<p>I would describe myself as a fairly social, but slightly introverted kid who is not at all a partyer. I am applying to many small north east schools such as Vassar, Wesleyan, and Bucknell as my parents think they'd be a good fit a more introverted kid such as myself. I am wondering if someone like myself would enjoy a larger school like Tulane or other big southern universities. I really like Tulane and, having lived in CT all my live, I am dazzled by the idea of living in New Orleans, but I don't want to be in an environment entirely polar to my personality. I think I read that Phi Delta Theta is a dry frat, so is there a sober presence on campus? Is there a place for me at Tulane or would I be better served to apply to Emory, which I hear has a more academic-focused reputation, or am I delusional and should stick to my cold, small, liberal arts schools up north?</p>
<p>Well, of course it is hard to say what school and environment fit you best overall. There are many factors at work here. But suffice it to say there are tons of students at Tulane that don’t drink or drink very moderately, and of course New Orleans is interesting without having to rely on drinking as a recreational activity. So in short yes, there is a significant sober presence on campus.</p>
<p>Honestly, the amount of drinking at Tulane is no different than at almost any college of any size. In fact it is probably true that schools that are in more rural areas and/or have big sports cultures have more drinking because there are fewer other options. Whether true or not (and I think it largely is true), medium to large schools have enough students that you can find numerous niches, one of which will suit you well.</p>
<p>Emory and some other schools do have a reputation for perhaps being a bit more academic, but I think that is misleading and misstates the issue. Tulane’s admissions are highly competitive and the SAT scores and GPA’s of the incoming freshmen certainly put the school at a high level. You cannot just slide by without putting in effort, or looked at in a more positive way you can have an academic experience equal to any school you could attend, including the Ivy League schools. That depends more on you than the school, as long as the school has the resources to be taken advantage of. And Tulane certainly has that, easily. </p>
<p>That is proven every year by the students that get into top grad schools and professional schools, and consistently report back that they find themselves quite well prepared. Similarly, when Katrina hit and Tulane students were forced to spend a semester at schools all over the country, such as U Chicago, Tufts, USC, Vanderbilt, etc. they routinely found that they did just as well as the students at those schools, and the professors at those schools similarly had high praise for the Tulanians.</p>
<p>Which is all a long way of saying you can shape your experience at Tulane to be very fulfilling, plus you then have the unique advantage of being in New Orleans. If that sounds appealing, come visit and see if it meets your expectations.</p>
<p>Just one thought for you.</p>
<p>If you are at a cold, school up north which happens to be located in a small isolated town, what do you think the kids there do for fun on a Saturday night? Especially if there’s a big frat presence. Some of those type of schools (cough Bucknell cough) would make Tulane look like a temperance meeting.</p>
<p>But how close Tulane is to what’s fun in New Orleans? </p>
<p>Perhaps Tulane earned its reputation as a party school because of its proximity to the fun areas of the city.</p>
<p>New Orleans is not a huge city like New York or Chicago or LA, and unlike Northwestern, for example, it actually is within the city (parish) limits. The downtown area is just under 5 miles from campus, and of course the streetcar is right there for easy transportation. So almost everything is accessible, it is really just a matter of what it is you want to do.</p>
<p>It’s reputation as a party school certainly is related to being in New Orleans. Any school in the city that hosts Mardi Gras and has something as infamous as Bourbon Street can’t avoid it. Plus, as I have said on here several times, the warm climate puts more of the activity outside, where it is extremely visible. So the hard partiers get noticed, the more moderate students don’t. The flip side of that is the warmer weather makes other activities available year round (or nearly so) that don’t involve drinking.</p>
<p>With all due respect, are you kidding? You are talking about a school where the vast majority of students are near the top of their high school class, with average SAT’s above 2000 (and 25% above 2100), who year after year get into the best graduate programs in the country. Do some smart kids party? Of course. Are some introverted? Of course? Are some artsy? Of course. Are there some jocks? Of course. With well over 6,000 undergraduates, you have a bit of everything. My suggestion is to travel down there, stay in the dorm, and try to get a feel for the place and what it offers. Best of luck with your search!</p>
