Vibe on campus: Vanderbilt versus Wake Forest versus Davidson versus Washington & Lee

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wake Forest greek is not traditional in that there is massive overlap in friend groups and other than fraternity formals, there is not exclusivity. It may be because the school is small or that it doesn’t have fraternity/sprite house buildings

For women maybe. But wake forest frats stick to the Greek tradition of not allowing unaffiliated men to parties after spring rush is over.

Most frats anywhere will let their friends in. My DDs bf is not Greek and he is welcome at most houses because he knows guys there. My DS is in a frat and routinely invites his non Greek guy friends (and Greek for that matter) and they come. It’s really not so exclusive at most schools. But yeah if you are unaffiliated and have no friends to vouch for you, you’re not getting in.

[Anonymous]

Wow, a lot of Davidson parents here. My D got into 3 of those schools (didn't apply to Vandy) and chose Davidson. After a rough covid year, D has settled in and absolutely adores Davidson. She joined an eating house but her best friend is unaffiliated. Davidson is one of the smallest D1 schools but the athletes take part in campus life for the most part and she's made friends among them. And PP is correct, all campus parties are open to all. However, some of the eating clubs and frats will have events off campus (formals/semi-formals) that are members and dates only. For ex, she and a few of her girlfriends attended as dates a frat formal in Charleston SC in the spring. The guys were true gentlemen according to her and she had a blast.

All in all I get the impression that Davidson makes it a point to admit kids of strong character--their honor code is real. She can leave her laptop unattended on campus knowing that it'll be there when she returns.

[Anonymous]

W and Lee does seem to have a more intellectual feel. The kids from my daughter's school that have gone there seem to be so. Good connections for jobs for sure. $$$$$

[Anonymous]

Love W and L!!

[Anonymous]

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check out the Fiske Guide, or reviews on unigo.com

Just checked the Fiske Guide To Colleges ratings for each school:

Out of a possible 5:

Wash & Lee receives 4.5 for academics

Davidson receives 4.5 for academics

WFU & Vanderbilt both score a bit lower at 4 out of 5 for academics.

Davidson College is the only one among the four schools to receive a rating of 5 out of a possible 5 for "quality of life".

Scoring less than 5 for academics suggests that none have a pressure cooker environment for academics.

Wash & Lee is DOMINATED by Greek social life; W&L ranks either first or second in the nation for Greek participation. WFU social scene is also dominated by Greek life.

Wash & Lee and WFU tend to lean conservative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do they differ? How friendly are the students, and how laid back yet strong is the academic culture?

OP: Good question, but may get more tailored responses if you share some likes/dislikes/interests of the future applicant.

[Anonymous]

Vany is very hard to get into. If you want a shot there going to need to ED.

[Anonymous]

Fiske Guide To Colleges also gives awards up to 5 points for "social life".

Vanderbilt social life = 4/5.

WFU, Davidson, & Wash & Lee social life = 3/5.

5/5 is a bad rating for social life as it indicates that such a college or university is a party school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Greek life is the primary social life at all three but not Vandy (probably because it is the only urban school of the four). If your kid is not so inclined, I would look elsewhere or be ok with having to actively seek out other social opportunities.

Greek life is prevalent at Vandy. At Davidson, it plays a minor role; most students do not join houses and those that do live in the dorms with all the other students. There are no residential fraternities or sororities at Davidson. Fantastic atmosphere with welcoming kids and an amazing faculty. Davidson is amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Greek life is the primary social life at all three but not Vandy (probably because it is the only urban school of the four). If your kid is not so inclined, I would look elsewhere or be ok with having to actively seek out other social opportunities.

Greek life is prevalent at Vandy. At Davidson, it plays a minor role; most students do not join houses and those that do live in the dorms with all the other students. There are no residential fraternities or sororities at Davidson. Fantastic atmosphere with welcoming kids and an amazing faculty. Davidson is amazing.

+1 agree!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fiske Guide To Colleges also gives awards up to 5 points for "social life".

Vanderbilt social life = 4/5.

WFU, Davidson, & Wash & Lee social life = 3/5.

5/5 is a bad rating for social life as it indicates that such a college or university is a party school.

The ranking below used Princeton Review for student happiness ratings, and also includes diversity and classroom experience in its calculations. It's one of the few I've found that includes universities and LACs on the same list.

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/


Vandy is #13.

Wake 64.

Davidson 70.

W+L not on list--I think b/c they don't publicize their common data sets, which always seems kind of shady to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vany is very hard to get into. If you want a shot there going to need to ED.

This year was crazy. I know many outright rejections of top (Ivy caliber) students.
I think the odds at the other two schools are much higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fiske Guide To Colleges also gives awards up to 5 points for "social life".

Vanderbilt social life = 4/5.

WFU, Davidson, & Wash & Lee social life = 3/5.

5/5 is a bad rating for social life as it indicates that such a college or university is a party school.

The ranking below used Princeton Review for student happiness ratings, and also includes diversity and classroom experience in its calculations. It's one of the few I've found that includes universities and LACs on the same list.

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/


Vandy is #13.

Wake 64.

Davidson 70.

W+L not on list--I think b/c they don't publicize their common data sets, which always seems kind of shady to me.

Princeton Review is interesting, but easily manipulated. My understanding is that Princeton Review rankings are the result of random student surveys.

[Anonymous]

How would you compare Davidson to University of Richmond?