The Tulane University of Louisiana

Date: Aug 27 2012
Major: Finance (This Major's Salary over time)
Going to Tulane was the best decision I've ever made in my entire life. I had friends that went to higher-ranked colleges who felt "meh" about their experiences; in contrast, I honestly feel that there is NO WAY someone could have had a better college experience than I had at Tulane. Read through the other positive reviews - I don't want to type out what others have already said - to see why I loved the school, and more importantly, the city. You want to go to Yale? Have fun in New Haven, Connecticut as an 18-21 year old…

More importantly than fun, how was the value of Tulane for me? I studied Finance and Management (double major) as well as a minor and a specialization and other random things, and I'm working in investment banking now at a bulge bracket bank - something that most people in finance claim is nearly impossible to do from a "non-target" school - aka not Harvard, UPenn, Georgetown, MIT, etc. Most of the guys I work with went to UPenn, USC, and UCLA. So I'm happy to offer advice to anyone whose heart says Tulane but who's wallet and mind tell them that it's not a good choice for their future finance-related goals. I can't vouch for other majors - most of my liberal arts friends are still searching for employment - but I think that's the standard across all schools, especially in this economic environment.

My advice? Get involved. I must have been on the listserv (email mailing list) for 99% of the clubs at Tulane and I'd go to meetings all the time if I felt like it. Get on the facebook group that tells you every day where there's free food happening on campus. Don't spend even 5% of your time at the same uptown college bars - go to Mid-City, the Bywater, the Marigny, the Bayou St. John. Go to the alligator farm in Covington, go on swamp tours in the Jean Lafitte Preserve, go to the abandoned six flags theme park in New Orleans East, go on hiking trips in Mississippi. Tulane has the most amazing surroundings, and the folly of 85% of Tulane students is that they get stuck in the uptown bubble and never experience the city and the geographic location.

Take my words with a grain of salt, because Tulane's tuition HAS been hiked. I had two scholarships and still had to front quite a bit of money. I'm one of the lucky ones in that I'm able to pay it off these next couple years with my job, but all in all you need to plan wisely with your parents and with financial aid (although they can be kind of unhelpful, so I'd even consider going to an external financial adviser to talk about your long-term plans and planned future career).