Hi, I’ve been admitted to both BC and Tulane. Both are tied as my #1 school, and I’m very unsure about which one to attend. I’ve seen both schools so I know a lot about the different atmospheres and students, but I don’t have as much information on if one is much better than the other academically.
I’m planning on majoring in economics, but that could easily change. I am definitely interested in business though. I know at BC they allow liberal arts students to take some classes from the business school, but it is almost impossible to transfer in. At Tulane however, it is much easier to switch into the business school. Does the Tulane business school have a good reputation?
And academically what would you say is the biggest difference between the two schools? I live near Boston, so I know BC has a fantastic reputation, but I never really hear much about Tulane, does it have a similar reputation? I know reputation isn’t everything but when looking for a job it definitely helps.
Both excellent schools with top-notch students, but very different from one another in terms of their cities and general characters. If you opt for New Orleans, you’ll find a very “work hard, play hard” character among a chunk of the student body. You’ll also be very immersed in community service. New Orleans needs Tulane right now, badly, and the school has responded by making service to New Orleans a highly integral part of the educational experience. It’s a requirement, in fact. Academically, Tulane’s strengths are in the life sciences, neuroscience in particular, and biomedical engineering (tons of pre-meds), international relations (especially Latin America), mechanical, electrical, materials and computational engineering, political economy, history, and entrepreneurship in the Freeman School of Business.
I am less knowledgeable about BC, so I’ll leave it to others to comment, but I know that it also has an excellent reputation, top caliber students, and is located in one of the world’s great academic cities.
Congratulations on having two great choices. You obviously had a great high school career! Best of luck to you!
I will most likely attend grad school, but if for whatever reason I didn’t, would you say either school provides a big advantage in finding jobs? Especially in the economic/business fields
No, neither would bridge a big advantage. People could argue for days on the small ones. The only possible big advantage would go to BC for Wall Street, maybe. It doesn’t sound like that’s a primary concern for you.
I would say BC has a slightly better reputation in the Midwest/Mid-east/Northeast while Tulane has a slightly better reputation in the South and West. They are both highly regarded so it is not a major difference, but lets just say you are dead set on living in the Northeast, then BC MIGHT be the better pick solely on reputation. But, besides reputation, they are both phenomenal schools. BC has a little more “upper-class citizen” feel to it which some people like, some people don’t. It is in Boston which is an amazing city and would be full of co-op/internship opportunities as well as just a great city for fun! Tulane puts a big emphasis on community service and has a more “Southern-living” feel (might sound dumb since it is in the South, but not all schools have this feel) and is in a very great, although different, city in New Orleans as well! I think you would be very satisfied at either school so if it comes down to money, which it may or may not depending on your financial situation, then Tulane may be the better option for you. But if money does not matter, then it really just depends on your interests in location and emphasis. Best of luck and hope that this helped!
Can I ask questions? Since you have seen both schools, did you prefer the vibe of one over the other? Which school had more students like yourself or seemed like the kind of people you could see yourself hanging out with? Academically, they are both impressive schools. Financially, it sounds like Tulane is better for you. How do you feel about the weather differences? Which campus was prettier? Which campus had the friendliest people?
I liked the vibe of Tulane more and it does seem like a friendlier campus. BC kids are def a lot like me but I’m looking to meet different types of people than the same kind I’ve grown up with. Weather wise I’d say I like Boston more, but the warmer Louisiana weather isn’t really a negative. And for the campus, both are gorgeous but I do love the BC buildings. I’m not sure if this is accurate, but TU felt a lot more laid back than BC, which is a positive for me
Ok, so how important to your family is the amount of money they spend? Tulane gave you money and BC didn’t. Does that have an impact on your decision?
Based on your answers to my other questions, it sounds like you could be happy at either school. However, you should never underestimate the importance of the “vibe” and friendliness. Those thngs mean a lot on a day to day basis.
Looks like cost of attendance to BC and Tu are about the same - both $68k/year. Did BC give you any aid because if not, then that $120k that Tulane is offering is a huge reason to go to TU…especially if you have designs to attend grad school.
Tulane business is very well respected by the way.
Even if you’re not worried about the finances right now, you should be considering the long term, the possibility of graduate school. Attending Tulane would mean saving your family money that could eventually be spent on graduate school right? In addition, did you try to speak to the financial aid department at Boston College? Isn’t Tulane a harder school to get into? I feel like maybe you could use that as leverage against Boston College to see if they would offer a small aid package as an incentive.