Suny binghamton or Tulane?

<p>Suny binghamton or Tulane? My D did not like SUNY binghamton when we visited but I know its a great school. She likes Tulane. We are from NY so SUNY is somewhat cheaper. She got some money for Tulane -it's still $15000 more a year but if it makes a big difference to her and in life i'll spring for it. Thoughts?</p>

<p>Tough decision. We may be making a similar call, too (with different schools), so I feel for you. Good luck.</p>

<p>If it helps, I go to Binghamton so let me know if you have any questions.</p>

<p>S had a tough decision to make a few years ago…our flagship in-state public or Tulane (which he unexpectedly fell in love with). He ended up at Tulane and was never sorry.
It cost us a bit more as well and we did make him take out some small loans so he’d have some skin in the game. The experience of New Orleans and meeting people from all over the country was priceless. And this is including the fact that he was a “Katrina Kid”, ie a freshman the year Katrina hit.</p>

<p>FYI One thing of note–most of his roommates and several friends were from New York. It really does have a high percentage of students coming from that area and the east coast in general. That can help with students feeling more comfortable on a far-away campus.</p>

<p>And quite honestly, H & I really loved the chance to visit there. Now that S has moved far away, we really miss going to NOLA. Tulane is an excellent school but so is SUNY, so the difference in life experience is probably the biggest factor. Awesome volunteer/public service vibe there too.</p>

<p>Is money an issue? If not, please remember, your KIDDO is going to college, not you. It doesn’t matter how terrific YOU think the college is…she is going, not you.</p>

<p>Now…if finances are a consideration, then hopefully you discussed this with your kiddo before applications were sent…and she has at least one SUNY school she DOES like on the list!</p>

<p>Sounds like a win-win decision. Both very good schools. Nod to Tulane for significantly lower faculty:student ratio and slightly smaller size; nod to Bing for (arguably) an academically stronger student body (based on GPA of admitted students).</p>

<p>I can’t imagine that one or the other will appreciably position an undergraduate better.</p>

<p>If the difference is D’s significantly increased enthusiasm about attending (for bona fide academic reasons), and there are no concerns about the distance or finances, Tulane.</p>

<p>If there’s at least some enthusiasm about attending both, or concerns exist about the distance or finances (to most, $60K is a significant chunk of change), Binghampton.</p>

<p>Again, it’s really win-win. (IMHO)</p>

<p>Both schools provide a fine education, of course. But the atmospheres couldn’t be more different, and that matters. Some students have gone to New Orleans and been completely transformed in such a way that it is hard to imagine something similar happening elsewhere. Not to say something similarly great couldn’t have happened elsewhere, but some aspects of going to school at Tulane are sufficiently unique that for **some students<a href=“and%20wouldn’t%20it%20be%20great%20if%20we%20had%20a%20crystal%20ball%20to%20know%20which%20ones”>/B</a> a different choice would have been far less transformative.</p>

<p>In any case, my real comment is to expatCanuck.

Be very careful of these statistics. I assume you are getting this number from the Common Data Set of each school. Bing reports a 3.6 average for incoming freshmen [Binghamton</a> University - Office of Institutional Research & Assessment: Common Data set](<a href=“http://www.binghamton.edu/oira/common-data-set.html]Binghamton”>http://www.binghamton.edu/oira/common-data-set.html) and Tulane reports a 3.55 for that same year <a href=“http://tulane.edu/institutional-research/upload/CDS-2011-2012.pdf[/url]”>http://tulane.edu/institutional-research/upload/CDS-2011-2012.pdf&lt;/a&gt;, so depending on whether Bing rounded up they could be identical. But even having said that, the CDS instructions say that the GPA is supposed to be on a 4.0 scale. I know for a fact Tulane follows these instructions, but many schools ignore it and report the weighted GPA instead. See, for example, UCLA who reports a 4.29 [AIM</a> | UCLA](<a href=“http://www.aim.ucla.edu/profiles/cds.aspx#cdsC]AIM”>http://www.aim.ucla.edu/profiles/cds.aspx#cdsC) So unfortunately there is no way to know if Bing is adhering to these instructions or not.</p>

