Vandy, wow…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:insane win - what the mom and dad dcum strivers on this site don’t realize is that yes, as intended ur kid going to an ivy would impress your work colleagues, old college friends, and people in town - however, most cool/smart kids want to enjoy their college experience - unless you’ve brainwashed ur mini me into thinking tunnel vision ivy or bust, or your
progeny is a total nerd. My daughter told me that her friend group from top DCUM private were all sending around the vandy partying / goalpost in nashville videos last night. Will 100% impact applicants

This really doesn't change anything. There are less than 10 kids at my kid's top DC private who have the stats that Vandy wants and they were already applying (or in many cases-not). it doesn't matter whether the kids in the lower 90% of the class are now on the Vandy bandwagon--they're not getting in (they get rejected from our school each and every year like clockwork.)

Kids who might have ED to northwestern or Penn might pivot to Vandy.

Nnnnoo. Not going to happen. Students who want a top10 that is slightly more social than other T10s might pick Penn or NU or Duke over other t10. No one who was leaning ANY top10 will now be leaning Vandy. Vanderbilt is fine, but let’s be real: it’s peers are Emory, WashU, Rice,Georgetown, ND. Not ivies, not Northwestern, not even Duke(head to head admit data shows Vandy is never picked over any ivy or Duke , barring a free ride).

Northwestern and Vanderbilt get the same kids. Duke students tend to be a little nerdier. And all three schools get students who are not fixated on Ivy League or bust. Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Duke typically get a large percentage of their class in the early decision round. Which means the schools were their first choice. And all of those admitted students are more than qualified for any Ivy League school, but they clearly have different priorities and wants.

Among 18 year olds, Vanderbilt more than holds its own against any school. There remains some generational bias from older people, but times change. And beating Alabama and having a fun big time sports moment is something that is very appealing to a lot of smart and social students. Watching your school beat Alabama on national television is far more exciting than yet another desultory game between Columbia and Penn. It's a vibe that's very appealing to a lot of people. And the difference in prestige or opportunities between Vanderbilt and Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, or Penn outside of Wharton is negligible. A lot of students today would choose Vanderbilt over the Ivy League. And yesterday's game will only cement that.

Mic drop. Kids that lost years of childhood to COVID desperately want what they saw on TV at Vandy last night.

Only difference is, kids at ND didn't lose out on anything in 2020. Had a full football season and the Clemson game. The best part of that is that the game went into overtime and cut into the Saturday Night Live slot, broadcasting to the world that kids can still have fun during covid and that the rest of those schools were doing it all wrong. I was grateful to be able to say my kid was one of those who stormed the field.

Not the point. Kids in high school right now want to go to fun colleges since they lost so much youth. This includes high stat kids that will pick VANDY over an IVY for better football.

That’ll be a really stupid decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:insane win - what the mom and dad dcum strivers on this site don’t realize is that yes, as intended ur kid going to an ivy would impress your work colleagues, old college friends, and people in town - however, most cool/smart kids want to enjoy their college experience - unless you’ve brainwashed ur mini me into thinking tunnel vision ivy or bust, or your
progeny is a total nerd. My daughter told me that her friend group from top DCUM private were all sending around the vandy partying / goalpost in nashville videos last night. Will 100% impact applicants

This really doesn't change anything. There are less than 10 kids at my kid's top DC private who have the stats that Vandy wants and they were already applying (or in many cases-not). it doesn't matter whether the kids in the lower 90% of the class are now on the Vandy bandwagon--they're not getting in (they get rejected from our school each and every year like clockwork.)

Kids who might have ED to northwestern or Penn might pivot to Vandy.

Nnnnoo. Not going to happen. Students who want a top10 that is slightly more social than other T10s might pick Penn or NU or Duke over other t10. No one who was leaning ANY top10 will now be leaning Vandy. Vanderbilt is fine, but let’s be real: it’s peers are Emory, WashU, Rice,Georgetown, ND. Not ivies, not Northwestern, not even Duke(head to head admit data shows Vandy is never picked over any ivy or Duke , barring a free ride).

Northwestern and Vanderbilt get the same kids. Duke students tend to be a little nerdier. And all three schools get students who are not fixated on Ivy League or bust. Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Duke typically get a large percentage of their class in the early decision round. Which means the schools were their first choice. And all of those admitted students are more than qualified for any Ivy League school, but they clearly have different priorities and wants.

