Tulane or Regional SLAC with Merit Aid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We visited St Olaf this summer and liked it a lot. My DS preferred it to Macalaster and Lawrence which we visited on the same trip.

St Olaf seemed to have so much to offer. One thing I remember is that it is a dry campus which I imagine attracts a different type of person than Tulane.

It's damp.

[Anonymous]

I love Northfield, it's a bit different than New Orleans! And the feel of St. Olaf, at least by reputation, heightens the comparison. So the two choices are very different.

Does he have other options that might be somewhere in between the two?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most SLACs do not offer a business major, so if it were important to my DC to be able to major in business that would be a factor. Also, setting aside rankings (because likely the difference in rankings isnt very significant even if Tulane’s is technically higher), most likely a midwest SLAC and Tulane are going to have very different vibes, so that would be another factor of importance. Cost is yet another of course so not discounting that, but who knows if your dc will go to grad school vs a strong undergrad experience can shape one’s future career.

St. Olaf offers a Management “concentration”. Only 5 courses are required, making it the equivalent of a minor, but there are enough business courses available to make it more like a 2nd major. One of the requirements is an internship, which seems like a plus. Unless a student has a specific interest in becoming an accountant or an actuary, this concentration would seem to provide all of the basic business skills any undergrad would need - especially if combined with a major like Economics or Quantitative Economics.

If I were in the OP’s shoes, St. Olaf would be a no brainer for me. Not only is it an excellent college in its own right, but it shares cross registration with nearby Carleton College, only a mile & a half away and one of the top small liberal arts colleges in the country. The 2 colleges have a combined enrollment of 5000 undergrads, creating a substantial community of college students in Northfueld.