<p>However, if you look at SAT and ACT scores, which are the same scale of course, Tulane has better numbers. I believe Tulane students come in somewhat more academically accomplished on average than Bing students, but it isn’t like both groups aren’t excellent and well above the national average.</p>

<p>The OP and I have talked outside of this page, and I know they are waiting to hear about additional FA besides the great merit scholarship her talented D received. So until that is known, the price difference cannot be known. Might remain at $15K, might decrease. That remains as an X factor.</p>

<p>Are you in state at Binghamton? If so, has your daughter already been accepted?</p>

<p>In my area in the last few years even extremely academically successful students with top stats and admissions to much more prestigious schools have been shut out of Binghamton because of its strong, stated preference for out-of-state students.</p>

<p>“The experience of New Orleans and meeting people from all over the country was priceless.”</p>

<p>Let’s do a little thought experiment. Suppose D came to the OP and said “I want to postpone college for a year (or spend a year after I finish college. Can I have $15,000 so that I can live in New Orleans for six months, and then another $15,000 so that I can travel the country for six months and meet all sorts of people.” I think that it is not difficult to imagine our reactions. And yet most of the posters here are supportive of the idea of spending twice that much money for what seems to be the same thing.</p>

<p>And then there is </p>

<p>“My D did not like SUNY binghamton when we visited but I know its a great school. She likes Tulane.”</p>

<p>This is typical CC discussion about “fit.” Unfortunately, while you can sometimes make judgments about “nonfits” (a conservative Christian at Reed, a radical feminist at BYU), in general the potential quality of a student’s experience at a school over the next four years will primarily depend on a bunch of random factors that simply cannot be judged based on a brief visit.</p>

<p>Unless money is no object or you have made promises, the substantially cheaper option is better.</p>

<p>SUNY Bing started as Harpur College, a small, well-regarded, liberal arts college. From its beginning SUNY Bing was seen a place to get a high quality education with low state tuition costs. When I went there the student population was largely highly ambitious, NYC metro, study-till-you-drop students. They used to complain that the library closed too early on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately as a student I might has well spent my Saturday evenings in the library. There was nothing else going on except drinking. The town of Binghamton is greatly improved over the past few decades but I visited again recently and I could not see anything that would attract the interest of a college student. Also a car would be a necessity to get off campus. Also consider the remoteness and the weather. The first few weeks in Fall can be beautiful and then the winter snow, cold and gloom starts. Some years that does not end until about the end of the school year.</p>

<p>I am not familiar with Tulane except I know the climate and the location. It seems like a great place to go to college. I would rather walk to the French Qtr than try to bum a ride to a bar in Bing.</p>

<p>EMM1 - I don’t agree with most of your post and don’t understand part of it.</p>

<p>

Where is it twice as much as $30,000? For a year the OP was talking about a $15K difference, so it is half as much. You cannot compare a 4 year time frame to a 1 year time frame. Besides, the difference between going to school plus having these other experiences to whatever degree is wholly different than simply living in NOLA for 6 months and then traveling the country “meet(ing) all sorts of people”. As a thought experiment, I think it rather fails. You can pooh-pooh the college experience of being in NOLA all you want, but if you have never done it you quite frankly have no idea what you are talking about. I did it, my D did it, and numerous other people on here have done it and I can tell you it is completely special for many. Or are you saying we are all just full of it?</p>

<p>

I agree with this to some degree, but as edad points out, there is a lot that can be seen in a visit, and gut feeling plus observation goes a long way. Does it mean they would 100% for sure be unhappy at Bing? Of course not. Does it mean there is a fairly high probability they would be happier at Tulane? Yes, indeed. I absolutely agree that finances have to factor in strongly. If going to Tulane would cause extensive hardship in the way of significant debt, then I think trading those 4 years for many years of difficulty after would be a less than optimal decision. But if it means instead simply a relatively smallish tightening of the belt or relatively small debt payments for the student afterwards, then it could very much be the right decision. That is a very individual, case by case circumstance.</p>

