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Christine123 · 04-29-2008, 11:14 PM

I personally, after several visits to both Michigan and Vanderbilt, much preferred Michigan's gigantic college town, which is truly unlike any other college town. It's like New York's bottom level shops without the skyscrapers, so it still maintains a sort of small town feel with the culture of the big city.
Nashville is one of my favorite cities, having grown up within driving distance of it and as a big fan of southern culture and country music, but it doesn't have either as embracing a college feel or attract the same cultural figures as Ann Arbor. Even on the really ritzy side of town where you can't get a steak for under $50, the Maize and Blue is present. In this past year, I went to several concerts with internationally-renowned musicians who only toured three or four cities in the United States, usually something along the lines of Boston, Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

I understand that Vanderbilt is more selective than Michigan. But, if you're, say, a top math student in the nation, you're much more likely to decide on Michigan based on its academic resources and programs than Vanderbilt. You'll be surrounded by other students of your caliber in its readily accessible honors classes that are only offered at a handful of universities in the country. If you're really serious about business, you're going to understand that Ross is one of the top business schools in the country. It, also, is only comparable with a few other business schools in the country. If you're really serious about Political Science, you're going to know facts like Michigan is always ranked top three, is the most quantitative social science university in the world, and something along the lines of how 3 of the top 4 government agencies are headed by Michigan alumni (the last one you might not know, a non-Michigan internationally renowned polsci prof my dad knows told me that one to convince me to go to Michigan before Vanderbilt, UPenn, or Chicago).

Essentially, maybe the student body at Vanderbilt in general is more selective, but I can guarantee you that the top students at Michigan are not only more talented than those at Vanderbilt, but also have better resources to advance themselves.

04-29-2008, 11:14 PM	#17
Christine123 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Alabama >>> University of Michigan 2010 Posts: 1,198	I personally, after several visits to both Michigan and Vanderbilt, much preferred Michigan's gigantic college town, which is truly unlike any other college town. It's like New York's bottom level shops without the skyscrapers, so it still maintains a sort of small town feel with the culture of the big city. Nashville is one of my favorite cities, having grown up within driving distance of it and as a big fan of southern culture and country music, but it doesn't have either as embracing a college feel or attract the same cultural figures as Ann Arbor. Even on the really ritzy side of town where you can't get a steak for under $50, the Maize and Blue is present. In this past year, I went to several concerts with internationally-renowned musicians who only toured three or four cities in the United States, usually something along the lines of Boston, Ann Arbor, Chicago, and Los Angeles. I understand that Vanderbilt is more selective than Michigan. But, if you're, say, a top math student in the nation, you're much more likely to decide on Michigan based on its academic resources and programs than Vanderbilt. You'll be surrounded by other students of your caliber in its readily accessible honors classes that are only offered at a handful of universities in the country. If you're really serious about business, you're going to understand that Ross is one of the top business schools in the country. It, also, is only comparable with a few other business schools in the country. If you're really serious about Political Science, you're going to know facts like Michigan is always ranked top three, is the most quantitative social science university in the world, and something along the lines of how 3 of the top 4 government agencies are headed by Michigan alumni (the last one you might not know, a non-Michigan internationally renowned polsci prof my dad knows told me that one to convince me to go to Michigan before Vanderbilt, UPenn, or Chicago). Essentially, maybe the student body at Vanderbilt in general is more selective, but I can guarantee you that the top students at Michigan are not only more talented than those at Vanderbilt, but also have better resources to advance themselves.