Can I get into Vanderbilt?

lenny2
Fri, 23 Aug 2013 08:41:51 +0000

We are having similar feelings about being full-pay at Vanderbilt. Many of our D’s friends attend our state’s flagship school and are making straight As and having a great college experience. My D passed up an offer for the honors program there in favor of Vandebilt. She’s also having a great experience at Vandy but has had to work hard for a B average and is concerned that, if she does decide to go to grad school, she may have been better off with a stronger GPA from the state school. And, the cost to us is really oppressive. We’re so glad that she’s going abroad for a semester because the cost is so much less than a semester in Nashville (by almost half). If we had to do it all over again, I think we might not have chosen this route. Unless the student has a really clear vision of his or her career path and Vandy fits that vision well, I’m not sure that the cost is worth it. I guess time will tell on that. D has landed two good internships so far that may not have been available to her absent her Vandy credentials on her resume. But, the bottom line will be whether she lands a real job at the end of four years and, if not, whether she can get into a good grad school with less than stellar grades. Of course then we’ll have to figure out a way to pay for that, too, with a second child just entering college then. Hoping that one chooses the state school and gives us some relief.