<p>I don’t agree that there is a Vanderbilt “type”. I’ve seen a lot of different types of students, and I’m pretty sure my son would not fit any known stereotype of a Vanderbilt student, but he is highly successful there, likes it and has a ton of friends.</p>
<p>My advice, if you want to call it that, is to look at the course offerings closely, availability of research opportunities in a field that interests you, and the differences in the campus/city interaction. Another poster who has experience with both Emory and Vanderbilt has written that she thinks Emory has considerably less of a traditional “campus feel” than Vanderbilt does. (I know nothing about Emory, and I’m just passing on what someone else has posted.)</p>