UF v Private College in the time of Coronavirus. UF already well-established for online classes

My son was admitted to UF and Tulane with a solid scholarship (his first choice), but even with a scholarship, $26k/year tuition for Tulane v. UF (free tuition with bright futures) seems pointless if classes will be online anyway. UF has been offering the online format for years. That was actually a drawback to me because of the impersonal nature of online classes, but now I am starting to rethink the point of Tulane if my child can’t get the personalized experience or even be on campus. Anyone else having these same concerns?

Yes.

We (wife and I) are also looking at our options (will not make a decision until late April to see if the current situation improves).
Tulane is my daughter’s #1 choice. UF is her #2. We are from Chicago, IL. We have visited Tulane and the visit reaffirmed her preference. We have not had a chance to visit UF but have done everything virtually and researched as much as possible.
Tulane will cost us approximately $18k more per year than UF. My daughter is studying Marketing. Both schools have pros and cons. Please see the Tulane forum to read my posting (one of the three current postings - It compared IU vs. Michigan vs. Tulane).
We are leaning towards Tulane but are still researching. Cost is the biggest decision variable left for us and we are determining if the additional cost is worth it. UF is a great school overall (nationally ranked USNWR #34 vs. #40 Tulane, #22 Business vs. #43 Tulane). However, we feel our daughter needs more personal interactions and smaller class sizes. The UF school size may be too overwhelming for her. She is outgoing but more reserved. She loves school spirit and having fun but tailgating, bars, and Greek life are not her main priorities (at either school). She likes the service options at both schools but NOLA/Tulane provides arguably more opportunities/programs in a large city. The opportunity to switch majors easily and take classes across various schools within Tulane to enable multiple majors/minors is very appealing, especially for a student who is not 100% certain regarding her major/interests. 80% of Tulane’s student body is OOS. 90% of UF is in-state. UF is more ethnically diverse; Tulane is improving but slowly. We live in the Midwest and want our daughter to experience other perspectives (including weather) from other parts of the country.

Here is our perspective on fall:

UF business from what we are reading has a lot of online courses years 1 and 2.
Even if Tulane is online for fall (hopefully not), that is 1 semester out of 8. In addition, if our daughter stays some summers (internship, work, maybe classes), she gets more NOLA time. Apples-to-apples - online classes with fewer students (Tulane averages 23 students per class, 8:1 student to faculty ratio - will be larger for Gen Ed classes freshman year) may provide more advantages during class and office hours (even virtually). Even virtually interacting with fellow high-caliber students (both schools have smart kids) in class may be easier at Tulane. Housing costs at Tulane are higher than UF (on average) so we may save a little more if online classes are held (before leases are signed/money committed). Flights/travel costs are a little cheaper at Tulane as well from our vantage point.

Finally, my daughter is the first child with three other siblings to follow. While we have saved for years for our kids, costs are still a major consideration. We feel education is worth the investment and the smaller school may be more suitable for my daughter to get a reasonable ROI based on her personality and needs. She worked hard up to this point in her life. The application process was not easy. We spent (and continue to spend) countless hours researching to arrive at her/and our preference. Ultimate, we most likely will support her #1 Tulane choice. It is an improving school each year and increasingly hard to get in (last year was 13.15% acceptance) with a very high-caliber student body.

Please feel free to PM me as well. I am on both the Tulane and UF 2024 parents groups within FB.

Good luck with your decision. It is not easy.

Wow. That is so thorough and thoughtful. I can’t thank you enough. I needed to express my concerns with a similarly situated family. First, congratulations to your daughter. We too are super proud of our son. He overcame dyslexia and ADHD to get into these excellent schools.

Next, my husband and I both attended Tulane and nothing compares to New Orleans. It is so steeped in incredible history and culture. Your daughter will get so much more than a college experience at Tulane, she will also get a New Orleans experience. There is nothing in Gainesville, except UF. If she really loves big sports and can be self-directed, UF has a really excellent alumni network from my understanding.

Getting your perspective underscores how each situation is different. Our cost difference is closer to $38/year. UF is super affordable for in-state students.

But I appreciate your point that it will likely only be a one semester out of 8 if classes don’t start on campus until January. Also, the personal attention, which my son will likely need, will be there at Tulane after Freshman year. Thanks for your perspective. It really helped.

Both I and my son attended Tulane and we both went to high caliber law schools and grad schools in other cities and can personally attest that the networking among the Tulane alumni community around the country is excellent. Tulane has thriving alumni associations in all the major cities and the alumni have great school spirit and look out for another for jobs and other professional support. UF is one of the better state flagships in the country and certainly be a launching pad for any career. As a large institution it has great facilities and offers a wealth of opportunity. While it was a long time ago, in our son’s case we strongly considered UF but landed on Tulane because it offered the broad curriculum and interdisciplinary opportunities, along with a top notch junior year abroad program, and we were thrilled with our decision and have never looked back.

Too many uncertainties about the upcoming school year. Free is good.