Tulane for marketing undergrad?

fallenchemist
Thu, 17 Sep 2015 18:33:37 +0000

@Cabinessence

Whoa buddy, slow down a bit. You are certainly right and smart to be thinking this through as completely as you are, but no one can answer questions about a grad degree that you will complete 5-6 years from now. But let’s deal with what can be at least considered, if not definitively answered.

The question of LSU vs. Tulane seems largely financial in your case, based on your phrasing of “worth it” and of course that LSU is cheaper. I am going to assume you are right about that last one, and that you think you are not likely to get a large scholarship from Tulane. In that case, I usually advise people that they are in fact better off saving the money and attending their state school to follow the path you exactly lay out, going to a school like Tulane for grad school. But that is not an absolute. How much debt would you in fact be taking on to attend Tulane? Because to me, if the amount is small enough, say $20,000 or less for all 4 years in your case, the amazing programs in Tulane’s business school, plus the access New Orleans might give you to internship opportunities, could be worth it. I say $20K rather than my usual $30K or so because your MBA will certainly cost you some bucks.

But going to LSU will absolutely NOT hurt you in getting into Tulane’s program, or any other top program. Now to be clear, Harvard and a few other of the really top programs won’t even take you right out of undergrad. They require that you work for a few years first and show promise as someone on “the way up”. But even for those programs LSU wouldn’t hurt you, as long as your grades were very strong and you showed other qualifications, like great GMAT scores and good recs from internships and, again in those top school cases, your current employer. So no worries there.

So if I were you I would apply to Tulane anyway (it is free after all) and go through the financial aid process. See what it will really cost you to attend in the end. I realize debt isn’t the only factor, there is the outlay of savings and cash flow as well, money that could later support you for your MBA. You just have to see how it all shakes out when you are staring at two acceptances, hopefully, along with FA packages (and any merit aid Tulane might provide). But hard as it is to pass up a private school education sometimes, if the finances are just that different then you have to do the smart, fiscally responsible thing. I mean it isn’t like you won’t get a good education at LSU, as much as it pains me to admit it. If you commit yourself to doing the work and excelling, what happens after undergrad has a whole lot more options for you than otherwise, and all without some onerous debt staring back at you.