<p>Hi Everyone,
I'm a senior in HS and it is down to the last few weeks before I need to decide where to go for the next four years and I have narrowed my decision down to two college: University of Rochester and Tulane University. I know these two school are both amazing for different reasons and am really struggling to pick "the one". I am definitely going to be pre-med, but am undecided of what to major, but would like to do English, but could really go a number of ways. I am from Los Angeles and would have to adjust to the cold of Rochester, but am positive I could manage since I enjoy the snow. NOLA weather would not be too hard to adjust to for it is not that different. I like the build your own curriculum of Rochester, but am not sure if I'd regret not getting the excitement of New Orleans that comes with Tulane. I also here the teachers at Rochester are better than those at Tulane, whether that is true I can't say. What do you guys think would be a better fit for a high schooler on the verge of making this giant leap into college? Thanks!</p>
<p>Oh! I was also given $9,000 a year from Rochester and no money from Tulane, but am not stuck on money and want to go where I’ll be the happiest, regardless of debt! Thanks!</p>
<p>Which will cost you more? Go to the other one. They are two great school and you’ll do well at either. The kids we met at Tulane and Rochester were plenty happy and spoke highly of their schools.</p>
<p>Are you sure about the weather? It’s a week into spring and it snowed about 10" here in Rochester yesterday. </p>
<p>I think Rochester is slightly stronger academically, however Tulane seems more fun and laid-back and more like a typical college experience. I don’t really think there a bad choice here – I would just attend the place that feels like home. </p>
<p>Actually, the weather in NOLA is far more humid than SoCal, and it rains a lot more, so not as similar as you might think. I also think the money difference is only something to consider if it strongly impacts your family financially. For some families, a $9K difference is not all that significant. You are planning on med school, which is expensive, so of course you have that to think about. But you know your family’s finances, we don’t. Certainly it isn’t like we are talking about one school offering you full tuition and the other nothing, which is a situation I faced with one of my kids. Compared to the cost of an undergraduate education at either of these schools, this is relatively small, but to some families it would still be significant. It sounds like it isn’t too impactful for you, at least not enough to sway your decision.</p>
<p>As far as anything you heard about the profs at either place, throw that away. I can assure you the profs are quite capable at both schools, and if you read the reviews from people that went to Tulane’s Top Scholars Weekend on the Tulane forum here on CC, you would see that the students and parents were quite impressed with the passion and sincere interest in the undergrads the Tulane profs had. I wouldn’t worry about that at all. At all schools of high reputation, most profs are good at their jobs and like teaching, while there are always a few that are not so good at teaching. But Tulane has a reputation for being extremely undergrad oriented.</p>
<p>You are right that New Orleans is an amazing place to go to school. It is an experience that lasts a lifetime. No one talks about Rochester that way, and I have been there dozens of times. I used to do a lot of business with Kodak, plus I would visit the schools there, including UofR.</p>
<p>But what I really wanted to point out to you is that since you are considering English as a major while being pre-med, Tulane has what I think is a pretty unique thing called the Creative Premedical Scholars Program. <a href=“http://tulane.edu/advising/prehealth/academic/creative-premedical-scholars-program.cfm”>http://tulane.edu/advising/prehealth/academic/creative-premedical-scholars-program.cfm</a> As you can see, in this program you actually are required to have a liberal arts major. You get accepted to Tulane med school at the end of your sophomore year, and you don’t have to take the MCAT. Of course this program is competitive and the standards are high, so there are no guarantees, but it certainly might be of interest to you.</p>
<p>I am a Tulane alum, a parent of a very recent Tulane grad, and a frequent poster on the Tulane forum, but my bias is more because I know so much more about Tulane than other schools, although I know some other schools pretty well. I am not so much trying to push Tulane as to present you with facts to consider. Having said that, I think Tulane and New Orleans (you cannot talk about Tulane without talking about New Orleans, they are very connected) are completely unique and, for most students that are lucky enough to attend Tulane, a great experience. But you have to go with your gut, because only you can sense what fits you best.</p>
<p>One of the biggies for med school application is volunteering, research and/or other exposure to the medical field. Not sure what Tulane offers, but UofR has a great med school and gives undergrads pretty good access to it and the hospitals. It’s definitely a consideration. Although that program mentioned above does sound interesting. This really comes down to feel, you’ll do great at either school.</p>
<p>As for weather in NOLA, it’s NOTHING like SoCal. The humidity alone is killer. Definitely visit both in April.</p>
<p>Tulane runs various clinics in the city besides having the med school downtown. LSU also has their med school in NOLA. Tulane actually requires 2 semesters of service courses. I could definitely see combining an English major and your interest in medicine by working with these clinics to reach out and communicate with the locals, for example. Like at Rochester, there are tons of research opportunities at Tulane.</p>
<p>My son has narrowed his choice down to Tulane and Rochester also. I am curious if you have decided yet. What reasons made you choose what you did. My son is deadlocked in his decision.</p>
<p>Hi Stellabubba!
I have chosen Tulane over UR. I narrowed my choices down to the two biggest factors that drew me in: The city of New Orleans at Tulane and the open curriculum at Rochester. Since I want to be an English major and a premed student I found out I would have to take certain classes to complete clusters that matched the premed track requirements. These excess classes would be equal to the GE classes at Tulane in a sense, so why not go to the school with the added benefit of the city? I also said to myself, “Would I really care if I was a single or double major at Tulane rather than a double or triple major at UR?” And to be honest, the answer was no. If I had an ideal goal in my head to major in three subjects, I probably would’ve chose UR. </p>
<p>I knew I would hate myself for giving up either school, but what I really had to ask myself was which would I hate myself more for giving up and the answer was Tulane which is why I chose it. Best of luck with your son’s decision stellabubba. I hope he picks whichever school makes him the happiest because, in the end, he can’t really go wrong.</p>
<p>My son chose Tulane also.</p>