WashU vs. Tulane Honors Program

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
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<p>I have yet to visit WashU (but I most likely will next month unless I get in somewhere significantly better) and I went to Tulane for Honors Weekend last weekend :).</p>

<p>I got a 25k/year scholarship at Tulane and I didn't apply for FA at WashU. My parents have told me not to consider money in making my decision but I can't help but consider it anyway since $100,000 is a LOT of money.</p>

<p>Tulane
Pros
*Weather (only 2 weeks of winter)
*Money
*Great city, but to be honest I did not enjoy downtown while I was there
*I really liked the people who I stayed with, but didn't QUITE get that click (so I guess this is a pro and a con :P)
*I've already registered for classes (nonbinding but won't change if i end up going) so I currently have no classes before 11 and no classes later than 4 every day except Thursday (but this will most likely change a bit because I have this annoying 3 hour block of 3 classes in a row)</p>

<p>Cons
*Crappy dorms (I stayed in Wall which is supposedly the nicest one)
*Mehh food with only 1 dining hall where meal swipes can be used
*Wide breadth of programs, but not particularly amazing for any of them</p>

<p>WashU
Pros
*Top 20 school, so the "Wide breadth of programs, but not particularly amazing for any of them" thing should not be a problem like it is at Tulane
*Amazing dorms (or so I've heard)
*Great food (or so I've heard)</p>

<p>Cons
*Paying full tuition
*St. Louis is probably not as great as NOLA
*Weather (but I'm from NY so it's not a huge deal for me)</p>

<p>I'm sure there are more pros and cons for each but that's my initial list. I'm copy and pasting this into the Tulane board as well. I'm a prospective science major (probably chem or biochem but there's also a slight chance of some sort of physics or evolutionary/ecological biology) but 99% sure I'm NOT premed. I have no interest in anatomy/physiology and I'm not a fan of being around blood. As of now, I see myself getting a PhD and either going into academia or becoming a patent lawyer. From what I've heard, a large portion of PhD programs are funded.</p>

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<p>Hey rainbowrose,</p>

<p>I’m from New Olreans, so I know at least 50 people that go to Tulane.<br>
I applied there (as I was a guaranteed admit, they have a stats chart for New Orleans high schoolers) and got the same scholarship you did. My parents said the exact same thing concerning money as well.</p>

<p>Had I gone to Tulane, it would only have been for the city, not the school. I live and breath New Orleans, but the call was that the school I was attending had to be the right fit for me, not just the city.</p>

<p>(For the record, my choice came down to Duke and WashU, and one of the main reasons I chose WashU was because it had far more opportunities and seemed more laid back)</p>

<p>WashU (at least for me) had a thousand times more opportunities than Tulane would have (academics especially - I was a prospective BME at the time, which would have been fine at Tulane, but how on earth are they running a BME department without EE or MechE? It’s also for the best too, since I’m now a EE).</p>

<p>Honestly, the caliber of students is not the same. I’ve sat in on several of my friends classes during my spring breaks (I had an hour to kill while they had class and when we hung out), and it’s clear that the two schools are not on the same academic level (when it comes to your peers - the questions they ask, how they perform, etc). </p>

<p>Also, I love how someone said on your Tulane thread that WashU is cutthroat/ ‘sink or swim.’ It is NOT at all! It’s the most laid back (top) school I know of. The resources available if you are having trouble are phenomenal. </p>

<p>Anyway, you need to visit WashU and see for yourself. You can tell the difference in atmosphere almost immediately. I personally knew when I visited that WashU was right for me.
While I said I miss NOLA, I do actually like St. Louis. I hate the weather in the winter, but I’m a total wuss (and really, it wasn’t so bad this year. I just like complaining about the cold; the weather is absolutely gorgeous right now).</p>

<p>If you have any questions on specifics, definitely feel free to pm me.</p>

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<p>So I am not a current student at either school but I considered applying to Tulane and was accepted to Wash U. An amazingly good friend of mind is currently a freshman at Wash U (he loves it there) and I visited once and am soon to visit again!</p>

