<p>Occidental and Tulane are the two schools I am deciding between. I was wondering what people can tell me about both and which one I should choose and why. Which has better academics...Price is not an issue</p>
<p>Wow, very hard to compare these two, as it is almost any research university to an LAC. Tulane is about 4x as many undergrads, plus all the grad students, but it is still not considered large. The quality of the students are very similar, at least by test scores. The average SAT/ACT of a Tulane student is very slightly higher, but not enough to base anything on. The academic quality will be quite similar, but the experience in getting it will be different. Both in cities, but LA clearly very different than NOLA.</p>
<p>So I think you have to decide what things are important to you in terms of size, location, research opportunities, etc. and then pick the one that makes sense. You certainly cannot go wrong, at least in terms of quality schools. Only you can decide fit.</p>
<p>My son got in to both, is going to Oxy. He wanted what a small liberal arts college had to offer. Tulane is a university, and there is a distinct difference between the university experience and the liberal arts college experience. The U has a bigger campus, bigger student body, major college sports, and less emphasis on undergrads, plus some instruction comes from grad students (TAs) as opposed to exclusive instruction by faculty at the LAC. Both schools offer fine academics and good social opportunities, but are very different (though at neither do you need your winter coat!). As a parent, I was satisfied that Oxy offered an academic experience that was on a par with, if not better than, that available at my son’s other alternatives (including Tulane), so gave him the green light.</p>
<p>Congrats on Oxy for your son, mawmer. We will miss him at Tulane, but you are spot on that an LAC just offers a different experience. I will correct you on one point though. You would have been right about TA’s at almost any other university, but at Tulane every class is taught by either a professor or what they call “Professor of Practice”, such as James Carville teaching a Poli Sci course. Far more than most of its peers Tulane is very undergrad focused, but I wouldn’t claim it is like an LAC where there are only undergrads.</p>
<p>Best of luck to him.</p>
<p>bump…</p>