Vandy MSF vs. Villanova MSF for IB
Wanted to hear some opinions and advice on school choice. I know both programs are good for IB, with Vandy being a little better. However, Villanova is roughly 20k cheaper overall. So the question is, if Vanderbilt is worth the extra money for the extra prestige?
I would call and speak with Vandy admissions ambassadors. I had a friend in a similar boat and he ended up choosing Villanova. With programs like these the owness is on you to network outside of OCR to really place in a top spot. Vandy def has better placement but frankly, as long as you have a strong resume or can build it during the program, you can network with the Villanova alumni and place just as well. Plus saving the 50k or so is pretty valuable. I think Vandys higher ib placement rates are concentrated in lower mm boutiques with about 4-5 students placing in umm, eb or bb vs Villanova that has 3-4 place in the top ranges. It's really on you to decide if you can put in the work and if you're willing to shell out an additional 45k or so.
No, dude. I just graduated from Vanderbilt and our class this year alone had 15 people go UMM/BB and over 30 get into IB — which is nuts considering there were only 60 people in the class (excluding 5 MSF/JDs). The choice is pretty clear.