt for next year. I have a full-tuition to Vanderbilt, but Yale won't be giving me anything. Planning on studying International Relations/Political Science/Math.</p>
<p>I guess my question is, what would everyone else do? Is Vanderbilt comparable enough to Yale where the money should be the tipping point? My biggest concern with going to Vandy is that the students just aren't as intellectual or amazing as they are at Yale.</p>
<p>My parents will pay for it, and probably won't make me take out loans, but I feel kind of bad, and they'd be less likely to pay for my grad school...</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>You need to do a search for Evil Robot, a Vanderbilt grad who turned down Yale for a full ride at VU. He graduated several years ago and had wonderful insights to his decision and the outcome was outstanding.</p>
<p>I searched, the only thing that was still online was that he was looking to transfer to Uva??? Haha not exactly the success story I was expecting</p>
<p>To be honest, I would just attend Vandy. Don’t get me wrong; Yale is an AMAZING school but I just do not think it is worth >50k when you can go to Vandy w/free tuition. Both yale and vandy are top 20 schools so I think you will find brilliant students at both colleges.</p>
<p>its yale…its an ivy league school. your going to have 10x more opportunities, better connections, as well as more knowledgeable professors and an intellectually challenging environment</p>
<p>henley,
I also came up flat when using the CC Search feature, but came up with several returns when Googling “Evil Robot College Confidential” which is just a little funny to me since he ended up working for Google. Here’s a link to one thread that has 2 embedded links to give you the story, before and after:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vanderbilt-university/919809-looks-like-evil-robot-has-company.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vanderbilt-university/919809-looks-like-evil-robot-has-company.html</a></p>
<p>Congratulations on receiving full-tuition at Vanderbilt. Considering that Yale is offering you nothing, I’d go to Vanderbilt. The marginal differences between the two are not worth the price-tag of a Yale degree.</p>
<p>Actually, the poster is evil_robot. There’s another poster with a similar username.</p>
<p>honestly people, can’t you realize that there’s more to this than money vs prestige? What about pervading campus culture? What about the vibe that you get on campus or from students/professors? What about the gut feeling that tells you that one place, not the other, is where you’re “meant to be”? It’s really not as clear-cut as money vs prestige, and we need to realize that because otherwise we take all of the passion and student/school chemistry out of the system, and all we’re left with is tuition bills and US News rankings…and what’s the true value of a system like that?</p>
<p>OP, check your message box.</p>
<p>[Vanderbilt</a> Tops Yale, in a Squeaker - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/envelope-greshko-5/]Vanderbilt”>Vanderbilt Tops Yale, in a Squeaker - The New York Times)
Vanderbilt Tops Yale in a Squeaker</p>
<p>[Advice</a> from ‘Yale Mom’ for an Applicant with a Choice - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/yale-mom/]Advice”>Advice from 'Yale Mom' for an Applicant with a Choice - The New York Times)
Advice from a Yale Mom (where you can find the 2009 blog of a guy with a different outcome who decided to go to Yale)</p>
<p>Honestly if money isn’t a factor, there is really no reason to post here because you should go where you are most fulfilled and where you will not accumulate debt that is disproportionate to a sound evaluation of your ability to pay it all back. Financial evaluation should include a serious projection re the costs of a graduate degree and those costs vary greatly depending on your path and your willingness to assume responsibility for costs.</p>
<p>Why would anyone hear have anything negative to say about Yale? </p>
<p>However, I will say that the College Scholar program that accompanies the CV Scholars is wonderful if you are a person who would greatly enjoy small discussion based courses. Our son took three Scholar seminars at once last semester and was extremely engaged and enthralled with his professors and with the opportunities to be in class with other scholars…many were a year or two ahead of him. </p>
<p>The caliber of his education in large, medium or small courses has been really high at Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt’s size really allows all students to have at least part of their education feel more like a small liberal arts college re intimacy with all the stimulation you get on a campus with many viable respected grad programs. </p>
<p>good luck with your fine choices and I am sure you will make either choice sing</p>
<p>Honestly, I would go to Vanderbilt. While Yale is an AMAZING school, Vanderbilt is offering you a full ride. It’s hard to pass up a full ride at such a great school as Vanderbilt. Also, about Yale offering you more post graduate opportunities, I went to the Vanderbilt Roadshow over the summer, and one of the most striking aspects that I remember is Vanderbilt’s extensive alumni network. Vanderbilt is very big on their alumni and helping one another out, as evident by their application (you can mention your second-cousin as a legacy).</p>
<p>However, if Yale truly feels right to you, go to Yale. Whatever you decide, make sure you will be truly happy wherever you go.</p>