<p>Roxanne: Life is going to present you with many tough decisions, but this is not one of them. Go to Vanderbilt. Don’t be dissuaded by the lack of an undergraduate business school. With notable exceptions (Wharton) the country’s top colleges don’t offer degrees in business because they follow the traditional liberal arts model of education. But students who graduate from an ivy league or top-20 school like Vanderbilt are NOT at a disadvantage when applying for jobs in national companies or to the highest ranked graduate schools. In fact, they have the edge because recruiters know just how talented and diligent you have to be to graduate from one of these schools. In essence, they let Vanderbilt do the vetting for them and that absolutely gives you an edge when you’re applying for your first job or to a graduate program.</p>
<p>Tulane is a wonderful school in an amazing city. I know it well and think it’s terrific. You can have a fantastic career post-Tulane. But a degree from there is just not going to open doors for you the way one from Vanderbilt will. If career is your primary consideration in making this decision, I think you would end up regretting turning down Vanderbilt–unless Tulane is offering you a lot of money and family finances are an issue. Vanderbilt is a great school for many other reasons as well–and Nashville is pretty awesome to boot!</p>