Hello all. My D has committed to attend Tulane’s Honor’s Program on a partial scholarship. We found out this week she was accepted to WashU off the waitlist and are trying to decide if WashU is worth the extra $. In reading the student pages she feels the WashU vibe is really smart kids looking to cure cancer and save the world etc. My daughter is very smart and interested in sports business which is great since WashU has a minor but she is afraid she will not fit in there. She might save the world one day but that is not her current focus. WashU seems heavily focused on preMed. Are there any business school students on here that can share their experience? She knows Tulane offers plenty to do outside schoolwork - maybe too much. What is the social life at WashU for Freshman? Is there a social life or is it academics all day? Any info is appreciated.
How big a hit are the extra $$ for you / the family? Is debt involved? I almost always vote with the less/no vote option 
WUSTL has plenty of social life!
Remember that student pages on the WUSTL site are basically advertising- ofc the kids there are the stand outs! and the students who post in the student chat rooms tend to be the ones who are always going to be the ones running for student council. One of our collegekids is starting at a fancy name school in the autumn. After reading what people are posting about themselves she compared it to the scene in Legally Blonde, in which a group of 1st year law students at Harvard are introducing themselves, each with more outlandish accomplishments than the next. Take both with a major grain of salt. The WUSTL kids I know are plenty smart and some of them have big dreams and ambitions- but most of them you would recognize from your daughter’s HS class- and the same is true for the Tulane kids I know. The two schools DO have a different feel, and imo if your daughter has a strong gut feel that should be respected. They can’t always articulate it, but I have been impressed by how often they just ‘know’ that a place suits them (or doesn’t).
I would reach out to both schools and see if she can talk to some current students. This may give her a better idea of the types of students at each place.
WashU’s business school is outstanding. Their facilities and resources are among the best in the country. As a result, there are significant post graduate opportunities available.
There are a lot of premed students at WashU but there are still a lot of students in other fields as well. Students at WashU take their academics very seriously but it is not a cut throat vibe. There is a social life at WashU and takes place mostly on weekends. The student life is strong and balanced.
Tulane has a good business program, too. The vibe on campus is different than WashU. It is much more of a party atmosphere (ranked #1 party school in the country). Parties tend to happen during the week and on weekends. Academics are less rigorous and lots of opportunities to party.
It really depends on what kind of experience she is looking for.
There is no debt so money it is not the deciding factor. We were very upfront with our D that there were some schools on her list we would not pay full price for but WashU is one we would consider paying up for. I imagine there are kids just like her admitted to WashU but she hasn’t found them yet. In the end we have told her it is her decision. I am just trying to find her as much information on it so she has what she needs to make a decision she won’t regret. Thanks for your input.