Tulane (full freight) versus a solid state school

<p>Thanks again.</p>

<p>My son has already been admitted to Tulane. He has also been admitted to some state schools not included in my OP, which he feels are “lesser” in reputation than Tulane. The remaining schools listed he has not heard from and will not hear from until January (I think). We have done a pretty exhaustive search and I have even pushed him from only applying to a very small amount of schools to a larger amount so he would have choices. We have explored the idea of other private colleges that might be similar to Tulane in size and type (he wants a “rah rah” school) but he was not interested in applying to them. Similarly, he was not interested in other OOS publics aside from the ones listed.</p>

<p>Based on our Naviance, he is likely to be admitted to one or more of the state schools I cited above. He will not fill out the extra forms/write extra essays for any honors program, and probably would not get into them anyway due to his GPA. He has high test scores, very strong ECs, rigorous (but not most rigorous) course load, and presumably good recs…but his weighted GPA is a just shy of a B plus. Presumably he was admitted to Tulane based on the strength of the other parts of his application.</p>

<p>Thanks again for the input. I wonder if possible major choice really matters, as so many kids change their major anyway.</p>

<p>Well, in that case, the choice is not so clear,</p>

<p>Clearly, MINNESOTA is very good value of OOS, while others are not so great. </p>

<p>If your son picks Uconn, the difference is only $10,000 to $12.000. So in that case, maybe Tulane is better choice. Since many state colleges had budget cut, many students don’t graduate within 4 years. Tulane, although probably have cuts also, probably won’t be affected that much.</p>

<p>So it is maybe case by case.</p>

<p>Thanks Jim…now I’m right back where I started…lol!</p>

<p>Let me start by saying that I am the parent of a happy Tulane Freshman(so I do have a bias). My daughter looked at Maryland, Delaware and Penn State before she realized that those schools were much bigger than she was looking for.
Things I think you might need to consider are :
1 What are the benefits of a medium sized private school vs a large public(I am sure you could argue either way depending on the student).</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How is the economy going to affect each school. OOS publics are not cheap, and adding an additional semester might eat up some of the savings. </p></li>
<li><p>Where will the student be traveling from? We have be able to get airfare of around $200.00 by planning ahead,(from ewr) but who knows what the future will bring.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I think that Tulane has some very appealing qualities. It is geographically diverse, as over 75% of the students come from over 500 miles away. It also has a large alumni network in the New York area. My daughter was able to register for all of the classes she wanted last semester with no problem. She applied as undecided, but is currently a business major, and loves the school and her professors. Her advisors have been great also as she prepares to register for next semester. Tulane makes it very easy to double major either within schools or across them. She feels like she is surrounded by bright fun loving people.</p>

<p>If at all possible attend accepted students day with your son before you make a decision. My daughter did not have a chance to visit before applying, but we went to accepted students day and she knew it was the school for her. Fortunately my d did get a scholarship, but we would have had a very hard time saying no to a school that was such a good fit. (Maybe you shouldn’t visit if it is going to be hard to say no) That said it is a lot of money. Good luck with your decision.</p>

<p>Would be really helpful to the OP (and the rest of us) if someone could post who is actually paying full freight at Tulane and whether they feel as if they made the right decision…anyone on CC?</p>

<p>I have never met anyone paying full freight at Tulane. Seriously.</p>

<p>“I have never met anyone paying full freight at Tulane. Seriously.”</p>

<p>I wouldn’t think that would come up in passing conversation. People might mention that they received a scholarship, but wouldn’t usually go out of their way to mention they didn’t.(unless they had a question like the OP)</p>

<p>That said my D roommate is paying full freight.</p>

<p>I have a D at Tulane, another at UDelaware … and I graduated from UConn (and took courses at UMaryland). So I may have some insight.</p>

<p>Regular readers on CC know that students (and parents of students) have highly personal views of what a “good” college is. By any reasonable criteria, one can get a “good” education at any of the schools listed by the OP. (It’s also true that one can get awful results at the same schools, but that’s a topic for another thread.)</p>

<p>So, are there differences between a Tulane education and a UConn education? Yes. Are the differences important to the OP’s son? Well …</p>

<p>My D had excellent academic credentials. She wanted to study Tropical Medicine with Latin American Studies minor, do a study year abroad in Central America … and she wanted to spend her college years with people from around the country in a local far from the Northeast. UConn? I don’t think so.</p>

<p>Good OOS schools don’t have to be extremely costly.</p>

<p>Truman State University in MO (#1 Public Masters University in the Midwest according to USNWR) has a COA of about $18000 OOS. Not bad at all.</p>

<p>I think it depends on the probable major, the kid and the state of your finances. For us, the decision would have to be the state school because we couldn’t pay Tulane out-of-pocket. But if $ were no object, that still doesn’t mean I would necessarily pay for Tulane. If a student was leaning towards engineering or journalism, I would pick UMd hands-down. If my kid was interested in anything sports-related, I would pick Penn State. To be honest, I don’t know if I would lean as strongly toward UConn but I do know someone studying physical therapy there. I really think all of those schools are comparable to Tulane. If the student is really unsure, I would lean toward a bigger uni because it would give him/her more options. If the student was a kid who needed a bit more of a push (maybe a kid who goes with the crowd and is more likely to expend the effort if the students are more competitive), I would choose Tulane. </p>