Among 18 year olds, Vanderbilt more than holds its own against any school. There remains some generational bias from older people, but times change. And beating Alabama and having a fun big time sports moment is something that is very appealing to a lot of smart and social students. Watching your school beat Alabama on national television is far more exciting than yet another desultory game between Columbia and Penn. It's a vibe that's very appealing to a lot of people. And the difference in prestige or opportunities between Vanderbilt and Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, or Penn outside of Wharton is negligible. A lot of students today would choose Vanderbilt over the Ivy League. And yesterday's game will only cement that.

Mic drop. Kids that lost years of childhood to COVID desperately want what they saw on TV at Vandy last night.

Only difference is, kids at ND didn't lose out on anything in 2020. Had a full football season and the Clemson game. The best part of that is that the game went into overtime and cut into the Saturday Night Live slot, broadcasting to the world that kids can still have fun during covid and that the rest of those schools were doing it all wrong. I was grateful to be able to say my kid was one of those who stormed the field.

Not the point. Kids in high school right now want to go to fun colleges since they lost so much youth. This includes high stat kids that will pick VANDY over an IVY for better football.

That’ll be a really stupid decision.

Yeah-picking Vandy would be a really stupid decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:peak DCUM. someone googles ACC and ND and comes up with what they think is an undeniable answer and doubles down on an untrue stat.

ND doesn't want to be part of ACC for football. It's all about tv money. They have their own TV deal, every game in on national tv. It's more nuanced than you get from your google search.

I think the rude PP and others don't realize this. Thanks for clarifying this for them. Yes the NBC deal is the key reason they are not part of a conference. It won't last forever though.

And then everyone realizes ND is actually in the ACC. Yes, the Notre Dame Broadcasting Channel still keeps the football team separate. The post was about athletics... you know, baseball, basketball, LAX, Tennis, etc. ND is in the ACC. Stop being obtuse.

[Anonymous]

You think we’re talking about anything other than the Vandy/bama game in this thread?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You think we’re talking about anything other than the Vandy/bama game in this thread?

Do you have brain cells?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:insane win - what the mom and dad dcum strivers on this site don’t realize is that yes, as intended ur kid going to an ivy would impress your work colleagues, old college friends, and people in town - however, most cool/smart kids want to enjoy their college experience - unless you’ve brainwashed ur mini me into thinking tunnel vision ivy or bust, or your
progeny is a total nerd. My daughter told me that her friend group from top DCUM private were all sending around the vandy partying / goalpost in nashville videos last night. Will 100% impact applicants

This really doesn't change anything. There are less than 10 kids at my kid's top DC private who have the stats that Vandy wants and they were already applying (or in many cases-not). it doesn't matter whether the kids in the lower 90% of the class are now on the Vandy bandwagon--they're not getting in (they get rejected from our school each and every year like clockwork.)

Kids who might have ED to northwestern or Penn might pivot to Vandy.

Nnnnoo. Not going to happen. Students who want a top10 that is slightly more social than other T10s might pick Penn or NU or Duke over other t10. No one who was leaning ANY top10 will now be leaning Vandy. Vanderbilt is fine, but let’s be real: it’s peers are Emory, WashU, Rice,Georgetown, ND. Not ivies, not Northwestern, not even Duke(head to head admit data shows Vandy is never picked over any ivy or Duke , barring a free ride).

Northwestern and Vanderbilt get the same kids. Duke students tend to be a little nerdier. And all three schools get students who are not fixated on Ivy League or bust. Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Duke typically get a large percentage of their class in the early decision round. Which means the schools were their first choice. And all of those admitted students are more than qualified for any Ivy League school, but they clearly have different priorities and wants.

Among 18 year olds, Vanderbilt more than holds its own against any school. There remains some generational bias from older people, but times change. And beating Alabama and having a fun big time sports moment is something that is very appealing to a lot of smart and social students. Watching your school beat Alabama on national television is far more exciting than yet another desultory game between Columbia and Penn. It's a vibe that's very appealing to a lot of people. And the difference in prestige or opportunities between Vanderbilt and Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, or Penn outside of Wharton is negligible. A lot of students today would choose Vanderbilt over the Ivy League. And yesterday's game will only cement that.

