If unable to decide between the schools, ask each school for more merit scholarship money, then decide.
P.S. I understand that money is not really a major concern, but it is better than leaving the decision to a coin toss. Plus, when seeking additional funds, the school may respond with additional information that may help in the decision making process.
If it was my decision, I would decide based on the likelihood of securing an internship.
It doesnāt sound like money is the issue here. Itās trying to decide where the student can meet their goals best.
OP already wroteā¦
āShe received better merit aid from SMU but itās not enough to base a decision on, so itās a non-factor.ā
As a business major, I feel like the likelihood of securing quality internship early on (the summer after freshman year) is an important consideration. Certainly it seems SMU Cox is doing better on that front with available stats from both schools (still need to reach out to Tulane for updated post-2020 info). I agree that seeking out additional merit money and stats may help the decision making process even if itās unsuccessful. Itās hard to determine which factor is more at play in the internship recruiting process - the studentās personal ānetworkā, the alumni network, or the schoolās reputation.
I think itās up to the kid more than the school. And if you get one after first year, Iād consider it very lucky but of course it can happen.
For most, if they rely on school recruiting, I donāt believe theyāll be successful.
Lots of apps from indeed/LinkedIn/handshake seems to be what those getting gigs are doing. It worked wonders for both kids - my son five offers by xmas and daughter had 7 or 8 ahead of her DC internship this fall - good ones too.
Career fairs, campus placement offices may work for some but best I can tell few.
Of course some schools have more robust offerings than others.
Based on internship opportunities, I think that SMU does better than Tulane in large part due to its location.
Internships occur year-round are not limited to the summer.
New Orleansā main industry is tourism; Dallas is much more diverse & more high tech and investment oriented.
To me, this is not a close call.
Itās on the student to get summer/school year internships, neither SMU nor Tulane career services will do that for the student (no school does). Will Handshake (or whatever job posting service the school uses) have listings of jobsā¦yes. Do the companies listing there also list at other schools, on Indeed.com, and on the company website? Also yes.
Career services will typically help students with their resumes and interview skills, they wonāt find internships/jobs for the students. Some career centers have programming such as panels of experts and such. Some career centers have in person career fairs, most donāt. Have your D pick up the phone and call the career centers at these schools next week.
I agree with @Publisher , itās not a close decision, unless the student is enamored with Tulane/New Orleans.
Cox is on a steep upwards trajectory, and among other things now has a sizeable presence in NYC. Besides the reputation of the school itself, Dallas is full of opportunities. For example Goldman Sachās real estate division is headquartered there, and the bank is wanting to grow there (and in Florida) and is looking to reduce its NYC footprint.
Hereās another link: SMU business school ranks No. 3 for graduate earnings in new nationwide study - CultureMap Dallas
For those who donāt want to click (cough, cough, I also note the only LAC on the list 
)
Honestly Iād take that with a grain of salt.
SMU shows over half their grads in finance - not OP - in the last report at $78k whereas marketing / sales ( as they word it) was a sliver and at $58k.
Marketing is no longer fluff as a major but itās still one of the lower paying.
Iām sure that accounts for a lot of that figure.
I think OP will be fine at either of - they have the grit and persistence to be fine.
Where does OP want to be abd someone mentioned secondary admission at Tulane. I donāt see but if they have - what would the student major in if it didnāt happen?
No wrong choice here - as long as OP is happy. Definitely very different environments.
Management is the smallest major at Cox. Very small. Based on what you wrote, perhaps Tulane would be a better fit as they have a lot more academic flexibility to tailor her classes to her specific needs?
That is an incredible trajectory for SMU Cox! Thank you for sharing, I had not seen that.
Despite no interest in finance, there are always adjacent roles at companies recruiting or having networks from certain schools. So much food for thought hereā¦ need to do a deep dive into first and second choice majors / minors / specialization combos at both schools. Tulane is well known for its academic flexibility but it seems like SMU is also flexible.
@Publisher brings up a good point regarding year-round internships, with Tulane youāre much more limited given the lack of commerce in NOLA. Iāve seen those off season less competitive internships produce incredible opportunities.
This has been incredibly helpful and insightful and I appreciate everyoneās input and comments!
Assuming your student has time for an internship year round with school, Greek and other stuff. Abd I wouldnāt say NO is devoid.
The student has to love their college years. SMU is great. So is Tulane.
Iām in Utah. At Zion natl park. Cake across a parebt today on the shuttle - two kids at Texas MCCombs. One in finance. The other not sure.
