Northwestern vs Vandy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid still torn after NW day. No unwashed hair but vibe was not what he was expecting. Struggled to connect with kids in his program. He’s an outgoing friendly kid that can talk about anything so he’s really bummed.

What program?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know about academics. Talk to me about social life? Campus culture?

How is sorority rush? Esp at Vandy if not southern and blonde? Is it really socially competitive?

How would you describe the atmosphere at Northwestern for well adjusted social women? Is it a similar competitive vibe?

What do most people do on the weekends at both?

I can't speak to Vandy but two people in my family went to Northwestern. They both were athletes, one was in a sorority. One LOVED their time at Northwestern, one thought it was fine. One was very social and loved having access to Chicago for internships.

BUT the one I know best doesn't think the alumni engagement is the best. They have the big football game in the fall and constantly get asked for $, but feel it is lacking. One attended a top Ivy for graduate school and the alumni network is so much better, more engaged, more helpful etc.

NU is on a quarter system so to some it seems busier. Thus, that should also be a consideration.

Also, interesting people's experiences when visiting. One family member talks about when they visited and the campus seemed "dead" but went there anyway. They said their experience was nothing like when they visited and much more social. I wonder why?! It to me circles back to the alumni engagement aspect. Maybe they should do a better job picking the current students and alumni they have on panels and interacting with prospective students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Gosh these northwestern kids are so painfully awkward on these Wildcat days panels.

Having gone to multiple admitted students days this month, including Vanderbilt, it’s a very different student they are appealing to.

The same kid will likely not like both. This is a question of gut.

The Northwestern kids were so nerdy, my kid was ready to leave before the tour even started. Same at Cornell. These kids look like they don’t wash their hair or care about what they wear at all. I recognize this is harsh, but it was a bit shocking. Where do all the smart, super social kids go to school? Are Top 10s weeding the normal kids out? My DC is very smart, but not nerdy. He is into sports (playing and watching), socializing a lot, golfs, hangs out constantly with friends. He would like to join a fraternity. We thought Northwestern (wrong), Duke or Cornell. I am thinking maybe a big state school? UVA, UCLA, UNC, Michigan? Any Ivies fit the bill?

LOL !!!

Troll much ?

Have you been on campus at any of the top 10-15 schools lately?? There was such a weird, nerdy vibe at the 4 we visited. There are, of course, handfuls of more normal kids, but the majority are so awkward. I know our family isn’t alone is noticing this phenomenon!

Yes! We visited and couldn't believe the level of nerdy/awkward at most of the top 20 schools. Kids on the tours looked like they hadn't left their room in high school. Tour guides were strange. We spent entire days on campuses looking for mainstream kids only to see a small handful. My husband was a super geek in high school and even he was floored.
The worst: Cornell, Northwestern, Rice, Georgia Tech. My kids (jr and sr) didn't apply. We actually toured Cornell twice (2 months apart) to give it another shot and it was the same both times.
Schools with the least awkward element: UVA, UCLA, UNC, Vanderbilt, Boston College, Wisconsin.

Of note, we are not a white family and this is not a racial thing but an awkward thing.

I agree the tour guides at Cornell are horrible. All are doing it for $$$ through their financial aid package. I think that's true for most schools. Its not like they actually WANT to be a tour guide.

At my kid's school, they have to basically audition and it seems to be mostly fun, social kids who are hired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our dc visited both schools and within 5 minutes said not going to either and committed to a large pubic ivy. Wanted more of a school spirit campus culture and more fun diversity student body. She is very social and can make friends with anyone and can hold variety of conversations. We tried to convince her to go wildcats. But she vehemently opposed.

what is a pubic ivy?

College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
University of California (applies to the campuses as of 1985: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, Davis, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Riverside)
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Texas at Austin
University of Vermont (Burlington)
University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

There is no such thing as a "public ivy."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Vanderbilt, we hear that the wealthy and private school kids definitely stick together socially (particularly the girls). That dynamic may exist at other schools as well. Can’t comment on Northwestern bc don't know many kids there.

my DD is there, public school kid. Frosh year there are like 2 sororities that brand and market themselves as top tier, so many of the girls are pining for that path - and after a lifetime of achievement, academic / social / ec success and gaining college admissions against a 5% admit rate, feel that “top tier sororities” should be the goal. When in fact those sororities are extremely cliquey and not a fit for most of the public school “unconnected” kids, who usually find their path after rush whether in another sorority or not. My DC flourished after this experience, and found her peeps through other organizations - ironically with some of the girls in those top sororities.

My private HS girl was turned off by the material /consumption culture of a few of the "top" houses at Vanderbilt. At Anchor Day, it seems like the girls were already "gunning" for those houses. Lots of goyard (Real not fake), van cleef, cartier love bracelets and GG shoes.

