Vanderbilt University Top Questions

Classes are pretty small, and my English professors are all very good about getting to know their students. I've had a lot of great literature classes at Vanderbilt, but I've had some unfortunate education classes - mostly becacuse they all have to be so politically correct. One of the best things about Vanderbilt is the fact that I can share the topics about which I am excited in my class with my friends.

Arts and Science professors are better than Peabody ones; they're the ones who have done things like actively met me outside of class, invited the class to their house for dinner, taken me to coffee, etc. Students don't study very much--they're all smart enough to do what it takes to get by and have plenty of time for other things, devoting lots of time to extracurriculars, just hanging out in the dorms and social lives. Not that they don't care about learning; they do, they just know when their time's being wasted and how to get by in class without doing the stupid assignments. Education is not geared towards getting a job--there's the odd accounting class or marketing class, but almost all the courses exist just for learning's sake, and it can be hard to transfer those skills to outside the Bubble.

Academics at Vanderbilt is fantastic. I feel like the Physics and Math departments are both fairly poor but I would say I was impressed with a good majority of my professors. Students do have intellectual conversations outside of class and I feel like those conversations would be commonplace if students had more time. Sometimes I felt like the classes had an unecessarily large amount of work. I was a Chemical Engineering major at Vanderbilt. Some Professors feel like they have to give you 6-8 hours of homework a week in order for you to learn. They don't realize you have 4 other classes. Some of the most educational classes I had only had 3-5 hours of work outside of class on average. Overall I felt the academic schedule was extremely taxing, like I didn't have a life outside of school. I think this experience only holds true if you take a very difficult coarseload.

Professors know my name. Girls study a lot, guys study a good amount too, although it varies between majors and greek/non greek. In lectures only annoying people participate, otherwise people generally participate. The only intellectual conversations outside of class deal with business and politics. Students want a good grade but generally don't directly compete against one another. My major is unique, its Human and Organizational Development which means learning how to work in groups, get a job, market your skills, etc. It's really really easy, like football player easy. Unless I fail a test, I never see my professors outside of class. Unfortunately Vanderbilt's teachers are adamantly geared towards teaching for the sake of learning but Vanderbilt students in general are dead set on getting educating for getting a job. Case in point is the amount of economics majors who wish there was a business/finance program.

Classes are generally small and every teacher will know your name if you remain active in class. Teachers and teaching assistants are always willing to give you extra help if needed. Classes are challenging, but teachers are always do anything they can to help you succeed.

I can only remember two classes at Vanderbilt where the professor did not know my name- and those were large lectures with a TA who did know who I was. This is probably reflective of the fact that I am a Peabody student, where the classes tend to be a lot smaller and the professors are a lot more personable. People study a lot. But they will study and then go out after that test. There is somewhere to go out and party every night of the week if you want to, but it is looked down upon if you go out the night before a test or paper.

Hard but not as hard as you'd think..

i hate my chem class but the professors are pretty good about getting to know me with a couple of exceptions. class participation is common and alot if the intellectual convorsations do happen outside class at least in my experience.

The academics are challenging, but they are meant to be. We are smart kids who need to be challenged so that we can contribute to society on the most beneficial way possible.

Vandy professors really seem to care about their students. Most professors make a strong effort to learn the names of their students during the first few weeks of class. As would be assumed, the smaller the class, the more quickly you are able to form a relationship with the professor. All professors are required to hold office hours, but most professors encourage students to stop by any time. Professors are also highly accessible via email. Class participation is mandatory in four of five of my classes. Even my Statistics class is highly discussion oriented. Failing to participate sufficiently usually hurts your grade (unless the class is a large lecture). Vanderbilt takes the phrase “work hard, play hard” to the fullest extreme. On one hand, students can be seen studying around the clock; while on the other, hardcore partying goes on every night of the week. We are pros at budgeting our time, knowing that working hard in the afternoon will allow for an evening of fun. Staying in to do work one night does not cause too much concern, as we know that the next big evening is just a day away. Peabody is Vanderbilt’s department of education and psychology. Its campus is separate from that of central campus; the two are connected by bridges that run over traffic. Peabody has somewhat of a stigma: it is looked down upon by those in Arts & Sciences who think that it’s easy. HOD receives the worst stigma of all. This Peabody major, Human and Organizational Development, is actually the most relevant major to a real-life career, yet is made fun of for not being a real major. The academic requirements are reasonable. Most people finish their majors before senior year. It is common to double major or add a minor. It is difficult to get an A in a class, but most students pull off at least a B. Education at Vanderbilt is primarily geared towards learning for its own sake. The HOD major is one of the few that trains you for the real world. However, Vanderbilt provides its students with a solid education that its students can be proud of.