Mic drop. Kids that lost years of childhood to COVID desperately want what they saw on TV at Vandy last night.

Only difference is, kids at ND didn't lose out on anything in 2020. Had a full football season and the Clemson game. The best part of that is that the game went into overtime and cut into the Saturday Night Live slot, broadcasting to the world that kids can still have fun during covid and that the rest of those schools were doing it all wrong. I was grateful to be able to say my kid was one of those who stormed the field.

Not the point. Kids in high school right now want to go to fun colleges since they lost so much youth. This includes high stat kids that will pick VANDY over an IVY for better football.

That’ll be a really stupid decision.

They don’t want to be around people with attitudes like you.

[Anonymous]

Pretty cool. Congrats!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:insane win - what the mom and dad dcum strivers on this site don’t realize is that yes, as intended ur kid going to an ivy would impress your work colleagues, old college friends, and people in town - however, most cool/smart kids want to enjoy their college experience - unless you’ve brainwashed ur mini me into thinking tunnel vision ivy or bust, or your
progeny is a total nerd. My daughter told me that her friend group from top DCUM private were all sending around the vandy partying / goalpost in nashville videos last night. Will 100% impact applicants

This really doesn't change anything. There are less than 10 kids at my kid's top DC private who have the stats that Vandy wants and they were already applying (or in many cases-not). it doesn't matter whether the kids in the lower 90% of the class are now on the Vandy bandwagon--they're not getting in (they get rejected from our school each and every year like clockwork.)

Kids who might have ED to northwestern or Penn might pivot to Vandy.

Nnnnoo. Not going to happen. Students who want a top10 that is slightly more social than other T10s might pick Penn or NU or Duke over other t10. No one who was leaning ANY top10 will now be leaning Vandy. Vanderbilt is fine, but let’s be real: it’s peers are Emory, WashU, Rice,Georgetown, ND. Not ivies, not Northwestern, not even Duke(head to head admit data shows Vandy is never picked over any ivy or Duke , barring a free ride).

Northwestern and Vanderbilt get the same kids. Duke students tend to be a little nerdier. And all three schools get students who are not fixated on Ivy League or bust. Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Duke typically get a large percentage of their class in the early decision round. Which means the schools were their first choice. And all of those admitted students are more than qualified for any Ivy League school, but they clearly have different priorities and wants.

Among 18 year olds, Vanderbilt more than holds its own against any school. There remains some generational bias from older people, but times change. And beating Alabama and having a fun big time sports moment is something that is very appealing to a lot of smart and social students. Watching your school beat Alabama on national television is far more exciting than yet another desultory game between Columbia and Penn. It's a vibe that's very appealing to a lot of people. And the difference in prestige or opportunities between Vanderbilt and Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, or Penn outside of Wharton is negligible. A lot of students today would choose Vanderbilt over the Ivy League. And yesterday's game will only cement that.

Mic drop. Kids that lost years of childhood to COVID desperately want what they saw on TV at Vandy last night.

Only difference is, kids at ND didn't lose out on anything in 2020. Had a full football season and the Clemson game. The best part of that is that the game went into overtime and cut into the Saturday Night Live slot, broadcasting to the world that kids can still have fun during covid and that the rest of those schools were doing it all wrong. I was grateful to be able to say my kid was one of those who stormed the field.

Not the point. Kids in high school right now want to go to fun colleges since they lost so much youth. This includes high stat kids that will pick VANDY over an IVY for better football.

That’ll be a really stupid decision.

+1000. Not a decision anyone holding an ivy admit would make. ED to Vandy instead of ivy because it is slightly easier? Sure. The same reason some many folks ED UChicago instead of ivy: they like it well enough and their CC has let them know Ivy is not likely but Chicago and Vandy love ED from the school. This is the story at many top private schools and also at magnet publics with good advising.
Pick Vandy for OTHER reasons besides football over an ivy? Yes! Ivies are not for everyone! Vanderbilt is a wonderful school and for some there an ivy would be quite wrong. Others there overlap a ton with ivy students. But it is highly unlikely someone who applied and was accepted to both an ivy and Vanderbilt would pick Vandy Even over Cornell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:insane win - what the mom and dad dcum strivers on this site don’t realize is that yes, as intended ur kid going to an ivy would impress your work colleagues, old college friends, and people in town - however, most cool/smart kids want to enjoy their college experience - unless you’ve brainwashed ur mini me into thinking tunnel vision ivy or bust, or your
progeny is a total nerd. My daughter told me that her friend group from top DCUM private were all sending around the vandy partying / goalpost in nashville videos last night. Will 100% impact applicants

