Decisions, decisions.....UMich vs. Vandy

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
J

J33

Senior Member
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2003
Messages
138
Reaction score
0
Members do not see this ad.
I just got accepted off the waitlist at UMich and am currently holding Vandy. Michigan was my first choice early on in the process, but as times goes on I realize I'd rather live in Nashville than Ann Arbor. However, I liked the medical school more at UMich. Does anyone have any opinions on either of these two schools? Anyone have to make the same decision, or at least interviewed at both places?

(Please don't turn this into a thread talking about how much Nashville sucks and how it's not as diverse. I've already considered that. I'm more concerned with people's impressions of the schools.)

I'd really appreciate any opinions or advice!


p.s. I aware that I am guilty of posting several of these "vs." threads over the past few months, so I at least try to contribute to other people's when I have an opinion.
 
Because I went to Vandy undergrad and spent 4 years in Nashville, I feel like I have some authority on this question. . . . .okay, not really- but here's my opinion anyway.

Nashville is cool, yeah, but I think you (we) should make this decision based on the school- we're going to be busy enough that going out anywhere / time will be great enough in its own right. Obviously, the weather will be warmer in Nashvegas- but if you didn't know, the sun doesn't come out from January till mid-march. And it's not a pretty, snowy period like we enjoy in the Midwest: it's non stop rain and rain clouds- it's just ugly.
On a brighter note, Vandy girls (and guys) are hot and the med school is right there next to the undergrad. So, it could be a nice scene.
Also, a few months ago I walked into a bar and randomly saw Brett(?) Micheals (the lead singer of Poison) and Joe Nichols (country music newcomer / star) sing together . . . . .you'd probably never catch that anywhere else.

My opinion (don't know if I'd go as far as to say "advice") is to chose on school / curriculum, not city. But if you want to know anything else about Nashville / Vanderbilt I'd be happy to help.

Good luck with the choice
-Vandyfox
 
j33,

sorry, dont know anything about vandy so cant really help. But.. I was wondering when you heard about UMich, how u heard, and what you sent them in the mean time (LOI, etc.).

thanks,
mmz6
 
you know where I stand. 👍
 
Man, that's a really tough decision. Both schools are very prestigious and offer top-notch instruction. Both of the hospital systems are on the US News Honor Roll, which means that the majority of the clinical services at these hospitals are nationally renowned for excellence.

I guess one could argue that Michigan's residency programs are more prestigious than Vandy's, but I'm sure this assertion is highly debatable. From what I've gathered on the internet (which, of course, is not always the most credible source of information, but's it's all I have to work with), the following residency programs at Michigan are ranked among the top ten in the country by many residents, 4th year medical students, and program directors: anesthesiology, dermatology, general surgery, internal medicine, neurosurgery (debatable, but definitely one of the top programs in the country), opthalmology, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, physical medicine and rehabilitation, radiology, radiation oncology, and urology. Essentially, medicine, surgery and the surgical subspecialties are exceptionally strong at Michigan; so if you're interested in becoming a surgeon (like me), Michigan is an outstanding place to go. The other residency programs at Michigan are also highly regarded, esp. in the Midwest.

Good luck, man. You have a really tough decision to make. You can't go wrong though. Either school is a golden ticket for success.
 
Michigan...no question. Especially if the only reason you prefer vandy is location.
 
I agree with Vandyfox on this one. I was at Vandy for undergrad and loved both it and Nashville, but I think it's most important that you feel comfortable with the medical school itself and the students. I'm sure you could be happy at either one so good luck with your decision! :luck:
 
Here's something else to consider, though it complicates the decision somewhat: based on what I've learned about both schools (I applied to both, and I'll be at Michigan this fall), you'll probably have to be more assertive at Michigan, esp. in the area of mentoring. Every M1 at Vandy is assigned to a mentor in his/her specialty of interest; I think that's awesome. Michigan, in contrast, doesn't assign students to particular mentors until 3rd year. Of course, M1's at Michigan can find mentors, too, but the students themselves have to establish these relationships. If you're shy, this could be a problem.

