DD is has been admitted to both, out of state. She is leaning towards Tulane, cost is not a factor, she is interested in Political Science and Comparative Lit. She is a very strong student and also quite social. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Hi Karen,
It depends on your child. I have one at Tulane and one at a public university. My Tulane student likes the smaller class sizes and the opportunities afforded from being at a smaller university. He is generally introverted; but you wouldn’t know it from all the activities in which he is involved.
My youngest is at a public university. His sport team is not available at most small universities, so he chose a large public university.
I suggest that you attend the admitted students days. My oldest was considering Tulane and one other university - and after the tours; Tulane was the clear winner for us.
Since she’s a strong student and social, she will do great regardless of the school. Since your post says cost is not an issue, then she has wonderful options. I’m a Tulane alum as is my wife, from the mid-1990s. My son got into Tulane and several large flagship public universities, and for him, he went with the public university (out of state). Although cost was definitely an issue with us, interestingly enough, if Tulane and the public flagship had cost the same, he would have still gone with the state school and we would have agreed with that decision. UT Austin is a great university, as I’m sure you know, and Austin is a fun city (as is New Orleans). I’ve lived in both. They definitely have different feels to them. There’s no city in the US quite like New Orleans, with the culture, traditions, food, old meets new, etc. Austin has more of a southwest feel, think bbq, music festivals, large campus. Can’t go wrong with either.
Work at UT and have a sophomore daughter at Tulane (Honors and big merit award). Agree your daughter will thrive wherever she goes - these are both great options. But she can only choose one! Here are some important issues to consider.
- The cities. Austin does NOT have a southwest feel. (We have lived here for over 25 years so we know.) Austin has the youthful booming economy fast growing city feel of Denver/Portland/Seattle. New Orleans doesn’t:-) Our daughter loves loves having so much she loves on their doorstep - great food, great (different kind of) music scene, tons of great music festivals in NO too - more than Austin; great food scene (she’s a foodie). NO is just a different kind of place with a strong sense of its own, distinctive identity and culture.
- Curriculum. Plan II is a MAJOR, it’s not just an Honors program. If you daughter goes to Plan II, her major will be Plan II (plus a double if she wants to double). That means their academic track is highly structured - and Plan II is an extremely structured major in terms of what they must take. Tulane is very very flexible in terms of curriculum. You can easily double across colleges, you can major in whatever you want without any application process, you don’t have to apply to a particular major/college. That was very important for our daughter.
- Weather - Austin is hot, really really hot. Hotter than people can imagine who aren’t from a super hot region! NO is more humid of course but overall our TX girl says definitely not as hot.
- Extracurricular - lots going on at both places. Both very social. UT of course has a big big time sports program and lots of sociability around going to games, etc etc etc. You don’t have to partake of that but it’s an enormous part of undergrad culture at UT. If your kid wants that kind of undergrad experience, we are the big public for her. Tulane has sports of course (football team is much better apparently the last couple of years) but its role in campus life is in no way comparable. That suits our daughter better.
- Fit - such an intangible and so much of what shapes their experience you really can’t know yet when they have to choose.
Please feel free to DM me if you want to chat more.
@texbritmom - I guess “Southwest feel” is in the eye of the beholder, but as someone who is not from Austin but used to live there, and has since lived in other large cities, I think Austin has a “Southwest” vibe to it when I return to visit. Having spent this past summer in Seattle/Vancouver, and having spent time in Portland, I don’t think those cities have the same feel as Austin at all. But to each their own I guess. I agree the heat in both cities can be unbearable.
Heat is only an issue during the summer months when most students are on summer break.
Austin is high tech & booming economically like Seattle, but otherwise not alike.
Seattle is quite different than Portland, Oregon, & Seattle is much different in feel than Austin, Texas, although I agree that both Austin & Seattle have booming economies.
OP: In my opinion, it would be hard to pass up on the opprtunity to attend school in Austin, Texas unless you do not like the Plan II curriculum.
As a Texas native and longtime former Austinite, I would not recommend UT if cultural/city experiences are important. Austin is a giant suburb. It’s more strip malls and highways than anything else. Big music fests, and that’s about it. The heat is miserable, there are no seasons, just summer and not summer. Nola’s heat is far more tolerable, and when it is intolerable, school is not in session.
Austin doesn’t have a southwest vibe to me at all. Southwest, to me, denotes connections to native/local cultural heritage and roots. Austin doesn’t really have much local/native culture that wasn’t really developed in the last 20 years. (In fact, that’s an issue bemoaned by many Austinites. What made Austin so Austin doesn’t really exist anymore, and what makes Austin what it is now didn’t arrive until the early 2000s.)
