Tulane vs. BU--Help!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
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<p>As May 1st quickly approaches, I am feeling the pressure to decide on a school getting worse and worse. I have narrowed it down to two schools, Boston University and Tulane University. With financial aid, the schools are now comparable in price (Tulane being a little more expensive with the travel expenses from New York). My parents are leaning more towards BU but I am not as sure. My mom is worried about me being so far from home and the crime in New Orleans recently.</p>

<p>Any information regarding social life, ability to get a job after school/research opportunities (I want to go on to grad school also) or anything in general about either school would be very helpful! Thank you :)</p>

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<p>Well, naturally here on the Tulane forum you will get the pro-Tulane point of view, which I am sure you knew. But I know a bit about BU as well, more since my niece was considering it for this fall and so she flew east to visit and I took her. She is from California and I think is going to end up at Berkeley or NYU-Tisch.</p>

<p>Anyway, both great college towns, although very different vibe. I cannot imagine social life being an issue at either place. Plenty to do in either city.</p>

<p>Honestly, the crime issue near BU isn’t very different than the crime issue near Tulane. Most of the crime in New Orleans is remote from campus, and few Tulane students actually experience anything serious in this regard, especially those that don’t walk alone at 3 AM. Or put more nicely, those that use common sense. There was an uptick in crime last semester, but they took numerous steps to respond and it seems to be under control again at very low levels.</p>

<p>Tulane is a smaller school (BU has more than twice as many in each freshman class), with a nicer campus. The BU campus feels much more urban, even though each are within the city limits. There are tons of research opportunities for undergrads, and Tulane grads are constantly accepted into the best grad schools. If you are a good student that knows how to balance their academics with their social life, you can do really well at Tulane and get to know the faculty very well.</p>

<p>I would say Tulane and BU are comparable academically, with Tulane students possibly having the slight edge, but basically the same pool of students. You would probably have similar classroom experiences at both schools. I saw on your thread that you are considering psychology and neuroscience as majors, these are strong and popular ones at Tulane. Probably good at BU also, I imagine.</p>

<p>I think it really comes down to what kind of feel you are wanting in a school. If you want that more urban, bigger city feel, go with BU. If you are looking for a more “movie-traditional” type of campus experience, and the experience of a truly unique city, Tulane is the way to go. Both will give you a fine education with similar grad school opportunities, so it really does come down more to the non-academic factors, most likely.</p>

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<p>I agree with fallenchemist on his comparison/thoughts on the two schools. I also have a Tulane bias as my daughter is a student, graduating in 2013. It will probably be non-academic factors which influence your decision. </p>

<p>My husband graduated from BU ( many years ago ), but many things remain the same. It is a much larger university, with some huge classes. My husband freshman year lived a in hi-rise dorm with about 1,700 students. And the campus is an urban/cement campus. </p>

<p>Tulane is a smaller university, with smaller classes ( some very small ). Even some of the introductory larger classes at Tulane would be no where as large as at BU. The university is in a very nice residential area of town, not an urban feel, but close to the downtown areas. None of the dorms are huge. I think that Monroe and Sharp are the largest freshman dorms, at about 450 students. My daughter
was in Butler, which was about 225/250 students.</p>

<p>We are from Ohio, so my daughter is also pretty far from home. But she really did want to venture farther from home and experience somewhere new. It is just a quick flight home and pick up at the airport. Almost easier than driving the 4-5 hours to pick up my younger daughter at her Ohio University ( although she frequently gets
a ride home during the year ). The travel to/from the school has not been a big hassle for us, even being farther away ( and we have done the 16+ hour road trip also ).</p>

<p>My daughter has never felt unsafe on campus. It’s all about being aware of your surroundings, and not letting yourself be put into an unsafe position. Last year she worked at the front desk of one of the residence halls, and had to sometimes start or end a shift in the overnight or wee morning hours. She always had the option of security walking her back to her dorm. And there is always the Safe Ride for off campus. She was abroad last semester, but is living off campus this semester with three other girls. I have not heard of any personal safety issues. Next year she will also be living off campus, but close. Safety can be an issue at almost all universities, but you must take personal responsibility. </p>

<p>Both are great schools, with good academics and opportunities, but a very different feel. This is where personal preference/fit factor in the decision process. Good luck in your decision! I am sure you will be happy/ successful at the school of your choice!</p>

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<p>Thank you guys so much!</p>

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<p>No problem, let us know which way you decide and why. Always interesting to know, even if it isn’t Tulane.</p>

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<p>These two universities are fairly different. I graduated from Tulane in 2010 and moved to Boston for work (and now school). I took one class at BU for kicks and walked through campus on my way to work every day so I have some experience with both. </p>

<p>Though the BU campus is no doubt more urban, almost all of the people you find in that area are BU students. So it doesn’t have the same vibe as other urban universities like GW or NYU where you have a mix of people in the neighborhood. </p>

<p>Another thing to consider is that the competition for BU students to obtain internships during the semester is much greater as you have Tufts, Harvard, MIT, BC, Brandeis, etc, etc, students applying for them as well. However, Boston has a more diverse economy than New Orleans. BU also tends to give less attention to their undergrads than Tulane.</p>

<p>Boston and New Orleans are both very unique cities. I picked Tulane for numerous reasons (I was deciding between GW, American, Case, and TU). I thought the experiences I would get in New Orleans would trump the others. I also knew that I wouldn’t have another chance to live in New Orleans given my career goals.</p>

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<p>My D is deciding between Northeastern and Tulane (neuroscience/psych at Tulane vs the Behavioral Neuroscience at NE) While NE is definitely NOT BU LOL, some of the points raised here are very apt. Thanks!</p>