These schools are currently at the top of my D18’s list.
We know they are very different, but they all have strengths which include good merit/financial aid opportunities.
Anyone have experience with these schools as to how the undergrad experience compares for an A- / 1420 SAT easy going California girl?
Hello dragonmom3. My son is a senior at Furman – absolutely loves the place. He had lots of good choices (was Nat’l Merit Scholar, very strong HS academics and test scores) and always thought he would want to go to a bigger school. However, Furman really won him over in the end, much to his own surprise. He has found it a place where it is easy to study more than one thing (he is a double major in two very different areas of study), and the size makes it easy to get involved in loads of extracurricular things that he just likes to do. He also really enjoys life in Greenville. We have a senior in HS daughter like you, and (from your description of your daughter) our girls sound similar. Based on her brother’s experience (and her own while visiting there) Furman is definitely one of her top 2 schools. For what it’s worth, she also visited Richmond (we live in Virginia), and she thought it was attractive but was not drawn to it in any way. I’m sure that could be a good school for others, but she was not “feeling it” there. I have no insight into Tulane. Good luck to you and your daughter!
As for Tulane, New Orleans is a wonderful city with great food, great culture and great people. Community service is very integral to the undergraduate experience and required for graduation. Tulane students are very serious about their studies and almost all of them go on to grad school or medical/law/business school. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, there s a fairly large core of students who have a good time yucking it up at the bars and restaurants of New Orleans. The school is very strong in the biological sciences, undergraduate business, Latin American Studies, International Relations, to name just a few. Engineering has also made a great comeback in recent years after Hurricane Katrina. I encourage you to visit to get a feel of the place. Best of luck to you!
Tulane!!!