Tulane or Ole Miss

<p>my child is a MS resident. Ole Miss tuition is $8,000/year and Tulane is $38,000/year. My child is looking at premed. Is the money worth it?</p>

<p>No…</p>

<p>And Ole Miss has a med school, so go there.</p>

<p>Unless you’re wealthy and can pay for Tulane and for med school, go to Ole Miss. Save your money for med school.</p>

<p>And, tuition is only part of the costs…there is still room, board and books. Tulane costs about $55k per year.</p>

<p>Will your child get a scholarship to Tulane? What are his stats?</p>

<p>I don’t think one can give a blanket “no” like that, it all depends on what financial situation you are in, what the child values, and many other factors. Having said that, the very fact that you asked tells me the money is probably an issue. Having said that, you really have to wait and see the total package of possible merit scholarship and FA package from Tulane. The difference might narrow considerably, or it might stay fairly wide. Only when you know the final numbers can you make an informed decision. If the difference was $5,000 a year (total cost of attendance) would it be worth it? Only you can answer that question based on your financial comfort level and the value he sees in a smaller, private school like Tulane. Ole Miss is a much better school than a lot of people give it credit for, especially the Barksdale Honors College. But Tulane is clearly stronger overall, even than the Honors College IMO.</p>

<p>i have enough money to send my child to Tulane and am not applying for scholarship money. I will be able to afford the medical school as well. However, I could place $100,000 in a mutual fund for him and send him to Ole Miss. I want my son to go to the one that will give him the best education, credentials and experience.</p>

<p>OK, that makes sense. But you don’t have to apply for most merit scholarships at Tulane, $7,500-$25,000 ones are awarded to the better students, and everyone that is accepted is reviewed for them. Is your son a senior or junior? If a senior that has already applied, was he accepted into either school yet? Is he applying to the Barksdale Honors College? Lots of specifics that make a big difference. If I were comparing Tulane to Ole Miss non-Honors, I would say the Tulane experience is quite a bit better academically, not so much because the material is that different or the profs light years better, but mostly because his fellow students will be uniformly more accomplished academically. That makes a huge difference. If he is in Barksdale, this difference diminishes, but Tulane still would have a slight edge.</p>

<p>Since you can afford either, so much depends on his preferences as well. Would he thrive in a smaller school like Tulane, set in an extremely interesting city? Or would he do better in the more rural setting of Oxford? Does it make a big difference to be with students from all over the country, or is he content to be with mostly fellow Mississippians? Again, while I totally acknowledge that $100,000 is a lot of money, it means a lot more to some than to others. Only you and he can balance the value of that money to both of you against those kinds of factors I mention, and only after you find out for sure if he is or is not getting a merit scholarship from Tulane.</p>

<p>I can tell you that even though I am a Tulane alum and now a Tulane parent (sophomore) and a big Tulane booster, if my D were not getting a huge scholarship from Tulane I would have said that the $100,000 or so difference was not in the cards for us. That is a game changing amount of money to us. If I were well off enough that it wasn’t, I would absolutely have sent her to Tulane. She is getting opportunities and an education there that I am convinced she would be far less likely to get at a state school. Her profs really know her as well, and that has been more than just nice for her, it has been instrumental in some very positive developments for her. So much just depends on your son and his preferences, personality, needs, and potential. That, mixed in with the impact that amount of money has on your family (if the difference turns out to be that big), means that there is no definitive answer to your question, only this kind of general guidance and opinions. Certainly if you want to know more about Tulane and some of the specifics that might impact your son, I would be happy to talk to you via private message.</p>

<p>Ole Miss and Tulane have different cultures. Some would say vastly different. So visit both and see what your SON wants to do and his reasons. </p>

<p>If he is a disciplined student who will do well no matter where he goes, then its really a matter of where he feels the most comfortable and where he will do the best…since his GMAT and gpa are what will get him into med school, not just the name on the parchment. </p>

<p>Both are fine schools. For very different reasons. Tulane is much more prestigious in the USNWR rankings world, but that is true of many private schools.</p>

<p>If you son wants to go to medical school, it would be wise to have the $30K difference and go to Ole Miss. Medical school only care about GPA and MCAT score. Going to Tulane will not improve his MCAT score, but going to Tulane will likely lower his GPA. Also, Ole Miss has a much more collegiate feel than Tulane.</p>

<p>Smile…</p>

<p>Since money is no object…then let me ask you this…</p>

<p>How likely is it that your S will continue to want to become a doctor and how likely is it that he’ll have the GPA and MCAT score to get into med school? </p>

<p>If there’s a decent possibility that he won’t make it thru the “weeder courses,” which school would be best for him if he were to go in another career direction?</p>

<p>I have no idea how strong a student your son is, but if he’s not a “high stats” kid, then getting a high GPA for med school would be less likely at Tulane. </p>

<p>there’s a correlation between ACT score and MCAT score.</p>

<p>And, even though money isn’t a concern, like FallenChemist says, your son’s school app will be considered for a merit scholarship if his stats are high. So, if he does have high stats (high Math+CR SAT or high ACT), he’d likely get $25k per year scholarship which would make the cost difference much, much less.</p>

<p>I’m a transfer student from Mississippi with basically a full ride to Ole Miss. However, I set about choosing the school that can provide the best education. So, since I have the option of both Ole Miss and Tulane, I’m saying no to all the money Ole Miss is offering me. I have friends at Ole Miss currently that love the place and a few more that are going there, but Ole Miss isn’t Tulane.</p>