<p>When it comes to high school juniors and seniors thinking about college, there is a wide variance of knowledge when it comes to this subject. Some are fairly aware of what college life is like because they have had the luxury of some exposure already through siblings or other means, or parents that have given them lots of information. Many others really have no idea what to expect and only “know” what they see online sometimes.</p>
<p>It isn’t their fault as 16 and 17 year old kids that they might not have had the opportunity to acquire this knowledge. I can appreciate that it might be rather shocking to some high school students, depending to some degree the nature of their high school, how much partying actually goes on. Or they might get an image that there is more partying than actually goes on, which is equally unsurprising given the movies and online portrayals that are out there.</p>
<p>It might be helpful to know what kinds of activities ShipShape is interested in. But as far as the sober side of things, Tulane does try to provide non-alcoholic events and you can get an idea of some of those activities by googling Tulane After Dark. Tulane Campus programming really makes an effort to provide things for everyone. They also have a vast number of outdoor activities if that is your thing. They are available through the Reily Center at Tulane.</p>
<p>“Sixteen to drink … fifteen if you’re pretty.” </p>
<p>Looking back on the days before Katrina, even then the notion of Tulane as a drinking school was just plain silly. New Orleans is a sophisticated city that offers a vast array of experiences. Is there drinking? Sure. Is it the reason students choose Tulane? No.</p>
<p>We went to visit Tulane last spring. There are many things to like about the school, but what my son likes best is that there is theater, dance, music or some sort of festival just about every weekend. And… that is what is happening off of campus.</p>
<p>Absolutely cbrand. As you imply in your last sentence, there are also similar types of events as well as events relatively unique to a university on campus. Chamber music, jazz, rock; speakers (Common the rapper/actor was just at Tulane) as well as political forums, comedians, documentary films, etc. All in all, there is tons to do that doesn’t have to involve drinking.</p>
<p>Tulane fell off Playboy’s top 10 (was #8 last year) this year around… looks like academics didn’t hold as much weight as it did last year. Once again, Playboy also have shifting methodology (as USNWR does), so it’s hard to lend any credence to that party school ranking:</p>
<p>Playboy top 10 (2012):</p>
<ol>
<li>UVA</li>
<li>USC</li>
<li>UF</li>
<li>UT-Austin</li>
<li>UWI</li>
<li>UGA</li>
<li>Vanderbilt</li>
<li>Tulane</li>
<li>TCU</li>
<li>Ohio State</li>
</ol>
<p>Playboy top 10 (2013):</p>
<ol>
<li>WVU</li>
<li>UWI</li>
<li>CU-Boulder</li>
<li>USC</li>
<li>FSU</li>
<li>UT-Austin</li>
<li>LSU</li>
<li>UGA</li>
<li>ASU</li>
<li>UMD</li>
</ol>
<p>In my past recollection, Tulane just wasn’t the sort of school where on-campus parties could land Tulane a spot on the top 10 on its own partying merits (its highest ranking before its 2012 showing was #17 in 2002). Once again, much of what earned Tulane its reputation as a party school is actually off-campus, given what’s being done off-campus for recreation.</p>
<p>I have no idea how Playboy does its ranking, but I feel quite confident in saying it is highly unscientific, lol. I mean after all, not only did Tulane fall out of the top 10, but in fact only USC, UT-Austin, UWI, and UGA repeated. Plus the #1 from last year fell off the list completely, and the #1 this year wasn’t on last year. Anything with that much volatility must mean that the list was compiled by someone attending a party at one of these notorious schools.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the informative responses. One last question, I overnighted at Duke recently and the place was dead as absolutely everyone was away for fall break, but I spoke to a Muslim student who said that there’s really not much to do if you don’t drink.</p>
<p>I know there are always arguments on each side about how big a party scene is for every school, but I was wondering how the party scene is at Tulane compared to Duke, just so I can gauge it.</p>
<p>“I was wondering how the party scene is at Tulane compared to Duke …”</p>
<p>I’ve struggled with your question for ten minutes, and still cannot fathom a way to answer it within your stated framework. There simply isn’t a reasonable way to “gauge” social lives in New Orleans by restricting the answer to “on campus partying.” It’s akin to gauging the culinary delights of New York City while excluding the city’s restaurants … or gauging the appeal of Santa Barbara while ignoring the fabulous weather there. Sorry.</p>
<p>In all honesty, every college is going got have a party scene. If you want to fin the drinking scene you will find it. If you want dry activities you can find those too. It’s all about what you make it and what you choose to participate in.</p>