The bottom line for Michigan is that the institution offers a wealth of opportunities on the order of Harvard, Hopkins, etc., BUT you have to be pretty damn assertive to benefit from these opportunities. Nothing is handed to Michigan med students on a silver platter--at Michigan, you have to earn the privileges that accompany prestige (letters of recommendation from "gods" in particular specialties, etc.). Vandy, on the other hand, seems to cater to students more, as evidenced by the overall happiness of students at Vandy.

Just something else to consider. Good luck and maybe I'll see you at Michigan in a couple of months!
 
I've been told by several people (including my sister's boyfriend, who works with a lot of neurosurgery attendings and residents) that neurosurgery at Michigan is top-notch, mostly because of what Julian Hoff has done as chairman. I don't know who told you that neurosurgery at Michigan was relatively weak, but many people in the graduate medical forums would beg to differ with you. And these are people who have either already matched into neurosurgery programs or are planning to match into neurosurgery, so I think they're fairly qualified to offer an assessment as to what the best programs are, the subjective nature of these evaluations notwithstanding.

There's also a website for medical students who want to become neurosurgeons, and there's a protracted debate in the forums as to which programs are considered top-tier. The consensus among many participants, ranging from current neurosurgery residents to 4th year med students, is that Michigan's neurosurgery program is one of the best (top 10 or top 20 in the country).

Evidently, Julian Hoff is stepping down as chairman of the department, and the consequences of this remain to be seen. But one neurosurgery resident in the graduate medical forums told me that Michigan's neurosurgery department is so highly regarded that undoubtedly the program will attract the best and brightest in the field to the chairmanship, either an internal recruit or a faculty member from elsewhere.
 
Just ask yourself where you would want to be on a Saturday afternoon in the fall, especially when Ohio St. rolls into Ann Arbor. I can only imagine how crazy UMich will be then.

Congrats on having the choice to decide on 2 great schools.
 
pbehzad said:
Just ask yourself where you would want to be on a Saturday afternoon in the fall, especially when Ohio St. rolls into Ann Arbor. I can only imagine how crazy UMich will be then.
If we're talking NCAA football, it doesn't get any better than when any SEC team comes in and Vandy beats the hell out of . . . . .oh, ummmm. Or when one of those D-II schools come in and we . . . .oh, we lost that game too. Well, the stars on our helmets are really cool !

FIGHT DORES!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
J33 said:
I just got accepted off the waitlist at UMich and am currently holding Vandy. Michigan was my first choice early on in the process, but as times goes on I realize I'd rather live in Nashville than Ann Arbor. However, I liked the medical school more at UMich. Does anyone have any opinions on either of these two schools? Anyone have to make the same decision, or at least interviewed at both places?

(Please don't turn this into a thread talking about how much Nashville sucks and how it's not as diverse. I've already considered that. I'm more concerned with people's impressions of the schools.)

I'd really appreciate any opinions or advice!


p.s. I aware that I am guilty of posting several of these "vs." threads over the past few months, so I at least try to contribute to other people's when I have an opinion.
Click to expand...

I liked both schools a lot, but I really felt like Vanderbilt had a more laid back student body (though my student hosts at Michigan were REALLY awesome and the SDNers going to UM next year are really cool too) and it seemed as if there were more programs for faculty interaction (advisement, etc).

I think its kind of trivial to pick at rank and residency ratings when you're talking about two great schools, so at that point, if you really liked Nashville better, go that route.

Another thing to consider is where you want to do residency. If you prefer the midwest, go to Michigan, if you prefer the atlantic, go to Vandy. This is really a point that hasnt been discussed, but that is very important, because both schools are regional powerhouses (along with their obvious national reknown). If you take a look at the match lists, a majority of matches are in the same region as the med school, so consider that as well.
 
elias514 said:
The bottom line for Michigan is that the institution offers a wealth of opportunities on the order of Harvard, Hopkins, etc., BUT you have to be pretty damn assertive to benefit from these opportunities. Nothing is handed to Michigan med students on a silver platter--at Michigan, you have to earn the privileges that accompany prestige (letters of recommendation from "gods" in particular specialties, etc.).
Click to expand...

