<p>Most of you are parents who have gone through the admissions/selection process multiple times, so I'm turning to you to help me make a decision. </p>
<p>I have to make a choice between two schools: Gonzaga University and Tulane University, and I am completely torn over what to do. </p>
<p>Gonzaga will be 7k cheaper than Tulane per year. It's close to home, and has the pacific-northwest feel that I'm used to. The classes are generally easier and I don't think it will be as stressful. I can also come home for the weekend if I want to. I feel comfortable there and I know I wouldn't have a problem fitting in.
However, I'm afraid I'm going to be stuck in the pacific northwest if I go thereGonzaga doesn't really have much of a name elsewhere besides basketball. I want to do international relations, and they only have International studies. I'm not sure about the weather, where I live is pretty gloomy already. A bunch of kids from my highschool go there, and I'm worried about this being high school part II. </p>
<p>Tulane will be 7k more. It's almost 2000 miles from where I live, and requires a few plane flights to get there. It's a completely new environment that I've never experience before, and I think it really could be good for me. I think it will give me more exposure to life outside the north-west corner of the US, and I'll meet people from all sides of the country, where at Gonzaga I would be with pacific nw kids like me. They have a Poli-Sci/Intl Relations majors, as well as public health, which I'm starting to become more interested in. However, no one from my area has ever gone, so I would be all alone at the beginning, which makes me a bit nervous. For what I want to do, Tulane is better than Gonzaga, but I'm not sure it's 7k better. </p>
<p>My parents are amazing, and are paying for all of my undergrad education so either way I will graduate with no student loans. However the 7k extra will put a stretch on things. It's doable, but I would have to give up my car, and I would be all by myself for grad school if I choose to do it. </p>
<p>So as you can see, I'm completely torn. What do you think is the smarter decision that will benefit me the most?</p>
<p>My advice? Go with your heart today. Make a decision and say to yourself this weekend that you’re going to XX university. Go to their website and read everything, find their Facebook page and check out the other accepted students. Start thinking about what dorm you might want to live in. Really commit, without actually making the deposit, if you can. Tell some people–maybe even a lot of people-- that’s where you’re going. See how it feels. If you keep thinking about the other school after a couple of days, you might want to try this experiment in reverse.</p>
<p>My daughter and I just returned to OR from a visit to Gonzaga’s Preview Day yesterday. We were struck by how nice everyone we met was-- the Admissions staff, the students (both the ones who were there to work the event and the random ones we talked to on campus). They are very committed to the Jesuit mission, we could tell (and we’re not even Catholic or even very religious!) But yes, it’s a very PacNW kind of place. My daughter was born and raised in the Midwest and has only been a PacNW kid for five years, and sees this part of the country with an outsider’s eye, as do I. We love so many things about the PacNW, but the school is definitely an exaggeration of the PacNW feel-- which interestingly is why there seem to be many kids from CA, Montana, CO and even the Midwest there-- they LIKE that feel! It seemed like a very close-knit, welcoming place. I think it’s big enough that you could lose the “high school II” kind of feeling after you met new friends. </p>
<p>Tulane is a whole different ball game, and that might be a great thing. I have a good friend who went there long ago and loved it; she’s from the South, though. We also have a friend whose daughter is there as a freshman and it’s just too far from home for her; she might be coming back to the Pac NW. She’s a rather anxious kid, though, so if you see yourself differently, as a confident person eager to take on new things, you might be better off trying something new. </p>
<p>I like the experiment outlined above. Anne Lamott the writer talks about really really seeing how your stomach feels when you make (or pretend to make) a decision. Listen to that gut if you commit to the world to one place or the other before it’s real.</p>
<p>There’s absolutely no question in my mind that XYZ University is the right choice … for me. What’s right for AMPH I can’t begin to say. I like Anne Lamott’s approach to help with this decision.</p>
<p>Research them and then Try flipping a coin if you are still undecided. If you are disappointed with the result or hoping for one of the results, it tells you where your heart really is.</p>
<p>There is a lot of good advice floating around on this site - I took to heart some great advice DD and I received while visiting KU. The admin guru there said; “go to school where you want to ultimately work and live…KU has a great pipeline that runs from Lawrence to St. Louis.”</p>
<p>My DD loved the tour and the school, but in the car on the way home said; I do not want to live in Kansas or Missouri, and she crossed it off her list.</p>
<p>It’s not chiseled in granite, but its a good thing to keep in mind. Schools have pipelines. For internships, and corporations who visit campus job fairs and recruiting events. “Getting away” for 4 years might sound appealing, but how about “for life?”</p>
<p>And for what its worth; was Jr. High, elementary school 2.0? or was H.S. a version of Jr. High 2.0? I don’t know much about Gonzaga, but I know plenty from kids who went from H.S. to local colleges feeling like they were going to not experience anything new (surprise!) - in all likely hood, Gonzaga is 10 times bigger than your H.S.</p>
<p>don’t underestimate the cost of traveling by flying-- especially since you will need to do it during peak travel periods (i.e. school breaks) when airfares will be more expensive</p>
