@graciegurl101 I know students at both schools. The kid at Villanova (no fraternity) is thriving. Loves everything about it. One of the two kids I know at Tulane (no fraternity) hates it. He would have transferred had he not missed the transfer deadlines. Two of his friends are transferring out and a lot of it had to do with the Greek life. He said the place isn’t the friendliest, though that may not be a shared opinion. The other kid I know at Tulane seems to love it.
This post probably wasn’t at all helpful, but I really have never heard of anyone I know hating Villanova. Tulane is more of a mixed bag. Best of luck to you.
While of course everyone’s experience is subjective, and applicants would be wise to put a heavy emphasis on “fit,” we do have the benefit of some aggregate survey data to gauge the relative happiness of Tulane students, and it has shown over the years that Tulane is at or near the tippy top every year for happiest students. This past year it was No. 4. Here goes: https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings?rankings=happiest-students. Other notable statistics for Tulane include that Tulane was ranked among the Top 10 in 9 categories including, “Students Most Engaged in Community Service,” (No. 1), “Best Run Colleges,” “Best Quality of Life” and “Best College City.” (No. 1) and 12th in “Most Active Student Government.”
These wonderful statistics, of course, do not come at the expense of any other institution, so listen to your heart and your gut and go wherever you feel you would be happiest. If you go and get good grades and have a great experience you will be very well set up for the next phase of life. Best of luck to you!
All things being equal, I would have my kid choose Villanova in a heartbeat. for $20K per year less, I would have my kid choose Tulane in a heartbeat. but that reflects our financial situation.
I don’t know your family’s financial situation. If it’s more “Don’t worry about the extra cost for Nova, we’ll make it work somehow” – then that would make me lean to Tulane. But if your parents are loaded, and the #1 priority for their discretionary income is to pay for the college that’s the best fit for you, and you really feel that Nova your best fit, then go to Villanova. Yes, they could invest the money they would save, but maybe the investment they really want to make is to provide you with the best educational environment and opportunity they can.
@graciegurl101 What did you decide? If you picked Villanova, there are some kids from Houston there. One of my daughter’s best friends went there last year and is a manager for the men’s basketball team.
I ended up choosing Tulane. In the end, I think it will be better for me in the long run and I think once I actually begin living on campus I will get a better feel for it.