The finance kid is a senior. Never had an internship. Hasnāt started looking for a job.
The where is far less importantā¦far lessā¦than the hustle and grit of the kid.
If your kid considers staying in DFW after college, I canāt think of any better option than Cox. I feel it is like the only game in town, tremendous networking opportunities. DFW is still not an IB hub yet ( My understanding is that Goldman Sachs is primarily only moving the middle- and back-office jobs to DFW/FL/SLC) , but there are tons of consulting and other corporate jobs in DFW. Many big firms are moving their operations to DFW. That is for sure. It is a booming town.
My kid has been working as RA at SMU so didnāt really pursue other year-round job opportunities because RA is sort of like a full-time job itself, but again there are many year-round job opportunities out there. In terms of internship, she had her after-sophomore summer internship at a small investment consulting firm near home ( we are from Midwest) and accepted an offer with a large financial consulting firms in Dallas for her after-junior summer. I would not say she is one the top kids in her class, but still a lot of interview opportunities for her. Most of them were in DFW or Houston, but she did have a few interviews with good firms in S.F, Chicago, Denver and other cities. ( She is not a fan of NYC, so didnāt really pursue opportunities up there. ) I canāt say SMU/Cox is a good fit for everyone, but my kid has embraced every opportunity that Cox has offered and I canāt be more happy for her as a parent.
@DNapierā¦you make a compelling case. My daughter was admitted to Cox just trying to justify the cost in my head. Even with merit twice the cost of public options.
First of all, congratulations! It has become harder and harder to get into Cox each year, BBA or direct. Secondly, I feel you on that sentiment because I was in your shoes two years ago. My kid didnāt get the top scholarship but did get some financial aid instead to offset. Even with the scholarship and FA, it was still like twice the cost of our public option in our home state. We did take a little financial risk at the time.
Luckily, she started working as RA since her sophomore year, which helps tremendously with the bill. It is very competitive to get the RA offer though, kind of like the most sought-after on campus job that they offer.
Also, if your kid wants to pursue IB, the summer interns get paid at $53 per hour on top of overtime pay, moving and other subsidize. Certainly, that is not a guarantee, but it would help a lot if they get summer internship money as well.
Consistent both with what I see in my industry (banking) and amongst the customers I am in contact with. Certainly, a strong SMU presence specifically in the DFW area and Texas as a whole and an increasing presence in banking both in NY and regionally.
At least in my industry and other āmore competitive industriesā reputation, being a target school, alumni network, access to internships, geography, etc all maters.
By all accounts SMU Cox is blowing up! Iām not too upset about the scholarship $$ either. The diversity of industries in DFW and more recognition in NY with a likely ever-increasing network and alumni base means an SMU degree will have value for years to come. Exciting stuff! This feedback is so, so helpful.
Cox has gotten increasingly stronger over the last decade, and places well at top firms, in Texas especially but there are pipelines to NYC as well.
SMU publishes employment data of each graduating class. Canāt track down the 2023 report, but hereās the 2022 report (below). It includes salary information by major as well.
Not sure what other posters are talking about though, saying that students today donāt utilize the alumni network. That was not my experience at all. SMUās alumni network made it much easier for me to secure multiple internships and the resulting FT position.
If you look at the world today, of course people still use old school sources but most jobs are found on linkedin/indeed/handshake.
Cornell has a great career outcomes site - and shows the source of jobs and those are the top three.
Thatās the point.
Yes, professors can help. Contacts can help.
But the world has gone online today - and that even includes visits - which many companies now do for one school - but virtually instead of going on campus. In other words, they are interviewing only SMU kids that day but not from campus itself.
Thatās what I meant by thatā¦at least thatās what Iām seeing and my kids have experienced.
One of cox alumni from Evercore pulled my kidās resume out of the pile. My daughter made it to the super day and didnāt get the offer eventually, but they do help each other. Pony Up!
I have to disagree with the comment āand likely wonāt use the alumni network.ā I went to Gettysburg and my son goes to Colby, and between the two I help kids network all the time. I canāt speak for bigger schools like Cornell, but at smaller LACs the alumni network is one of the biggest draws. Colby has so many internships and jobs on Wall Street thanks to alumni. I wouldnāt discount Alumni network at all. My sense is Tulane has a bigger one in the Northeast (lots of NY, NJ and NE kids go there. SMU not as much, but still pretty strong on Wall Street.
