<p>I agree with many of the points made by ‘the o dad’. The location of Vanderbilt is a strong selling point, in my opinion. The campus is urban, but with few of the normal downsides to urban. Restaurants, music, various entertainment options are located very close to campus, yet the campus itself is quite peaceful. There is a comfortable, friendly feel to the place.</p>
<p>Like ‘the o dad’s’ son, my son is in the engineering school and has had a very good experience. It looks like you are looking at a CAS major, so I’m limited in my experience. Son’s girlfriend is a bio-related major (premed) in CAS and has nothing but good things to say about her time at Vanderbilt. (Both son and gf are about to graduate.)</p>
<p>Like you, my son is attending on a full tuition merit scholarship. We would have been full pay otherwise, so the real value of the award is quite significant. What is your price difference between the two schools? If it is significant, it is my personal opinion that you would have to come up with some very good reasons to choose Penn over Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>I really recommend a visit.</p>