Tulane or WFU?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
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So i’ve been accepted to both Tulane and Wake Forest University. I am really interested in both schools, yet, Tulane just stands out as being truly unique (NOLA, Very diverse student body, strong academics). My mom went to Wake Forest, but understands that it is my decision. She views WFU as a academically stronger school, with more connections out of college. I guess when she applied to schools back in the day, Tulane did not have the reputation it has now, as it was easier to get into and was labeled a “party school”. I have told her countless times that the college process has changed, and that every school has parties, its just part of college. I also talked to her about Tulane’s admission statistics, and the overall difficulty it is to get in to in 2015.

I guess my question is how different are these schools academically? Does anyone know of any students who pick Tulane over Wake Forest or vise-versa? I know Tulane is very well known in the south, but how strong are it’s ties to the North? Do employers repute it as being a school with strong academics, producing graduates who will be assets in the business world?

I truly am leaning towards Tulane. Both schools have their advantages and disadvantages, it’s just at Tulane, I see myself being immersed in a city unlike any other, while also getting a great education.

Any advice would be great. My mom has been a Demon Deac ever since she was young, she just needs some convincing that Tulane is truly special, and is considered a top-tier University in the US

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First, both are indeed great schools and you will do well coming from either one. I know you know that, but just an affirmation. It looks to me like Tulane is actually a bit more selective in admissions (34.2% rate for WFU and 28.0% for Tulane in the most recent data sets), while the data for the SAT and ACT scores of students appears to be very similar, with Tulane’s perhaps being a very little bit better. However, I know that is a tough comparison because WFU is test optional. Only 40-45% submitted their test scores, and one would think that those with lower scores would be the ones choosing to not submit them, so the scores for the full class at WFU would be even lower. But that is an assumption and assumptions are dangerous.

Students pick Tulane over Wake and Wake over Tulane all the time. The reasons are as varied as the people making the decisions in their subtleties, but it usually comes down to one of three factors: Money, fit (not including money) and perceived reputation. So if someone gets a big scholarship from Tulane and not Wake, that could easily swing the decision no matter the other variables. If the money is similar or just not a factor, then the kind of issues you bring up, like NOLA vs. Winston-Salem, tend to move to the front. It just depends on what is important to you and how you think you would fit into either school. Certainly they are of similar size, so that isn’t a differentiating point. WFU might still have more of a religious atmosphere, I really don’t know.

Tulane has very strong ties to the north. Fully 1/3 of each entering class for many years now comes from what Tulane defines as the Northeast, which is basically Maine down to Pennsylvania. Tulane actually keeps a business and alumni affairs office in NYC. The business school makes annual pilgrimages to NYC, Chicago, Houston and I think maybe Atlanta. I would venture to say that the Tulane alumni network is somewhat larger than Wake’s because each incoming class is about 25% larger, and possibly it is more nationally spread out, although I definitely don’t know that last for sure. I just know that Tulane’s incoming classes have for years been among the most geographically diverse in the country.

Nice that you probably cannot go wrong. You just need to decide on where your gut tells you that you would fit in best. But academically these schools seem very similar to me in most ways.

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Thanks FC, appreciate the response. It seems to me that both schools are pretty similar both academically and socially.

One thing I noticed about Wake was the area around the school. Winston-Salem appears to me as a city that has no connection to the University whatsoever. I drove through the city after touring the school and it appeared to be very different from cities like New York or Boston (Obviously much smaller but i’m referencing the overall vibe in general). I remember thinking that it just wouldn’t be a great place to grab a few friends on a Saturday night and get a bite to eat or walk around ETC. Can you shed some light on this? Is it a common practice at Tulane to venture into the city on weekends to eat, get drinks and stuff of that nature? The transportation is also much different. I know Tulane has the famous St. Charles Streetcar line that takes you right into the city, but I think the only thing that Wake offers in terms of transportation in campus buses. Did you use this streetcar system frequently?

Another huge factor of New Orleans and Tulane are the annual festivals that seem to be abundant in the area. I’ve done a little research and students tend to love Crawfest, Reggae Fest and Mardi Gras festivities. As a grad of Tulane, do you think that these festivals had a huge impact on your time at Tulane? I know that Wake has some activities like these on and off campus, but I don’t think they are as well attended and popular as the ones at Tulane.

