Help Us Decide Loyola vs Tulane

<p>ajallain - Do you know how many classes are that big at Tulane? A very very small number. 90% of the classes are under 30 students, I would even say about 2/3 are under 20 students. Your post is very misleading in that regard.</p>

<p>I think we can let the dance team thing drop. I hardly think that is a crucial aspect of either school.</p>

<p>SARAH - your post makes a ton of sense. That is great that Loyola is such a perfect fit for you. That is all that matters. I just hate to see people posting such misleading things about Tulane in order to make their school look better. They don’t need to. Loyola is great for any number of reasons. It is what it is, and same for Tulane. It is really a strength of the city to have these two schools next to each other and working together, which they do, contrary to some earlier comments. In fact it seems they are working together more than ever, from the articles I see in both schools’ papers. You add the research cooperation between Tulane and Xavier, and you really have a strong nexus of schools that brings together a diverse group of students. That is wonderful to see.</p>

<p>I am a second year student at Loyola and I can definitely tell you this is the place to be. If you are interested in study abroad, this is the place to be. Loyola makes it easy for students who want to study abroad to do so. There are summer, semester and year programs that you can enroll into. If you do an exchange program for a semester or year, instead of you giving your money to Loyola, you will give it to the school at the study abroad location and you will take classes at that University as a full time student and you will receive the credits for the classes. If you are interested in International business, all international business majors are required to have study abroad experience so that gives you many opportunities to study abroad.</p>

<p>As far as service in the community with international students, you can do that both on and off of campus. Whether that be tutoring an international student here on campus or volunteering with another organization. I currently volunteer at a nonprofit organization that teaches English as a second language. The majority of the students are hispanic but there have been people from all over the world who have attended these English classes. You can also volunteer as part of service learning for a class and if you successfully complete it, it will be permanently put onto your college transcript. Great huh! </p>

<p>Consider Loyola, it’s awesome!!</p>

<p>OP’s daughter chose Tulane last year.</p>

<p>I applied to both Tulane and Loyola, and consider both to be great schools. I personally think Loyola is better for me, but I’ll have to visit them (and several other schools).</p>

<p>So… I am a senior in the same boat - deciding if I want to go to Tulane and Loyola. Right now I am leaning toward Loyola. I took a college visit a couple months back, and loved both schools. Academically, they are both very good. Tulane is definitely stronger in the upper level sciences such as bio-chemistry and stuff like that, but Loyola also has strong sciences as well, particularly biology and psychology. The feel and atmosphere is very different though. Loyola is more of a creative, down-to-earth, community feel. It seemed very welcoming, and I could really sense that it had more of an appreciation for the arts there. Tulane had the quintessential “college” atmosphere, and seemed to be bustling with academically motivated students. I think they both have a lot of diversity, both geographically and ethnically, both had a nice blend of students. For me, though, I preferred the feel of Loyola better than Tulane. It kind of depends what your in to. If your looking for more of a nurturing, creative environment, Loyola would suit those interests. If you are looking for more of a northeastern university environment that is more academically focuses, Tulane would be better. However, since they are right next to each other, you will be able to experience both if you go there. I honestly don’t think you could go wrong with either school.</p>

<p>Oh, and I forgot to mention… The only concern I had with Loyola was its small size. I was worried that it would be like high school all over again, but then I had to take into consideration that it was right next to Tulane, and I don’t think there will be a shortage of people… Also, your in the best city in the world. So I’m guessing the odds of getting bored are slim to none. But I do have one question directed toward any Loyola students, How do you guys feel about the size of Loyola? Do you think its too small or do you like the size?</p>

<p>Agreed. Other than being physically next to each other in New Orleans, you really cannot compare them against one another. Tulane should be compared academically, financially, etc. against the Duke’s and Emory’s, while Loyola against perhaps other Catholic LibArt universities. They have different missions and serve different demographics.</p>

<p>To answer hfitz994’s question about the size of Loyola’s campus.</p>

<p>I love the size of Loyola’s campus. It is, what I would call, a medium sized campus. Small enough to get to know a lot of people, but large enough to get to know a new person everyday. To me, Loyola was the perfect size in the areas you need it most - smaller class sizes with larger student life/activities. </p>

<p>Good luck with your college selection process!!</p>

<p>I am very likely going to be attending Loyola this fall. I was deferred by Tulane with statistics higher than it’s 75th percentile and strong extra-curriculars/community service. I just received my scholarship decision from Loyola and I was chosen for the Ignatian Scholarship- full tuition, room and board. The letter was personal, including details of my community service/leadership that the committee was particularly impressed with. Loyola has been in touch with me since, and I feel like the school really took the time to get to know me through my application and interview. I’m ecstatic to receive such an honor from a highly regarded Jesuit school, and I’ll never look back at the Tulane decision. Loyola is truly about the development of the whole person, and seems to try to establish a personal relationship with each student. What I’ve experienced so far has spoken volumes about the school (in a great way!), and I can’t wait to visit. By the way… Loyola has a Middle East Peace Studies minor that I’ve yet to see paralleled at any other school… Definitely will be taking those courses if I attend.</p>