I think this is right on. At least that's the impression i've gotten as well from med students here. if you're assertive, it's no problem. If you're not, it can be an issue.
 
The US News rankings are for neurosurgery AND neurology, and I understand that Michigan's neurology department isn't exactly world-class. So the US News rankings don't really help here. I mean, look at the ranking of University of Washington and University of Virginia (both in the 30's); both of these places are awesome for neurosurgery. UVA has produced several chairpersons, including the current chairs of neurosurgery at WashU and Penn. The US News rankings of neurology and neurosurgery are misleading.

Here?s some threads to back up my claim that Michigan?s neurosurgery program is top notch, because (as usual) MDMike24 disagrees with me:

Comment by Surgical Resident at Michigan (La Cirujana):
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=83852&page=2&pp=25&highlight=neurosurgery+programs

Ranking of Neurosurgery Programs by 4th years and Current Neurosurgical Residents:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=72384&highlight=neurosurgery+programs

Ranking of Neurosurgery Programs by region, again by current neurosurgery residents and 4th years:
http://www.nsmatch.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=180&highlight=top+programs

I've yet to come across a single thread that describes Henry Ford's neurosurgery program as the best in Michigan. Some residents and 4th years have characterized the Ford program as "solid" and mentioned the fact that some of the faculty at Henry Ford are big shots. But I just don't subscribe to the assertion that Henry Ford and William Beaumont have "better" (whatever that means in this context) residency programs than Michigan.
 
elias514 said:
Here's something else to consider, though it complicates the decision somewhat: based on what I've learned about both schools (I applied to both, and I'll be at Michigan this fall), you'll probably have to be more assertive at Michigan, esp. in the area of mentoring. Every M1 at Vandy is assigned to a mentor in his/her specialty of interest; I think that's awesome. Michigan, in contrast, doesn't assign students to particular mentors until 3rd year. Of course, M1's at Michigan can find mentors, too, but the students themselves have to establish these relationships. If you're shy, this could be a problem.

The bottom line for Michigan is that the institution offers a wealth of opportunities on the order of Harvard, Hopkins, etc., BUT you have to be pretty damn assertive to benefit from these opportunities. Nothing is handed to Michigan med students on a silver platter--at Michigan, you have to earn the privileges that accompany prestige (letters of recommendation from "gods" in particular specialties, etc.). Vandy, on the other hand, seems to cater to students more, as evidenced by the overall happiness of students at Vandy.

Just something else to consider. Good luck and maybe I'll see you at Michigan in a couple of months!
Click to expand...

hey, regarding the assertion that every MS1 at vandy being assigned a mentor of his/her speciality of interest may be a bit off. if things haven't changed, the faculty mentor that you get on the first day of class is basically your mentor for the first year. this may be based on what u wrote on ur application and a "guess" of who would be a good fit for you or may be totally random. however, say you had an unstated love for derm or something, then it would be up to you to find an mentor in derm if u wanted to. just like undergrad, some students will get to know their mentors very well (i.e. meetings, dinners at mentor's houses), while others won't really interact w/ their mentors after the first meeting during orientation.

what you may be thinking of is a student mentor who happens to be a 2nd year when you're a first year. in generally, i'd say the 2nd/1st year mentor/mentee system at vandy is pretty solid. i.e. 2nd years will sometimes give 1st years old tests, let them borrow books, bake cookies and stuff. it's pretty unique.

in terms of being a laid back environment at vandy, the students work hard and play hard. people will take time off to help others. this was precisely the case during 2nd look weekend when a significant number of the 1st year class took time off to be a part of the events... in february, 1st/4th years put on some great performances at the annual cadaver ball. we even put together a dvd which those who went to 2nd look might have gotten a preview of some of the performances.


vandy's in process of buidling a $100 research buiding next to the main lecture halls in light hall. if u have any other quesitons, let me know.
 
