I recently visited Emory and loved it. It had the right campus size, good weather, strong programs, and prestige. The only part I did not like was the lack of a team that everyone goes to games and cheers for. I also visited Michigan, which I like very much. The only problems for me are the weather (which I know I could deal with if I liked the school) and the size. I was thinking of a school that combines the best elements of the two, and I thought of Tulane. The only issue for me is prestige. When I talk about Emory, most people say “I don’t know very much about it but I know it’s good.” When I talk about Michigan, most people say, “That’s a great school” or “Go blue!.” Whenever I mention Tulane, I am met with reactions like “That’s quite the party school” or “New Orleans is awesome,” but nothing about how strong Tulane is academically. I understand that prestige is a non-issue to many people but I want to go somewhere that people think of as prestigious. What are your thoughts on this? Are there any prestigious schools that you know of that combine the size of Emory and the school spirit and sports at Michigan?
What do you want to study and why are you so wrapped up in “prestige”? Run your own race. Go to a school that offers what you want and is affordable and a good fit for you. (BTW, I’m not sure that Tulane has the sports scene you are looking for.)
You may be getting advice from very uninformed people. 25% of students admitted to Tulane have ACTs above 33 or SATs above the mid-1400s. The admit rate was 21% this year. Tulane always is ranked near the top in happy students and quality of life. Do you really want to base your life decisions on reactions from people who are not in the know? I agree with suzy100: be centered and grounded and go somewhere you’ll be happy and thrive. I hope you’ve gotten to know the schools you’ve been admitted to and have a good understanding of where you’ll be happy. Remember: rankings change. A lifetime of great college memories and a good education that launches your career you will have the rest of your life. Best of luck to you in your decision!
Why would Tulane be considered to be more of a party school than UMich??? Lol.
Virtually all schools are party schools.
Tulane is a very strong school. If you like it, go there. However, I’m not too sure about how many of their students go to their games. It’s not like Umich in that regard, at all.
Prestige is awesome. One can’t eat it, quantify it, or define it in rational terms. It’s. The perfect emotional lever to drive otherwise irrational behavior.
Tulane is a terrific and prestigious school. Also, what about Wake Forest as a possibility as well? Similar size to Tulane and Emory, nice weather, and ACC sports.
HOW you go to school is going to make much more of a difference than WHERE you go to school, especially if the WHERE gap is between Emory and Tulane. Work hard. Go to class. Do homework. Take advantage of opportunities. Engage with the amazing people around you. Treat everyone with dignity and respect. You will do well. Good luck!
@Mikemargo11 Vandy, Cornell, Notre Dame, UCLA, UVA, Duke, UNC chapel Hill seem to fit your criterion. However I would say do your stats indicate that you can get into these schools?
Secondly, Emory does have a party atmosphere but not in the sports sense. Frat parties are common and Atlanta is a party city filled with night clubs for 18+( almost everybody has a fake id anyway). So most people on the weekends go to the night clubs.
Back in the 1989s, and especially before the drinking age was raised from 18 to 21 in 1986/7, when Playboy and others ranked “party schools,” Tulane was given an asterisk with the comment that professionals did not belong in a list of amateurs. The nightlife of New Orleans for Tulane and similar college students was light years beyond pretty much any other college–at least in how it was integrated into student life (sure, students in NYC and many cities had ACCESS to a vibrant nightlife, but participating in the bar and club scene as well as drinking on campus was not integral in the way it used to be at Tulane). Post Katrina, years into the older drinking legal age, and with Tulane making steps to insulate/protect its kids on campus more, my understanding is that there is still a heck of a nightlife but not to the craziness it was before. The upside of the older days (and maybe still today) was better and more mature students learned to handle themselves and balance work and play in a remarkable way. Some people, not so much.
Yes, I think that some of the people that the OP is speaking with have the information BooBooBear is referring to regarding the olden days, and nothing later. Even then, for the record, Tulane was cranking out Rhodes, Marshall, and Truman scholars at a rate equal to or greater than it is even today.
A few comments:
–Don’t get caught up into other people’s opinion of prestigious – it is more important to look for the right fit for you.
–Tulane is a very good school FWIW.
–Whatever you think is important in a school should be a factor.
–Other ideas with big sports/good weather/similar sized schools could be Vandy, Duke, Wake Forest, UMiami.
–Some larger schools (but still smaller than UM) may be UVA, UNC,
