<p>I visited Tulane with my school counselor and some classmates in november of last year. My parents were pretty set against Tulane when I came home and raved about the school then. Now we're going back to New Orleans as a family for the BCS Championship in January, and we're going to tour Tulane then. My mother has slightly warmed to the idea of Tulane, but my dad is still pretty against it. So two questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>What should I really try to point out to my on-the-fence parents when I'm there?</li>
<li>Do you have any general advice for me about questions I should ask Tulane or things I should try to see while on campus/in NOLA?</li>
</ol>
<p>As far as your situation with your parents, it really depends on what their objections are. Is it that they really want you to go to Alabama or some other school because that is where they went? Or because of cost? Or is it all perception of Tulane’s “status”? Overcoming objections requires a strategy, and the strategy (and possibly the tactics involved in executing that strategy) depends on understanding the objections. Welcome to the world of sales!</p>
<p>I suppose the other question that has to be answered is: are you going to be there when school is not in session? This can make a big difference as well.</p>
<p>Well Dad doesn’t like any school as well as he does UA and that’s not changing. But in comparison to the other schools I’m applying to, his particular objections (and kinda Mom’s too) are the safety of the campus/area for a petite female like myself and kinda his perception of its status. As to cost, it is already established that I have to win a full to near full scholarship (for Tulane: DHS) in order to go anywhere other than UA (where I already have one). </p>
<p>And no, for major vacation time (summer, winter, thanksgiving) I would return home unless I got an internship or was studying abroad.</p>
<p>Sorry, you misunderstood my last question. I meant when you go for the football game in January, will Tulane be in session?</p>
<p>BTW, my D is a petite female as well and has had no problems. Unfortunately there have been 7 incidents of robbery in the near off-campus area this semester. That is actually unusual compared to the past few years and hopefully they catch the party responsible very soon. The campus police and the NOPD are on high alert about this. But outside of this perp, the campus area is a low crime area.</p>
<p>What I mean is that status is a subjective thing. It virtually by definition depends on one’s perception of the thing in question. In some cases people almost always agree that something is very elite (certain cars for example) while other things are almost universally agreed to as being at the opposite end of the spectrum. In the case of a school like Tulane, while we all know it has great academics, a great student vibe, a wonderful campus in a wonderful city, and many other top attributes, not everyone in the world, or even in this country is nearly as aware of this. Quite a few people in certain parts of the country have never even heard of Tulane.</p>
<p>This should not cause any consternation or distress on anyone’s part. It is not unusual for many very good schools. Not even Harvard has 100% name recognition, although it is probably pretty close. Washington University in St. Louis is a top 15 school in USNWR rankings and definitely a very very good school, but you would be amazed at how many people have no clue about it. Millions of people think the University of Chicago is a state school. And so it goes. But Tulane is strong and getting stronger all the time in terms of public awareness and positive perceptions. As another example, though, many people assumed that the campus suffered from Katrina as badly as the Ninth Ward, and that the crime associated with New Orleans at that time (or at any time for that matter) was also as bad. Neither thing, of course, was close to being true. That caused many to have a lower status perception about Tulane than the reality warranted.</p>
<p>Or you may want to look at this in terms of the USNWR rankings, where Tulane is penalized both by these misperceptions (peer assessments) and the reality of 6 year graduation rates due to Katrina effects. IMHO, Tulane should be ranked about 20 spots higher, although that statement gives the rankings credibility that I don’t think they remotely deserve. But for the discussion at hand, which is perceptions of status, it is relevant.</p>
<p>So I was wondering if his parents might still be suffering from some of these issues. It matters in terms of how one goes about persuading them they are mistaken.</p>
<p>haha <em>her parents</em> and no classes will not be in session then. Yeah, I’m not too concerned about safety because I’m smart enough not to wander around at night by myself, and I know that the Garden District is a good area as a whole.</p>
<p>I initially meant that I’d like to know what her what her parents/her father think of the school and how they perceive it. I’m very glad that I don’t have this problem with my parents, as I live in Louisiana and my family knows that the school’s in a relatively safe area.</p>
<p>They just don’t see it being on par with the other schools I’m considering Vandy, Duke, Wake Forest. They don’t think it has the name recognition value either. Luckily the school counselor who was with me when I first saw Tulane has been REALLY supportive of me and that has helped me through.</p>
