<p>Can't decide. Opinions, please.</p>
<p>LOL, this is a Tulane board so I think you can imagine how it will go. But, trying to be as objective as possible, they are both very good schools, with a lot of similarities. Miami has really come up in the world since Shalala took over as president, but Tulane has also improved considerably under Cowen. The schools attract a similar type of student, but the average SAT for a Tulane student is still a good 100 points ahead of Miami from what I can see. Not that this is the whole story by any means, but Tulane is academically more selective and possibly therefore more challenging. There are also some significant differences in the demographics with UMiami having a much larger hispanic population, and Tulane having a larger African-American population. They both have significant numbers of Northeastern and Jewish students from what I gather.</p>
<p>But it really depends on what you are looking for in a school. Miami and New Orleans are very different cities, and being in New Orleans Tulane’s emphasis on community service is much greater. Hopefully you have had a chance to visit both. If not, try to do that and just see which one feels right to you. There probably is no better way. I just saw the way you posed the question on the Miami thread
Frankly you won’t find enough difference in the two based on these extremely subjective criteria to help you make a decision. Go by which school just seems right to you based on EVERYTHING. Academics as you perceive them, location, sports, overall feel. That’s what really counts. It is guesswork to some degree, but the rest of what you asked is even more guesswork, trying to know what something will be 4 years out. Most of those things are more about you as a person than the school anyway.</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat as you. I just visited UMiami today and really liked it! But I also visited Tulane a few weeks ago and loved it as well…I can see myself at both schools. I’m also considering Michigan. I’m so torn between all 3 schools!</p>
<p>Just to say the obvious, Michigan is soooo different. Great place of course, both the school and Ann Arbor. But huge, cold, great sports, many very large classes your first two years at least, and I am sure a dozen or so additional dramatic differences. Truly, forget the rankings and “prestige”, and focus on where you would most like to “live”. If Michigan still wins, great. If not, don’t doubt yourself, just go with what your gut tells you.</p>
<p>I know nothing about U of Miami, but friend’s D recently graduated from Michigan and felt she never had a real opportunity to speak with a professor or connect with her major. She is not super assertive, but is not shy either. She left with a good GPA, but not a single professor she could ask for a recommendation. I’m sure others have had a great experience, but she did not.</p>
<p>Agreed, Michigan does seem more impersonal than the other two schools to me. However, I am from Michigan, so whenever I tell someone I’m considering Tulane and Miami, they kind of look at me like I’m weird and tell me to definitely choose Michigan because of its prestige and rankings, etc, etc. I also have several friends who are at Michigan and ruthlessly try to convince me to go there. Tulane typically does not garner much respect, but I think that’s just because people don’t really know much about it. While I did really like Tulane and think it’d be a great match for me, it’s difficult for me because most of the people I know try to discourage it and tell me if I don’t choose Michigan, go to Miami.
Also, people to seem to think that Tulane’s academics are behind Miami, but am I right in believing they are about equal?</p>
<p>I would say Tulane has the edge there (shocking that I would say that!). I mean, these things are almost impossible to judge because they are so subjective and situational, but at least as far as incoming students, Tulane has a fairly large edge in average test scores. To the extent that the quality of a school and the quality of your experience is determined by how much you are challenged by your peers (and my own experience was that this is a huge factor), that would give Tulane the upper hand.</p>
<p>Of course Michigan is more well known in Michigan, and if you are planning on going back there to live there might be some advantage to having gone there. But that is generally slight and only for getting your first job. Go with your gut, forget the noise. If there is some reason you feel Tulane is right for you, either tangible or intangible, then that is the way to go.</p>
<p>Tulane is very well respected in the PNW and the NE. Many students turn down higher ranked schools for Tulane. It has the academics, size, and city that make for a great college experience.</p>
<p>Oh to be 18 and deciding between Tulane University and the University of Miami!
Who says youth is wasted on the young?</p>
<p>AVHS: So true. As to fallenchemists point here are the numbers:</p>
<p>UMichigan (size: 26,000 undergrads)
Reading Middle 50%: 590 - 690
Math Middle 50%: 640 - 740
Writing Middle 50%: 600 - 700</p>
<p>UMiami (size: 9,500 undergrads)
Reading Middle 50%: 570 - 680
Math Middle 50%: 600 - 700
Writing Middle 50%: 570 - 670</p>
<p>Tulane (size: 5500 undergrads)
Reading Middle 50%: 620-720
Math Middle 50%: 630-710
Math Middle 50%: 630-720</p>
<p>Except for math (and my guess this reflects Michigan’s large Engineering school), Tulane’s student body is somewhat better in terms of SAT scores than the other two schools being considered. The size of each school is a bigger differentiator. However, it looks hard to go wrong with any of them.</p>
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<p>So very true. I never noticed before Miami was about twice the size of Tulane. Also, I always thought with the HUGE football crowds, Michigan was more like 35,000-40,000. 26,000 is plenty big, but not as huge as some of the other Big 10 schools (OSU 41,000; Minn 33,000; Wisconsin and Illinios 31,000). I have been to ASU where it is something ridiculous like 46,000. I wonder if there is a convenient list somewhere of schools by average undergrad enrollment.</p>
<p>This is the size of the undergraduate population. Michigan has a very large graduate student population as well that gets those numbers up there closer to 50,000.</p>
<p>Mamama,</p>
<p>When you land at Tulane or UMiami you will find a huge amount of kids who will tell you it came down to those two. So you are not alone. Both great choices.</p>
<p>One thing I tell people about UMiami when they asked me my impression. Walking around campus I almost felt like I was at ClubMed. For an 17-18 year old going in, that could be pretty exciting (or could be bad). Tulane felt more like a campus environment to me.</p>
<p>But you will get a great education at either place.</p>
<p>Lake Oceola wins it for me, hands down!</p>