I'm in love with Tulane, but my overbearing parents? Not so much. Help!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
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<p>I was reading a few of the recent posts and it seems like a few others are in the same situation I am as well so I decided it was worth while to post. I really want to go to Tulane, but the thing is, my parents are not on board. My mom in particular is banking on me being accepted to a more "notable" school. A school "worth attending" in her words. Yes, this issue has been brought to the surface because the 2009 USNWR issue was released (which I don't think was even updated. My guess is it was just reissued for the new year) </p>

<p>Do I believe I can be accepted to a higher ranked school? Yes. But rankings are not the end all factor to me. I have explained to my mom just how 'right' Tulane feels; I really feel like its a good fit. I have had an irking feeling about Tulane since the beginning of this process. I received the 24k$ a year and invitation to the honors program which obviously makes the school that much more attractive. Academically, Tulane is highly respected and will prove to be a challenge but I feel like I can do well. I am determined to become a doctor and have been certain of this most of my life. I have ruled out a ton of other good schools based on their pre-med programs. The pre-med program at Tulane is very well regarded and Tulane's yield for medical school is also very impressive. On-top of that theres the creative pre-med program. Realistically, I need a school that has a good reputation and is difficult, but not so much so that I am struggling pull a solid GPA. The campus is gorgeous, the size is a PERFECT (small schools that are not liberal arts schools are hard to come by), and student reviews of the school have proven to be rather promising. And on top of all that, I can definitely be described a very social person and can you beat New Orleans?? I could go on and on, but my parents still are not siding with me on this one. Their mentality is that I have accomplished so much in high school so I should not have to "settle" on a "decent school." Blaaahhh!!!</p>

<p>I have done very well in high school and am near the top of my class (my school does not rank) but I am not a genius by any means. I've had to explain to my parents that HYP, just isn't happening. And I'm not underselling myself here. I have impressive ECs, a good amount of serious leadership, on top of excellent grades but I do not think the schools they have in mind like HYP are realistic option for me. I am applying to UPENN, Brown, Colgate, Notre Dame, Fordham, and Boston College. I was accepted to the honors college at Northeastern for health sciences with a pretty nice scholarship. Even if the stars are somehow correctly aligned and the acceptances start flooding in for these schools after the regular decision round, I am still going to fight for Tulane. My mom said people are going to think I am crazy if I choose Tulane over UPENN or Brown. I'm a very independent person (I'm sure every teenager says that hahah) and my parents opinion is not going to have a great deal of bearing in MY decision, but I do not want them to resent me for my choice. </p>

<p>Is anyone else faced with the same dilemma? Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with the situation? Or maybe any articles/websites/new statistics that really show Tulane in a good light? idk how highly my Mom will hold anything that is not printed in USWNR; she does even not believe the med school admission statistics printed on the Tulane website because its "marketing"</p>

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<li>a very frustrated and VERY tired high school senior</li>
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<p>I am also considering attending Tulane depending on the amount of money I get. I have only just learned of my acceptance online and have not received a formal letter of acceptance and therefore do not know how much money they have chosen to allot me. When did you receive your letter?</p>

<p>Tell your parents that Tulane is a very respectable school. Last year the acceptance rate was only 27% (Roughly 40K applied, 1500 enrolled). 70% of the incoming freshman were in the top 10% of their class. Test scores are comparable to top schools (ACT middle 50% 28-32). Only 15% of incoming freshmen were from LA, I believe over 30% from the northeast and 20% from midwest, and students from 47 states and multiple countries. it is an extremely diverse school.</p>

<p>If you are interested in attending Medical School at Tulane you can tell your parents about their "Early Acceptance" program to there medical school, which they may like.</p>

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<p>Here's what I would do. Might not be a great idea in your situation though.</p>

<p>I would tell my parents I'm not going to a "higher-ranked" school no matter what--I won't sign forms that I need to sign, I won't physically go when school starts, etc--so they should stop trying to get me to go there. Then they should see Tulane as the best option, or if they would rather I not go to college at all than go to a school that's not an Ivy, they're ****ing insane parents.</p>

