Vanderbilt - why is it not talked about more on DCUM

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt is a T20 but is not talked about much on DCUM. Why? Is there something about the school that this area does not like?

Curious since my junior DC is considering it and most in the DC area are like Vanderbilt? Where’s that? Yet everyone knows Duke.

Southern and greek elements.

UVA has a lot of Greek elements and is discussed in almost every other thread. UVA Greek percentage is 30%, Vanderbilt 21%.

So what if it is further south - can you explain? I honestly just don’t get it.

The politics of TN do not align with most people on DCUM. No one wants to send their kids there unless they're an R or a D in name only.

And yet, red state schools are more popular than ever…. I’m one of the PPs above whose kid is at Vanderbilt. I’m also a solid D, not in name only. Can’t stand TN politics but that was not the litmus test for DC to choose a school. And it turns out my kid likes not living in a bubble and having actual conversations with kids with different backgrounds and beliefs. I get if you were worried about state politics influencing the curriculum (e.g., UF), but that’s clearly not an issue at a school like Vanderbilt.

No I'm worried about my kid living in a state with those politics. Your privilege makes you immune. Everyone is not a white hetero male. And if you sent your kid there who isn't those things, that is on you! Good luck in TN.

NP. Can you explain what you are worried about regarding TN’s state politics? Is it abortion? Police profiling?

Regarding abortion, i have a daughter and would not think twice about this. God forbid my daughter needed an abortion, it’s fairly simple to get her to another state where she can have the procedure.

You ARE talking about a $90k school, where most people are indeed privileged so driving or flying to a blue state is not difficult for most.

I'm with you, PP.

People are ridiculously melodramatic about politics.

I have two daughters, both mixed race. Wouldn't hesitate to send them to any urban area in the US for school, including in red states.

Rural areas a different story, but that's equally a concern in blue states as in red.

[Anonymous]

Rural blue and rural red areas aren’t super different, but no chance that they’re the same.

[Anonymous]

Politically liberal, personally conservative parent of a Vanderbilt student here: Nashville is a bubble within the state. Lots of diversity in all respects. DC having a great experience there. It’s a great school in a fun, thriving city. Highly recommend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt is a T20 but is not talked about much on DCUM. Why? Is there something about the school that this area does not like?

Curious since my junior DC is considering it and most in the DC area are like Vanderbilt? Where’s that? Yet everyone knows Duke.

Because the top spammers on this forum are creepy strivers with dorky meek kids. Vandy is where rich assertive smart outgoing cool kids go. And the strivers don't think it has enough status in their myopic orbit. And they can't afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt is a T20 but is not talked about much on DCUM. Why? Is there something about the school that this area does not like?

Curious since my junior DC is considering it and most in the DC area are like Vanderbilt? Where’s that? Yet everyone knows Duke.

Southern and greek elements.

UVA has a lot of Greek elements and is discussed in almost every other thread. UVA Greek percentage is 30%, Vanderbilt 21%.

So what if it is further south - can you explain? I honestly just don’t get it.

The politics of TN do not align with most people on DCUM. No one wants to send their kids there unless they're an R or a D in name only.

And yet, red state schools are more popular than ever…. I’m one of the PPs above whose kid is at Vanderbilt. I’m also a solid D, not in name only. Can’t stand TN politics but that was not the litmus test for DC to choose a school. And it turns out my kid likes not living in a bubble and having actual conversations with kids with different backgrounds and beliefs. I get if you were worried about state politics influencing the curriculum (e.g., UF), but that’s clearly not an issue at a school like Vanderbilt.

No I'm worried about my kid living in a state with those politics. Your privilege makes you immune. Everyone is not a white hetero male. And if you sent your kid there who isn't those things, that is on you! Good luck in TN.

NP. Can you explain what you are worried about regarding TN’s state politics? Is it abortion? Police profiling?

Regarding abortion, i have a daughter and would not think twice about this. God forbid my daughter needed an abortion, it’s fairly simple to get her to another state where she can have the procedure.

You ARE talking about a $90k school, where most people are indeed privileged so driving or flying to a blue state is not difficult for most.

I'm with you, PP.

People are ridiculously melodramatic about politics.

I have two daughters, both mixed race. Wouldn't hesitate to send them to any urban area in the US for school, including in red states.

Rural areas a different story, but that's equally a concern in blue states as in red.

Agreed.

Pretty confident that Nashville is far more liberal, diverse, and tolerant than the areas around Cornell, Dartmouth, Colgate, Williams, Colby, and Bowdoin.

Students there - up North - are encountering far more MAGA than anyone going to Vanderbilt, Rice, Georgia Tech, Emory and other schools in cities down South.

America's divisions are not red state blue state. The fault line is urban vs rural. There are more Republicans in California than any other state in America. Meanwhile, Houston, Atlanta, Austin, and Nashville are among the bluest cities in the country.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I’ve mentioned this in other threads, I have a junior at Vanderbilt and am not impressed by the outcomes compared to peer schools.

