Is Vanderbilt anyones First/Top Choice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of students today prefer Vanderbilt over some of the Ivy schools. I know mine did. We toured Harvard, Columbia and Penn. And Vandy had a much better vibe. Whatever differences in USNWR rankings since they changed their algorithms is trivial compared to the overall college experience one gets at Vanderbilt.

DC applied ED and got in so never had a chance to apply elsewhere, but the other schools that appealed to him were Stanford, Duke and Notre Dame. DC is pretty extroverted and social. Likes sports. And the Ivy schools seemed cold and soulless to him.

I also believe this generation of 18 years really values community. They had to experience the covid isolation and the rise of social media. A lot of them want real experiences with real people and Vanderbilt is good with that. A marginal difference in US News rankings is not worth four years of suck. Vandy is generally known as a happy school. That matters a lot for 18 year olds

+1000!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of students today prefer Vanderbilt over some of the Ivy schools. I know mine did. We toured Harvard, Columbia and Penn. And Vandy had a much better vibe. Whatever differences in USNWR rankings since they changed their algorithms is trivial compared to the overall college experience one gets at Vanderbilt.

DC applied ED and got in so never had a chance to apply elsewhere, but the other schools that appealed to him were Stanford, Duke and Notre Dame. DC is pretty extroverted and social. Likes sports. And the Ivy schools seemed cold and soulless to him.

I also believe this generation of 18 years really values community. They had to experience the covid isolation and the rise of social media. A lot of them want real experiences with real people and Vanderbilt is good with that. A marginal difference in US News rankings is not worth four years of suck. Vandy is generally known as a happy school. That matters a lot for 18 year olds

100% agree and which school and vibe is the “suck” depends on the person.

[Anonymous]

Eclectic List:

https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/?rankings=happiest-students

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who couldn't afford an ivy+ and ended up at Vandy on a merit scholarship. Had a great time, double majored and ended up at a bulge bracket bank in NYC. Still has a lot of friends from college. I don't know who has it as a first choice but it worked out great as a second choice for my friend.

I assumed Vanderbilt was an ivy+ I could be mistaken though

No, ivy+ is the ivies, MIT, UChicago, Stanford and Duke.

Says who?

https://blog.collegevine.com/ivy-plus-schools#plus

Raj Chetty was the first to use "Ivy-Plus" and he only included Ivies, MIT, Stanford, UChicago, and Duke. Doesn't mean Ivy-Plus are the only top schools (Caltech is not included for example).

"Ivy plus"... "the New Ivies"... blah blah blah. Some of you just eat this up. lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who couldn't afford an ivy+ and ended up at Vandy on a merit scholarship. Had a great time, double majored and ended up at a bulge bracket bank in NYC. Still has a lot of friends from college. I don't know who has it as a first choice but it worked out great as a second choice for my friend.

Many have it as a first choice

[Anonymous]

All these threads are kind of ridiculous.

For all the top schools that have ED...that school was the 1st choice for 50% of the class. That's a factual statement.

It's absurd to then turn around and create this theoretical argument...that even though they applied ED...it still wasn't their first choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vandy is a great school. It does not compete with HYP but does win some students over the rest of the Ivies.

Also, some kids are smart enough and self-aware enough to know they are not getting into HYP and adjust their expectations accordingly. So yes, Vandy is a top choice for many kids. That is why many apply early.

These posts are stupid. I should just start ignoring them. Particularly because no one who went to or has a child going to any of the very few schools that are consistently more selective than Vandy/Emory/etc. would ever be rude enough to post something like this. I went to a "better" school and have tremendous respect for the others and totally understand why they would be first choices.

I fear you’re giving too much credit to HYPSM. Anyone who got into Vanderbilt is more than qualified for those schools, it sometimes just comes down to luck. Some got waitlisted from them even or chose Vanderbilt as it was the cheaper option. So it’s weird when you say no one who goes to a more “selective” school compared to Vandy or Emory would be rude, inferring that people who go to either are. Also Vandy and Emory are very different in selectivity 4.6% and 14.95%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All these threads are kind of ridiculous.

For all the top schools that have ED...that school was the 1st choice for 50% of the class. That's a factual statement.

It's absurd to then turn around and create this theoretical argument...that even though they applied ED...it still wasn't their first choice.

I don't think those posters deny it, but they view a chunk of those ED's as a tactical move like UChicago versus a true first choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vandy is a great school. It does not compete with HYP but does win some students over the rest of the Ivies.