<p>The Wash U campus is AMAZING. Honestly… I don’t know if you ever visited Stanford’s campus, but it is that level of pretty or more so. Lots of grass, beautiful buildings and the surrounding neighborhood is simply gorgeous (wide tree-lined streets with classic houses). </p>

<p>I think one thing that is hard to tell from a single visit is the culture shock you would experience if you actually attended. I am from Seattle. I don’t know what part of NY you are from, but from what I understand, NY is a lot like WA in terms of political climate. We are very liberal and politically correct here. A bunch of my friends from the grade above currently attend schools in the south and have had very mixed experiences: some love it and some absolutely hate it. However, in every case, their first quarter/semester was spent adjusting to a completely different way of life. Surely both locations will be a change from NY but just keep that in mind. People forget how big of a deal that is.</p>

<p>Wash U food is also phenomenal. I have visited 10+ colleges and have never encountered anything like it. So many options and all of them are good! At many of the schools I visited, the dining halls were eerily reminiscent of my HS cafeteria.</p>

<p>And another item for your pro list… all beds in Wash U dorms are tempurpedic. ;)</p>

<p>As for the money, I am in the same situation that you are in. My father says that I shouldn’t worry about the money but its hard not to! It is a lot. But remember that this is your parent’s financial sacrifice and if they are willing to make it, take it! I have personally been really tempted to accept the full ride scholarships that are offered from semi-dubious schools (schools way worse than Tulane). But then I compare the idea of four years there to four years at a beautiful academic powerhouse like Wash U and the choice is obvious.</p>

<p>I would say that it is hard to make a decision until you have visited a school. The “vibe” a school gives you is really important so pay attention! Personally, I clicked with Wash U but you might have the opposite experience. Its a lot easier to compare when you have seen both firsthand.</p>

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<p>^Correction to above…all dorms in South 40, not Wash U are tempurpedic.</p>

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<p>Wash U is generally considered to be a level higher than Tulane. For example,Tulane’s average SAT’s look to be about 100 points lower, per test (per 2009 Princeton College Guide), which is significant. A much higher percentage of Wash U students finish in the top 10% of their HS class. However, the average scores of Tulane students (mid 600’s) shows that many good students go there. Tulane is probably an up-and-coming school these days vs Wash U which is a school that has arrived.</p>

<p>In some departments, the difference is probably greater. For example, given Tulane’s cutbacks in programs in the engineering school, I’d recommend a lot of research before attending, especially if I had other options.</p>

<p>The rest, city, campus life, weather, etc. is really a matter of personal preference, and the only way you’ll find out is to visit both schools.</p>

<p>As to your question, is Wash U worth the extra $20k a year or so (I think Tulane’s base tuition is a bit higher, so the difference may be a bit less than your scholarship) – That’s a very interesting question. There have been studies suggesting it’s not worth the extra money. There have been studies that say that it’s more the quality of the individual student than the quality of the school s/he goes to that determines job success, salary, etc. However, the common wisdom is that you get better opportunities from better schools.</p>

<p>So, basically, no one really knows whether it’s worth the extra tuition.</p>

<p>I think it comes down to this. If you love either school, you probably won’t go wrong with your choice. Otherwise, Tulane may provide you equal opportunities later on, or may not. No one knows.</p>

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<p>KayTeeEss and marcdvl, not even all dorms on the South 40. I’m pretty sure it’s only the traditionals and VERY new moderns, i.e. Eliot B and SoFoHo.</p>

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<p>LOL It’s okay I promise the number of beds that have tempurpedic mattresses will NOT factor into my decision XD</p>

<p>Thanks for the help though :slight_smile: I guess I can’t really decide until I visit WashU.</p>

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<p>It’s a very nice discussion and all information are appreciated. </p>

<p>What if someone get a full ride (>$50k) to Tulane and $0 to WashU, the same financial situation apply, should choose Tulane or WashU? Future medical school are possible. </p>

<p>Any input will be appreciate.</p>

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<p>Ahha2k - That is my D, 2 years ago. Well, not the full ride, but full tuition at Tulane. Also, not pre-med but China Studies and English (Creative Writing) double major. OK, not so exactly the same, lol. Still, she really liked both schools and if WUSTL had given her full tuition I think she would have selected it, but it was close so not sure. She really likes Tulane and New Orleans, and likes the closeness between the profs and the students, at least in the liberal arts.</p>

