Which is the better university out of these two for Computer science? In terms of coursework, internships and research. Also who gives better financial aid, and I mean in terms of less cost of attendance not aid %. I’m a US citizen living in India. How is the culture at both these places? Is Vanderbilt full of rich southerners who might be conservative and cliquey? And is it really laidback and relaxed? Does UNC have a lot of OOS people and is it more liberal and diverse?
UNC is more socioeconomically diverse. Chapel Hill is a great college town. Note that NC really limits the number of OOS students, only about 16%, I believe, so it has more in-state students than some other public flagships. That makes admission very competitive for the large number of OOS applicants. Michigan and Wisconsin are other elite public flagships that accept a higher % of OOS students. They are also very competitive. They are also much colder but are also in nice college towns.
You might also look at the University of Washington. Seattle is a great city, rainy and gray but not as cold (coastal marine environment); campus is beautiful. Note that some CS students are direct admits into this program at Washington. This is very competitive. Other students must apply to the program after being there for a while. That has been competitive and there are no guarantees, though I think I saw they opened up more spots recently. You could research that.
Vanderbilt attracts students from all over the nation. Nashville itself though is very southern. I have to say we were surprised when we visited. Confederate flag things were readily available in the downtown shops, which we found off-putting, especially after the Charlottesville rioting last year. Vanderbilt does have a very affluent, socially outgoing student body, which would probably strike different people in different ways. Of course, it’s an excellent school. Note that it is extremely competitive–Ivy level competitiveness–in RD, and there is a strong emphasis on numbers (test scores).
You might consider Case Western Reserve University if you are interested in Vanderbilt. It’s also an excellent, urban, mid-size national university. It’s in a nice area of Cleveland and has a fairly diverse student body–and is strong in CS. Others might be WPI (very hands-on and project-oriented, really a unique program, see link) and the University of Rochester. None of these are easy admits at all, but not quite the extremely long Vanderbilt odds.
https://www.wpi.edu/project-based-learning/wpi-plan
Good luck!
Vanderbilt is a wonderful school in all sorts of directions. Nashville is a beautiful city with arts entertainment, orchestra, professional teams, and total music. There are multiple other colleges and universities. Born here, retired here. Totally cool and convenient to other places. Tn is on the northern edge of the South so is much less conservative than the deep or rural south. Confederate flags are flown in the very rural counties and is a southern souvenir, but not a staple in tn household. If I had ever been caught touching one, I would have been told to cut a switch. Overall, Nashville is a very good place to live and learn.