Tulane (full freight) versus a solid state school

Parent Cafe
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<p>That’s sad about the Stage 3 CA. CC can certainly be a great distraction!! My s is arranging to work in chem. faculty research lab next semester working on alternative methods of delivering oncology meds. using synthetic organic chemistry or something. All cool sounding research that is over my head. I am probably explaining it wrong, as this is from memory.</p>

<p>We met and had lunch with this professor when DS went for honors student visitation weekend when he was a HS senior (he is now a college soph). We visited his office and his lab and got a great tour from his grad students. All very cool, very smart, very happy, very welcoming grad students. DS wanted to get orgo under his belt before approaching the faculty member about research opportunities in his lab. DS went up to see him the other day.The faculty member remembered him right away from almost 2 yrs ago, and expects to have an opening for an undergrad in his lab next semester. Hopefully that spot will be DS’s, now that he is finishing Organic Chemistry (Orgo). BTW, this is at Tulane.</p>

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<p>I would suggest going with the state flagships over Tulane. My son was deciding between Tulane and University of Miami out of HS and went with UM and the big price tag. After 2 1/2 years he decided to transfer to a state school. So, we could have saved all that money as he’s graduating from the state school anyway. We feel that he is getting just as good an education and the kids are much more down to earth for a fraction of the price. Save the $$ for graduate school.</p>

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<p>We are supporting my son’s private school choice, even though he was accepted to several top state schools, some with great scholarships. The private is tops in his major and he wouldn’t have been as happy at the state schools. I wanted him to go off to college excited and positive. I felt the smaller class sizes and more individual attention at the private would be a better experience for him. Obviously, I wouldn’t have taken this path if I couldn’t afford it (not to say it doesn’t require some sacrifices). The fit for my S was the most important consideration for me. It has worked out very well so far.</p>

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<p>In the past 30-40 years, most top Louisiana students do not choose Tulane over LSU, particularly if they are planning on majoring in any of the sciences, math, or engineering. The reason - in most cases, LSU (the flagship university of LA) offers better programs in math, the sciences, and engineering. Those science/math/engineering types in the top 10% of LA high school graduates choose to attend either an out-of-state university or LSU. It’s a toss-up with liberal arts and business. Tulane probably offers better programs, but are they really worth the price difference? Their business programs are still considered very good.</p>

<p>The choice in medical schools in Louisiana is very clear and has nothing to do with cost. The only LA natives who attend Tulane Medical School are those who could not get in one of the two state schools. When the National Boards (used to be the FLEX) Part III is given to graduating seniors, the order is always the same. LSU Medical School in New Orleans scores the highest, then comes LSU Med School in Shreveport, and Tulane is always 3rd.</p>

<p>Also, do not ignore the lasting impression left on New Orleans by Katrina. New Orleans was a dirty, crime-ridden city before Katrina. It is worse now. Tulane is, and has been for years, counting on name recognition to attract good students. It is not the great university is used to be in the 1960’s and earlier.</p>

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<p>Perhaps if you were amyinneworleans and not amyinaustin you might have some semblance of knowledge of what you’re talking about. Based on what you just wrote it’s clear that you do not.</p>

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<p>In the PNW Tulane has a very good reputation, LSU, though likely very good, is relatively unknown outside of football.</p>

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<p>Tulane is well known up here in Chicago. LSU is thought of as a football school, nothing to write home about.</p>

<p>As for the comment about NOLA being a dirty, crime-ridden city … It’s important to be clear that Tulane is in a lovely, upper middle class area.</p>

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<p>I would ask what majors your child is interest in? If it isn’t offered by your state university then they would need to look elsewhere. However, if your state university offers the majors that would interest your child and, in addition, has a strong program, take the state university UNLESS you get a fabulous scholarship at Tulane. Without a scholarship, I wouldn’t pick Tulane. It doesn’t have the cache of an ivy school or even a semi-ivy such as MIT or Tufts or top LAC.</p>

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<p>There is nothing at all wrong with LSU but the info posted above is simply incorrect except for one point. At the professional level, LSU is notorious for solely teaching students to pass Medical board exams as well as Legal bar exams and thus continually reports higher passage rates than Tulane who utilizes the more traditional ‘complete’ education method to educate students in their respective fields. </p>

