<p>I am wondering about the definition of south in your reference, monydad (if you could link it, that would be good). It seems that Texas must be included in the south, because the number from ‘west’ seems far too low for Vanderbilt if Texas is included as ‘west’. I think Texas sends the second-highest number of undergrads to Vanderbilt. If the South stretches from Florida to Texas, that is a lot of territory, and a fair amount of geographical diversity.</p>
<p>Basically, though, my feeling is that the regional argument is far weaker now than it was 15, or even 10 years ago. Young people, especially young people who attend the kinds of universities being discussed here, are quite mobile. They had better be, given the employment situation.</p>
<p>I spent 15 years of my adult life in MA. At that time, the northeastern natives didn’t want to go or work anywhere else. I have not found that to be so true among people who hail from the west, or south, or midwest. In other words, it is my feeling that graduates of Northwestern and Vanderbilt are quite likely to spread out shortly after graduation. </p>
<p>OP: My advice is always to visit everywhere. Talk to professors, ask specific questions about research opportunities, both during the school year and over the summer if that is a factor for you. </p>
<p>DunninLA: I’m not sure I follow why the two trajectories you have outlined are so ‘schizophrenic’. Biomed. engr. is a tough road to med. school, but plenty of Vanderbilt students are doing it, successfully. As a ‘terminal’ field of study, biomed engr. at Vanderbilt is highly ranked. In either case, this particular student’s list of college acceptances would seem to put him (or her?) among the stronger students, which is always, in my opinion, a significant factor.</p>