at what time of day do they tend to call?
The big round of acceptances around Oct 15th went out at all times. Now that it's only a few a week, it seems to be in the evening, about 7-8 PM CST.
How do you feel about your undergraduate experience and the life style of the University community? Are you glad you went to Vanderbilt for undergrad? What is Nashville like? I am from the Northwest and I do not know much about this area of the country. I liked the look and feel of the place in the short time I was there.
Searun
Well as a Vandy senior, and I have to say I love both the school and city. People have this stereotype that it's nothing but a hick town, but it's definitely not true. However, I came from a Midwestern city of about the same size (~1 mil), and not from a northeastern megalopolis.
The downtown area and nightlife might be a bit smaller than some are used to, but there are plenty of bars, restaurants, and live music joints. If you absolutely can't stand the thought of being anywhere near country music or ever hearing snatches of songs on the streets, I'd stay away, but otherwise you're sure to find something that suits you. It is Music City USA after all, not Country Music City. There are your more standard clubs about half a mile from campus, which seem fine to me, but might be less glamorous than some are used to. There's museums, parks (a full-size Parthenon replica is just across the street from campus), and other cultural icons, but again, they might not be able to compete to yours.
For sports there is Titans football and Predators hockey, then a minor league baseball team which might be more fitting on a student budget. Vandy itself is in the ultracompetitive SEC conference, but being as small as were are, we often get crushed by public powerhouses like U of Tennessee, Ole Miss, etc. Instead of tailgating, students get dressed up for football games, but the visiting fans--who are often swamp the home fans in numbers--have some pretty huge and elaborate set-ups. We do pretty well in the less televised sports, alright in basketball, but not so hot in football.
The school itself is top-ranked (ok, not ivy league) but cut-throat is the last word I would ever use to describe it. Everyone seems laid-back, content, and cooperative. I even hear the med students are amongst the happiest anywhere by some survey. The whole student body does have a southern, preppy bent, but oddly enough it is very national in scope. Politically, the students might lean conservative, but this is an ever so slight a tilt. I think it just seems ultra-conservative because our top-20 peers are so liberal. The administration, however, is very progressive, and the Dem students are definitely the more vocal of the two parties.
The campus itself is gorgeous and feels like a park. It's trees are even nationally protected. Yet you should know that while the med center/school and college portion share a continuous campus, they try to keep them segregated. The medical school is renovating, adding on a few new buildings, and revamping the curriculum from its very traditional current structure. There's plenty of research going on as well in just about every field.
In case it wasn't obvious, I doubt I could be happier anywhere else. Feel free to ask me any other questions, either in the forums or by PM.