<p>LSU is not unique in this regard in Louisiana. When the New Orleans Public School Board demanded higher LEAP (standardized test) scores from its students the teachers responded by doing one thing. They threw out the lesson books and strictly taught kids to pass the tests and nothing more.</p>

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<p>I would never recommend TU over LSU if there was more than a $10k per year difference. They are different type universities with different goals but college is about education and not about name recognition. There are probably about 5 or 6 schools in the entire nation that would be worth that much difference to me. MIT, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Harvard and perhaps Notre Dame (if it were a family tradition sort of thing). Otherwise, there’s always graduate school for the privates. As an FYI, I have two degrees in Finance from Tulane and loved it but wouldn’t have gone had I not had full rides at both levels. TU has opened a lot of doors for me but state schools can open some as well. Best of Luck!</p>

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<p>I just found this thread so I am weighing in late. Those who know me know I am a huge Tulane booster, being an alum and now having a D there (freshman). But they also likely know that I don’t think ANY school, even Harvard, is worth over $200K a year unless that money is relatively insignificant to you. Certainly if one is worth millions, no problem, go with the school that feels right. Otherwise, a person can get a fine eduation at many OOS schools. Will it be the same experience? No of course not. But we live in the real world, and for most of us $200K+ is a lot of money, and it is all about value.</p>

<p>Earlier in the thread Truman State University in Missouri was brought up as a real value. I cannot say strongly enough how true I think this is. I know, because my S is there (junior). It was a Godsend for us. He didn’t get serious about high school until junior year, so his overall GPA was good, not great. He had outstanding scores on CR SAT (800) and W (780), and decent on math (580). We couldn’t afford private schools he could get into, and he wasn’t wild about the idea of Big State U. Truman, at about 5000 undergrads, is close to being a state LAC with very competitive admissions. They are very strong in languages and literature, among other areas (he is Russian Studies). He loves it there, even though it is truly in the middle of nowhere. The kids are smart, really nice, Truman grads are loved by employers in the Midwest, and many go on to top grad schools. All that and very affordable. OK, enough about Truman, but since it came up earlier and I had first hand (so to speak) experience, I thought I would elaborate.</p>

<p>Finally I will augment my friend Benetode’s comment that amyinaustin doesn’t have a clue what she is talking about, and it is somewhat silly to compare LSU and Tulane beyond the kinds of comparisons you can make with most state schools and Tulane or similar private schools. There are a many reasons high achieving Louisiana residents might choose LSU over Tulane, such as cost, big time sports (big reason for LOTS of kids), they like larger schools, they don’t like city life, family ties, etc. I don’t entirely disagree about LSU and engineering, it is one reason Tulane felt comfortable eliminating many of the engineering majors after Katrina. They knew LA residents had a good alternative in-state.</p>

<p>PS: On the comments about how many pay full freight, I know Tulane says somewhere the percentage of students receiving some kind of aid, although this includes those receiving loans only, no merit scholarship, so I would count that as full freight. I don’t remenber the number, but I want to say it is like 85%. Anyway, I personally know 4 people there paying full freight, and I am sure there are a number of others.</p>

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<p>Hi fallenchemist! Welcome to the thread!</p>

<p>Totally agree with all you said here. There are great opportunities for students at lots of schools, and there are many true hidden gems.</p>

<p>As a follow-up to the research opportunities for undergrads at TU that I mentioned earlier-- a slight change for my s. Turns out the research he will be working on in the chem lab is “Engineering water compatible light harvesting architectures as artificial photosynthetic platforms”. Can somebody translate that into English for me??</p>

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<p>I’d like to add some ramblings to this too. Not that I’m labeling Fallen’s post as ramblings :slight_smile: </p>

<p>When I was looking at colleges (not that long ago), there were no US News Rankings online. You had to physically go to a bookstore to buy the magazine. I went to the #4 magnet school in the entire United States. It’s safe to say it was (and is) one of the most competitive high schools in the country. The lowest class level they offered was Honors and there was an entrance exam with an IQ component built into it. With all of that screening, 20-30% still flunked out by the end of their sophomore year. </p>

