<p>I already posted a similar topic to this but didn't know if it would be better to make a new post or whatever. But anyways, it has come down to either Tulane or Vanderbilt for me. Money is going to be pretty tight but doable either way with maybe close to 10k in loans after my four years is up. The aid I got from both schools makes the costs very similar(within $1000). I really feel like Tulane is the better fit for me after visiting both schools several times. I simply love it. My parents(the main funders of this endeavor) like both schools but are unsure about paying for Tulane when it is the same price as Vanderbilt. They are very concerned with school rankings and the "name brand-ness" that Vanderbilt has going for it. What could I say to them to help them see my perspective a little better, or am I underestimating the benefits of a degree from Vanderbilt vs. Tulane?</p>
<p>My son is deciding between Tulane and Boston College. We live near Boston where there is a huge BC alumni (I have a law degree from BC) contingent so it’s an echo chamber in which everyone touts BC as the higher prestige school. With all due respect to your folks, all this focus on the so-called “prestige” factor is nonsense. College is a unique opportunity to explore the world in many different ways, to grow, to find your passion in life. If you look at it as another resume builder, or are focused on which school gives you some mythical leg up over the next guy or gal applying for a job at some hedge fund or whatever, it misses the point in my view. For my son, BC would be the more prestige choice and be more impressive to most people around here, but I am hoping he chooses Tulane. Why? Because I think it will broaden his horizons to live in a different part of the country and to get involved in helping to rebuild New Orleans in some way (I entirely approve of Tulane’s mandatory community service part of the curriculum).</p>
<p>Lava - It’s very touchy when parents have different criteria for choosing a school than the student does. In my culture, the student gets the final say so long as that decision makes sense for the entire family. (For example, we’re not paying for Princeton no matter how great our student might be. It’s simply too much family money to invest in a single child.) Your family’s culture may be different. So I can’t help you, not directly any way. The good thing is that Tulane and Vanderbilt are both wonderful schools, and you will get an excellent education at either.</p>
<p>LavaCreature - One thing that might help: What are your plans for after undergrad? It may make a difference in your strategy.</p>
<p>I’m pretty undecided right now. I have family currently in medical school which is an option I will likely consider.</p>
<p>LavaCreature,
S had the same decision to make last year. PM me for more information</p>
<p>Go to Tulane so my friend can get into Vandy.</p>
<p>haha go to vandy so I can go to Tulane!</p>
<p>Lava - So OK, we cannot really used proposed major to influence your parents. It can be very hard to get past the “nameplate” phenomenon, especially with parents, but remind them it is YOUR education that is being talked about here (in a nice way of course. After all, they are paying the bills). I suppose you need to find some specifics that will influence the discussion. For example, Vandy is more Greek oriented. Tulane has a definite Greek presence, but it doesn’t define campus life to the extent it does at Vandy. If you are not going Greek, that is an argument. If you are, then hard to use that one. I know people worry about the partying and the drinking at Tulane (although frankly the drinking is not any worse than at other schools), but because it is NOLA it gets overblown. I think there is no question that Vandy is a notch more selective than Tulane and therefore more of the students are going to have that extra “something”, although that gap has been closing and will definitely get even narrower this year. Here are the stats on the tests, at least, with this year’s predicted averages for Tulane in parens (I have no insight on Vandy’s trend this year):</p>
<p>Vaderbilt:</p>
<p>SAT:
Reading Middle 50%: 652 - 740
Math Middle 50%: 680 - 760
Writing Middle 50%: 650 - 730
ACT Middle 50%: 30 - 33</p>
<p>Tulane:</p>
<p>SAT:
Reading Middle 50%: 630 - 720 (650-730)
Math Middle 50%: 620 - 700 (640-710)
Writing Middle 50%: 640 - 720 (650-730)
ACT Middle 50%:29 - 32 (30-32)</p>
<p>So as you can see, there isn’t so much difference here except for math. That isn’t too surprising, Tulane is more known for its humanities programs and did cut back on engineering majors post-Katrina, but premed is still very strong as you know. Now there is a lot more to it that these test scores, but it is one of the few quantitative factors for incoming freshmen that is the same for everyone (avg. HS GPA is garbage, as you will see if you look at the average HS GPA for schools that are clearly inferior to school X but actually have a higher avg GPA but much lower avg SAT/ACT scores).</p>
<p>So in the end, I go back to your opening comment of “I really feel like Tulane is the better fit for me after visiting both schools several times. I simply love it.” Figure out all the reasons this was true and keep presenting them. Also keep reminding them that you are extremely likely to go on to an advanced degree, whether that be med, law, or something else, and so the prestige for your career will be associated with that. Either school will help you get into the finest programs as long as you do your part and do well, which btw it is a little more likely you would stand out at Tulane because as I said, Vandy is just that notch more selective, so the competition is just a notch tougher. Not that Tulane will be a cakewalk, but hey. We are making debate arguments here.</p>
<p>Hope that helps a little. Good luck. At least you have fantastic choices however it turns out.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your comments, I really appreciate them. Decision day is approaching fast so it’s about time to make the call. Good luck to everyone else making their big decisions, hopefully I’ll see you at Tulane!</p>