<p>edad - FYI, long walk to the FQ from Tulane (4-5 miles) but even better there is the St. Charles streetcar. One of the great experiences you can have; it comes right in front of Tulane and goes all the way to the edge of the FQ, passing by some of the most magnificent homes in America along the way. Since you have never done it I strongly recommend trying to plan a vacation there sometime.</p>

<p>

Sorry to jump in and be nitpicky but there are free buses that go almost everywhere.</p>

<p>To me, this is about a regional school versus a national one. I am sure SUNY Bing is perfectly fine, but it is likely virtually unknown outside the Northeast. Tulane is known nationwide. Whether that’s important to you or not is personal preference.</p>

<p>

The Binghamton area, like a lot of northeastern industrial cities, has gotten significantly worse the past few decades. I grew up there, worked in the area for 10 years after college, but moved away 15 years ago. My niece, raised in the town and a SUNY-B grad, still lives there. Five years ago you could get a house for free if you promised to live in it.</p>

<p>That being said, it is not quite as bleak as edad says. Public buses run about every hour, and the university owns a bus system that runs to the more popular off-campus living, shopping and entertainment spots, including downtown Binghamton late into the nights on weekends. Nursing students will need a car; for anyone else, it’s optional. They have a great outdoors club, and their intramural and recreational sports programs are among the best in the nation. Like most colleges, finding a group and getting involved is key to enjoying it. It does have a decidedly pre-professional feel and a significant proportion of downstate students.</p>

<p>Tulane and New Orleans would be, well, different.</p>

<p>If you can affford it, and your DD prefers it, I would spring for Tulane. We gave our kids their choices as long as we could afford it. Full price privates, therefore, were not options. But we are paying a lot more for my son to go to an OOS public over a SUNY. As long as the kids do well, the option to transfer to a local school is still there, but the chances of getting transfer money to a school like Tulane are just about zilch. So it’s an opportunity that is limited at that pricepoint. </p>

<p>A friend of ours, enormously successful, has never lived anywhere but here. She turned down offers to go away to college for a local scholarship which made it all free for her. But then she never did leave the area, met someone local, married, had kids. Yes, she’s traveled, but it’s not the same as going to school, or otherwise actually living.</p>

<p>Not to say, Bing isn’t a great choice. it’s a wonderful schol and highly sought after for admissions, so both choices are excellent ones.</p>

<p>OP, you said in another thread that your D may be an English major, and may possibly consider law school. Will you be able to afford to pay for her to attend law school, or would that be on her own dime? Would she be willing to “bank” the $90k she’d save from going to Bing over Tulane towards grad school?</p>

<p>I agree with cptofthehouse that these are both great schools, and that <em>if</em> you can afford it without loans beyond the Stafford limits you should send your D to Tulane. Wait, let’s add one more condition: with the expectation that your D is going to squeeze as much juice out of the experience as she can. Meaning not just seeing New Orleans, but the academic and extracurricular opportunities that the school offers.</p>

<p>

If the cost factor isn’t critical to the family (and I assume it’s not, or there wouldn’t be a post in the first place), why isn’t this the end of the discussion?</p>

<p>SlitheyTove - Just out of curiosity, what are the Stafford limits? Also, the OP said $15K a year more at Tulane, so that is $60K, not $90K. Not a big change to your point, but just for the sake of accuracy.</p>

<p>Momma3 - Because, I would imagine, things are not always black or white in many areas, including money. I took the tone of the OP’s statement to mean that while they could squeeze out the extra $60K over 4 years (if it actually comes to that, again they are still waiting to hear about need-based FA), it wouldn’t be easy. So while it may not be “critical”, it might be a gray area where she is trying to think through the balance of saving the money vs. giving her D what she wants. College is a value based decision and therefore one needs information in order to try and place that value at the appropriate level.</p>

<p>Then it seems to me the alternative is to find another school that is both affordable and appeals to the daughter, rather than insist she attend a school she dislikes. I have to assume the daughter applied to Bing without having visited, which in retrospect was not a good plan. Surely there’s some solution to be found beyond spending too much on a desired school and spending the right amount on a disliked school. (My opinion assumes that the daughter’s aversion is based on something more meaningful than the size of the dorm rooms or the school colors, since OP hasn’t suggested that her daughter’s opinion of Bing has no valid basis.)</p>