I thought his gut feeling was for Vandy??? I'd say go to Vandy over Umich because location does make a huge difference in how much you like medical school.
 
I just got back and was happy to see that so many people gave input in this thread. I appreciate so many good opinions (and a healthy debate on the merits of Michigan's neurosurgery program). But could you guys please give reasons why you'd pick one school over the other? (that's mostly aimed at the last 4 or so posters!) There's a reason I didn't post a poll!

But seriously, I am really torn by this decision as I slightly favor the campus atmosphere and academics of Michigan, and heavily favor the location of Vandy. The difference between academics is smaller than the difference between locations.

Vandyfox--the sun may stay down between Jan. and mid-March in Nashville, but that's better than Nov. - April in Michigan.
 
Tenn. Whiskey.

Being serious now:
I dunno much about UMich because I never thought i'd have a chance at top20 so didn't apply there. Thus, I can't say I'd go to UMich over vandy and vice versa. However, I believe UMich has a stronger research and clinical programs.

For vandy, I've heard they pamper their students and has a good collegial atmosphere. Vandy is very traditional as you are probably aware and they apparently have one of the most hardcore anatomy course. I think there was an article where a vandy faculty ridiculed the idea of cutting back on anatomy course like at UCSF. The people at Nashville are also quite nice, must be what they refer to as southern hospitality. Don't think I can add anything new to this maybe i'll add 'em as it comes to my mind.
 
One more thing to consider...it is my opinion that Vandy seems to match better outside of their own hospitals than Michigan. And if I lived in Ann Arbor, I probably wouldn't want to spend more than 4 years there, based on my own opinion and the opinions of people I know there. I would probably want to do residency in the midwest, but I'm not certain of that. However, I bet that Vandy could match as well in the midwest if more people applied. Looking at where their students come from, many are from the south and east, but they still match some people at hospitals like UMich every year. I'm from the midwest and sort of like the idea of trying something different for 4 years...plus I love country music (which is most of Nashville's appeal for me besides the extra warmth). But the football games, campus, and apparent slight reputation edge that Michigan has are also appealing. Does anyone have any opinions on the difference in reputation between these two schools in the medical world? Is it even/close or is Michigan that much better?

And could someone please explain this student concierge service at Vandy. I didn't hear anything about it. Is it a medical school thing or a general university thing?
 
Hey, the blistering cold of Michigan is a PERFECT environment in which to study medicine. Imagine the hard decisions you'll have to make as a student at Michigan:

You: Hmm...Should I go outside and freeze my ass off or study physiology? Damn, this is a hard decision. Frostbite or renal physiology? God, why do you do this to me! What have I done to deserve this? Give me the wisdom to choose the right coure of action! Oh wait, what the hell am I thinking? It's f**^% freezing out there! I'd rather study for 40 HOURS than go out there. Renal physiology, here we go!

What better motivation is there to study than subzero temperatures? I mean, c'mon man, do the right thing, go to Michigan.
 
I don't think there's any significant difference in the reputations of Michigan and Vandy, to be honest with you. The fact that a greater proportion of Vandy students match at places other than Vandy and outside of the Midwest simply reflects the private nature of Vanderbilt. Since Vandy is a private institution with no contracts with the state, in which the medical school is obligated to accept X number of Tennessee residents each year, the class composition at Vandy is more diverse from the standpoint of location. In contrast, nearly half of the incoming students at Michigan are Michigan residents with a preference for the Midwest--most likely the state of Michigan. The differences between the matching histories of Michigan and Vanderbilt have more to do with the composition of the classes at these institutions (Vandy draws more from a national pool) than the reputation of the schools themselves. If you do well at either institution, you can go anywhere for residency.
 
Just to drive in my point, I wonder how different Vandy's match lists would look if half of the entering class each year were composed of Tennessee residents. I'm willing to bet that the proportion of matches at Vandy and at residency programs in the Midwest would increase considerably.
 