<p>My kids all picked colleges pretty far from home. One nearly cross country like you are considering. They seemed to meld right back into the swing of things when they came home to visit, but being away gave them a whole new part of life that was brand new and their own. </p>
<p>My son in Colorado is so glad he chose to get away from the east coast. So new, so different, a whole new world is what he tells me. He loves coming home too. It was the most expensive choice for him that still made it under the financial bar we decided to set. He could have gone for free to college, and had other merit awards that made the cost much less. But we could do this and we were glad to give him that leeway. Those schools that we could not afford, that were above the cost we set, he immediately eliminated from his choices. </p>
<p>So if it’s within the realm of your parent’s affordability, go where you want to go. Give it a shot. You can always come back home, but it’s not going to be easy to just have a place to go in a whole other city as you have when you are privileged enough to go away to college.</p>
<p>DD intentionally did not even apply to any school where there were people from HS applying, including ALL instate schools. She did not want to get into the “why don’t you want to be my roommate” and “why won’t you hang out” and all the other baggage. She went 1500 miles from home into a different culture and loved it. When she would come home she no longer had the same interests as her HS friends, and only a few grew with her. Those are still her friends, the others have passed into memory. Even when she is home she does not contact them. Others gather when they are home but she is with family or one friend. So think about what it means to you and figure the path you want to follow.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for the responses. They actually really help, and I think I’m starting to lean towards one. </p>
<p>Erin’s Dad-Yes, I have friends who have attended Gonzaga, and they have attested to the fact that the lower level freshman/sophomore classes are generally pretty easy. Where as at Tulane, a few people told me they struggled right off the bat with some of the intro classes. However, calling one school easier than another is a blanket statement. So maybe I am wrong.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, Gonzaga is not in the Fiske Guide to Colleges. But looking for Tulane and then online for Gonzaga, looks like Tulane has an edge in score ranges. Although the top SAT scores are not far apart, clearly the average and low end are lower at Gonzaga. My experience is that there is a lot to be said for going to the school with higher scores (other things being equal); quality of classroom discussion, academic strength of peers in workgroups, pace of classes, etc. will probably be a bit better at Tulane.</p>
<p>I see that Tulane’s strength in IR is particulary focused on Latin America. Is this a part of the world that interests you? I ask because one of my kids was intereted in IR. She specifically crossed some West Coast schools off her list because their strength was primarily in Asia, and she was interested in a different part of the world. Not sure what Gonzaga’s focus is, but you should take a good look at the course offerings of the schools and specialization areas for the professors as part of your research.</p>
<p>Reading your opening post- it seems like you want to choose Tulane, but are concerned. No one can tell you now that it will be worth the extra $7K per year. However, fit is really important, all other things being equal. IF you can afford the extra money (and I mean pay, not accrue $28K extra in loans), then I say try for something new if that is what your heart/get is telling you.
FWIW- My No. Cal. nephew went toe Gonzaga and loved it. He was a good student/athlete in h.s. so it may be good for your caliber of student too.</p>
<p>I would also consider how you see youself spending "free time’. Bars allow you in at 18 in NO, and going to local spots for music, etc is a normal part of Tulane’s experience. It has a work hard/play hard mentality which doesn’t force you to party, but doesn’t discourage it either. Successful Tulane students learn early to balance all the temptations. That is not necessarily a plus or a minus, but it is important to have an idea about how you see yourself spending your off hours. It also can add to the costs that you may incur. At another school it may be ordering pizza and buying a case of beer. At Tulane it may be going out and eating in a restaurant then listening to a bad playing.</p>
<p>^ Very true. And the cost of living is quite reasonable in Spokane compared to NO, though, boy… NO is such a cool city! Also agree that you need to consider travel expenses for trips home into your cost analysis.</p>
<p>The post above re IR and Latin America vs Asia is important if you know what part of the world interests you wrt to IR. When I was there with my daughter this week we met with the captains of the dance team (my daughter’s big interest) and one of the captains is spending fall semester in Florence, Italy, so there is obviously a European connection, too.</p>
<p>Kinderny-my parents are funding my undergrad so I will not graduate with student loans either way.</p>
<p>With regards to IR, I am most interested in Europe/Africa/Middle East. I’m not sure that either of the schools have a distinct advantage in those regions. However, I’m also interested in public health, which only Tulane has.</p>
<p>Keep in mind there will be additional costs if you are flying, over driving. It can get expensive. It’s your flights home for holidays. Your parents’ flights for parents weekend or to visit you. Their flights for move in or move out. Maybe summer storage -since you can’t drive yourself home. </p>
<p>I would at least consider all of this as well in the “cost” column. If you can’t drive to the school - there are certain expenses that just pile up.</p>