Tulane vs. UC Berkeley- Please help me decide

Hi! I need help deciding between Tulane and UC Berkeley. I am looking into going into public health or going pre-med.
Tulane offered me $29k/year and a spot in the honors college. I visited and I love the campus and the size is far less daunting than Berkeley. However, I am worried about the reputation as a party school, as I don’t party, and the lack of prestige.
With Berkeley, I would pay full out-of-state tuition and room/board freshman year, and then my tuition would be free sophomore through senior year (unless I were able to defer a year and then my tuition would be free all four years). Berkeley obviously has a lot of prestige, and I feel like there would be a lot more opportunities there. However, I am worried about the huge lecture classes and the competition. I’m worried that could get overwhelmed by the coursework and competition and would struggle getting into med or grad school. However, I’ve always had the gut feeling that Berkeley is where I should be (I loved the campus as well).
I would love everyone’s input, as I obviously only have a few days to decide.

@chelsea37: How will you get free tuition at UCB after Freshman year? Are your parents moving to California anytime soon? Also UCB rarely offers deferrals.

VA benefits, and yes we would move to CA. And I’m aware. If it were guaranteed (or at least likely) that I would be granted a deferral then Berkeley would be the obvious choice but with that being so uncertain I’m not sure.

I would contact UCB to find out if a deferral is even possible which can affect your present decision. I cannot make any comments in regards to Tulane, however I know that any school can be a “party school” and not everyone student has that mind set. You will be able to meet like minded students at Tulane.

I also do not know how the VA benefits work for UCB, but if you only have to pay $65,000 for the first year followed by Housing/Living expenses the new 3 years, the costs may equal out to what you spend at Tulane.

Both are good option but go with your gut and where you think you will most happy for the next 4 years.

That’s a legitimately tough question. You may have your answer in your question as you stated that your gut is telling you Berkeley.

My D is likely going to Tulane and my observations are based on a pretty thorough visit and the investigation done as part of my family’s decision making process.

Since the cost is close to the same I think it comes down to fit, of which I think prestige is a factor.

A couple of observations about Tulane:

I wouldn’t worry a great deal about the “party school” reputation. I believe there are plenty of very bright and highly motivated students there.

The Tulane student body did not appear to be tremendously diverse.

The campus did not seem to be an epicenter for social change or social justice issues.

I think you can do some incredible service while at Tulane if you are motivated, and I think there are programs that would provide a ton of support for that.

Prestige wise I think more people will know what Berkeley is and what it means to have a degree from there than they will Tulane, but that is also influenced somewhat by geography. However, I do not know how much that carries over to the people that are in positions of responsibility - hiring managers, admissions people.

As for whether Berkeley is an advantage over Tulane on med school applications I would ask any doctors or med students that work with the admissions committee to see if that is the case or not. Often times the answers do not comport with what I would describe as a lay person’s set of assumptions.

For grad school, I think that close support from a professor or two that is in the field you are interested in is more likely the determining factor for admission to specific programs. So that would require looking at the departments you are interested in and weighing the likelihood of making relationships with professors at the two institutions.

I would also look into how long it may take to graduate from Berkeley. One tough part of going to a large school is getting the classes you need when you need them. This can result in more time required to get your undergrad degree.

Good luck and congrats on two great options!

I’ve heard some pretty bad things about UCB lately. Tulane has a better student body.

Please take some time to go on the pre health advising pages of the schools. Tulane has a lot going for it in my opinion. They have a great Med school which gives you research and shadowing options. There’s a neuroscience track that is ore med but very unique. They have a plme program too not sure if you can be accepted after you arrive. Berkeley of course has a lot of strengths. But Tulane has a lot of positives for the premed path. And it’s not really the party school it once may have been it’s really attracting serious students today.

No skin in the game. No students there and I am not an alum.

Which school did you choose? Are you happy so far with your choice?