<p>YeahBuddy, many of my waspy son’s friends were Asian Americans…one week he went to NYC and was picked up at the airport and taken to Queens by a second gen Chinese Vandy student and had lunch with a Polish American born Vandy GF, went home for a night with a Filipino Vandy friend in Jersey and ended up in the home of a Jewish American Vandy friend in Westchester for a couple of nights. His housemates at times included a first generation Pakistani, an African American student from MD, a guy from Ohio and a student at Vandy from Shanghai. His freshman roommate was from Orange County CA.<br>
Although I would never say that your life in Nashville would resemble your life at a school like NYU or Berkeley, I would say that your life in Nashville would be as diverse as your life at Duke, Emory, or other regional powerhouse schools.
Vandy’s student body is very international. Rather than stressing about if you would find your sweet spot socially at Vandy, focus on getting in your favorite colleges and sort out your choice in April and May. Vandy is a difficult admit. Put your heart in your application. Don’t forget to shoot a merit scholar application via Chancellor’s Scholars if you have the stats. You never know.<br>
Nashville is a decidedly southern vibe city with a great deal of Third Coast pizazz and a good economy with plenty of places to volunteer or intern locally. Think Austin Texas with great weather and four seasons.<br>
Some students are invited to Vandy via Mosaic to be recruited and to get an early exposure to Vandy…but many students with international roots will be admitted even if they are not invited to Mosaic weekend.<br>
In the spring, weigh financial packages and weigh your emotional fit by seeking out conversation with current students. Admitted students are usually admitted to several colleges and there are many ways to get into these subjects online then if a trip is out of the question. good luck!</p>