Tulane or Elon?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
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<p>My son was really excited to be accepted by two of his top choice schools -- Tulane and Elon. He's going to be applying for community service scholarships to both, but hasn't received any other merit aid. </p>

<p>The annual tuition and fees at Elon appear to be about $17k less than Tulane. I want him to get the best possible education and have a great college experience, but I'm wondering whether Tulane is worth the extra money. </p>

<p>Tulane obviously has a more national reputation, but Elon seems to be up-and-coming. Elon is known for close interaction between faculty and students and an engaged learning experience. What about Tulane? Does Tulane's name recognition, big city location and large graduate school translate into more opportunities for internships, graduate school or jobs? What else is there about either school that might tilt the decision one way or the other?</p>

<p>If there's anyone out there who's familiar with both schools, I'd really like to hear your thoughts.</p>

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<p>I am familiar with both schools, jordydog. They are both excellent, and both popular choices for students from this area. $68K over 4 years, give or take, is not a small amount for most people. Obviously your individual situation determines how much to weight this factor, if at all.</p>

<p>Here are the biggest differences as I see them. I am sure others will give their opinion. I will try as present these as factual, not that one is better than the other. However I am a Tulane grad with a daughter that is now a freshman there, so just be aware of that if I let any bias creep in.</p>

<p>1) Tulane has about a 20% larger undergraduate population. When adding grad students and Law School (I won’t count med school because it is 7 miles or so from campus), it becomes about twice the size of Elon.</p>

<p>2) Tulane is in the nicest part of a city, New Orleans, that is quite unique. I think it is fair to characterize Elon as being in a beautiful rural setting. Again not trying to use biased terms when I say “nicest”, it is just that people that don’t know New Orleans don’t understand the setting Tulane is in. Of course you should visit both schools if at all possible.</p>

<p>3) Student’s average stats:
Tulane - Average SAT CR, M, W: 675, 665, 675. ACT 30.5
Elon - Average SAT CR, M, W: 605, 615, 610. ACT 28</p>

<p>Straying from the straight factual, I think that Tulane also gives its students a very good learning relationship between the profs and students. Tulane is very undergraduate oriented, while still maintaining great research programs in numerous areas. But it is not quite the LAC feel that you will get from Elon. On CC Elon is probably just as well known, but I think it is also fair to say that among the general public Tulane is much more well known with a much more widely dispersed and larger alumni network. However to balance that, if there is a reasonable chance your child will go on to grad school or professional school, Elon is well thought of in academic circles as well. Doing well at Elon will open about as many doors for grad school or professional school as Tulane, I think.</p>

<p>I am sure I have left out many things, but others will weigh in, and also feel free to ask me on here or by PM. Happy to help.</p>

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<p>D#1 just graduated from Tulane, and D#2 had Elon very high on her list. Does that make me familiar with both schools? Maybe.</p>

<p>Elon and Tulane may appear to be similar, but I’d categorize them as being quite different. Each is wonderful in its own way. Elon is much smaller, and it is located in a nice but small town. The atmosphere is very friendly, and in my limited interactions the faculty seemed more closely involved with students. D#2 like those aspects very much, but couldn’t get past the small size and small town. (She had the same issues with Gettysburg and Mt. Holyoke colleges).</p>

<p>Tulane is a full university with graduate programs, law school, medical school, etc. It is located in a very nice area of New Orleans … a major city. Academics are significantly more rigorous, and the relationship between faculty and students is … let’s say a little less engaged.</p>

<p>As for post-graduate opportunities, I know Tulane is very good. Elon may be as well … but have no first-hand knowledge.</p>

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<p>NewHope - we were posting virtually simultaneously and the substance is quite similar, lol. Guess that lends some credibility to both of us, maybe. Of course, we usually agree.</p>

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<p>When my son chose his school three years ago, he had the same choice - Tulane or Elon. He was very excited to get into both schools, and while money is very important, he is our only child and we did not consider the cost to be a deterrent.</p>

<p>I will be perfectly honest and tell you that I truly wanted him to choose Tulane. Like many, the name recognition, the potential for a challenging learning environment and its overall value to him in the future were drivers to that desire. Who had really heard of Elon, unless you were an academic? Not me for sure, nor most of the people I know.</p>

<p>My son, however, fell in love with Elon. One of his closest friends enrolled at Tulane and even with all that he hears about how happy they are, he has never regretted his decision.</p>

<p>The previous posters make excellent points - and the differences between the schools are vast. However both are going to provide an outstanding education opportunity and your child will likely not go wrong no matter what the decision.</p>

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<p>Can someone elaborate for the OP (and me) about the comments regarding faculty/student interaction at Tulane?..seems like this would be a “given” at this size of school but ‘appears’ not to be? very, very important for my daughter (junior) and both these schools are on her list…(albeit a reach for Tulane; slight reach for Elon)</p>

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<p>So weird…
I was just admitted to both schools, only problem is I am from PA and have never seen either schools. Elon was more of a safety to me and even though overall it’s cheaper, Tulane gave me much more money. I never really gave much thought to Elon. I’ve heard that it is beautiful, but sort of like a country club. It is in its own bubble. A friend of mine goes to a school close by and there doesn’t sound like much to do off campus. Of course my input is mainly dealing with the social aspects. Also, a neighbor of mine went to Elon and her mother warned my mom not to let me go there because I’ll never come home! She now lives there haha. So it can’t be that bad!</p>

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<p>^ and ^^ Elon is a bit of a bubble school, Tulane definitely isn’t. Both are appealing, but it’s hard for me to see how a student would find them equally appealing. IMO visits would settle the decision, one way or the other.</p>

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<p>No, it’s not that bad, or even bad at all, unless it just isn’t for you. And the same would apply if you had been talking about Tulane. This is one situation where the settings are so different (other than both being in upscale areas), that you really need to try and visit both if at all possible. I understand some people are so adaptable they can equally enjoy either, but most people probably have a preference for one or the other, and often a strong one.</p>

<p>LOL NewHope, we did it again.</p>

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<p>Elon University is outside of Burlington, NC, and Tulane is in New Orleans, LA. There is no comparison as far as cities go. Elon has a beautiful campus, but since I live in NC, but was born and raised in New Orleans, it is apples to oranges. New Orleans is a city full of all sorts of different activities and Elon is a tiny little town with a population of a little under 7,000 people. It all depends on the experience that you want to have. Elon is a very nice school and it is indeed beautiful. You just need to decide what type of experience you want to have.</p>

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<p>Depending on where you are from, Elon can be a real challenge for students who are a plane ride away from home.</p>

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<p>That is true, roamingcooks. The closest airport to Elon is in Greensboro. I’ll bet the school has shuttle buses that they provide to the airport, but the airport is about 35 miles away. While GSO has some direct flights, most are connecting.</p>

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<p>One more (maybe insignificant) thing - the dorm rooms at Elon were some of the nicest that we saw - large and clean. Haven’t heard the same about Tulane.</p>

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<p>It is true, Tulane is a mix of newer dorms and some older ones that definitely harken back to the “classic” college dorms. They are in the process of building another new one, and there is a 10-15 year plan to have them all be residential college style dorms, but that doesn’t help the current entering classes much.</p>