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<p>Don't forget that Tulane will move up in the rankings this year. These rankings don't include the 27% acceptance rate or 31 average ACT. Tulane won't be ranked in the top 20 or anything but I wouldn't be surprised if the hit 40th and even higher in the coming years. And tulane has an awesome med school. I know several graduates that are extremely successful. Unless you qualify for insane amount of fin aid, Tulane will easily be your cheapest choice, which is extremely important for students contemplating med school. From what I hear, Med schools don't really even care where you did your undergrad. </p>

<p>On a more personal note, New Orleans is the ****. New Orleans >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>></p>

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<p>and if your parents resent you for doing what makes you happy then they should rethink their priorities.</p>

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<p>Tulane is a great school, one of the best Southern Uni's. Focus on the positive and make sure to tell them that grad school (or med school) is more important than undergrad and that Tulane has great alumni connections to help you get a good job after the fact.</p>

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<p>Tulane 08/09 tuition is $38,000+. Room and board is over $9,000. How is that cheap?</p>

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<p>he said he got the 24k/yr scholarship. Penn, Brown, Colgate, etc don't offer merit aid.</p>

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<p>vitaa! i think ur parnets know my parents or something lol. legit when i was reading that, i was thinking to myself that i am in the SAME EXACT situation</p>

<p>ive gotten into BC and a few other higher ranked schools, im waiting on Upenn, Dartmouth, some ives and stuff. but im seriously considering tulane cuz of the pres scholarship/honors program but my parents are being AWFUL. they are completely caught up in "name value" and saying that i would be throwing away what i worked for. which very much so makes me angry! it should ultimately be our decision cuz we are spending the next four yaers of our life there!</p>

<p>i want to go to an amazing school, but from what i haer about tulane, life there is SOO well rounded (yes, i want to have a LOT of fun in college haha)</p>

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<p>Sorry Lazydog but that just does not seem like a good idea. Its not going to win any parents over and just sounds immature. Vitaebella, you need to just present the facts to your parents. Also, unless your parents are very well off, they should be persuaded by any scholarships you recieve.</p>

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<p>You should just run away to New Orleans and hide on campus at Tulane.</p>

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<p>thanks for the input everyone :)</p>

<p>pFNMCp - a little extreme, but, uh, thanks haha
hello5- considering the other schools I am applying to, Tulane is tens of thousands cheaper, even after everything. We're not rich, but I doubt especially with the economy we;ll receive much financial aid if anything at all.
eri196- we can't give upp!! I agree with you, I want to have fun in college, not be a mindless drone.</p>

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<p>Raymonzine- What doesn't seem like a good idea?</p>

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<p>lazydog,</p>

<p>I think Raymonzine mistook pFNMCp's post for yours.</p>

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<p>My parents would love me if I went to Tulane in your situation over Penn, Brown, BC. (I would have a hard time convincing them it is better than UND though, I'm a Catholic from Indiana and my mom is from South Bend, go figure.) Anyway its cheap, its reputation fell a little bit after Katrina and has been on the rise for the last five years, and is continuing to rise. Also, I don't know where you're from, but tell your parents they can visit you in the warm weather of New Orleans whenever they want!</p>

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<p>Vitaebellaa, Feel free to PM me. I have a DS who is a sophomore at Tulane as well as a nephew in year 3 at med school (and feels the collaborative nature of the med school is far superior to what his peers are experiencing). I also have a HS Senior accepted to Tulane with the same $24K scholarship,and is being flown to BC as one of the 60 possibilities for the full ride scholarship so qualifies for the higher tier, and is still very interested in what Tulane "the lesser school" has to offer. A big piece of it is...balance.</p>

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<p>As a parent of a Tulane student I thought I would weigh in with some of my thoughts. Tulane is the perfect school for my son. He loves it and I love that he loves it. That being said, I should note that he did not have the stats to get into (or even consider applying to) an IVY league school. Most of the schools he applied to and was accepted to were in the 50's range on the USNW rankings. </p>

<p>For him (and us), the decision basically came down to cost. The package he received from Tulane made attending there far more affordable than any other private or OOS school, and was only $5K more than attending an instate public. </p>