<p>I don’t know anyone from my days there who actually went out to buy the US News magazine save a couple of people that needed ideas. We just didn’t care. It was viewed as a guide, a tool, if you had no idea of what schools might be a good fit for you. </p>

<p>Actually, at the time, Tulane had just gone undefeated in football and was tied 34th in the US New Rankings with Lehigh and NYU. Times have not changed that much in the last decade or so. Ok, Tulane has gotten pretty bad in football but heck, USC has three losses and FSU is forcing out Bobby Bowden. With 308 million people in this country the idea that you have to go to one of a select 50 universities to get a great job is insane. I didn’t pick TU because of its high ranking then and I wouldn’t today. I WOULD pick it for the ‘feel’ of the school, the programs offered, the attractiveness of the coeds, the history of the school, the athletic programs and facilities, and the cost/value for my personal situation.</p>

<p>Today, US News apparently has a countdown (please tell me this isn’t true) on their website that tells you how long until their rankings come out. </p>

<p>The point is, Tulane, as great as it is, won’t be the best school for someone simply because it’s perceived, ranked, whatever… higher than a state school. Tulane has some standout programs that are really rare but unless you kid is convinced that he/she wants to study those fields, it MAY not be worth too much extra. </p>

<p>I’m convinced this ranking nonsense will ultimately be completely revised due to the bad PR it brings US News compared to the limited (thanks to the internet) additional revenue generated. There are too few universities helped by the current system and frankly many of those don’t need the assistance in dredging up application numbers. </p>

<p>Alright, old man speech is done. It’s way past my bedtime. I need to soak my teeth.</p>

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<p>Benetode, I agree with you that the USNWR rankings are frequently dubious, but, with respect, suggest that the ranking of your HS as #4 nationally–or any other HS-- might have been equally dubious.</p>

<p>Also, after your posting that only 5 or 6 schools nationally are worth a $10K a year difference over state schools (with Caltech, 5 Ivies, Amherst, Chicago, etc not making the list), citing the “attractiveness of coeds” as a powerful inducement for picking a school is amusing.</p>

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<p>I aim to amuse. :slight_smile: Lol, and great catch about the HS ranking. Which does make a great point in that at least the US News HS rankings (as dubious in nature as they are) do not use a completely subjective Peer Assessment. They use hard data points for test scores, disparity in test scores and grades between minorities and non-minorities, rigor of the average coursework as well as what course work is available at the highest level,ect. Then they essentially put that in a computer and hit sort. They don’t ask schools hundreds or even ten miles away to judge how another school is doing then make that weigh 25% of the score. They don’t factor in the prestige of one school versus another.</p>

<p>While still ridiculous, I actually like rankings at the HS level for one reason. Since High Schools are not competing for students on a national level, a school’s presence on the list is a positive recognition of its ability to educate the kids within its region. If it wasn’t on the list, it’s not detrimental to its admissions numbers or standing in the region. </p>

<p>My point was that for me personally, paying MORE THAN $40,000 more for one school versus another was enough to sway me towards the cheaper alternative. Unless I knew I was going to study economics, I wouldn’t have added Chicago to the list. Frankly, unless I knew I was go to study engineering I wouldn’t add MIT to the list except for the fact that is has much more name recognition (to a commoner such as myself) and could help get me a job. When I was in high school and was trying to figure out where to go to school, $40,000+ was a lot of money for me to to finance when I could pay nothing at a cheaper alternative. </p>

<p>I could also care less whether or not a school is in the ivy league or not. Perhaps that’s a southern mentality but I’d much rather go to a FBS football school like Stanford, or frankly UC Berkley than a school that simply happened to be among the Ivies. A school like Stanford as well as UC Berkeley has tremendous appeal due to its athletics as much as academics. I value a great athletic program. Its great for something to do and is huge (and often undervalued on CC ) for alumni networking. For that reason alone I added Notre Dame.</p>

<p>And my statement about the attractiveness of the co-eds was thrown in for jest. Not because I thought it wasn’t important, but because I doubt anyone could tell that from a weekend visit. :slight_smile: Again I kid.</p>