<p>I would also have ds call Tulane and explain flat-out that the decision is coming down to $ and was wondering if there were any scholarships for which he could be considered.</p>

<p>^^^</p>

<p>smart.cookie is right - that is a very low OOS COA</p>

<p>Sample Cost Calculation </p>

<pre><code> $ 6,458 Tuition ( ** insert $11,309 if you are a non-resident ** )

  6,678    Room & Board (use your actual room & board rate or off-campus costs)

     305    Truman Week/Orientation (due fall semester if you are a freshman)

       82    Activities Fee

     100    Athletic Fee

       52    Health Services Fee

$13,675 Total Direct Costs to Truman*
</code></pre>

<p>PLUS…4,851…Out of State additional tuition cost</p>

<p>So…about…$18,000 OOS … not bad for those who really need to find an affordable OOS situation. </p>

<p>I know some who’d like this!</p>

<p>Sorry for the hijack :)</p>

<p>Septmbr- Let me re-phrase. Every student I know (including through their parents) who attends Tulane has received merit money and that merit money was a big factor in choosing the school.</p>

<p>MomOWC </p>

<p>Your comments made me curious as I also know 2 students attending from our town with Merit aid. I did some research and found this.</p>

<p>“One-third of all Tulane freshmen received some form of merit scholarship assistance.”</p>

<p><a href=“http://tulane.edu/alumni/upload/LegacyLetter2009.pdf[/url]”>http://tulane.edu/alumni/upload/LegacyLetter2009.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Some students find they have been admitted to Tulane when checking their application status online. It is my understanding that the merit awards are not posted online and come with the acceptance letter. If one has not yet received the admission packet, but has been admitted, merit aid is still a possibility.</p>

<p>RTR,</p>

<p>You might try to visit Tulane on a weekend when it has a lot of what your S would call rah,rah,going on to see if it has that. I seem to recall that was a must for him.</p>

<p>How big of a draw or pull is NOLA for him? It’s a pretty unique environment that can’t be replicated anywhere else.<br>
I, personally, would pay full freight for Tulane over the other schools you mentioned, because <em>to me</em> (and I’m not on the East Coast, so take that for what it’s worth) the other schools mentioned are perfectly fine but undistinguishable schools.</p>

<p>OP</p>

<p>Regarding your original question “Tulane (full freight) versus a solid state school.”</p>

<p>I guess the first concern should be: Can you easily afford $200k for your son’s undergrad years?</p>

<p>Another concern: Would it bother you to spend $200k on your son’s education, if he ended up majoring in something that won’t likely result in a good paying job. </p>

<p>Another concern: You mentioned that your son doesn’t know what he wants to major in. That’s fine. But, that could mean a few things. Your son could end up changing his major a time or two and then he won’t graduate in 4 years. Are you comfortable paying for an year - which could cost another $50,000?</p>

<p>Do you have other children to put thru college?</p>

<p>Excellent points have already been made.</p>

<p>It seems the decision would revolve around simple factors:</p>

<p>Which OSS public is it? Are the savings substantial?</p>

<p>Is the desired major a factor?</p>

<p>Is money really not a factor at all or is Tulane tough to swing?</p>

<p>If money is PRACTICALLY no factor, but there is a nagging doubt, I think the deciding factor should be how inspired the student is by his/her opportunities.</p>

<p>In a perfect world, each child could attend the school of his/her dreams, though of course that does not guarantee a good outcome either.</p>

<p>But if a kid really wants Yale than maybe the Tulane tuition is not worth it because the kid feels as if s/he is settling anywhere. If the student has visited Tulane and is very inspired by what it has to offer, than than should be a big part of the answer.</p>

<p>I would not pay for an expensive private that did not really inspire my child. I would pay for one that really did.</p>

<p>I think THE STUDENT, not school, is always the most important factor in the equation. That’s why a wonderful education can be achieved in a variety of venues.</p>

<p>I know kids who have happily chosen to go off to U Michigan over Emory and U MD College Park over other pricier options.</p>

<p>And the last question would be to wonder if the instate publics had been considered so the savings would be really substantial. In our state an instate school can provide an education for $15K, room and board included.</p>

<p>mythmom, I think RTR has already clearly laid out some of the answers to your questions.</p>

<p>

The ones she stated. U of MD, U Conn, U Del, and Penn State, which are all running around $38K, vs $52K for Tulane. </p>

<p>

If money wasn’t a factor, she’d just go Tulane and be done with it, since it is what son prefers. Obviously there’s some level of concern about the money or more accurately the value for the money. </p>

<p>

Yes, she indicated it was not of interest to the son at this point.</p>

<p>My daughter was waitlisted at Tulane, and we would have paid full-freight, had she attended.</p>

<p>She is now at University of South Carolina.</p>

<p>In her particular case, I do not think it would have been “worth” the extra $20K a year for her to be at Tulane - I can’t think of anything Tulane specifically would have offered that would have mattered that much to her.</p>

<p>Unless a high school senior has very specific career aspirations, I think it is impossible to assess how college choice will affect job opportunities down the road. There are just too many variables.</p>