ilovebagels

I believe you mean about the 'intelligent design' of these schools.

Lolz!

patlees88

i am not sure why this discussion is getting this long. Vanderbilt is a very good school, but OP asked if it matches up to Ivies in pretige/academics. I believe that has already been answered.

applejack

I know the European Union isn't a country. Comparing Ireland (which is as big as Massachusetts) to the U.S. is unfair. Therefore, I chose to make a more apples-to-apples comparison.

Hawkette - Once again you bastardized my words beyond recognition. I wasn't defending Cornell. I was simply pointing out that its strengths are different from a big sports school's and that it need not be considered subpar for that reason.

In the same vein, Vanderbilt's strengths are different, not necessarily subpar. While your assumption that these programs are all peers is debateable, no matter how much schools may or may not improve, the NE schools will retain a more intellectual culture while the Southern schools will remain more socially oriented. This distinction is rooted in regional cultures, not quality, as the students tend to perform equally well.

For some, that more social culture mixed with high academics is perfect. For others, it is a distraction (me). To each their own. But when you're asking how Vanderbilt (and Duke/Rice/etc...) stacks up to the Ivies, in this sense it will always be something different. Not lesser or greater, just a different breed of school that will tend to draw a different breed of student.

peace

Pizzagirl

"In the same vein, Vanderbilt's strengths are different, not necessarily subpar. While your assumption that these programs are all peers is debateable, no matter how much schools may or may not improve, the NE schools will retain a more intellectual culture while the Southern schools will remain more socially oriented. This distinction is rooted in regional cultures, not quality, as the students tend to perform equally well."

I'm not sure that I agree with this point. I see your point with Duke and Vanderbilt having a more socially oriented culture, but Emory's a peer school intellectually and I wouldn't paint them with the same socially-oriented brush. And I think kids who go to Dartmouth can hold their own with anyone when it comes to partying, LOL.

MomofWildChild

If there is a more social school than Penn, I don't want to see it! I think the presence of a strong D1 sports program (i.e Duke and Vanderbilt) leads to a different type of social life.

Pizzagirl

And the question is, is that naturally "southern" (as applejack is hypothesizing) and a function of Duke / Vandy being in the south, or is that just random and it just so happens that Duke / Vandy are in the south?

Pizzagirl

applejack, I think hawkette makes a fair point ... I don't see people being any more defensive about Vanderbilt than you were about Cornell. (I have no personal dog in the Vanderbilt fight, myself; both are great, can't-go-wrong types of schools.)

k&s

Those nos. are NOT inaccurate – since they are for the traditional, big areas of study that go to the heart of a school’s academic “prestige”.

Sorry, but people generally aren’t going to think a school is academically prestigious b/c it has a top-notch audiology dept. – but a top-notch economics, engineering, biological sciences, chemistry, English, history, poly sci, etc. depts. are going to impact academic prestige heavily.

Otoh, hawkette - Cornell has many highly ranked depts. in the major areas of study (a good bit more than Duke, in fact) - so there is something to be said about the "unfair" criticism of Cornell.

Having said this - there are many different types of prestige - of which academic is just one type.

palmettotree

K&S, you must not think Ole Miss is very prestigious then, something is wrong with you. After all, the school of pharmacy ranks fifth among America's 92 pharmacy schools. If that isn't prestige, I don't know what is!

evil_asian_dictator

I'm not Asian.

k&s

^^palmetto -

Pharmacy - oooh, you "got me" there!

TheOC89

k&s, the point was the chart was inaccurate. Vanderbilt has departments that are #1 in the country yet they are not listed. Obviously, if someone is majoring in audiology they care about it -- even if you don't.

Second, Vanderbilt does very well in the rankings in all the 'important' majors. The law school is ranked by USNews as #15 in the country and the medical school is #16 in the country.

Third, Vanderbilt (along with Rice and Dartmouth)are universities with a LACish feel -- they are known for their emphasis on undergraduates.

k&s

I guess you just can't get the point that the chart (which IS accurate) is about the traditional, big areas of study which have the biggest impact on academic prestige.

Sorry - but audiology is not going to have much of an impact, if any, on academic prestige.

Pizzagirl

How about hotel management and ag sciences? (two areas that Cornell is strong in) Are those more valuable than audiology in determining prestige?

How about the arts / music / theater / dance? Do Yale and NU's respective theater departments not impact their prestige?

palmettotree

I'm telling you. Ole Miss - pharmacology. Big time.