The Pros and Cons of Vanderbilt

What is Vanderbilt’s reputation?

“classic Southern vibe” “excellent pre-med” “grueling academics” “happy students” “big Greek culture” “right in the heart of Nashville” “beautiful campus” “lots of conservative and religious students from the South” “students dress to impress” “lots of polo shirts and sundresses” “attracts mostly mainstream, conventional students” “competitive culture” “diverse but highly segregated” “a bit homogeneous”

Vanderbilt is a private, mid-sized university with 7,000 undergraduates located in the heart of Music City: Nashville, TN. It’s situated on a beautiful campus that merges historic buildings with modern facilities, and offers lots of lush green spaces, expansive lawns, and meandering walkways that invite leisurely strolls, outdoor study sessions, and impromptu student gatherings. And it’s all just a quick 5-minute drive to Lower Broadway, which is the vibrant center of Nashville, that has live music, eclectic restaurants, numerous bars, and more.

Southern Charm.

If you’re looking for a Top 20 university with a good dose of southern charm, this is it. Vanderbilt feels like a classic southern school: about 40% of students come from the South, the weather is warm, the people are outgoing and friendly, Greek life is huge, students tend to dress up more than at other schools (no pajamas to class), and there’s quite a large and vocal contingent of conservative, religious students. You get the impression that not all that much has changed in 150 years, though it has.

The Pros of Vanderbilt…

#1: Pre-Med Program — It’s estimated that half of all Vanderbilt freshmen start out as pre-med, though the vast majority eventually segue into other fields (by choice or by force). Those that stick with it have a very good chance of getting into medical school (78%), which is considerably higher than the national average (46%). They also have a much better chance of getting into Vanderbilt’s very own Top 20-rated Medical School (12%) than outside applicants (4%).

#2: Academic Caliber — Across all departments, Vanderbilt is known for its academic rigor and quality instruction. The school regularly ranks in the Top 10 for Best Undergraduate Teaching, putting it on-par with prestigious schools like Duke and Notre Dame.

#3: Social Life — Vanderbilt has earned the reputation as a work hard/play hard university, and students balance intense study sessions with lots of extracurricular activities, clubs, sports and parties. Students here are not only smart; they tend to be very outgoing (lots of former high school Student Council Presidents and Varsity Team Captains).

#4: Happy Students— In Princeton Review surveys, Vanderbilt regularly ranks as having one of the happiest student bodies, which is probably a byproduct of good classes and a great social life.

#5: HOD Major — While Vanderbilt doesn’t have an undergraduate business program, one of the most popular majors on campus is Human and Organizational Development (HOD), which combines business, psychology, sociology and other interdisciplinary fields to prepare students for leadership roles in a wide variety of business sectors.

#6: Location — Not only is campus beautiful, but it’s a quick 5-minute drive to the heart of Nashville, which provides endless opportunities for live music (ranging from country to blues to rock), restaurants of every kind, bars, art festivals, you name it. Plus, Nashville provides internships and jobs in a variety of sectors including healthcare, tech, entertainment, and entrepreneurship.

The Cons of Vanderbilt…

#1: Racial Segregation — While Vanderbilt today is quite diverse (39% White, 19% Asian, 12% Hispanic, 10% Black, 10% International), with students from all over the country and all over the world, students tend to self-segregate on campus. When you look at friends groups, or fraternities and sororities, or people eating together in the dining hall, people tend to congregate into similar racial groups.

#2: Homogeneous Student Body — There’s a definite “type” of Vanderbilt student, and many would describe it as a “rich, white, preppy, conservative student from the South.” And though not everyone fits that precise description, students tend to adopt that same kind of preppy demeanor. There’s a bit of pressure here to conform to mainstream ideals, and unconventional, outlier students may feel out of place.

#3: Competitive Culture — Though Vanderbilt students are warm and friendly, it can be very difficult to get into the frat or sorority you want, or the student club you want, like a popular “finance frat.” Students here are subtly competing with one another for everything, and you may frequently find yourself on the outside looking in.

If you like Vanderbilt, you might also like…

If you’re looking for another highly-ranked Southern school with a big Greek culture and a conservative vibe, you might consider Emory (#24) or Wake Forest (#46). Emory is located just a few miles outside of Atlanta, and is another exceptional option for pre-med. Plus, Emory has a much higher ED acceptance rate than Vanderbilt (30% vs. 16% ). Wake Forest in North Carolina also has a good pre-med program, plus a preppy culture that’s very similar to Vanderbilt, and has a much higher ED rate (33% vs 16%). Unlike Vanderbilt, both Emory and Wake have undergraduate business programs. And they also have ED II, in case you get rejected or deferred from Vanderbilt.

How to get into Vanderbilt…

#1: Apply ED — Roughly half the students at Vanderbilt get in through Early Decision, and statistically it gives you the best admissions advantage: 16% ED vs. 4% Regular Decision. If Vanderbilt is your first choice, this is absolutely the way to go.

#2: Apply ED II - Vanderbilt also gives you the option to apply ED II, and while this also gives you a sizable admissions boost, it’s not nearly as large as ED I. Compare: 16% ED vs. 10% ED II vs. 4% RD. Many students likely apply ED II to Vanderbilt after they’ve been rejected (or deferred) by their top-choice Ivy League school. If the Ivy League is a bit too much of a reach for you, applying ED to Vanderbilt is the better option, or you might miss out on both.