<p>Tulane has a great track record of students going to top med schools, as does WUSTL of course. If you do well at either place, you will be fine for med school. Pre-med is not really that school specific. After all, it actually isn’t that many courses and they are fairly basic. It seems to me if you took the full ride to Tulane and banked even half what you would have been spending to go to WUSTL, it would set you up really well to have low debt coming out of med school. That can be huge. Even if you don’t go to med school, that’s a very large nest egg for getting a great start in your life after school.</p>

<p>This is assuming you like both schools relatively equally as far as overall fit. If there is something that makes you think you really wouldn’t like living at Tulane and in New Orleans, then you really need to think about it. Otherwise, college is a value proposition like almost everything in life. Most likely Tulane is the better value for you here.</p>

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<p>Your question is really impossible to answer.</p>

<p>Certainly people get into medical school from each. Assuming that Wash U has a higher admit percentage to Med School than Tulane does, it becomes a complicated question.</p>

<p>The relevant question isn’t whether Wash U has a higher med school admit pct. This is really comparing apples to oranges. What you should be asking is whether the Wash U admit pct is higher than the the Tulane admit pct for students who were accepted at Wash U (or similarly ranked institutions) but who go to Tulane, and if so, how much greater.</p>

<p>I don’t know that this stat is published anywhere, so it’s kind of a crap shoot.</p>

<p>$50,000/year (or even $25,000) a year is a LOT of money. You really have to look at the individual family finances and the consequences – i.e., parent’s retirement plans, ability of siblings to go to college, etc. in order to do this analysis, and different people will come out in different places.</p>

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<p>fallenchemist and zephyr15: I appreciate your information, analysis and projection. I visited Tulane over the weekend and liked it very much. I am going to visit WashU next month and am still waiting for the Big Day (3/30) to come. After that, I am going to make a decision with my parent input. I really love this website for having so many wonderful people to provide their suggestions and analysis. Have a nice day and best wishes to your guys.</p>

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<p>Bump… and no offense but can you guys discuss my question a bit more? No offense, but I’m not premed nor did I get the full scholarship.</p>

<p>I just got waitlisted at Northwestern so this thread is more relevant now.</p>

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<p>I am literally in the same boat as you. Was accepted to tulane with the 25k per year scholarship, then to wustl in the beginning of march, and was just waitlisted at northwestern. I am a prospective physics major btw.</p>

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<p>For all I know and have read about Tulane it seems to be a really excellent school with a lot of school pride in an awesome city, but I personally would not attend a college that has a separate “honors program.” It just seems weird to me that some colleges have this sort of thing. Reminds me of high school and I wonder how the separation of “smart kids” vs everyone else manifests itself on day to day level (rhetorical question). The idea of a separate dorm and opportunities and classes and programs for certain people that is based essentially on your SAT/ACT score bothers me. I don’t know, I guess I’m more of an egalitarian mindset. Perhaps it’s a good thing for some people (clearly students do attend the program), but the whole proposition of an honors program in college just bothers me on an idealogical level. </p>

<p>Regarding the scholarship consideration… I think it’s very admirable to think about how it may affect your parents, but if they legitimately can afford a full price and even encourage you to not consider $, then you really should not worry about it. If you personally were going to take out loans or something, then yeah consider the $ factor… but if that’s not you, choose whichever college fits you best. </p>

<p>The only thing I know about the Physics major is that Arthur Compton of the Compton effect fame taught here, and the dept is in Arts&Sciences, and not in Engineering like at other schools. I don’t purport to know enough (anything) about Physics to know what that means, but it probably will lend to a more theoretical and research based program than applied like it would be if it were in an engineering school. Check out the dept website for more info or maybe there are other WUSTL students on here who can comment: <a href=“http://www.physics.wustl.edu/[/url]”>http://www.physics.wustl.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Enjoy your Wash U visit! I’m sure you’ll LOVE it :)</p>

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<p>Thank you guys, Good night.</p>

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<p>I am currently at Washu, and someone very close to me went to Tulane. If money is not an issue, pick Washu 10000 times over. Tulane was awful for the individual I know. He visited here several times, and was astonished at the class quality (he was here on Spring Break, and VOLUNTARILY visited classes because they were so well taught).</p>