There's a mix of an East Coast and southern country club vibe that is hard to shake. You have to decide if you are in and okay with that scene and all that it entails (paying hundreds a month to park your car in a nearby apt and then going with "girls" to Barry's BootCamp, Barre classes, nail appts, hair blowouts and whole foods runs- and once in a "top" house, its a whole different game)....maybe it does get better. Then Broadway bars 2-3 nights a week (that gets old fast). One of the top houses is VERY blonde with one token non-white pledge each fall.

There was something exhausting about the entire prospect for my social private HS girl. It seemed almost too much.
I feel like it works for kids who get this vibe at their summer camps. They would thrive here.

I’m the poster u responded to - guess my point was this seems important early on, but most girls grow quickly and realize it isn’t - in fact it’s a really small percentage of vapid girls who create this branding / approach. And if a kid doesn’t have a strong sense of self and confidence, and can’t handle this “rejection” by the mean girl clique, then likely other issues at play

[Anonymous]

I’m shocked by the tacit acceptance of mean girl cliques at Vanderbilt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our dc visited both schools and within 5 minutes said not going to either and committed to a large pubic ivy. Wanted more of a school spirit campus culture and more fun diversity student body. She is very social and can make friends with anyone and can hold variety of conversations. We tried to convince her to go wildcats. But she vehemently opposed.

what is a pubic ivy?

College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
University of California (applies to the campuses as of 1985: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, Davis, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Riverside)
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Texas at Austin
University of Vermont (Burlington)
University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

There is no such thing as a "public ivy."

Many years ago (maybe the late 1980s or early 1990s) there was a book called “The Public Ivies.” PP has listed the schools that were in the book. I think the premise of the book was that these were, in the author’s opinion, the best eight public universities at the time. I remember thinking that the author was trying to be creative by including Miami and Vermont.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our dc visited both schools and within 5 minutes said not going to either and committed to a large pubic ivy. Wanted more of a school spirit campus culture and more fun diversity student body. She is very social and can make friends with anyone and can hold variety of conversations. We tried to convince her to go wildcats. But she vehemently opposed.

what is a pubic ivy?

College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
University of California (applies to the campuses as of 1985: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, Davis, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Riverside)
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Texas at Austin
University of Vermont (Burlington)
University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

There is no such thing as a "public ivy."

Many years ago (maybe the late 1980s or early 1990s) there was a book called “The Public Ivies.” PP has listed the schools that were in the book. I think the premise of the book was that these were, in the author’s opinion, the best eight public universities at the time. I remember thinking that the author was trying to be creative by including Miami and Vermont.

this list explicitly calls it "The Public New Ivies":
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawhitford/2025/03/26/the-new-ivies-2025-20-great-colleges-employers-love/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our dc visited both schools and within 5 minutes said not going to either and committed to a large pubic ivy. Wanted more of a school spirit campus culture and more fun diversity student body. She is very social and can make friends with anyone and can hold variety of conversations. We tried to convince her to go wildcats. But she vehemently opposed.

what is a pubic ivy?

College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
University of California (applies to the campuses as of 1985: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, Davis, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Riverside)
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Texas at Austin
University of Vermont (Burlington)
University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

There is no such thing as a "public ivy."

Many years ago (maybe the late 1980s or early 1990s) there was a book called “The Public Ivies.” PP has listed the schools that were in the book. I think the premise of the book was that these were, in the author’s opinion, the best eight public universities at the time. I remember thinking that the author was trying to be creative by including Miami and Vermont.

I’d say author was being creative just coming up with the term itself. It’s so cringe to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At Vanderbilt, we hear that the wealthy and private school kids definitely stick together socially (particularly the girls). That dynamic may exist at other schools as well. Can’t comment on Northwestern bc don't know many kids there.

my DD is there, public school kid. Frosh year there are like 2 sororities that brand and market themselves as top tier, so many of the girls are pining for that path - and after a lifetime of achievement, academic / social / ec success and gaining college admissions against a 5% admit rate, feel that “top tier sororities” should be the goal. When in fact those sororities are extremely cliquey and not a fit for most of the public school “unconnected” kids, who usually find their path after rush whether in another sorority or not. My DC flourished after this experience, and found her peeps through other organizations - ironically with some of the girls in those top sororities.

My private HS girl was turned off by the material /consumption culture of a few of the "top" houses at Vanderbilt. At Anchor Day, it seems like the girls were already "gunning" for those houses. Lots of goyard (Real not fake), van cleef, cartier love bracelets and GG shoes.

There's a mix of an East Coast and southern country club vibe that is hard to shake. You have to decide if you are in and okay with that scene and all that it entails (paying hundreds a month to park your car in a nearby apt and then going with "girls" to Barry's BootCamp, Barre classes, nail appts, hair blowouts and whole foods runs- and once in a "top" house, its a whole different game)....maybe it does get better. Then Broadway bars 2-3 nights a week (that gets old fast). One of the top houses is VERY blonde with one token non-white pledge each fall.

There was something exhausting about the entire prospect for my social private HS girl. It seemed almost too much.
I feel like it works for kids who get this vibe at their summer camps. They would thrive here.

