Vanderbilt Thriving In Trump Era With Apolitical Atmosphere: Bloomberg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole thread is so weird to me. My kid just started at Vandy and the freshman class is 20-25% Asian. A huge number of the freshmen are premed or engineering and are taking Gen Chem. A lot of the rest of the students are music performance and education majors, as Vandy has renowned undergraduate schools for both. There are lots of other minorities and a decent number of international students. Out of five kids running for president of my kids’ dorm are two Asians, one Black girl, a Latin American international student and one white guy. There are active clubs for almost every ethnicity. Yes, a good number of the white kids seem to be rich frat bro types who want to go into consulting or spoiled sorority princess types, but there are also a lot of working class rural white kids that Vandy does special outreach to enroll. It’s a running joke that almost no one attends the actual football games at Vandy, though people like to tailgate. Maybe that will change with the team’s improving record. It’s like the people on this thread are speaking about a caricature of Vandy and not what exists. I don’t know much about the campus politically, but a poll last year said 90% of faculty and 70% of students were planning to vote Democrat in the 2024 election, so it’s not some conservative bastion either.

So you are saying to run away from insufferable white privileged moms and their entitled snowflake offsprings is actually going to .... Vandy?

[Anonymous]

The insufferable types definitely exist but I think they self segregate into the 25% of students who join frats and sororities and don’t really socialize outside these groups after sophomore year. There is a place for everyone- it’s not a solely homogeneous wealthy white campus like people are portraying but you can find that culture in Greek life if that’s what you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you believe all the anti-Asians, Vandy will soon lose its luster with the crowd that supposedly is the subject of this article as the Asian population is now approaching 20% and rising.

Yes, and then the high achieving whites who want to balance academics with a robust social scene will move elsewhere and another school will become hot and then it too will change over time.
It happened at Duke and Northwestern. My freshman is at Dartmouth and it's happening there too---the crowd has really changed since a cousin attended 5 years ago.
The smart but socially-oriented kids will move on. Probably next to somewhere like Wake Forest or back to University of Chicago (which is becoming more chill).

I know people will say this is just racist but it's just kids trying to find a place of balance.

Yup. I know some legacy kids who started at Duke in the past few years (including some Asian-Americans) and they were amazed at the huge Asian population. And it isn't Asian that is the issue. It is the non-assimilated Asian kids who don't want to go to games, don't want to go to parties, and don't socialize like other kids. Again, there are plenty of very well assimilated Asian kids who do do this. And I'm not saying that every kid at a school needs to be 100% assimilated and exactly the same. But at some point you hit a tipping point where the culture changes.

Stereotypes exist for a reason. Most of them aren't mean or nasty - they are just based on lived experience.

Interviews, essays, recommendations and activities are used to tease these things out. All those who want schools to be a "meritocracy" based solely on grades and test scores don't get this and don't appreciate this. It does not lead to a lively, fun, interesting campus community.

And no, I'm not racist. This applies to plenty of other groups, but is most prevalent in Asians. I'm Jewish and it applies to the stereotypical orthodox kid, but they tend not to attend these schools as much and there aren't as many of them so is not as applicable. I'm "nerdist."

Honestly, elite colleges need to start giving bonus admissions points for varsity (non-recruited) athletes. These kids know how to be social, interact with others, and cooperate. They are also generally outgoing and fun to be around.

No one wants to hear this, but Duke should absolutely admit more "lax bros," "head cheerleaders" and "football captains."

I think being a varsity athlete is viewed positively, but in this age where only being a world-class superstar at an activity matters, it doesn't matter much. I largely agree with you. Though perhaps instead of lax bros, cheerleaders and football captains which tend to be particularly alpha sports, I will settle for other sports.

I went to Duke. I was a very average HS athlete (tennis and soccer) but I did participate and letter. And a lot of my friends at Duke were similar. I agree with all of the attributes you mentioned coming from sports. You can also get this to some degree from being in a band or orchestra, though it isn't quite the same. Math team or Quiz bowl just aren't the same (I did both in high school and was the "cool kid" on both despite not being particularly cool).