We know too many students without internships. My DC had a great freshman internship which helped set the stage and has a decent one this summer (good, not great) but I notice that others who did not get that freshman internship are struggling to catch up.

To pay astronomical tuition for extremely weak career services and outcomes is worrisome.

My DC is in Greek life but I have never heard of any Friday clothing thing. There’s a lot of misinformation on this thread regarding Greek life, housing, business undergrad, etc.

It's in Nashville that's why. Emory and Rice have great outcomes because of their anchor cities.

Are you the poster from 1950 again? Nashville has the highest jobs growth in the US last year. Fortune 100, not supermarket clerks.

Nashville's GDP is 187 billion ranked 27 in the nation. It's much easier to gain when the amount you have is lower than others.
Atlanta is ranked 8th with 526 billion, and Houston is 7th with 633 billion. The opportunities in Nashville are nowhere near these two cities.

Pretty sure you've just compared a metro area of 2 million to metro areas of 6 and 7 million and triumphantly held up the larger GDPs of the megacities, but ok. By that measure, Houston is embarassingly trailing metro NYC and LA's gdp. Which is why this is the wrong metric

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt is a T20 but is not talked about much on DCUM. Why? Is there something about the school that this area does not like?

Curious since my junior DC is considering it and most in the DC area are like Vanderbilt? Where’s that? Yet everyone knows Duke.

Southern and greek elements.

UVA has a lot of Greek elements and is discussed in almost every other thread. UVA Greek percentage is 30%, Vanderbilt 21%.

So what if it is further south - can you explain? I honestly just don’t get it.

The politics of TN do not align with most people on DCUM. No one wants to send their kids there unless they're an R or a D in name only.

And yet, red state schools are more popular than ever…. I’m one of the PPs above whose kid is at Vanderbilt. I’m also a solid D, not in name only. Can’t stand TN politics but that was not the litmus test for DC to choose a school. And it turns out my kid likes not living in a bubble and having actual conversations with kids with different backgrounds and beliefs. I get if you were worried about state politics influencing the curriculum (e.g., UF), but that’s clearly not an issue at a school like Vanderbilt.

No I'm worried about my kid living in a state with those politics. Your privilege makes you immune. Everyone is not a white hetero male. And if you sent your kid there who isn't those things, that is on you! Good luck in TN.

Aw, same to you! Good luck to your white nonbinary AFAB kid at Wesleyan!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rural blue and rural red areas aren’t super different, but no chance that they’re the same.

By all means, tell us about all these actual rural AND blue counties you know of. Bonus points if you don't list any ski resort towns or Martha's Vineyard

[Anonymous]

Can folks with DCs CURRENTLY at Vandy comment on their thoughts on safety and the adjacent area? My impression has always been that the West End and campus is pretty safe. However, I have a Nashville relative (R) who said there had been some sexual assaults there in the past 2-3 years by non-college assailants and was actually cautioning against my DC applying (they do have a bias for UTK, so maybe they just hate Vandy). I hadn’t heard any of this and tried googling news sites, but came up with nothing on what they were talking about (same relative said school was keeping it under wraps—which I was little skeptical about). Any real intel?

[Anonymous]

Toured the school. It's okay, just not good fit

[Anonymous]

It’s not on dcum list

[Anonymous]

Great school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can folks with DCs CURRENTLY at Vandy comment on their thoughts on safety and the adjacent area? My impression has always been that the West End and campus is pretty safe. However, I have a Nashville relative (R) who said there had been some sexual assaults there in the past 2-3 years by non-college assailants and was actually cautioning against my DC applying (they do have a bias for UTK, so maybe they just hate Vandy). I hadn’t heard any of this and tried googling news sites, but came up with nothing on what they were talking about (same relative said school was keeping it under wraps—which I was little skeptical about). Any real intel?

Sounds like your R relative has let their conspiratorial politics now inform their view of colleges. Don’t be dissuaded by that turd.

[Anonymous]

Tennessee?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can folks with DCs CURRENTLY at Vandy comment on their thoughts on safety and the adjacent area? My impression has always been that the West End and campus is pretty safe. However, I have a Nashville relative (R) who said there had been some sexual assaults there in the past 2-3 years by non-college assailants and was actually cautioning against my DC applying (they do have a bias for UTK, so maybe they just hate Vandy). I hadn’t heard any of this and tried googling news sites, but came up with nothing on what they were talking about (same relative said school was keeping it under wraps—which I was little skeptical about). Any real intel?

https://www.crimemapping.com/

This is as good as site as any to look up crimes within a defined time period You can filter for type of crime, ie, sexual assaults and similar within the last two years.

My kid is currently at Vanderbilt. He has said numerous times that it’s such a relief to return to Nashville and know that he doesn’t need to be looking over his shoulder constantly like he does when he’s at home here in DC. But , if you were coming from a place like exurban Des Moines, then your calculations would be different. I have to say that I know what he means. When I am in Nashville, the thought of being carjacked never crosses my mind, whereas it is a constant worry driving around the district of Columbia where I live.