This really doesn't change anything. There are less than 10 kids at my kid's top DC private who have the stats that Vandy wants and they were already applying (or in many cases-not). it doesn't matter whether the kids in the lower 90% of the class are now on the Vandy bandwagon--they're not getting in (they get rejected from our school each and every year like clockwork.)

Kids who might have ED to northwestern or Penn might pivot to Vandy.

Nnnnoo. Not going to happen. Students who want a top10 that is slightly more social than other T10s might pick Penn or NU or Duke over other t10. No one who was leaning ANY top10 will now be leaning Vandy. Vanderbilt is fine, but let’s be real: it’s peers are Emory, WashU, Rice,Georgetown, ND. Not ivies, not Northwestern, not even Duke(head to head admit data shows Vandy is never picked over any ivy or Duke , barring a free ride).

Northwestern and Vanderbilt get the same kids. Duke students tend to be a little nerdier. And all three schools get students who are not fixated on Ivy League or bust. Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Duke typically get a large percentage of their class in the early decision round. Which means the schools were their first choice. And all of those admitted students are more than qualified for any Ivy League school, but they clearly have different priorities and wants.

Among 18 year olds, Vanderbilt more than holds its own against any school. There remains some generational bias from older people, but times change. And beating Alabama and having a fun big time sports moment is something that is very appealing to a lot of smart and social students. Watching your school beat Alabama on national television is far more exciting than yet another desultory game between Columbia and Penn. It's a vibe that's very appealing to a lot of people. And the difference in prestige or opportunities between Vanderbilt and Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, or Penn outside of Wharton is negligible. A lot of students today would choose Vanderbilt over the Ivy League. And yesterday's game will only cement that.

If Vanderbilt supposedly is a head-to-head peer of the Ivies/Ivy Plus schools, then why did their Chancellor feel the need to go on an aggressive PR campaign about how rankings don't really matter.

Ding ding ding! Precisely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:insane win - what the mom and dad dcum strivers on this site don’t realize is that yes, as intended ur kid going to an ivy would impress your work colleagues, old college friends, and people in town - however, most cool/smart kids want to enjoy their college experience - unless you’ve brainwashed ur mini me into thinking tunnel vision ivy or bust, or your
progeny is a total nerd. My daughter told me that her friend group from top DCUM private were all sending around the vandy partying / goalpost in nashville videos last night. Will 100% impact applicants

This really doesn't change anything. There are less than 10 kids at my kid's top DC private who have the stats that Vandy wants and they were already applying (or in many cases-not). it doesn't matter whether the kids in the lower 90% of the class are now on the Vandy bandwagon--they're not getting in (they get rejected from our school each and every year like clockwork.)

Kids who might have ED to northwestern or Penn might pivot to Vandy.

Nnnnoo. Not going to happen. Students who want a top10 that is slightly more social than other T10s might pick Penn or NU or Duke over other t10. No one who was leaning ANY top10 will now be leaning Vandy. Vanderbilt is fine, but let’s be real: it’s peers are Emory, WashU, Rice,Georgetown, ND. Not ivies, not Northwestern, not even Duke(head to head admit data shows Vandy is never picked over any ivy or Duke , barring a free ride).

Northwestern and Vanderbilt get the same kids. Duke students tend to be a little nerdier. And all three schools get students who are not fixated on Ivy League or bust. Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Duke typically get a large percentage of their class in the early decision round. Which means the schools were their first choice. And all of those admitted students are more than qualified for any Ivy League school, but they clearly have different priorities and wants.

