Vanderbilt is a medium sized (approx 6500 undergraduates) Research I university located in Nashville, Tennessee. But it is a national university, not a regional one. Only 9% of enrolled students hail from Tennessee. For students concerned about leaving New York and being in the middle of nowhere, this will not be an issue at Vanderbilt. Students can take comfort in the thriving music scene and general energy around campus without fear of being the city puppy who has lost its way.
When applying to Vanderbilt, a student is asked to select one of four 'doorways' 1) Arts and Science 2) Engineering 3) Peabody (Education and Human Development) or 4) Blair (Music). Other than the things you can infer from those names, note that Peabody is not just for teachers, it also houses majors related to psychology and child development and Blair is mainly focused on classical music. If admitted, all students must stay in the college they were admitted into for one year. But then if it is truly the wrong fit and internal transfer process can begin. Vanderbilt combines highly selective academics (how selective? There is somewhere around an 11% admit rate this year, so prettttttty selective) with a school that can also offer Division I athletics. Once you start comparing those stats with other things like size and location in an urban area, the number of schools with a similar profile really does drop and drop quickly.
So who thrives at Vanderbilt? One professor selected the adjective 'risk taker' when describing who succeeds in his classroom. Students are bright, but they don't seem to always believe it (a student we talked to on campus felt embarrassed to admit his 'low' ACT score of 32. We assured him it was not low). Students are ambitious and outgoing with a strong dose of southern hospitality (apparently gained through osmosis since, as I mentioned, this is not a regional school). Admitted students are all leaders in some way --be it as captain of the Lacrosse team in high school or first chair Violin in orchestra.
What makes Vanderbilt unique? For starters, on campus housing is required for all four years. So expect to be a four year member of the community. Then there is Opportunity Vanderbilt-- a financial aid initiative boldly started AFTER the 2008 crash in which all admitted students are awarded financial aid that covers 100% of demonstrated need. Domestic students are admitted need blind. Other than a $2,300 work study component, the only thing a family is asked to pay is the EFC (Estimated Family Contribution). If you are wondering about loans, keep wondering, because Vanderbilt doesn't proactively offer them. Any family that opts to take one (about 23%) does so by choice. They also offer merit scholarships. Again, when we are talking about schools as selective as this, providing merit scholarships is a very very unique thing. (Who gets merit scholarships then? Assume that one must be in the very top of the class with the very highest test scores to be a serious contender. But, also note that merit scholarship consideration is initiated by the STUDENT via an online application. So those winners are self selecting and the school expects them to take the first step by filling out the scholarship application.)
Though not highlighted much on this tour, it doesn't take much digging to discover that Vanderbilt fills almost half of their class through ED. For a school with overlaps like theirs, that isn't a tremendous shock to me, but it might be to you. This means that the mantra of ED rings true here: if this school is your first choice and you don't want to go anywhere else, you should strongly consider pursuing Early Decision. That isn't to say that you can't be admitted in regular, only that the game of musical chairs ramps up from intramural to Olympian. They are also a school that consistently uses the wait list to shape the class and prevent being overenrolled, so being wait listed really might end up in eventual admission for a sizeable chunk of the class.
Thanks Vanderbilt for a great two days (and letting me wear sandals for the first time in 2015)!
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