<p>Another Midwesterner here! My D is very excited to attend Tulane but has many of the same concerns. Your quote “she is an Honors kid but is just a “normal” kid that works hard and gets good grades. She wants to live in Sharp to meet people and is a bit afraid of being stuck with a bunch of smart “nerdy” kids in an honors dorm,” that is my D.</p>
<p>If you like, my D said she would like to message your D on FB. My D has enjoyed meeting students from all over the US and beyond. PM me if you like for her info.</p>
<p>I have to say we also have heard, over and over, the negative east coast comments, and it can be tiresome. My feeling is, how snooty can you be when you are choosing a school like Tulane with a service requirement to help others? I met many friendly parents from the east coast and elsewhere during honors weekend in March. It was fun urging my new “parent pals” from Long Island to try grits (for the first time) in the cafeteria, LOL.</p>
<p>Just to give some historical info here, it is not at all unusual for an HP student to pick Sharp or Monroe, not to mention Wall. I know jym626’s son did pick Monroe (or was it Sharp? They are virtually identical in character), and quite a few others have as well because they want the more unrestrained atmosphere. For my D Butler was the better choice, but perhaps if she had known they would be pile-driving for a lot of that year while they built SoHo right behind her room, she might have decided differently. While Tulane doesn’t divide up the dorms in terms of specialties or interests as much as some schools I have seen, it is good that there are some distinct choices.</p>
<p>Npcx723 we are still undecided at our house about choices for next year with my second son. My son has gotten into UC Berkeley (OOS) but he has a few other reasonable choices, including Tulane. He has always wanted to go to Berkeley, but I am concerned about the budget cuts and the difficulty getting into classes etc. Going there would require taking out some loans, but it is not only the money I am concerned about.
If you dont mind giving your impressions of the school, and FC, and anyone else I would appreciate this.</p>
<p>One of his friends is already making a move to transfer from Berkeley but my son doesnt think that will apply to him…</p>
<p>I don’t know if you saw this already, but I have mentioned that my niece (Cal resident) is just finishing her freshman year at Berkeley. She is loving it, but she has said that upperclassmen are complaining about the budget cuts and having to take 5 or even 6 years to graduate. Although I strongly suspect in the case of those taking 6 years it has more to do with them than the school, like changing majors 3 or 4 times or similar situations. But there are issues. At the same time, she loves the diversity and all the options that exist at a school that large and open.</p>
<p>My own impression of Berkeley, further solidified by her experience, is that a student really starts to take advantage of its intellectual resources after about 3 semesters. Before that one is stuck in large classes and is pretty much just getting through the requirements and survey courses. Of course this varies somewhat by major, but it seems to be a repeated theme, and has gotten somewhat worse the last couple of years with the changes. However, once the student gets to the point of focusing more on their major in upper level classes, Berkeley offers one of the finest educations available in the USA. Apparently you just have to become a master at navigating the system.</p>
<p>On a broader note, if your son really wants Berkeley and can articulate solid reasons for this preference, and you deem it affordable, then that carries a lot of weight, I would think. And by solid reasons I would count campus atmosphere, sports, etc. That is all part of the college experience. What I personally wouldn’t count is ranking or “reputation”. But obviously Tulane and Berkeley are at nearly opposite ends of the spectrum as far as size and feel. If he is one of those people that thinks he prefers the very large campus and student body to the medium/small ones, then you have to take that into strong consideration.</p>
<p>Do you know why his friend is transferring?</p>
<p>Thanks for your fast reply FC.<br>
There are numerous reasons the friend is leaving, including that he had to drop a class at the beginning of his first quarter, and had difficultly getting through his lighter schedule. The friend is coming from a much more difficult home life and support system, than my son is, but my son is more disorganized. My son has not decided on his major, so I think we are in for some major shuffling. (You can take that both ways.)</p>
<p>My thought is that my son should go to a less crowded college for two years and try and transfer if he does not like it, but there is the risk he is not accepted later. He is drawn to Berkeley because of the professors there, he does not need a school with a football team. </p>
<p>Thanks again for your time. The decision was easier with the first one. My husband and I both think Tulane is a better fit, but my son is the one that has to live with the decision.</p>
<p>He does realize that the chances of him getting to know more than one or two of these profs at Berkeley in any more than a passing way is slim, right? That’s one of the big differences between Cal and Tulane. At UCB the research groups are so large and the pressure to publish, write grants and just manage groups that size is so intense that undergrads are not the priority of most of these famous researchers. I know that is a long ways off, but if he is even thinking about grad school then maybe that is when Cal should come into the picture.</p>
<p>He has a far better chance of getting to know several profs at Tulane very well than he does at Cal. I know my D has, and that is a huge benefit as she is applying soon to grad schools, for internships at the State Dept., things like that. Something to consider. I think the reality at Cal regarding the interaction with these professors might be quite different than whatever picture is in his mind. Now I am basing that mostly on my experience in the sciences, so if he is looking at majors like philosophy or history maybe it would be different to some extent, I am not sure. Just a cautionary tale, for his consideration.</p>
<p>Gowill–just saw your note. UC Berkeley and almost all of the California UC’s are severely impacted by budget cuts. The cuts and impacts are in our news daily. Berkeley has a lot of positives but it is not the school it once was. My D did not apply to any of the UC’s because of the severe constraints. PM me if your son would want to talk to my daughter about her experience and impressions of Cal.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your insights and help, FC and npcx723. We had been hoping he would decide on his own that he should wait until grad school to attend Berkeley, but he keeps changing his mind. I will pass this info on to my son and hope for the best.</p>
<p>I can understand the appeal of UC-Berkeley. I personally have always liked the school and the bay area. However, S2 chose Tulane over Berkeley and has never for an instant regretted it. He also chose Sharp and did not participate in the honors program, he wanted that “true” college experience. He had a great semester abroad this past academic year, is a Dean’s List student, loves his professors and his (philosophy) major, and loves New Orleans and its music. Tulane was definitely the right choice for him.</p>
<p>Thanks idad. I will certainly pass that on, as philosophy is one of the majors my son is considering. He has been at a tournament out of state, and returns late tonight (Monday our time), so he has a good reason for procrastinating.</p>