<p>I'm a senior from NYC. College decisions didn't work out the way I hoped(I'm on 8 waitlists) so I have a difficult choice: Tulane or SUNY Binghamton. I'm interested in poli sci and economics, likely pre-law. My parents are not well-off but there is some money put away for me from my grandparents. However, I don't want to rely on them too much.</p>
<p>Tulane:If the money were equal I would go here, but not without slight reservations. Slightly better school, I think. I would be in the honors program. Unrivaled location and weather(I'm in love with New Orleans). Great campus and neighborhood. I did an overnight visit and liked most things. Very geographically diverse(a big plus), optimal size. But I'm not a huge fan of the frat scene and Tulane is relatively unknown in New York. My family would pay about 14k a year and I would borrow 8.5k/year with my aid package.</p>
<p>Binghamton: Considered possibly the greatest school on earth where I'm from. Several good friends are going here. I took a quick self-guided tour on my way to visit Cornell, but going back for a more in-depth look soon. Just walking around and talking to students I know be very comfortable here. The campus is decent, but was really dead when we drove around it on a Saturday night. Bordered by a plaza with a WalMart, a highway, and not much else. In the middle of nowhere and not diverse at all. Family would pay 2k/a year and I would borrow 6k a year.</p>
<p>which do you think is better academically? is 10k of debt upon graduation a big difference? should I try to conserve for law school? do I go with the place that is more like my high school or try to avoid that? will the novelty of New Orleans wear off? is the Binghamton area really that depressing?</p>
<p>Good question. Congratulations on being admitted. College admissions are wicked and quirky and the demographics are just huge. I heard just the other day that Western Carolina University in “the sticks” and in the bottom tier of UNC-System schools had record applications this year…14,000. Unbelievable. Everyone is being pushed around or pushed down it seems. So be grateful. Do NOT dwell on the past or who waitlisted you or rejected you. SOME schools will tell you where you are on the waitlist and SOME indication of their past history. MOST will tell you around May 1-7 if you are off the list and invited in, or are going to be rejected quietly by not being invited off the list.</p>
<p>So, stick with Binghamton and Tulane for now. </p>
<p>Both are great schools. But I am a huge Tulane fan and being in N"awlins is very special. Its an experience of a lifetime and Tulane is a fabulous school with a national reputation so you DONT have to worry about that. They do extremely well with grad school placement and professional schools. They are very highly regarded. </p>
<p>Your loans will only be 2-3k per year higher at Tulane? Go for it. Its worth EVERY PENNY OF THAT MONEY. </p>
<p>Buy the Tulane gear and dance with the one who brung ya! Yes, it has a party scene. ALL COLLEGES DO. DUKE DOES, BIG TIME. So does UVa, Georgetown. etc. Be disciplined in your studies. Remember to party/relax ONLY after your work is done. And NEVER go overboard. (That poor kid from Xavier High who died in Panama City Florida on Friday at a Days Inn…fell over the railing drunk and died. He was a TOP football recruit to Notre Dame. Bright boy…very sad.) </p>
<p>Trust me when I say you will have LOTs of doors opened for you with a Tulane degree. Its a fabulous college and its frankly good to get away from home and away from your high school buddies. Makes you more independent and self determined. Forces you to meet people from a different region. Tulane is southern. But that is a good thing. You will work hard there. Its not a slacker school by any stretch. </p>
<p>I want to strongly reinforce what ghostbuster is saying. It is very important that you expand your horizons and go to a school that is not at all like your high school. Tulane has somewhat higher statistics for incoming students, but it isn’t a huge gap. But in the Honors Program the stats are much higher, and it is a huge gap. Now most of your classes will not be designated Honors, but for those that are you will be really challenged. No question the weather is much better in New Orleans, obviously.</p>
<p>The greek scene at Tulane is about 30% of the students, so 7 out of 10 are not. It is significant, but does not dominate. Also, there are a lot of students from the NY area and have been for years, so Tulane is better known than you think. In any case, that isn’t as important as people make it out sometimes, and who knows if you will end up back there anyway? You might intend it now, but things can change.</p>
<p>Now personally I think $34,000 in debt when you are done is on the high side. Hopefully you can get that down about $8K or so by working. Are you NMF? That would add $8K right there. Normaily I advise not going over about $25K in debt, especially since you are thinking law school. But I think you will have a much richer experience at Tulane, from what I know about Bing. You just have to decide what you are comfortable with.</p>
<p>Tulane does seem like the better choice. 34k in debt scares me too. The figures I gave include 3k of federal work study a year. Would it be difficult to maintain another job on top of that?</p>
<p>I think it would be feasible to maintain a 10-15 hour per week job. How many hours per week is the work study? Doesn’t sound like too much if it is only $3,000/year. More than 20 hours per week total might be tough. But I bet you could find something. I take it you are not NMF then.</p>
<p>My concerns are mainly that Binghamton might have a better reputation as a more “serious” school, but Tulane has a greater national reputation. (I am also from NYC.)</p>
<p>Also, the party scene scares me a bit. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but it seems like Tulane has more of a reputation as a party school than most, and I am definitely not a partier. </p>
<p>^^^You might try a new thread because this one is 4 years old and chances are no one’s coming back to it. Or you might post your concerns on the Binghamton (and Tulane) websites.</p>