<p>I know they're two different schools, but I got in to both and have absolutely no idea what to do. I feel comfortable in smaller class sizes, which I know will help me, but Tulane has much more to offer as compared to Holy Cross. Additionally, I am thinking of pursuing pre-med in college and I know that Holy Cross has a very defined medical program with an amazing turnout and a strong alumni network. Tulane has Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering though, both of which I am interested. My deposit is down at Holy Cross already b/c I got in to Tulane off the waitlist.
I have no idea what to do.</p>
<p>If you plan to live in the northeast/midatlantic go with HC as it will have stronger rep whereas if you are a true southerner Tulane would have broader awareness.</p>
<p>I completely disagree with required_details. About 1/3 of Tulane undergrads are from the Northeast/Midatlantic, and Tulane has an office in NYC because so many alumni are there, among other reasons. Also, it doesn’t matter which region of the country you go undergrad when it comes to getting into med school. Med school admissions look at your grades and MCAT scores primarily. Tulane is a highly respected university with its own med school, so other med schools look very favorably at Tulane grads. In short, it is ridiculous to think that med school admissions people at all the med schools, including the northeast, don’t know Tulane very well.</p>
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I am not sure what you mean by this as compared to Tulane. Pre-med is not a major at either school, or at hardly any school in the country. Pre-med is nothing more than taking the required courses: Biology, 2 semesters with lab; Freshman Chem and Organic Chem, 4 semesters total with lab; Physics, 2 semesters; most like to see 2 semesters of math with one of them being devoted to statistics, especially if it is specific for science; 2 semesters of English-type courses that involve expository writing; and some med schools are looking for decent exposure to a 2nd language. One can achieve all these with any major, be it a science major or history or Asian Studies or ballet. Tulane has a foreign language requirement so you would have that in any case. My point is that Tulane has pre-med advisors as well, and they also have programs (very competitive) that insure admission to Tulane Med. HC has apparently formalized this advising by giving it a name, but Tulane has the same thing, as do almost all schools these days. A lot of people start out pre-med.</p>
<p>Along that line of thinking, you should also consider that well over half those that start out pre-med do not end up applying to med school, and not all just because they just couldn’t cut it. Many decide it wasn’t for them after all. Maybe that won’t happen to you, but you would be wise to plan for the flexibility. If Neuroscience, and especially BME interest you, then Tulane is the obvious choice. You could do neuroscience at HC in the sense that you could get a very solid grounding in the sciences related to that field and then get the specifics in grad school. Tulane would offer more at the undergrad level, but for me that wouldn’t be a deciding factor. BME, on the other hand, is something you really have to get into from Day 1 as an undergrad. It is a very exciting field and Tulane has a first rate department, but it is also very demanding and challenging.</p>
<p>So let’s get to the bottom line. Which to choose? As you say, they are very different schools. HC is a classic LAC in Worcester, MA with about half as many full time undergrads as Tulane. Being an LAC it really doesn’t have the level of research and resources Tulane does, not to mention the opportunity to be involved in research at its own med school like Tulane has. But of course many LAC’s have great track records of getting their students into top med schools, and a lot of people prefer that “teaching-only” environment.</p>
<p>There is the obvious difference between New Orleans and Worcester. Of course Boston isn’t that far away, but it still isn’t immersed right in it, and just a streetcar ride from downtown. It is a fabulous city with different resources than New Orleans. But Tulane is an integral part of the city, and many students get very involved.</p>
<p>There are a lot of other things to consider, such as the weather, the sports scene, Greek life, etc. These things should not be trivialized if they make a difference to you, because you are looking at 4 years of living at either place. Accumulations of small differences can be important to your success as a student. So think about where you think you will be happier with these various factors. Either school can give you the education you need to get to med school, if that was your only goal. But after taking into account the other aspects to this decision such as flexibility, resources, environment, and personal preferences. which seems most attractive? That should be where you find yourself in the fall.</p>
<p>I now live in the Northeast but am a Tulane alum. Tulane’s medical school is excellent, as is Tulane. Their science programs are also excellent. I work for an Ivy and Tulane is known and well regarded where I work. So I don’t think that your concern about not being known in the Northeast is founded.</p>
<p>And honestly, there’s just no comparison between New Orleans and Worcester (with no disrespect to Worcester at all). New Orleans is one of the most beautiful cities in the country and it’s so vibrant. Of course you <em>are</em> asking on a Tulane thread so we’re bound to be biased.</p>
<p>I would be curious as to how often the HC students go into Boston. What is it, about 45 miles? And I guess there is a train? I haven’t been in Worcester for a while, I can’t remember. But I would think when the weather is crappy, which is about half the school year, the incentive to get into Boston is somewhat diminished.</p>
<p>We visited Clark, also in Worcester (what a nice school Clark is, BTW). Yes, it’s 45 minutes to an hour I’d guess - not bad at all. I know the Worcester schools have a consortium similar to that of the 5 colleges in the Amherst/Northampton MA area (that’s where #1 son is) which is a really nice benefit and there is free public transportation between all the colleges which include Clark, HC, WPI and several others. Boston is a great town of course as well. But I’d surely take Nahlans over Worcester. We met some of the most interesting people when we lived there. The food <em>swoon</em> I miss a lot. I am glad to be where I am now but New Orleans is just a marvelous place.</p>
<p>Holy Cross provides free shuttle service to Boston and Providence on Saturdays and Sundays as well as several area malls: </p>
<p>[SGA</a> | College of the Holy Cross](<a href=“http://college.holycross.edu/sga/services/transportation.htm]SGA”>http://college.holycross.edu/sga/services/transportation.htm)</p>
<p>You want to attend med school? Which one is less expensive to attend?</p>