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Both schools are great - one of my best friends had the decision between the two just last year and chose Tulane for the same reason you’re thinking in that it is a truly unique place. Both are very good academic schools, though it’ll come down to what environment you want. Many northerners head down to NOLA because of how different it is. I cannot make the decision for you, but in this case you can’t choose wrong. They are both great schools and with a degree from either, it will be easy to get a job. Hope this helps!

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@Giants142‌

OK, let’s tick those off.

Winston-Salem, the 3 or 4 times I have been there, strikes me as your quintessential “sleepy” southern town that happens to have a great university in it. Obviously the students add spice to the town to some extent that wouldn’t exist otherwise, but still it is not New Orleans, or Atlanta, or Nashville. Or even Charlotte for that matter, although I have never found Charlotte to be all that interesting. Just me, maybe. Anyway, your comment reminds me of another interesting point. Tulane and New Orleans are symbiotic in ways that no other city around its size or larger are. Tulane is New Orleans largest private employer. But beyond that, the students are so involved in the city, and with the people of the city. In general, the residents of New Orleans feel very warmly towards Tulane and the students. As you probably know, Tulane really emphasizes service learning, and most of that takes place in New Orleans and southern Louisiana. So you not only have the excitement of New Orleans that would exist even if Tulane didn’t, but you have the relationship between the school and the community. It makes a difference. Very few schools relate to their cities that way, even when the cities are smaller, like W-S.

It is EXCEEDINGLY common to venture off campus, especially on the weekends. There are three major areas to take advantage of. Of course there is downtown, which could then be subdivided in even more micro areas like the French Quarter (FQ), Frenchman Street, the CBD, etc. Bourbon Street, the most famous part of the FQ, is actually just a small part of what is available there. Most students tire of Bourbon Street pretty quickly and find other, more interesting spots to explore. Then there is Magazine Street, a long street of specialty shops, food, music etc. And finally there is the comfort of the Oak Street and Maple Street bars, restaurants and shops, which also includes some places along the streetcar line on South Carollton. Oh, and I (and most students) use the streetcar all the time, especially to get to the downtown spots, but also to get to Magazine Street spots, depending on where on Magazine you are going. You can use it to get to the South Carollton/Maple/Oak Street spots, but those are walkable from Tulane as well.

The festivals are a blast, and there are more of them than ever. You can’t hit them all, you would never get your work done, but it is easy to pick and choose the best ones. Also with planning you can find things in nearby towns and try and hit some of those. Explore some of the bayou country and listen to some zydeco and eat some fresh gator. Good stuff. Crawfest is on campus, of course. It is fantastic.

Now clearly Tulane is getting an unfair advantage here and you have turned me into the PR department for the school and the city, LOL. But for those that know how to reach out and take advantage of these things, which btw includes having the discipline of working when you need to work so you are free to play without disastrous consequences, Tulane and NOLA are an experience that you are telling stories about the rest of your life.

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@allison1225‌

Ah, I love the optimism, LOL. But you are right, both schools are highly respected and can help lead to excellent career paths.

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It really sounds like there is no city like New Orleans. Just one of those places where you can’t even imagine what it’s like until you experience it first hand. Hopefully I can get down to an admitted students weekend and check it out even more!

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@Giants142 My D went to Tulane (graduated last May) and absolutely loved her time there. She was a Business major and psych minor. She felt that the education was great, and NOLA was even better. You were asking if the festivals added to the atmosphere, and she definitely felt that they did - they were all wonderful experiences and she got the most out of all of them. She has been all nostalgic this year as each one has come and gone - Voodoo at Halloween, Mardi Gras, and I am sure she will feel the same when JazzFest rolls around. As for the job market - she applied to one job and got it (working for a hospital), but then turned it down because she also applied to teach English in Taiwan (she has always loved traveling) and when that came through she knew she wanted to do that. So from our perspective it seems like job prospects are good!

My niece’s decision came down to Tulane or Wake, and she ultimately chose Wake largely because she wanted a smaller school (she came from a very small high school and she found Tulane a bit too big). She is also fairly religious and so liked Wake’s religious affiliation. It took her a little while but she has ended up really liking Wake a lot.

So two different people, one of whom loves Tulane and the other who loves Wake. Both excellent schools - I think you would get an excellent education at either one, so it really comes down to fit. If you haven’t visited Tulane yet, by all means do so - my D was sold the minute she set foot on campus! I didn’t know much about Tulane before my D insisted on applying there, and I have been amazed at how many people all over the country would be impressed when I mentioned she was there. So i think their reputation is just as good as Wake’s. Good luck in your decision, but rest assured you really can’t go wrong with those two choices!!