It sounds like you need a safety (a school you know you will get into and can afford) as well as a few other options.
As I posted earlier - TCU is another option and would probably qualify as a safety. It is in Texas, but Ft. Worth is nice and doesn't quite have the "wealthy" student vibe like SMU.
Another really good school albeit smaller, is the University of Tulsa. Still has the greek system and D1 sports.
Again- it depends what it is about Vanderbilt that the OP likes. Tulane is quite different in many respects- athletics being a main one. For anyone not familiar with the SEC sports conference- it is truly a defining factor. I agree that Northwestern probably comes closest.
I agree with most of the replies, but IMO schools similar to Vandy:
Tulane, Northwestern, USC, Washington University in St. Louis, Fordham, Furman, Clemson, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia, Wake Forest, Sewanee, Duke, and in general, schools that have a GOOD balance of academics and social life which I assume is what you want (It's definitely what I want haha!). Hope this helps! Good luck in your college search!
My younger son had the exact same search last year! Vandy was his first choice (our older son is there), but he also wanted other options that had the same "feel" - strong academics, sports and great social life.
Some on His list: Wake Forest, Boston College, Univ Richmond, Tulane, UGA, Maryland.
have to chime in on this one as I adore vanderbilt and it was my top choice school for awhile. I'd consider furman, u of richmond, wake forest, and SMU. As far as concerns people have about SMU: I was accepted at all of the above schools (including vandy) but chose to attend SMU because of their incredibly generous merit scholarships (I'm being paid to go to school). We have a really strong business school with a great alumni network and incredible resources and opportunities. While SMU might not have a reputation for being extraordinarily rigorous academically, the professors and programs here are of a very high caliber and the education is truly what you make of it. On top of that, our campus is gorgeous and Dallas is a great location for fun and business!
