Miami/Tulane/Pepperdine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD will be a Junior. She has been interested in all 3 schools mentioned here for a long time because several members of our family have attended all 3 universities. 10 of us to be exact (3 Pepperdine, 3 Tulane and 4 Miami).

It if funny that between us (we are all between 30 and 45) we have always thought of our Tulane relatives as the ones with the better ranked school/pedigree….then Pepperdine and last Miami. Even our Miami family members thought so….

We were having fun the other day looking at recent rankings and the effect that changes (specifically with USNWR) over the last 2 years have copjmeltely turned around the rankings of these 3…. Miami way ahead of Tulane and then Pepperdine.
2021 - Tulane 42, Pepperdine 49, Miami not top 50
2022 - Tulane 41, Pepperdine 49, Miami not top 50

Jump to 2025: Miami 63, Tulane 63, Pepperdine 80

Wow…Yes I know methodology changed….but that is quite a manufactured change…..

DD applied to all 3 plus a bunch more. She got in all 3 and after touring she decided on Pepperdine. They had the best Merit Aid and quite frankly the setting is just ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hard to believe that eliminating Class Size and % of faculty with Terminal degrees in favor of % of Pell Grant recipients and # of 1st gen students translates to a better ranking.

Completely ludicrous.

What does this mean in english please?

I think the PP meant to say that USNWR believes their ranking format is better now despite removing variables from the equation that intuitively makes a lot sense (like Class Size and % of professors with Phds) and adding others (or at least increasing the weight) that a lot of people do not perceive as making a university a better educational institution (% of Pell Grant Recipients and % of students that are 1st generation)

I agree with PP. Removing class size and terminal degrees in favor of Pell grants recipients is absolutely ridiculous…this is why State schools jumped in the rankings and smaller privates dropped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting that USNWR puts Pepperdine at 39 for Undergraduate Teaching and yes, class size and terminal faculty degrees which positive correlates to undergraduate teaching are now excluded variables on the rankings.

No dog in this fight, but this is the dumbest thing USNWR could have done.

[Anonymous]

Just because these schools are not T50 doesn't mean they aren't good. There are over 4,000 colleges in the US. Not every one can be in the T50.

Prestige rankings chasing doesn't need to happen.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think anybody on this thread disagrees with you. They all have their strengths.

We have 4 kids. Last one applying this year.

My first 3 went to Miami, Pepperdine and UCSB.

Despite their rankings , my USCB kid is the one “underemployed”. Both Miami and Pepperdine kids had great opportunities through tight alumni networks. UCSB kid is now looking to go back to grad school

[Anonymous]

Did they all have same majors?

[Anonymous]

Yes they did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Miami is a much bigger football school than the other two. If that matters.

One doesnt even have Football….They are all completely different environments. The only thing they have in common is that they are all expensive Privates in the T50 to T80 range and the avg kid there is wealthy….

Bingo. With all of that said, I would prefer to live in Malibu and be close to LA then in the craziness of Miami or New Orleans.

I live near Pepperdine and it is a very special place to spend time. The college itself is evangelical so not for everyone, but Malibu is magical. My own Senior wants to go to Tulane. In the end, kids just want something different. College is the perfect time to experience that.

Absolutely. nothing wrong with that . Tulane is an amazing school. We are the opposite. We live in the New Orleans area and despite getting in Tulane she wanted to go away. So Pepperdine it was. We are Jewish and we were so worried about the Christian indoctrination environment. But she is now in her 2nd year spending the year abroad and she is as happy as she can be. She had an amazing experience in her 1st year and despite all of the criticism we heard on this board, she fit in nicely, made amazing friends, joined a sorority and nobody has made her feel unwanted or excluded because she is Jewish.

Can I ask you about Tulane? Applying as a Jewish Studies major....ED.
Thoughts?

Are you insane?

Absolutely no.
What do you not understand what even happened today with RFK Jr and circumcision? If you don't get where this country is going in terms of being Jewish you are a dam fool.

No you do not go to any of those schools moving forward if you are a DD or a minority ie Jewish. How stupid are you?

This is not last year or the year before.

Never Forget!

[Anonymous]

So you are saying the because of the whackos of Tylenol and Circumcision and Autism, this girl cannot study Jewish Studies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think anybody on this thread disagrees with you. They all have their strengths.

We have 4 kids. Last one applying this year.

My first 3 went to Miami, Pepperdine and UCSB.

Despite their rankings , my USCB kid is the one “underemployed”. Both Miami and Pepperdine kids had great opportunities through tight alumni networks. UCSB kid is now looking to go back to grad school

Also not fair to compare small private schools to a mega public school system. I’m assuming that despite the better rankings of UCSB, you are just a fish in a huge ocean….vs a more engaged alumni base at the privates that channel undergrads into internships/full time positions.