I’m the poster u responded to - guess my point was this seems important early on, but most girls grow quickly and realize it isn’t - in fact it’s a really small percentage of vapid girls who create this branding / approach. And if a kid doesn’t have a strong sense of self and confidence, and can’t handle this “rejection” by the mean girl clique, then likely other issues at play

I was about to share a similar thought.

By definition, these houses and types of girls are the minority. Meaning, they choose a subset of new girls each year and exclude everyone else who rushes. Plus there are the girls who don’t bother to rush those houses or who don’t rush at all.

So why all the concern about a small minority of girls on campus who are a poor fit for your DD? What about all the other kids? Vandy is a big school. I’m sure there are many different social groups. It’s not like a kids’ social life dies if they opt out of rushing a few sororities.


how they

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our dc visited both schools and within 5 minutes said not going to either and committed to a large pubic ivy. Wanted more of a school spirit campus culture and more fun diversity student body. She is very social and can make friends with anyone and can hold variety of conversations. We tried to convince her to go wildcats. But she vehemently opposed.

what is a pubic ivy?

College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
University of California (applies to the campuses as of 1985: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, Davis, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Riverside)
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Texas at Austin
University of Vermont (Burlington)
University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

There is no such thing as a "public ivy."

Many years ago (maybe the late 1980s or early 1990s) there was a book called “The Public Ivies.” PP has listed the schools that were in the book. I think the premise of the book was that these were, in the author’s opinion, the best eight public universities at the time. I remember thinking that the author was trying to be creative by including Miami and Vermont.

I’d say author was being creative just coming up with the term itself. It’s so cringe to me.

Same. There’s a mom here who now refers to SUNY Binghamton as a “public ivy”. She’s the same mom who referred to it as a “safety school” before her DC was rejected from all the actual Ivys.

I say this with nothing but respect fur SUNY Binghamton. It’s a really good school. But it’s super cringy to try to piggy-back off a collection of other schools. Just embrace what it is!

Same goes for Duke, by the way. Years ago I heard it referred to as a “southern Ivy” and “Harvard of the south.” Made me want to puke, but not because I hate Duke. Quite the opposite! The references just seemed so defensive and cringy. 😢

Duke has more than enough value to stand on its own without reference to the Ivy League schools. Same for the flagship public schools. No need for dumb comparisons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our dc visited both schools and within 5 minutes said not going to either and committed to a large pubic ivy. Wanted more of a school spirit campus culture and more fun diversity student body. She is very social and can make friends with anyone and can hold variety of conversations. We tried to convince her to go wildcats. But she vehemently opposed.

what is a pubic ivy?

College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
University of California (applies to the campuses as of 1985: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, Davis, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Riverside)
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Texas at Austin
University of Vermont (Burlington)
University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

There is no such thing as a "public ivy."

Many years ago (maybe the late 1980s or early 1990s) there was a book called “The Public Ivies.” PP has listed the schools that were in the book. I think the premise of the book was that these were, in the author’s opinion, the best eight public universities at the time. I remember thinking that the author was trying to be creative by including Miami and Vermont.

I’d say author was being creative just coming up with the term itself. It’s so cringe to me.

Same. There’s a mom here who now refers to SUNY Binghamton as a “public ivy”. She’s the same mom who referred to it as a “safety school” before her DC was rejected from all the actual Ivys.

I say this with nothing but respect fur SUNY Binghamton. It’s a really good school. But it’s super cringy to try to piggy-back off a collection of other schools. Just embrace what it is!

Same goes for Duke, by the way. Years ago I heard it referred to as a “southern Ivy” and “Harvard of the south.” Made me want to puke, but not because I hate Duke. Quite the opposite! The references just seemed so defensive and cringy. 😢

Duke has more than enough value to stand on its own without reference to the Ivy League schools. Same for the flagship public schools. No need for dumb comparisons.

Duke being the "Southern Ivy" or "Harvard of the South" described what set it apart in a nutshell. No other southern school has achieved a similar standing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our dc visited both schools and within 5 minutes said not going to either and committed to a large pubic ivy. Wanted more of a school spirit campus culture and more fun diversity student body. She is very social and can make friends with anyone and can hold variety of conversations. We tried to convince her to go wildcats. But she vehemently opposed.

what is a pubic ivy?

College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
University of California (applies to the campuses as of 1985: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, Davis, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Riverside)
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Texas at Austin
University of Vermont (Burlington)
University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

There is no such thing as a "public ivy."

Many years ago (maybe the late 1980s or early 1990s) there was a book called “The Public Ivies.” PP has listed the schools that were in the book. I think the premise of the book was that these were, in the author’s opinion, the best eight public universities at the time. I remember thinking that the author was trying to be creative by including Miami and Vermont.

The author was trying to tout Ivy League education at a public school cost because he thought privates were becoming too expensive.

[Anonymous]

Northwestern over Vanderbilt for anyone serious about academics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern over Vanderbilt for anyone serious about academics

Both are serious.

Where do you want to be after graduation?
What major?