J33 said:
And could someone please explain this student concierge service at Vandy. I didn't hear anything about it. Is it a medical school thing or a general university thing?
Click to expand...

Vandy pampers their students. They pretty much throw money at them. I've heard that students can bring in dirty laundry and they'll wash them while they are at class and other misc service like that.
 
i got into both .. tough choice .. i personally don't like nashville, but i don't like ann arbor either .. i would've been fine at either .. normally location would be my #1 factor when comparing schools of indistinguishable prestige .. is money a non-issue for you as well? what's most important to you?

my friends at Vandy say that Vandy is surveyed to be #1 for student happiness .. and i really see that .. as far as academics go, i recall that UMich students are quizzed often (i can't remember if it's graded but it keeps everyone on their toes .. no complaints), and Vandy students also have demanding work (which leads to outstanding board scores) .. the students i know at Vandy didn't complain about the work, but i hear that they are also the superstars at the school .. so i don't want to give you any generalizations .. if they come out that way, pls disregard ..

i didn't research either schools in-depth because i wasn't trying to choose between the two, just wanted to give you any bit of information that i knew ..

i'm not sure how the 3rd/4th years are at UMich, but i hear good things about those years at Vandy .. my interviewer was an attending and took me on rounds with him the entire day after our interview just for kicks .. he says the students at Vandy really watch out for each other .. no one tries to outshine the other when someone is getting pimped .. if a person doesn't know the answer, no one will speak up, and the attending (at least my interviewer) is left to answer his own question ... my interviewer said that everyone recognizes this and looks upon this comradery positively .. i hear that everyone enjoys his/her years at Vandy so much that it's hard to turn down a residency there ... however my interviewer, looking out for me, wanted me to meet an asian female to get her perspective .. being that the class make-up is mostly white, she didn't seem as enthusiastic about the kind of diversity there .. why she chose Vandy, i'm not sure .. i didn't bother to ask since it wasn't a big issue with me ..

so personally, i liked Vandy as an institution better .. and the flights to home from Nashville are cheap .. but b/c of location, i might actually prefer UMich (i have friends in Detroit) .. i can't really say what i'd choose either so i can really understand your dilemma ("but what a good dilemma to have" as everyone says but i actually don't believe it, hah!) .. if you really like Nashville and the finances are similar, perhaps you should choose Vanderbilt .. there is nothing wrong with either institution .. do you prefer public or private? (i actually prefer private but i figured i'd suck it up at a public school to be in a location that i wanted .. at least in the end, you know how to do things yourself and deal with administration) ..

i've run out of things to say now 😛
 
I think location SHOULD play a big role, because its all about your overall happiness.

Few things:
1) The programs elias listed are strong. As for neurosurgery, we are having department heads from top 5 programs interview to replace Dr. Hoff if that is a sign (according to Dean Lichter). He the reason he left UCSF interestingly is because the referral base for UM is all of Michigan + northern ohio. If Beumont/Henry Ford were better that wouldn't be the base I don't think. (Side note, the modern football helmet was developed by the previous neurosurgery chair)

2) The med school does rock.

3) Do you want a class of 100 or 170. It is a pretty big difference and I imagine it changes class dynamics. (Hence the happiness because of cattering).

4) Interviewing at both schools, I think both are vastly different......

As for the $100m research building that is nothing.........we have tons of large research buildings coming up. This place will be off the chains in a few years......
 
SunnyS81 said:
1) The programs elias listed are strong. As for neurosurgery, we are having department heads from top 5 programs interview to replace Dr. Hoff if that is a sign (according to Dean Lichter). He the reason he left UCSF interestingly is because the referral base for UM is all of Michigan + northern ohio. If Beumont/Henry Ford were better that wouldn't be the base I don't think.
Click to expand...

Much of neurosurgery is referral based. UMich neurosurg discharges roughly 1700 patients a year compared to 5200 at Beaumont and 3200 at Henry Ford. So I assure you that UMich isn't getting all of the referals from Michigan and Ohio. It gets a small fraction of them, at best.