<p>Sorry to bump this again, but Loyola kept calling my cell phone a few times a week before school ended, trying to get me to apply/go there. It was ridiculous. </p>

<p>I applied to both Tulane and Loyola and chose Tulane without hesitation. Not only does Tulane offer an intimate setting/liberal arts feel that Loyola does, but it also provides research opportunities and an academic environment that Loyola couldn’t even dream of matching. </p>

<p>When I visited Loyola and told people I was deciding between Loyola and Tulane, I sorta got the feeling that the Loyola students were a bit pompous and judgmental about it. Idk it was just very off-putting. Certainly not the kind of people I’d want to call my classmates.</p>

<p>My son is attending Loyola this summer, and we can’t be happier with the experience. Sure, it’s a small class, it’s summer, but his professor personally approached me and told me what a great student my son was and how thrilled he was to have him in his class. Not the sort of personal attention I expected from a college professor.</p>

<p>I drive through Tulane and Loyola very often, as they are right next door to each other. The students at the two schools are very different, just in the way they dress, carry themselves. There seems to be more of an international, worldly flavor in the Tulane students; whereas, the Loyola kids are more boy and girl next door types. This is, of course, a generalization, and I’m not meaning to stereotype the students who go to the different schools. I suggest you visit both and see which one fits you best.</p>

<p>This has been a very enlightening thread. Thanks to all who posted. My son has expressed an interest in going to Tulane because he loves NOLA. However, after reading this thread I can see that Loyola is probably a much better fit for a smart, thoughtful boy who wants to write and perhaps study theater.</p>

<p>Loyola is a mediocre university at best. It might not even be the second best university in New Orleans, and it is most definitely not the second best university in Louisiana. It’s a school for the Newman/Jesuit kids who are subpar academically but their families consider themselves too good for public universities, despite even LSU being a superior institution. I really don’t understand the point of anyone attending this school. It’s similar to spending $40K on a subpar Mercedes C Class. This thread is an insult to Tulane.</p>

<p>I know this thread is OLD; however, I just gotta’ say my son’s 31 ACT score is NOT subpar and Loyola and Tulane both intrigued him for slightly different reasons. (We just finished visits to both schools today, so this is fresh). </p>

<p>I appreciated the previous posts on both schools, but please, any inference that my son might lean a little toward Loyola because his intelligence is subpar is inappropriate.</p>

<p>Wow… we just decided to add Loyola NOLA to my son’s college list as he’s had Tulane as his #1 but we didn’t get an acceptance decision yet (seems like many of the ‘slam-dunks’ have already heard.)</p>

<p>Thought I’d pop over here to see if there were any discussions about the two schools, not realizing the firestorm I’d find.</p>

<p>Clearly if my son gets into either school we’ll go down and assess the situation but this feels like Yankees/Red Sox. LOL</p>

<p>My son is quite happy at LoyNO as a freshman jazz studies major. We also looked at Tulane, but is has a lesser program.</p>

<p>He gets mentioned in this Times-Picayune article:
[Wynton</a> Marsalis teaches Loyola jazz students lessons in music, life | NOLA.com](<a href=“http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2012/10/wynton_marsalis_gave_loyola_ja.html]Wynton”>Wynton Marsalis teaches Loyola jazz students lessons in music, life)</p>

<p>That’s fantastic! Congrats to him.</p>

<p>I tend to think that Loyola might be a better fit for my son, but we haven’t heard from either school yet so we’ll see…</p>

<p>Personally I’m not applying to Tulane because I like the people/vibe at Loyola better…Tulane kids also seem stuck-up to me, not saying there’s nice people at Tulane or stuck-up people at Loyola but that’s the vibe I always got…Also Loyola is NOT a subpar school and is very good. So uh, ignore whatever Johnny Utah said because he’s actually wrong. Sure, Tulane’s harder to get into and whatever, but Loyola is still a very good school.</p>

<p>The vibe at Tulane vs. Loyola are worlds apart so it’s definitely important to see which vibe you like better. Addressing stereotypes, Tulane really isn’t full of stuck up north-easterners. They’re there, but they in no way represent the school as a whole. I promise you we’re actually good people, haha. And I’m sure Loyola isn’t full of chain-smoking hipsters even though some stereotypes might say otherwise. The important thing in choosing between Tulane and Loyola (or really any two schools in general) is to avoid making assumptions and spend a little time on the campus and around the students to decide whether the school fits you or not.</p>

<p>Well, my son has now been accepted to both Tulane (no scholarship $$) and Loyola (won’t know about $$ until Feb)!</p>

<p>We’ll be taking a trip down in January to explore both schools. Have signed up for the tours but also will have enough time to explore on our own.</p>

<p>He’s a STEM kid who is very interested in the Neuroscience program at Tulane, but personality-wise might fit in better at Loyola, so it will be interesting to see where he feels more comfortable.</p>

<p>Mavitale- my son is in same situation. He loves TU but will need more assistance to become a reality. I am close to piecing it together to prevent a large debt on his part. He was also accepted to Loyola and is waiting for the feb scholarship info. Loyola also opens up an athletic avenue for him. So the wait continues…
Good news is you get 1k tuition reduction at Loyola just for visiting. Make sure admissions knows your there.</p>