Interest Podcast of Hobby School · Interest Crew

Vanderbilt University ft. Anudari Naran-Ochir (Class of 2021)

·30 min·1 clip

She says writing a 650-word personal statement felt like summarizing her whole identity.

The interview opens with a casual introduction and a thank-you for joining the college series. It centers on Anotar, class of 2021, and her freshman year at Vanderbilt University. She says she was accepted to all three University of Toronto campuses. Toronto looked strong on paper, especially for political science, her intended major. The deciding factor still came down to scholarship and financial aid. She turned down Toronto and took a gap year instead because the package did not feel generous enough. Coming from Mongolia, she frames tuition as a real barrier, not an abstract one. She points out that students from developing countries often have to think hard about cost when comparing Australia, Canada, and the U.S. The conversation then shifts to how she researched colleges. She says rankings matter, but only up to a point. A school ranked fifth and a school ranked seventh are still both good schools. The bigger question is what it will actually feel like to live there for four years. She brings in the small, practical details people often ignore. Weather matters. Location matters. She did not want a big city like New York, but she also did not want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. Nashville works for her because it sits in the middle. It gives her room to go out to eat, shop, and spend time with friends. It also gives her some peace. The result is a loose, student-to-student guide to choosing a school by fit, cost, and daily life rather than prestige alone.

As heard by us

A practical college conversation about fit, money, and the quieter details that shape a four-year choice.

The Vanderbilt path reads like a practical talk about choosing a college with real life in view. It covers turning down the University of Toronto after being accepted to all three campuses, since scholarship and aid still did not make sense for someone coming from Mongolia.

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Why you'd press play

You want college advice that weighs money, location, and peace over prestige alone, too.

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