Among 18 year olds, Vanderbilt more than holds its own against any school. There remains some generational bias from older people, but times change. And beating Alabama and having a fun big time sports moment is something that is very appealing to a lot of smart and social students. Watching your school beat Alabama on national television is far more exciting than yet another desultory game between Columbia and Penn. It's a vibe that's very appealing to a lot of people. And the difference in prestige or opportunities between Vanderbilt and Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, or Penn outside of Wharton is negligible. A lot of students today would choose Vanderbilt over the Ivy League. And yesterday's game will only cement that.

Mic drop. Kids that lost years of childhood to COVID desperately want what they saw on TV at Vandy last night.

SOME kids want that. SOME. Mine both did not apply to ND or Vandy because the vibe was not right, especially ND--way too much sports focus. Felt like UVA, which they hated. They both loved Ivies, Williams, Davidson, William&Mary. Both are at Ivies and have a lot of fun, just not big game loud sports crowds fun. Picking a school for sports is unfathomable to many students. Kids are all different. Doubt Vanderbilt apps will go up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:peak DCUM. someone googles ACC and ND and comes up with what they think is an undeniable answer and doubles down on an untrue stat.

ND doesn't want to be part of ACC for football. It's all about tv money. They have their own TV deal, every game in on national tv. It's more nuanced than you get from your google search.

I think the rude PP and others don't realize this. Thanks for clarifying this for them. Yes the NBC deal is the key reason they are not part of a conference. It won't last forever though.

And then everyone realizes ND is actually in the ACC. Yes, the Notre Dame Broadcasting Channel still keeps the football team separate. The post was about athletics... you know, baseball, basketball, LAX, Tennis, etc. ND is in the ACC. Stop being obtuse.

This thread is about football. The PP either is clueless or decided to hijack it. Either way, they are in the wrong to be so belligerent. ND is not in the ACC for football which is what this thread started to and continues to discuss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Applications will be up at Vanderbilt

This is great for Vanderbilt. Applications may be up. In fact, applications went down between 2023 and 2024, so maybe that % will come back but that’s not gonna move the needle that much.

(The math for them is to accept more of the class in ED, and fewer RD. Acceptance rate drops. BOOM!)

There were 1000 fewer applications between 2022 and 2023. 46,300 vs. 45,300. 2024 numbers aren't out yet, obv.

their ED percentage went down slightly year-to-year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Applications will be up at Vanderbilt

This is great for Vanderbilt. Applications may be up. In fact, applications went down between 2023 and 2024, so maybe that % will come back but that’s not gonna move the needle that much.

(The math for them is to accept more of the class in ED, and fewer RD. Acceptance rate drops. BOOM!)

There were 1000 fewer applications between 2022 and 2023. 46,300 vs. 45,300. 2024 numbers aren't out yet, obv.

their ED percentage went down slightly year-to-year.

Probably because their ED acceptance rate went down significantly in the fall of 2023, it likely discouraged some spring applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:insane win - what the mom and dad dcum strivers on this site don’t realize is that yes, as intended ur kid going to an ivy would impress your work colleagues, old college friends, and people in town - however, most cool/smart kids want to enjoy their college experience - unless you’ve brainwashed ur mini me into thinking tunnel vision ivy or bust, or your
progeny is a total nerd. My daughter told me that her friend group from top DCUM private were all sending around the vandy partying / goalpost in nashville videos last night. Will 100% impact applicants

This really doesn't change anything. There are less than 10 kids at my kid's top DC private who have the stats that Vandy wants and they were already applying (or in many cases-not). it doesn't matter whether the kids in the lower 90% of the class are now on the Vandy bandwagon--they're not getting in (they get rejected from our school each and every year like clockwork.)

Kids who might have ED to northwestern or Penn might pivot to Vandy.

Nnnnoo. Not going to happen. Students who want a top10 that is slightly more social than other T10s might pick Penn or NU or Duke over other t10. No one who was leaning ANY top10 will now be leaning Vandy. Vanderbilt is fine, but let’s be real: it’s peers are Emory, WashU, Rice,Georgetown, ND. Not ivies, not Northwestern, not even Duke(head to head admit data shows Vandy is never picked over any ivy or Duke , barring a free ride).

Northwestern and Vanderbilt get the same kids. Duke students tend to be a little nerdier. And all three schools get students who are not fixated on Ivy League or bust. Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Duke typically get a large percentage of their class in the early decision round. Which means the schools were their first choice. And all of those admitted students are more than qualified for any Ivy League school, but they clearly have different priorities and wants.