<p>I've read this thread since it's been started, and I've tried to consider what my opinion would have been if he'd been able to be accepted to UPenn or Brown. I honestly think that I would have been torn, and may have tried to push him to go for the IVY name.
However, I may also have looked at the comparative costs as well. Clearly I thought it was worth it to pay a little more for a "private" vs. "instate", so how much more would I have been willing to pay for the "prestige" factor of an IVY?? </p>

<p>I personally think you are worrying "too much too early," and need to sit down and also discuss finances with your parents. If they are upper middle class with a high EFC, are they willing to pay 50K instead of 25K for Tulane(subtracting out merit)? If they are low-income or middle income, Upenn may end up being more affordable than Tulane since Upenn meets 100% of need and TUlane only meets 93% (which is still very good)</p>

<p>Also, you haven't even been accepted to the other schools yet, so it may not even become an issue in the end. I read in earlier posts that you were not accepted to Cornell, so unfortunately you may get the same results from Upenn and Brown. </p>

<p>I know you were looking for reasons to "convince" your parents, and I still think many of the earlier posts have given you some great input.</p>

<p>Tulane should move up in the rankings next year because of last year's acceptance rate (which was 17% not 27% - over 35,000 applications, and 7000 accepted) This will move them up a bit. However, their yield is not great, because many with IVY league stats consider this their "safety or match" and chose not to attend when they are accepted elsewhere. They also don't have an incredibly high matriculation rate because over 70% of students are from out of state and some just chose to transfer to a school closer to home. </p>

<p>This year Tulane had over 32,000 applications by Thanksgiving, it should be interesting to see what their acceptance rate and yield is for the 2009/2010 class.</p>

<p>Other posters have also mentioned that your "terminal" degree is far more important than your undergraduate one. If costs do come into play, you can probably express an interest in having the "extra" money for assistance in going to med school. </p>

<p>Finally, I don't think your parents will "resent" your decision. You are very fortunate that you have parents who are concerned about you, as misguided as you may feel it is. You may very well be able to discuss this diplomatically and come up with a decision you are all happy with. Good Luck</p>

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<p>Hey, thank you so much for offering to talk with me :)
And congratulations on your S/D scholarship to Tulane and possibly BC, that's very impressive. Everyone has his or her own reasons, but what specifically draws your S/D to Tulane despite having a vast array of other options?</p>

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<p>To the OP, have you looked at Emory? It has a very well-regarded pre-med program, is a small(ish) liberal arts school with emphasis on pre-professional, and is just outside of Atlanta, so you have the advantage of living near the city without being in the city, yet you are only 20 minutes or so away from everything the city has to offer. The outskirts of Atlanta near Emory have so much to offer, as well, and it is a very well regarded school. When I went there 30 years ago, they called themselves the "Harvard of the South", don't know if they are still using that phrase, but it is up there with Duke and others in the south.</p>

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<p>hi roamingcooks --saw your post re: Tulane -- have a child who was accepted to the med school -- love to hear more about your family's experience; also concerned about safety in NO Thanks!</p>

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<p>Vitaebellaa, I totally understand where ur coming from. I'm also a high school senior who is interested in Pre-Med. I have been accepted to Tulane and received at least the $24k/yr scholarship. I also applied to Notre Dame, since I live 5 min from campus. In my personal opinion, Tulane is SO much better than ND. First off, the cost factor. Tulane is known for its financial aid, and often most students graduate with under $40K in loans. While at a ND college visit, I asked about merit aid, and they just laughed at me. Second, the Pre-Med program. Tulane has a wonderful Pre-med program, with the early acceptance to Tulane Medical School. Notre Dame doesn't have a Pre-Med major, and while it is a high ranking school academically, most students are more concerned with sports than classes. Third, LOCATION! Take it from me, someone who has lived in this area for 10 years, it SUCKS! There is really nothing for students to do in the community except for drink and go to the occasional football game. Tulane is located right in the amazing city of New Orleans, where there is always something to do. Also, the weather is horrible here. Today it was 20 degrees with light snow flurries, and in New Orleans it is mid 60's with rising temps. Well, I hope some of my personal insight helps you make a decision (TULANE!)</p>