Interestingly, UT has a much more diverse student population than Tulane, while Austin is not nearly as diverse as NOLA and is heavily, heavily segregated.
Winter in New Orleans is cold & damp. Many complain about “bone chilling weather”.
New Orleans is hot & humid, very humid, in the Summer.
Plus, I would exercise caution about living in a formerly flooded building due to hidden mold concerns.
“Southwestern” often refers to the weather & terrain, not necessarily to connections to “local/native cultural heritage and roots”. Although, if a cowboy hat is involved, it’s either Western or Southwestern or a fast talking used car dealer named “Honest Bob”.
P.S. I just googled the average temperatures in Austin, Texas. August has the highest temps, followed by July, then June, and finally September. Seems as though if one was out of town during July & August, then the weather would be fine. Is this not accurate ? Any complaints about humidity ? Seems much cooler than Phoenix, Arizona.
Don’t go by those averages. Regular temps don’t tell the whole story. It’s the heat index that matters in Austin. It’s not out of the question to have 100 straight days over 100 degrees in Austin before the heat index. It’s also not uncommon to be wearing shorts, running the A/C, and eating outside on Christmas. Temps in the 90s can start in early April, and not end until November. It’s a very long time to be hot enough to have to keep towels on your car seats so as not to burn your thighs while wearing shorts. And in the cool season, it’s mountain cedar season, which can be pretty rough for a lot of people. (A lot of people who leave Austin will cite the three big allergy seasons, mold, oak and cedar, as part of the reason for leaving.) When the weather is good in Austin, it’s really good. Everyone’s tolerance of the heat is different, but newcomers often visit during SXSW in March when the weather is pretty great compared to everywhere else, and this gives a false impression of a mild climate.
It might not be as humid as NOLA, but it’s also not as dry as Phoenix. 105 and humid is way harder than 110 and dry when you are outside all day as a student going from class to class.
Austin is at the edge of the Texas Hill Country, for terrain reference. I mentioned Southwest in terms of culture because kids looking at Tulane often place a premium on local cultural experiences. And as the other longtime Austin resident up there said, Austin is not Southwestern. Even (and especially) from a weather standpoint. It’s way (way) too humid to be southwestern.
FWIW Austin, Texas was named by US News as The Best Place To Live In America for 3 consecutive years (2017,2018, & 2019).
Weather / Climate is one of the factors considered.
That’s funny. I know so many people who are miserable in the heat/cedar season and many who have left to escape the heat. I’ll take US News with a grain of salt and go on having grown up a few towns away and living there for 18 years.
But I suppose it really depends on what the student is looking for. I know a lot of kids up north who can’t wait to get out of the cold, and I know Texas kids who have gone out of state in search of 4 seasons. Whatever they’re looking for is out there somewhere.
I love Austin. I lived there until I was 24. I couldn’t take the heat. Even as a kid, I knew I wouldn’t live there as an adult. Maine is a much better climate for me! Of course, it all depends on the individual. My sister loves the heat and is miserable when she comes up here during cold weather.
I’m always happy to visit Austin, though. I think it’s one of the friendliest places in America. There are a lot of cool places - ask a native. Mt. Bonnell, Barton Springs, Westlake Hills, Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, the amazing new Austin Public Library (wow!!), 6th Street, etc. And the food is hard to beat. I miss the BBQ and Tex Mex. 
I definitely miss the BBQ and Tex Mex! There are also great towns nearby for fun day trips.
But the heat is no joke. When the heat gets up to 107 and the heat index jumps up to 110+, all the swimming pools are warm. (Warm swimming pools are no fun.) And the flies and mosquitos thrive in it. There is no relief outside of air conditioning. We spent way more days per year indoors living in Austin than we do living in Illinois!
Most college students have the option to leave Austin during the hottest months of July & August. So, while year round living may be uncomfortable, UT students should enjoy their 10 months in Austin for a few years.
I’m sure they will. It’s a great school and Plan II is great program. Being honest about the climate is probably the best way to help students make a decision, and to suggest that Austin is only uncomfortable in July and August is not really correct. 100s can continue well into September, high 90s well into October (Halloween can be sweaty!) and temps in the 90s can start as early as April.
Austin has suffered a lot from being marketed as something it is not. It is not a temperate/mild climate. It’s hot. It’s super, super hot, and it’s not just the summer.
Weather aside…OP…you have two great options in two fun cities…each is enriched by its location. Good luck with the decision!