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<p>Thanks for the insight @NINJAINVENTOR. While I feel you may be slightly exaggerated, I’m leaning toward Wash U anyway. As long as I feel that I fit in with everyone there and I don’t get any more acceptances next week, I will 99.9% be going there.</p>

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<p>flashmountain -before you extensively pontificate on something, you should know way more about it. Your characterization of the Tulane honors program is completely off base, in too many ways to go into here. It also is not needed because I know rainbowrose attended the honors weekend at Tulane so I know she knows the true nature of the program. Btw, WUSTL also has a weekend where they only invite the creme de la creme, and pay for only the best of the best to come see the school. I know, my D was one of them. She is now an honors student at Tulane. So apparently WUSTL recognizes some differences between students as well. And can’t you graduate with Latin honors from WUSTL? If one can recognize achievement in college with a special designation, what is so philosophically unappealing about recognizing achievement in high school with a special designation?</p>

<p>I also completely disagree with you characterization of the financial aspects. Unless one’s family is actually wealthy to the point that $100,000+ (the plus is because money has a time value) is a truly small percentage of their income/net assets, it should totally be taken into account. Many parents will sacrifice anything to make their child happy. That does not mean the child should blindly accept those sacrifices if they know it will put their parents in a difficult position. She already said $100K was a LOT of money, so apparently it is not a trivial consideration.</p>

<p>Anyway, it seems it doesn’t really matter. It looks like Rose has made up her mind. Ninjainventor’s post is absurd in the extreme, but that’s what some people do is post things that run down other schools. Not so classy, but it happens a lot.</p>

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<p>fallenchemist- I hope this doesn’t go further because I honestly have nothing whatsoever against Tulane, and after reading my post in retrospect, realize that it did come off as rather negative. I really do apologize, and I remember seeing your posts when I was choosing between schools last year and your positive sentiments about Wash U were actually helpful in me deciding to visit for the first time. My dad would have been so unabashedly biased to where I attend if he was on this site, so I really respect your point of views. My intent was to raise the issue of a separate honors college entirely, from the perspective of Tulane. Indeed, Wash U has merit scholarships that students apply for separately and an interview weekend for those scholarships, but there is no separate dorm, no special classes, and no opportunities that other Wash U students do not have access to (I don’t consider retreats by the Danforths and Rodriguezes to be special opportunities). Other top-tier colleges have merit scholarships, too, but I think they are usually disguised as need-based money. Anyway, I am really sorry if my post came across as harsh about Tulane as an institution. It certainly was not my intent but I can see how it was interpreted that way due to me quickly writing this and not fully considering my use of language to express my idea. </p>

<p>My goal was to raise the subject of how having an entirely separate honors college affects the day-to-day life of the student in that environment and how it manifests to the overall culture of Tulane. I don’t purport to have any answers and clearly many people find it is a good fit for them - but it personally wouldn’t be a good fit for me, and I feel that raising the subject matter in a more idealogical/generalized fashion may make the OP stop and think if this is the type of environment that’s best for him/her. Honestly, when I was back in high school, I wouldn’t think of 90% of the things that I know find important to me in college; if I had applied to, or was chosen for, an special honors program at a college, I do think I would have been enticed by the lure of a program designed for the top performers in the freshman class and not given any thought about how this system manifests itself as part of a college culture. I do think it is worthwhile for the OP to think from an idealogical perspective the positives and negatives to being in an honors college environment, and think it is a reasonable subject to be raised in this thread. For all I know, 99% of people at Tulane might love it and I would be the 1% that wouldn’t fit in, but maybe other high school students might find value in thinking about this from a birds-eye view. I hope that clarified where I was coming from in raising the subject matter. :)</p>

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<p>@ fallenchemist </p>

<p>Thanks for the insight, as always. You have been a great supporter of WUSTL on these forums and I respect your contributions. I would personally choose WUSTL, but these are both excellent schools and, as you point out, one can make a thorough analysis without tearing down the other school. </p>

<p>Good luck Rose—you are lucky to have such excellent choices!</p>