BTW, UCSF has a powerhouse neurosurgery program. It tops all programs in NIH funding, has graduated more department heads than any other program, and is ranked #5 by USNews. (Incidently, it didn't even make it into some of the top ten lists on the threads Elias sent out). Ford's current chief came from UCSF and their newest attending comes from Harvard.

I do have to admit though that the football helmet thing is kind of cool.

PS. I've heard Vandy students have one of the highest average board scores. Highest student happiness too.
 
Neither. MSU DO school you get to play capture the flag!!
 
I really have a lot to consider before making up my mind. Does anyone else have any input?
 
yeah, hurry up and make up your mind so that whichever one you turn down can offer your spot to me 😀

seriously though, in terms of reputation, residency placement, etc, i doubt it really matters much. i would just go with the environment that you prefer.
 
If you want to do residency in the midwest, go for Michigan.
 
With all due respect, Gleevec, I don't think that Michigan is going to confer any significant advantage in residency matching in the Midwest; both Vanderbilt and Michigan are considered midwestern powerhouses. Similarly, Vanderbilt grads don't have an edge in matching on the eastern seaboard. Again, I would attribute the higher proportion of matches at eastern locations to the private nature of Vanderbilt, which affects the class composition (I mentioned this in an earlier post).

The matching stuff shouldn't be an issue here. Both places are golden tickets to great residencies. Other factors should dictate the OP's final decision.
 
elias514 said:
With all due respect, Gleevec, I don't think that Michigan is going to confer any significant advantage in residency matching in the Midwest; both Vanderbilt and Michigan are considered midwestern powerhouses. Similarly, Vanderbilt grads don't have an edge in matching on the eastern seaboard. Again, I would attribute the higher proportion of matches at eastern locations to the private nature of Vanderbilt, which affects the class composition (I mentioned this in an earlier post).

The matching stuff shouldn't be an issue here. Both places are golden tickets to great residencies. Other factors should dictate the OP's final decision.
Click to expand...

I dunno bro, UM's list is very midwest oriented, and Vandy's is very southeast/east coast oriented. I dont mean to imply you couldnt get your residency of choice from either great school, Im just talking about trends from looking at their match lists, but I can see your point.
 
Vandy has the 2nd most matches into Harvard-aff hospitals (after Harvard of course) if that means anything to you. Make your decision quick so you can get a head start on housing.
 
pekq said:
Vandy has the 2nd most matches into Harvard-aff hospitals (after Harvard of course) if that means anything to you. Make your decision quick so you can get a head start on housing.
Click to expand...

Where do you get that kind of information? I'm just curious how you'd find that out without counting up the matchlists of all top schools.
 
If you want to do residency in the midwest, go for Michigan.
Click to expand...

I think this is misleading. A slight bias toward midwest residencies isn't surprising considering that just under 50% of the incoming students at UofM are Michigan residents. That does not necessarily mean that UofM graduates are more highly regarded by midwestern program directors than Vanderbilt grads. Both schools are well respected not only in the midwest but nationally.
 
J33 said:
Where do you get that kind of information? I'm just curious how you'd find that out without counting up the matchlists of all top schools.
Click to expand...

Stated by Vandy's dean during 2nd look weekend.
 
As far as matching is concerned, I think everyone makes good points. The home state's of the entering classes at UMich and Vandy probably contribute to the difference in locations of residency matching, as elias has been saying.

Maybe I'm just being indecisive, but this decision is killing me. I haven't been to Nashville since September, when I interviewed, so I think I'm going to take a trip there early next week to see everything again in more detail. I saw so many schools between then and now that they honestly blur together, and I was at Michigan much more recently. I never got to go to either second look weekend, so I'll try to gather all the info I can while I'm there. I'm trying to figure out now what to do while I'm there. Any suggestions from anyone who either knows the area or was at Vandy's second look? Maybe I'll try calling the admissions office and seeing if I can get another tour or something.
 
