So this is my second post regarding this subject but i’m having a very difficult decision in deciding between the two schools mentioned above. I do place USC above Tulane slightly in terms of prestige, location, and general feel; however, Tulane did offer a better financial offer. In both schools i’ll be majoring in biology with a pre med track. If anyone could offer their two cents on picking between these schools, that would be much appreciated.
USC is a good deal larger and in a much larger city. New Orleans is a special unique place. USC has big time college athletics. Tulane wishes it did. (It’s Division I too and it’s trying.) Tulane is heavily into community service and you must perform community service in order to graduate. Tulane has been very cutting edge with its focus on interdisciplinary studies. In many cases you can craft your own major(s). 70% of Tulane students double major. Tulane is probably more socioeconomically diverse and definitely more geographically diverse (It’s in the middle of the country), but Tulane definitely also has its share of rich kids. The caliber of the students is very similar. (Tulane’s web page says its middle 50% ACT of admitted students is 30-33 and USC’s, I believe is 29-33.) USC has been the darling of the USNWR rankings the past few years, but that was not always the case. Tulane fell for many years due to some components related to Hurricane Katrina, and now has risen again in the past two years and is only 5 or 6 spots from where it was in the past. In the end it’s a personal choice of where you feel comfortable. Rankings change, so don’t base your decision on that. Best of luck to you!
Bio will be good at both schools. USC has risen recently but Tulane has some old-school prestige – I wouldn’t make this decision based on rep/prestige.
How big is the price difference for you?
Daughter almost went to Tulane in 2015; son is currently a freshman at USC. Both schools are phenomenal places. I will not say anything bad about Tulane but we’ve been very impressed with the USC experience so far. USC Village opens in the fall; it is a 700 million project which will include new dorms, retail, restaurants, a student recreation center and more. 54,000 applicants applied this year and USC’s acceptance rate is now down to 16%. USC has also recently had a major push to increase the school’s endowment, which is now close to 6 million. Fortunately for the students and parents, USC seems to be funneling money right back into the school to improve the facilities and student experience. By all accounts, USC should continue to be a national draw for students looking for top flight academics in Southern California.
If the difference in financial aid is significant and the extra cost would be a hardship, then Tulane is a great choice and New Orleans is a great place to be. Otherwise, I would go with your heart since it sounds like you would love to be at USC. Either way, good luck.
@prezbucky Tulane is free tuition due to a scholarship i received. USC will be estimated $8500 and $5.5k in loans due to financial aid but am hoping to get that amount appealed
Right, so what would be your COA at each school (how much do you pay)? You will have to pay back any loans, so you should include those in the cost.
Under 20k to go to USC??? Do it, that might as well be free.
Prestige dose nothing to med school, they receive tons of applications from prestige schools and they even turned down a 4.0 student from a prestige school because her mcat is not ideal, so she did not get into any med school for this cycle. See the premed section on CC.
My recommendation would be Tulane, if the net cost is lower. Its less competitive in the school than USC and if you do well there you will go some where.
My daughter is at Tulane and loves it. The kids there are very friendly. She is biomed engineering and has had some amazing experiences with the close ties with the medical center. She has really enjoyed the community service and getting involved with New Orleans. The classwork has been very challenging. They have some specific programs which lead to guaranteed acceptance into their medical school, something to consider. USC is great too, but I don’t know as much about it. The size of Tulane seems just about right to me. Beware that they do have a reputation for partying, especially drinking. Read up on both schools. You can’t really go wrong, so congrats and good luck.
So I presume you got DHS or Paul Tulane. What is your net cost at each with room and board, travel, etc.? Tulane is still $13,000 R&B which would be more than you listed for USC. Cost equal take USC. Tulane $10k cheaper, then I say Tulane. Med schools won’t care.