any college students made a decision similar to this one?

<p>well i wanted to stay near home, new orleans area so i applied a few places but it is basically coming down to tulane and lsu. Most of you all are thinking why in the hell would i be considering lsu in this situation but most of the people from my school who are smart go there in spite of its reputation. And no this isn't a bad school i attend many very successfull plenty national merits, and kids with really high scores like 34s 35s and 1550+. Well anyway i recieved some a scholarship to both schools but i would only have to pay for my housing, food and entertainment at lsu where at tulane i would still have to pay like $8000+ just for tuition but i really wanted to go to tulane.</p>

<p>for those who don't feel like reading the whole thing skipt to here...</p>

<p>pretty much all of my friends who i hang out with, go out with, and enjoy the same things are going to lsu andi am afraid if i go to lsu i will regret going to tulane because i really want to live in new orleans i live in a suburb right now and only go into the heart of new orleans like once a month, but if i go to tulane i will regret leaving all of my friends. My question is has any of you all been in this situation and what was ur decision and what do u feel nowadays.</p>

<p>Shrug...</p>

<p>All your friends now may not be all your friends later. For financial reasons I can kinda understand though...</p>

<p>But LSU???</p>

<p>College is a time when you will change in ways that you never imagined you could. It's okay if you don't go to college with your friends from high school- most people don't. If you think that Tulane is a better fit, go there.</p>

<p>Expand your horizons. Most people make lifelong friends in college. And it's not as if everyone won't go their own way after college. Do what is best for you, and your future.</p>

<p>Go to Tulane, if the $$ is okay for you, its to easy to just go around with old friends, going to a city, if that is your desire, then go!!!! and Congrats!!!!! Your life will be filled with so much new experiences, you won't have time for regrets about not doing what all your friends are doing...</p>

<p>Based on what you say, Tulane is a slam dunk. You're from New Orleans and want to live and work in New Orleans. Tulane will put you in a much better position than LSU ever could.</p>

<p>If money is an issue, then LSU is OK.</p>

<p>thanx for all of the replies, i am especially thankful for the fact that they were all serious and sounded genuine... by the way in case any one is wondering i plan on majoring in either in some sort of engineering or math i applied for the electrical engineering program</p>

<p>Finances should NOT affect your decision about a college. What college you go to is SOOO important and determines SOO0 much about your future... Skimp on other things, but NOT your college education! Between those choices, I would have to say Tulane, although neither garners much recognition or respect. If you can, either try to transfer to one of the lower ivy's (Cornell) because from what i've heard, HYP is almost IMPOSSIBLE to transfer into!!</p>

<p>People shouldn't knock LSU just because it doesn't have a high enough reading on the CC snob scale.</p>

<p>But it doesn't sound like LSU is really what you want, so go to Tulane if you can afford it.</p>

<p>Go to Tulane. For a private school, $8000 in tuition is nothing. Definetely worth the cost. LSU is okay, but not comparable to Tulane socially or academically.</p>

<p>I agree with Hippodrome. If your only costs are $8,000 a year in tuition, you can lower that cost by working during the summer and school year (something that is very doable. I graduated with honors from an Ivy while working 10-30 hours week during the school year). </p>

<p>You also can take out loasn. The average college student graduates with about $16 k of loans, something that in most cases is not that hard to pay back. One also can lower one's loans by participating in AmeriCorps or Teach for America after graduation. Both also give excellent experience that would be impressive to future employers, whatever field one decides to enter.</p>

<p>I also agree with people who say don't follow your friends to college. In most cases, people change a great deal during college due to being on their own and being exposed to a wider variety of people and ideas. It's likely that wherever you go to college, you will grow apart from many of your friends, who will be taking off on their own individual journeys developing different aspects of their characters.</p>

<p>One doesn't go to college to stay the same, no matter how fulfilled one is with one's life. One goes to college to learn new things and to explore new things. If your heart calls you to Tulane, take advantage of the opportunity you have. This sweet time in your life is one of the only times you'll ever have the opportunity to so follow your internal compass. Enjoy it and flourish.</p>