<p>I have been selected as one of five people in New Orleans to win the Tulane Mayoral Scholarship, which would give me full tuition to Tulane (Honors Program) for all four years. However, I've also been accepted to Dartmouth, an Ivy League school that is frequently ranked among the nation's best institutions and has a 10% acceptance rate. Therefore, I am faced with a conundrum. Should I go to Tulane Honors for significantly less, or should I pay a significant amount for an Ivy League education that may later prove to be advantageous? Many people are telling me to choose Tulane; but I am looking to go into business, making Dartmouth appear to be a sensible choice. Additionally, Dartmouth has offered me a little over half of their tuition (my family would contribute about $25,000 annually), while the Tulane scholarship does not cover the cost of room and board (about $10,000).</p>
<p>So, you’re essentially looking at a difference of 60K or so over the four years (probably a tad more depending on whether Tulane room & board and Dartmouth overall costs increase at the same or different rates) plus transportation costs. My opinion would be that Dartmouth is worth it. Check the Dartmouth/UC Berkeley and Dartmouth/USC threads for a variety of thoughts on similar questions.</p>
<p>No. Tulane. Your (almost) free ride is a great opportunity. If you are thinking about going into Business, use this as your first, best business decision.</p>
<p>Gentilly, are you sure your numbers are correct? Dartmouth lists tuition for 2013-14 at $45,445, with cost of attendance at a little over $60K. If you have a half-tuition grant of roughly $25k, your remaining costs will be about $35K.</p>
<p>I should have said half of the cost of attendance. They have given me $37,000 worth of aid.</p>
<p>How do your parents feel about this (since they are the ones who will have to write the checks)?</p>
<p>I think at that price Dartmouth is absolutely the right choice. You’ll have so much more access to elite business jobs out of school and the alumni network is incredibly valuable. The benefits of Dartmouth will last a lifetime, even if you get your MBA Dartmouth will put you on the fast track out of the gate. In the long-run the 60K different, which is a lot, will seem very worth it.</p>
<p>Read the posts about hazing, about racism, about classism. Don’t get caught up in the Ivy League aura. That is the mistake I made. Sadly. Go to Tulane. Save your money for grad school. Read the CC Dartmouth thread “Deal-Breaker! DD will NOT attend Dartmouth.”</p>
<p>Somehow I doubt that Tulane is free of hazing, racism, and classism.</p>
<p>Dartmouth for half price is a steal. A no-brainer.</p>
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<p>One can avoid any hazing by not pledging. However, the ONLY way to avoid classicism is to attend a state directional u. ALL top, private colleges have plenty of full payers, i.e., the top 5% income bracket in the country. That is a fact, (and anyone with critical thinking skills should readily know).</p>
<p>Tulane does not meet full need, btw, so it has mostly full payers. (Yes, they are heavily discounted.)</p>
<p>I would go with Dartmouth. By the way, if you are looking for unbiased opinions to weigh the pros and cons, it was a really bad idea to ask if you should attend Dartmouth in the Dartmouth section.</p>
<p>I realize that opinions are more likely to be biased here lol. I’m just looking for all the advice that I can possibly get, as this is the most difficult decision that I have ever encountered. I’ve also asked this question in the Tulane section and on neutral mediums btw.</p>
<p>OP, I think it depends on how much the $60,000 will impact your family. If they have to take out loans, probably Tulane makes more sense. If they can manage it, Dartmouth is a great choice for business. FYI, I have 2 kids. Oldest is at Dartmouth (we are full pay). She turned down many scholarships to attend Dartmouth, as she absolutely fell in love with the school (and it has turned out to be even better than anticipated). My other D took a full ride at U of Miami. She got into some highly ranked schools, but she decided to take the money and has never looked back (and she loves the U). There is not one right decision. It really depends on fit, finances, etc. I will say that if you are looking to go into business, Dartmouth is superb. They have wonderful resources, and corporate recruiting has been outstanding. So many companies recruit from campus, both for internships and jobs. Good luck to you in your decision. Both are wonderful choices for different reasons.</p>
<p>i went to tulane. choose dartmouth - there is no free lunch.</p>
<p>I did graduate work at Tulane. The business school is excellent, but I doubt it provides the pedigree of Dartmouth. You might do a google search for the Payscale rankings for 2013 showing ROI by college and see how Tulane compares. I know Dartmouth was in the top 20. And by the way, you will find a healthy dose of classism, racism, and every other -ism at Tulane, as you likely will at many schools. True, Tulane has many full-payers; there’s an old saying that the locals attend because they are smart and get scholarships; the Northerners come because they didn’t get into their first eight choices but could afford the tuition. In either case, you will get a good education.</p>
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<p>Love that line, do you mind if I steal it? :D</p>
<p>@bluebayou – Steal away! By the way, the idea wasn’t meant to be an insult to Tulane or to the “Northerners”. It really is more of a comment on the difficulty for anyone to get into HYPS, the Little Ivies, etc., particularly for applicants from the Northeast, who tend to be heavily represented in their applicant pools. You really can get a great education at Tulane, particularly in their business school, and you can’t beat the offerings of New Orleans for fun and entertainment.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everyone! Of course it was a very close, difficult, and stressful decision; but I ended up choosing Dartmouth. I just couldn’t bring myself to waste that opportunity and be left wondering what would have happened if I had taken it for the rest of my life.</p>
<p>And the bon ton can roulet in Hanover too! Welcome.</p>
<p>Glad to hear it gentilly2013!</p>