I’m trying to cut down my current college list and at this point, either Tulane or U of Miami is the most likely to come off my list.
CURRENT STATS
3.75 UW GPA
33 ACT
Top 10% of HS class
Varied EC’s but nothing spectacular/standoutish
Potential Major: Psychology/Journalism/English
TULANE UNIVERSITY
PROS:
-In a major city
-Student body size is right in the middle of my comfort zone
-Pretty good merit aid (~$22k IIRC)
-Warmer weather
CONS:
-Mom not a big fan of LA
-No journalism major
-Flying to/from home gets expensive
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
PROS:
-Near a major city
-Student body size is about right
-Warmer weather
-journalism offered as a major
CONS:
-Merit aid not as good for my stats
-Mom also not a big fan of Miami/Southern FL
-Again, flying there & back adds up
TL;DR – Should I apply to Tulane where I’d get better merit $ or UMiami where I have all my potential majors?
Where does she mother want you to attend college? I see she is not a fan of either choice. How important isthat to you? I think I would hold onto both until you have a good reason and facts such as amount of merit to eliminate one.
Based on my experiences in both cities and states, I would be so excited about Tulane, NO and LA. The culture, history and variations in so many ways are very enticing.
How important is merit money to you? Would you be able to afford Miami without any merit aid? What about the journalism major? Do you need it? Miamis journalism program is very solid and while Tulane is a pretty good school I think you should cut it overall and apply to Miami but it depends on your situation. Good luck!
Do you HAVE TO cut them down? Tulane offers an EA option that’s nice, since you know early on where you stand. If you wish to add Miami later on, you can - and if their offer is appealing to you, then you can drop Miami.
@gdlt234 It’s not totally essential but it’d be nice to have journalism as an option.
@BobWallace that’s just the number I came up with from Tulane after I ran the NPC; due to my class rank UMiami doesn’t give the equivalent amount unless I’m in the top 5% or so (which I doubt) as that’s what the NPC I used on their website said.
@zannah Ideally for my mother I’d be going to a Catholic school closer to home (ie the one 20 minutes from my house or Notre Dame), but none of the ones I’ve looked into have been a good fit except for Villanova and Fordham, which are both on my list.
@MegaMetalHead Considering merit $ is likely going to be the only financial aid I get, it’s a fairly high priority. UMiami or Tulane full-pay isn’t an option, but Tulane is just doable with that much merit aid. As I said earlier, journalism is more of a nicety than an essential.
@MYOS1634 the only problem with that plan is that I’m hoping to apply to both EA so that I find out my decision faster and can narrow down my list. That being said, if I had to pick RD for one, it’d be UMiami.