Also, some kids are smart enough and self-aware enough to know they are not getting into HYP and adjust their expectations accordingly. So yes, Vandy is a top choice for many kids. That is why many apply early.

These posts are stupid. I should just start ignoring them. Particularly because no one who went to or has a child going to any of the very few schools that are consistently more selective than Vandy/Emory/etc. would ever be rude enough to post something like this. I went to a "better" school and have tremendous respect for the others and totally understand why they would be first choices.

I fear you’re giving too much credit to HYPSM. Anyone who got into Vanderbilt is more than qualified for those schools, it sometimes just comes down to luck. Some got waitlisted from them even or chose Vanderbilt as it was the cheaper option. So it’s weird when you say no one who goes to a more “selective” school compared to Vandy or Emory would be rude, inferring that people who go to either are. Also Vandy and Emory are very different in selectivity 4.6% and 14.95%

My first choice would be Scarlett Johansson, but I know I am out of league, so I proposed to my now wife.

[Anonymous]

My white unhooked highest stats kid was wise enough to know that he wasn’t getting into HYPS. Affirmatively did not want Columbia or Penn where he is a legacy. Loved vandy and very strategically chose to ED there. Guess they loved him back and he’s having a really good experience

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My white unhooked highest stats kid was wise enough to know that he wasn’t getting into HYPS. Affirmatively did not want Columbia or Penn where he is a legacy. Loved vandy and very strategically chose to ED there. Guess they loved him back and he’s having a really good experience

To add, princeton was his “true first choice” Smart enough to understand that that wasn’t happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My white unhooked highest stats kid was wise enough to know that he wasn’t getting into HYPS. Affirmatively did not want Columbia or Penn where he is a legacy. Loved vandy and very strategically chose to ED there. Guess they loved him back and he’s having a really good experience

This is a good point. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are not attainable for smart but unhooked students. I'd add Dartmouth, which is such a small school, and only seems to take students from a few high schools. If applying from the DMV, Penn is also nearly impossible for the unhooked. Columbia has its issues. So that just leaves Cornell and Brown, which, anecdotally, are definitely the most popular Ivy schools today. Cornell for STEM and business, and Brown for everything else.

With 6 of the 8 Ivy schools basically being no go zones for smart students these days, it's not a surprise that top students are going elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My white unhooked highest stats kid was wise enough to know that he wasn’t getting into HYPS. Affirmatively did not want Columbia or Penn where he is a legacy. Loved vandy and very strategically chose to ED there. Guess they loved him back and he’s having a really good experience

This is a good point. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are not attainable for smart but unhooked students. I'd add Dartmouth, which is such a small school, and only seems to take students from a few high schools. If applying from the DMV, Penn is also nearly impossible for the unhooked. Columbia has its issues. So that just leaves Cornell and Brown, which, anecdotally, are definitely the most popular Ivy schools today. Cornell for STEM and business, and Brown for everything else.

With 6 of the 8 Ivy schools basically being no go zones for smart students these days, it's not a surprise that top students are going elsewhere.

Really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my DCs extended DCUM-private school circle - which is extensive lol - Vandy is held in high regard, as it’s a T20 that’s in the South - weather, Nashville, and cool vibe you will find at no ivy. Ivies are still ivies, but Vandy beats Cornell like a rug every day of the week with these girls - and it’s not even close. That’s the true ivy proxy as Dartmouth is more like Amherst, and Penn and Columbia are experiencing their own issues

Same at my DDs private in NY, Vanderbilt has gotten very popular and many kids are choosing it over Cornell. Warm weather, different culture, and reputation for having kids who work hard but are also very social is appealing to many students. I honestly did not know that much about it until past 2-3 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my DCs extended DCUM-private school circle - which is extensive lol - Vandy is held in high regard, as it’s a T20 that’s in the South - weather, Nashville, and cool vibe you will find at no ivy. Ivies are still ivies, but Vandy beats Cornell like a rug every day of the week with these girls - and it’s not even close. That’s the true ivy proxy as Dartmouth is more like Amherst, and Penn and Columbia are experiencing their own issues

Same at my DDs private in NY, Vanderbilt has gotten very popular and many kids are choosing it over Cornell. Warm weather, different culture, and reputation for having kids who work hard but are also very social is appealing to many students. I honestly did not know that much about it until past 2-3 years.

Cornell is full of grinders. We toured twice and my kids (junior and senior) were turned off because the stress was radiating off other high school students on the tours and many kids frankly looked like they hadn't left their bedrooms in high school. If you are looking for main-stream kids it's a tough sell. Vanderbilt feels very different. For kids who are smart but not intense it's a dream school.