Yale or Vanderbilt?

elkpark · Apr 10, 2017

I'm not a current student (although I did attend one of them many years ago), but did you not interview at both schools prior to getting accepted? When I was in the process of applying to graduate schools, I got a v. clear sense from the interviews of which school was the best choice for me. What kind of "vibe" did you get from the schools during the application/interview/acceptance process?

Oklahoma23 · Apr 10, 2017

Vanderbilt did not have an interview component for this specialty and for Yale it was over the phone. Unfortunately, all of Yale's information sessions are on campus, so being from out of town, I'm trying to gather as much information as possible from elsewhere!

elkpark · Apr 11, 2017

Vanderbilt did not have an interview component for this specialty and for Yale it was over the phone. Unfortunately, all of Yale's information sessions are on campus, so being from out of town, I'm trying to gather as much information as possible from elsewhere!

Both the schools I considered were a considerable distance from where I lived, also. But, even without being invited for an interview (did Yale only offer a phone interview, or did you choose not to go to the campus?), I would recommend strongly that you invest the time and expense in visiting both campuses -- look at the facilities and campus, talk with the faculty and students, get all your questions answered, get a feel for the program. You are looking at making a life-changing (and expensive!) investment; IMO, it's well worth making a small investment up front to make sure you're making the best choice for yourself. If you said that you wanted to visit the campus and get shown around, both schools would be happy to accommodate you. I can't imagine signing up for a graduate program "sight unseen," or giving much weight to info provided by strangers on the internet.

Best wishes for your journey!

DrCOVID, DNP · Apr 24, 2017

Can I ask why do you have your heart set on these two schools? Just a rough graduate tuition search reveals each is around 40k per year. Now, I've saved for 7 years of my single adult life, have gotten regular raises every year and a promotion and I could barely cover that with what I have saved from working. As long as you obtain the license at the end of the program, why pay so much?

Last I was in school, I got out of it what I put in, not how much money I spent.