<p>if you got into other colleges in addition to tulane, what made you decide to go to tulane? what was the deciding factor for you? was it a tough choice?</p>
<p>i'm asking because i was accepted into tulane but have been accepted into some other great schools. i'm leaning toward tulane but am still feeling a tiny bit indecisive- it's a big decision. hearing your perspectives might help.</p>
<p>Hi colt - I am a Tulane alum and now a Tulane Dad (D, 2013). I am sure you will get answers here from current students and those that are choosing to come this fall, but let me just say two things and also give you a link that you might not have seen. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tulane-university/687971-101-reasons-attend-tulane-university.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/tulane-university/687971-101-reasons-attend-tulane-university.html</a></p>
<p>A fun yet semi-serious thread, but it brings me to my point #1. I know of no other school that is so completely intertwined with the city in which it resides, and New Orleans is a very unique city. The people of New Orleans love Tulane students (not always the case for relations between residents and students in other places), and there are always things going on, most of which do not require heavy drinking, despite the stories you hear. And if you are so inclined, you can get very involved in continuing to rebuild the city. With a new mayor and the attention New Orleans got from the Super Bowl, I certainly think there is a good chance the pace of recovery will pick up.</p>
<p>The second reason is that Tulane is definitely on the upswing. Katrina was not only a rebirth for New Orleans, it was a chance for Tulane to reinvigorate itself. Frankly it started a few years before Katrina, but it has kicked into another gear the last few years.</p>
<p>Other posts you have made say you are going for a MSW. So I am not sure if the reasons people on these threads, who are predominately high school students and undergrads, will pertain to you as much. But I do think that the opportunities in New Orleans are especially attractive to someone in your area of interest. Not that Philly doesn’t need a lot of help too, lol.</p>
<p>Good luck, I am sure others will weigh in. Let us know if I am wrong about that MSW. Where did you get your undergrad?</p>
<p>My son chose Tulane over 6+ schools ranked higher…great schools that aren’t easy to get into…but he fell in love with Tulane the minute he stepped onto campus. He said that everyone was always smiling and happy, the weather was great and he met lots of kids from here in the northeast…as a parent, I too felt that Tulane was on the upswing and I thoroughly enjoyed President Cowen’s presentation/the Honors Program/etc. while on our visit. It was important to me he went to a school that I felt would give him as good of an education as the schools he turned down (as well as his brother’s well-ranked school). </p>
<p>Tulane has been great, my son is doing very well and he is very happy with his choice. He celebrated the Super Bowl with friends in the French Quarter, went to the parade and is now enjoying his first Mardi Gras with friends, and his brother/girlfriend, both who flew down to join him. He gets out and around the city, joined clubs, works out every day and still keeps up with his studies. We (his parents) who are both involved with our alma maters and our other son’s school are now participating in functions sponsored by TU up here and we just love everything about the school, the people we meet, the feedback and emails we receive, etc. I would put this school up there with every other school he was accepted to and, in fact, like it better than some of them. Please don’t get hung up on rankings like so many other people do, because those are not good indicators of the best school for you. (BTW, in the previous 12 years before Hurricane Katrina, Tulane consistently ranked in the 34-46 range and I think the school is so much better now!) Our son made a great choice!</p>
<p>NYBUCK, if you don’t mind me asking, what other schools did your son get accepted into? I’ve also been accepted into Tulane but wondering what kind of schools other people have turned down for it.</p>
<p>highflyin - In terms of higher ranked schools, my D turned down WUSTL, Chicago and couple of Ivies. Money was part of it (she is on full tuition scholarship at Tulane), but she just loved NOLA and the campus, apparently liked what she saw and heard during her Honors weekend, and seems extremely happy now. She really liked WUSTL also, was her other choice. I think both schools have bright, engaged students with very upbeat atmospheres and a very strong emphasis on the undergrads. But a $40K/year difference is tough to ignore.</p>
<p>Also to emphasize what NYBuck is saying, if schools were ranked only on average SAT scores, Tulane would be about #30. Now I know that a school cannot be judged just on that, but I think it does at least show that the quality of the student body is better than what USNWR reflects. Of course I think those rankings are totally bogus anyway, so factor that in.</p>
<p>Colt10</p>
<p>There are many fine schools out there…I’m sure that if you are a motivated, wellrounded student, you will make the most of your education wherever you go.</p>
<p>That being said, my daughter who is graduating Tulane this semester, has no intention of leaving NOLA after graduation. She just says there are too many things going on at Tulane and in the city. </p>
<p>Good luck whatever you choice may be!</p>
<p>DS is a sophomore at Tulane and among all the schools he was accepted, Tulane was ranked the lowest on USNews. The reasons he chose Tulane are:</p>
<ol>
<li>Smaller class sizes (most others are UC schools that are known to have big classes)</li>
<li>Scholarship </li>
<li>Going to a place that is completely different from what he is familiar with</li>
</ol>
<p>The decision was really made after we visited Tulane in April and he just felt it’s the right place for him. We were there during the French Quarter Festival and New Orleans was really a fun, happening place to be. </p>
<p>It was interesting that two days after we dropped him off at Tulane, he was back in CA due to hurricane Gustav. Most of his friends had not started schools at UCs yet and some of them tried to convince him to transfer back since he was accepted to most of these schools already. He went back to Tulane after a week or two and never regretted his decision.</p>
<p>great replies, thanks!!</p>
<p>fallenchemist, yes, i’m going for the MSW. i’m 99% sure i’m going to tulane, but still want to gather all the info i can. i am definitely interested in helping w/ rebuilding and i LOVE new orleans. i think i’m a little nervous because i was all set to go to UNO for college in 2005 and then katrina hit, so even though the chances are very very slim that that could happen again, it still sticks in my mind. i’ve actually wanted to make a post on here asking about the hurricane/levees safety, but realize people may be burned out talking about it. </p>
<p>i’ll graduate with a BA from UNH this may. i am excited to get out of this cold weather. ;)</p>
<p>i hope my future kid goes to tulane… then i will have an excuse to visit often. :D</p>
<p>Tulane has a very well prepared evacuation plan should that be required. I looked up some of the latest info on the levees. The levees are mostly rebuilt. Essentially, the chances of another Katrina type failure is small, and the levees are supposed to be completely rebuilt and enhanced by June 2011. So that means one more hurricane season before the whole system will be designed to handle a Category 5.</p>
<p>thanks for that info!</p>
<p>My son (a freshman now) turned down scholarships from Northeastern & from Fordham. He really liked Wake Forest but got waitlisted there. Tulane didn’t give him any money. He wasn’t too sure about Tulane until we visited during Destination Tulane (in April 2009). He loved it. He got accepted to Cornell as a guaranteed transfer for fall 2010 but has already decided to stay @ Tulane. He had a blast with the Super Bowl & now with Mardi Gras. He recently rushed and got accepted into his first choice Fraternity. Last semester his grades were good (not great) but this semester I am a bit worried. For what we are paying, our agreement is that he gets a minimum 3.0 or he’s home. I went to visit him over Super Bowl weekend. He looked exhausted, and it’s definitely not because he’s been too busy cleaning his room or doing his laundry. :)</p>