Fair enough, and I’m not going to get into the “what it’s like to be poor at a rich kid’s school” discussion because it’s been covered.
But while Florida is a great school, its ascendance in the rankings has been very recent, while Vanderbilt’s reputation is well established. Could this all change in the future? Sure. But for now and the foreseeable future, nobody says “Florida is the Harvard of the South”. They have always said it about Vanderbilt, and they only compete for that spot now with Duke.
Is that the most important thing? Not to me, but it is to a lot of people.
No employer is paying Vanderbilt grads $30,000 more than U Florida grads for the same job in the same location. About 30% of Vanderbilt students take jobs in NYC while most U Florida students remain in the state of Florida.
Income taxes are much higher in New York City than in anywhere in the state of Florida (folks pay city, state, and federal income taxes in NYC). There is no state income tax in Florida.
Rents & home ownership in NYC are much higher than in Florida. Not even close.
The above quote from @MYOS1634 represents a misunderstanding of my post. To explain: Would you rather earn $90,000 in Florida or $30,000 more–$120,000 in NYC ?
After tax income in NYC on $120,000 a year gross = $84,143.
After tax income on $90,000 gross annual income in Tampa, Florida = $70,547.
Average monthly rent in NYC:
One bedroom apt. in NYC = $3,784 x 12 months = $45,408 per year rent for a 1 bedroom apt. in NYC.
One bedroom apt. in Tampa, Florida = $1,592 per month x 12 months = $19,104.
The difference in income taxes and annual rent = $42,708 which is significantly more than the $30,000 per year difference in annual income. Furthermore, COL is much higher in NYC than in Tampa, Florida (food, entertainment, transportation, etc.).
Overall difference in COL between NYC & Tampa, Florida: NYC $10,681 per month is the same as $6,800 per month in Tampa, Florida.
Annual gross salary of $128,172 in NYC is equal to earning an annual salary of $81,600 in Tampa, Florida. (A difference of $46,572–which is well above the $30,000 per year difference asserted by another poster.)
To close this discussion: the difference discussed is specifically for FGLI students attending a flagship v. an elite private university. The idea is that FGLI students are presented with more opportunities/more higher paying opportunities from elite privates.
Beside this, I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.
Any flagship versus only elite private universites ?
My point is that specifics matter.
Can you cite/provide a link to the “Chetty article” ? Not necessary as I found it. It is from the New York Times in 2017. Way too broad; needs to be a comparison of biology majors from Vanderbilt and University of Florida with specific employment locations.
As I noted earlier, no employer is paying Vanderbilt grads $30,000 more per year for the same job in the same location than U Florida grads.
P.S. OP: In your situation, the only advantage that I see for Vanderbilt is if you want to work in Nashville, NYC, Boston, Chicago, or San Francisco after earning your undergraduate degree as Vandy attracts a national student body so the degree is more portable while UF is overwhelmingly Florida residents and, therefore,employment options tend to be more regional. But, since you plan on attending graduate school, there is no benefit for you to attend Vanderbilt over U Florida.
P.P.S. Just noticed that Vanderbilt made a significant jump in R&D spending two years ago and is now at the same level as the University of Florida (both spend over a billion per year on R&D). Vanderbilt is ranked #24 for R&D spending, while the University of Florida is at #25. (The University of Florida’s prominence in R&D spending is the primary reason why there is speculation of the U Florida moving from the SEC to the Big Ten Conference.)
Hi everyone, thank you so much for your opinions and resources. A replier stated earlier that it seemed as if I was being pressured to go to Vanderbilt and tbh they were right. They both offer wonderful resources and are both considered new ivy’s. But seeing as UF has more for me and are willing to offer more for me, I ended up deciding to attend UF. Thank you again for helping me make my decision. Hope all stays well for you in your next journeys!
with med school as your goal there will be no difference between the 2. med schools won’t care which one you went to as long as GPA and MCAT are good.
same holds true for any other grad school.
Vanderbilt might open more doors to that 1st job if you were looking for job right out of college. which right now you are not.
$5K for Vandy is a great deal, but your happiness will be a big factor in college success and it seems like you feel you will be happier at UF. that’s a mature outlook, IMO.
I know someone who chose to stick with U of Wisconsin even after she got into Wash U off the waitlist. And someone else who chose UGA over Emory. Both just liked the feel of the big university and the people they had met.
There are some colleges that truly open doors but that’s really the tippy top ones. Not sure Vandy is in that group. And it doesn’t seem like that’s your goal, anyway (good for you!).
This is possibly the best advice i have seen on this board for kids entering college. Thank you - I’m sharing this with my kids who are always reluctant to approach the adults around them, as they mistakenly think it is a sign of weakness to seek out assistance/advice.
Probably not relevant any more for the person originally asking, but… Vandy’s meal plan is horrible. Food is pretty bad and limited at certain hours. Plus, if you live in the dorms ( and you are forced to live in dorms at least 3 years) you have to have a full meal plan ( about 19 swipes a week), very expensive. UF doesn’t force you to buy a meal plan even if you live in dorms, and there are smaller meal plans if you only want to eat once a day in cafeteria. Dorms in Vandy are a lottery, if you get the new ones they are good, there are many are old and pretty bad. That’s similar in UF.