<p>I guess I would ask them exactly what they think Duke or Vandy or Wake Forest have that Tulane doesn’t. It is true that Duke and Vandy will both be known by more people than Tulane, mostly due to their more successful sports program. But depending on your goals after your undergrad, you can make various arguments relating to this issue. As far as Wake, there is a huge difference between Winston-Salem and New Orleans. If a quieter, more laid back town is one’s style, then Wake for sure. Durham is also nothing to write home about, IMO. Duke is a great school of course, but Durham is actually kind of a pit with more crime problems in many ways than Uptown New Orleans. At least that was true the various times I have been there, although it has been about 3 years now since I was last there.</p>
<p>Let us know what you currently think your major(s) and path will be, and that will help. As far as what you can show them at Tulane while you are there, going while everyone else is gone is a bit of a problem in this regard. But again, once we can formulate a plan based on your expected goals, I might have some suggestions for people you all can see while you are there, if they are around.</p>
<p>Oh, and sorry about the gender blunder. When I get to writing about topics like that, I sometimes forget to fact check.</p>
<p>Political Science or Political Economy for me and that’s a huge plus in Tulane’s column because I know they have GREAT programs in both of those fields.</p>
<p>lterry - you are correct that those are very popular and excellent programs at Tulane. Are they better than at Vandy or Duke? I don’t know, but they certainly are not inferior. Quite frankly at the undergrad level that is usually the wrong question anyway. What you will have at Tulane is every opportunity to work with a prof on research and publications, as well as a general accessibility to nearly all your profs. That tends to be more difficult at big state schools, and I have not heard that this is so much the case at Duke either, where many profs are more focused on grad students. Not as sure about Vandy in this regard. In any case, you might want to look at the research interests of the professors in these departments and find a couple that seem interesting to you. You could then arrange to meet with them while you are there and talk about how one goes about doing research with them. After all, if you are going to graduate with honors you have to do a senior thesis, and nothing says you have to wait until you are a senior to get started. Many students start even as freshmen, but certainly many sophomores and juniors get involved.</p>
<p>Not to bury the lead, but I think one of the strongest differentiators Tulane might have for you as a female is the opportunity to become a Newcomb Scholar. [Tulane</a> University - Newcomb Scholars](<a href=“http://tulane.edu/newcomb/scholars/index.cfm]Tulane”>http://tulane.edu/newcomb/scholars/index.cfm) I think this is an outstanding program that would weave in extremely well with a student graduating with honors and potentially looking to compete for Rhodes Scholarships and many other post-graduate opportunities. If this looks interesting to you, try and make an appointment with the director of the program to find out more about it and, hopefully, get your parents excited for you.</p>
<p>Of course, if you win the DHS at Tulane but don’t get similar offers from Vandy (do Duke or Wake even have anything like the DHS? I thought Duke especially either had no merit scholarships or was very stingy with them), then that makes it easier I guess. There really is no comparison between UA and Tulane. I don’t mean in the sense that one is vastly superior to the other, but just that they couldn’t be more different in size, atmosphere, and so many other ways.</p>
<p>Anyway, a bit rambling but maybe that helps you plan things out a bit to help highlight Tulane’s strengths, and possible differentiating factors from those other schools. You definitely sound like the Tulane type of student.</p>
<p>Thank you for your advice! Especially on the Newcomb Scholars. I had heard of the program but I haven’t thought of showing that to my parents. Vandy, Wake, and Duke, all have programs for full merit aid although they have nothing in common with the DHS project. I have a chance for a full alumni scholarship from Duke for my legacy but that’s assuming I even get accepted. </p>
<p>Honestly I’m really interested in Tulane and want my parent’s to at least consider it should I get the DHS. So thank you again, and PM me if you think of anyone else I should meet or something I should point out.</p>
<p>lterry- you might gather comparative crime statistics on the campuses you are considering for your parents. Go to:
[The</a> Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool](<a href=“Campus Safety and Security”>Campus Safety and Security)</p>
<p>It is often the case, counterintuitive until you think about it a bit, that smaller/more rural areas and colleges actually have more of a drug/drinking problem than those in urban centers. This often leads to more crime, especially theft in order to help pay for the drugs. However, all these crime stats are relatively low for the size community represented. In other words, a person should feel relatively safe at any of them, especially using common sense safety measures.</p>
and that’s not changing. But in comparison to the other schools I’m applying to, his particular objections (and kinda Mom’s too) are the safety of the campus/area for a petite female like myself and kinda his perception of its status. As to cost, it is already established that I have to win a full to near full scholarship (for Tulane: DHS) in order to go anywhere other than UA (where I already have one). </p>