Among 18 year olds, Vanderbilt more than holds its own against any school. There remains some generational bias from older people, but times change. And beating Alabama and having a fun big time sports moment is something that is very appealing to a lot of smart and social students. Watching your school beat Alabama on national television is far more exciting than yet another desultory game between Columbia and Penn. It's a vibe that's very appealing to a lot of people. And the difference in prestige or opportunities between Vanderbilt and Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, or Penn outside of Wharton is negligible. A lot of students today would choose Vanderbilt over the Ivy League. And yesterday's game will only cement that.

Mic drop. Kids that lost years of childhood to COVID desperately want what they saw on TV at Vandy last night.

SOME kids want that. SOME. Mine both did not apply to ND or Vandy because the vibe was not right, especially ND--way too much sports focus. Felt like UVA, which they hated. They both loved Ivies, Williams, Davidson, William&Mary. Both are at Ivies and have a lot of fun, just not big game loud sports crowds fun. Picking a school for sports is unfathomable to many students. Kids are all different. Doubt Vanderbilt apps will go up.

Correct. I really doubt they will go up among kids who are actually qualified to attend Vandy.
Vandy has recently (last 3 years) required a 3.9+ from our (grade deflating) private. That means about 10 kids a year are qualified to put their hat in the ring.
Of those 10, maybe 2 even considered it for ED. The rest are going for an ED or SCEA Ivy. The two who considered Vandy definitely debated their decision at length. They're not making some last minute decision based on this game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:insane win - what the mom and dad dcum strivers on this site don’t realize is that yes, as intended ur kid going to an ivy would impress your work colleagues, old college friends, and people in town - however, most cool/smart kids want to enjoy their college experience - unless you’ve brainwashed ur mini me into thinking tunnel vision ivy or bust, or your
progeny is a total nerd. My daughter told me that her friend group from top DCUM private were all sending around the vandy partying / goalpost in nashville videos last night. Will 100% impact applicants

This really doesn't change anything. There are less than 10 kids at my kid's top DC private who have the stats that Vandy wants and they were already applying (or in many cases-not). it doesn't matter whether the kids in the lower 90% of the class are now on the Vandy bandwagon--they're not getting in (they get rejected from our school each and every year like clockwork.)

Kids who might have ED to northwestern or Penn might pivot to Vandy.

Nnnnoo. Not going to happen. Students who want a top10 that is slightly more social than other T10s might pick Penn or NU or Duke over other t10. No one who was leaning ANY top10 will now be leaning Vandy. Vanderbilt is fine, but let’s be real: it’s peers are Emory, WashU, Rice,Georgetown, ND. Not ivies, not Northwestern, not even Duke(head to head admit data shows Vandy is never picked over any ivy or Duke , barring a free ride).

Northwestern and Vanderbilt get the same kids. Duke students tend to be a little nerdier. And all three schools get students who are not fixated on Ivy League or bust. Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Duke typically get a large percentage of their class in the early decision round. Which means the schools were their first choice. And all of those admitted students are more than qualified for any Ivy League school, but they clearly have different priorities and wants.

Among 18 year olds, Vanderbilt more than holds its own against any school. There remains some generational bias from older people, but times change. And beating Alabama and having a fun big time sports moment is something that is very appealing to a lot of smart and social students. Watching your school beat Alabama on national television is far more exciting than yet another desultory game between Columbia and Penn. It's a vibe that's very appealing to a lot of people. And the difference in prestige or opportunities between Vanderbilt and Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, Columbia, or Penn outside of Wharton is negligible. A lot of students today would choose Vanderbilt over the Ivy League. And yesterday's game will only cement that.

this describes our kid, at Vandy now. Parent #1 (ivy / ivy) took some time but they finally came around to full support for what was inevitable anyway.

Some kids really don't want ivy at any cost, just to be able to say 'ivy.' I will probably be pilloried for this. but it has been my experience that very high achieving white, non-FGLI kids are the ones who are more likely to be comfortable in their choice to skip the ivy-or-bust mania that seems to grip other demographics. Like the not-small group of kids that apply to all 8 ivy schools for some reason, as if dartmouth and columbia had similar vibes or did the same things well in similar physical environments.