If you could just go ahead and find me a place to live while you're out there, that'd be terrific...
 
I am not sure if this has been mentioned by Vandy is lacking in diversity. There are no ethnic enclaves really in Nashville and if you must have your ethnic market then you are out of luck.

Things to do in Nashville:.......Hang out around the park and visit the replica of the parthenon. Tour the newly completed children's hospital (not that spetacular really). Walk around Vandy's undergrad campus. Not much to do I guess.
 
If diversity is important to you, go with UM. I read a stat that showed that Vanderbilt (and Nashville generally) don't promote a very ethnically diverse environment. Rep wise, I think these schools are very similar. There are some serious curricular differences that you should probably consider, i.e. UM's unique testing schedule, etc.... I'm not going to rehash those, since someone already has on this thread. Weather is another thing that's starkly different about these two schools.

In the end, I'd probably go with UM. Good luck in your decision.
 
pekq said:
I am not sure if this has been mentioned by Vandy is lacking in diversity. There are no ethnic enclaves really in Nashville and if you must have your ethnic market then you are out of luck.

Things to do in Nashville:.......Hang out around the park and visit the replica of the parthenon. Tour the newly completed children's hospital (not that spetacular really). Walk around Vandy's undergrad campus. Not much to do I guess.
Click to expand...

Nashville boring? You neglect to acknowledge that it is only one of the freakin' live music capitals of the world. And no, not just country, certainly not in the traditional sense of that genre. Surely one could find something to do revolving around that scene every so often. Maybe you won't be able to grab ingredients for that special Nepalese dish you are brewing up, but I seriously doubt that would be the case in A-squared either.
 
if u're in nashville,

-pick up a copy of the cadaver ball dvd for $10 on the fourth floor of light hall in the office facing the elevators and next to the bathrooms. it contains taping of live performance, music videos, awards, etc. of our annual dance at the opryland hotel...the largest non-gambling hotel in america. i'll give u an idea of how some of the students/atmosphere are.
-visit centennial park (bout 1 mile from campus). small pond w/ fishing, paved tracks for jogging, etc.
-titans stadium
-opryland hotel: 20 drive
 
OK....I pretty much had my mind made up and decided to go with Vandy. Location, student satisfaction, and cost difference were the major issues. I decided that there is a negligible academic or "prestige" difference between these two schools, and that either school could get me the residency of my choice if I do well. They both have amazing match lists.

However, today is the last day I had to withdraw from UMich (I held onto the acceptance so that I could thoroughly research it and be sure of the decision), and I just got notification this morning that I received a scholarship from UMich that pretty much eliminates the price difference between the schools. Since that was one of my deciding factors I have to revisit this issue again and make sure I still want to go to Vandy.

Anyone else out there have any opinions on these schools, either through speculation or personal experience? (I know that many people will choose UMich since it is ranked higher in US News, but do you honestly believe there is a difference between #7 and #15, when Vandy matches 95% into one of their top 3 residency choices?)
 
I would still pick Vandy. I don't think there is a difference in reputation between Vandy and UMich. I like the area better. I'll throw out a little bit of data from USNews, FWIW: peer assessment ranking (Umich 4.4, Vandy 4.0) resident director ranking (Umich 4.5, Vandy 4.1). That shows there may be a slight difference if you believe those numbers, but it definitely depends on where you want to go. If you are staying east or south, Vandy is the bigger name.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

TibiaOrNotTibia
How do Admissions Committees Make Post-II Decisions?
Replies
5
Views
2K
TibiaOrNotTibia
TibiaOrNotTibia
GuavaIsland
Nervous about how C's affect admission decisions
Replies
5
Views
1K
LizzyM
LizzyM
R
  • Locked
FAFSA Submission Before Decisions
Replies
8
Views
2K
roundgarlic
R
Y
Should I send a LOI now or after initial decisions?
Replies
3
Views
839
AJS59
AJS59
D
Send Letter of Intent Now vs Post-Decision?
Replies
2
Views
761
AJS59
AJS59
Top