<p>Roxanne, I do not think it is ever a great idea to be in an honors program in a school that offers much less re peers unless the money is significantly to your advantage at Tulane. My sons attended Vandy and Duke where they were Average students…no smarter than anyone else, and well aware of the talents of each of their classmates. On the bell curve of giftedness, an interesting note is that highly gifted people do not resemble each other very much in the nuances of their talents. So schools like Vanderbilt are used 1600 different ways by each freshman class. My son graduated today and among the people we chatted with were a young woman who will soon audition for a European conservatory (my son is a middling musician), a young man with high honors in a science where my son took only four hours (check!), a young man who will finish accounting in grad school, someone accepted to five law schools, someone going to get a business degree post HOD, someone going to teach in Asia, someone hired by a business in Bejing, someone admitted to museum curator career degree…in other words, attending Vandy is all about running your own race and gaining a great deal of confidence by the amazing peers in your class from all over the world. Your peers are also your teachers at Vanderbilt.<br>
If Tulane is a significant savings to your family, than by all means go to Tulane and make it sing! There is no need to insult Tulane when it is you that is the magic ingredient that can make it work. But Vanderbilt has tremendous resources and superb students in its undergrad and graduate programs.<br>
I will add that my Duke son was an econ major and VandyRealist has explained things as they really are to you. Finance jobs go to those who take on rigorous quantitative coursework and to those who have proven skills in abstract thinking, and proven ability to stay ahead of the curve in this technology driven world. Business classes are valuable but recruiters study your quantitative reach.
congrats on your offer, and best wishes</p>