And no offense to fencing but the kid who very clearly joins the fencing team to build their application is not the same. Obviously not easy for admissions to smoke these out but I'm guessing they can tell.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know what it is about Vanderbilt, but the school is a lightening rod for some who favor NE schools. It’s ironic that the NE crowd calls out Vandy’s wealthy student body and Greek participation, yet it’s fine to attend HYP so one can rub shoulders with the rich and famous and join the most-connected eating club. It all seems a bit hypocritical.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what it is about Vanderbilt, but the school is a lightening rod for some who favor NE schools. It’s ironic that the NE crowd calls out Vandy’s wealthy student body and Greek participation, yet it’s fine to attend HYP so one can rub shoulders with the rich and famous and join the most-connected eating club. It all seems a bit hypocritical.

Vansy reminds them the south has money too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know what it is about Vanderbilt, but the school is a lightening rod for some who favor NE schools. It’s ironic that the NE crowd calls out Vandy’s wealthy student body and Greek participation, yet it’s fine to attend HYP so one can rub shoulders with the rich and famous and join the most-connected eating club. It all seems a bit hypocritical.

Vansy reminds them the south has money too.

It hurts too much when they realize certain Nashville privates have larger endowments than their DC area counterparts, and Belle Meade is prettier and more elegant than Potomac.

[Anonymous]

Not the same as Vanderbilt obviously but Emory has a lot of money too. Coca Cola.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who sends a kid to a Tennessee in this political climate is a sucky parent especially a dd

Keep your little Karen in training out of the south land!

Agreed on the values. But also any parent who plans for their daughter's abortion, but is too stupid to realize that they can fly them home to DC or MD...????

And who cares about the poor women in Tennessee that can’t afford to travel? Not you or your kids, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems like Vandy is trying to carve a niche as an Ivy-alternative for politically moderate or conservative families that want elite academics without the intense left-wing political atmosphere. The incessant protests at many elite colleges spooked a lot of families, especially Jewish families.

Vanderbilt is leaning into their southern, apolitical, athletic, socially balanced image because they know it's an asset in an era where people are tired of being inundated with progressive agendas.

Vandy has always been conservative. There were confederate flags on campus when I was there.

Heritage not hate! Our families fought under that beautiful banner.

KKK is alive and well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Published in their official student school newspaper…

https://vanderbilthustler.com/2024/04/06/three-students-expelled-following-student-accountability-hearings-faculty-criticize-university-response/

“Vanderbilt will let sexual assaulters walk free but expel passionate organizers,” Petocz tweeted. “I came to Vanderbilt with the dream of escaping the rampant bigotry and institutional repression I experienced in the Deep South. That dream has soured.”

Clueless kid. You don’t go to a conservative school in Tennessee to escape bigotry and repression.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-09-05/vanderbilt-university-thrives-under-trump-amid-attacks-on-higher-ed

According to the Bloomberg article, Vanderbilt University has seen their stock rise meteorically by branding themselves as apolitical and fun instead of an activist hotspot like the Ivies. they're seen huge increase in interest from families across the country that want their kids to evade left-wing monoculture at the Ivy League and are now getting kids that in other years would've gone to HYP.

Gross. Like celebrating the “apolitical” 1936 Olympics.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Published in their official student school newspaper…

https://vanderbilthustler.com/2024/04/06/three-students-expelled-following-student-accountability-hearings-faculty-criticize-university-response/

“Vanderbilt will let sexual assaulters walk free but expel passionate organizers,” Petocz tweeted. “I came to Vanderbilt with the dream of escaping the rampant bigotry and institutional repression I experienced in the Deep South. That dream has soured.”

Clueless kid. You don’t go to a conservative school in Tennessee to escape bigotry and repression.

The exact same stuff has been happening at Northeast schools that are ostensibly liberal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone who sends a kid to a Tennessee in this political climate is a sucky parent especially a dd

Keep your little Karen in training out of the south land!

Agreed on the values. But also any parent who plans for their daughter's abortion, but is too stupid to realize that they can fly them home to DC or MD...????

And who cares about the poor women in Tennessee that can’t afford to travel? Not you or your kids, I guess.

Your boycott is really, really hurting us. Carry on!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt has a very distinctive vibe. Especially for girls. Just beware and do your research. The $400 weekend fancy dinners get old very quickly.

Could you share more?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vanderbilt has a very distinctive vibe. Especially for girls. Just beware and do your research. The $400 weekend fancy dinners get old very quickly.

Could you share more?

Not the OP, but yes the culture at the sororities there leans very wealthy. If are trying to enter that society, be prepared.