Hi! I was admitted to Tulane with merit aid and I’m considering it, but I wanted to know about the level of student diversity at the university. More specifically, the Indian population. Are there lots of cultural clubs and ways to engage in cultural activities?
Sorry that noone has taken the time to answer you on this yet but it does not surprise me. It seems to me that the coolness of Tulane is very inflated whereas when real questions get asked they are not answered. We went to Tulane last week for the admitted students day. I was underwhelmed. I am a parent. According to College Simply, the diversity at Tulane is considered “medium” and it is 70% white(yikes), 9% black, 6% hispanic, 3% asian,3% international and 5% race unknown with 0 american indians, pacific islanders etc. This seemed consistent with that I saw on campus. I thought these diversity stats were pretty bad considering the city of New Orleans is 60% african american. I don’t know about clubs or cultural activities but you may want to google Tulane race relations etc because I found a couple of interesting and concerning articles. During the presentation they told us that they realize that their diversity is lacking and they are trying to improve it. Good luck with whatever you decide!!! We are white and I am hoping my daughter chooses a california school that is a little more diverse than Tulane because I feel it is important for a school to at least try to have their level of diversity/student population be somewhat consistent with the surrounding community.
@btsarmy12 Sorry for not answering your question until now, I definitely should have–I was hoping that someone with more personal experience would be able to answer instead of me just telling you facts and clubs!
Just looking at stats from last year’s admitted class, the class was 22% students of color and 5% international students. Diversity is absolutely an area where Tulane can improve and they are actively working on it. In the past few years, the admissions office has hired several counselors specifically devoted to diversity recruitment, Tulane has started a brand new division called the Office of Academic Equity which is aimed at providing extra resources for under-represented students, whether they be first generation, students of color, etc. The Office of Multicultural Affairs also provides lots of resources for students to participate in. You can also read this (https://tulanehullabaloo.com/26489/showcase/admissions-addresses-the-need-for-diversity-on-campus/) article that the student newspaper, The Hullabaloo, wrote about what Tulane is doing to increase diversity. We are definitely a long way from campus being as representative as we would like it to be, but we are on the right track!
You can browse through all of Tulane’s clubs on OrgSync with your Gibson login information. Just google Tulane Orgsync and it should be the first link. Upon just a quick search for multicultural clubs I found over 17. To answer your specific question about Indian students, there are two specific clubs: The Indian Association of Tulane University and and the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth. I know that the Indian Association of Tulane University (IATU) has a Facebook group that you can join to get an idea for the events that they do…they are super active on campus. One of my favorite events that they do is Holi, which they just did recently. They set up on Bruff Quad, right near the dining hall and lots of dorms and they bring in tons and tons of good food, play music really loud, and then throw colored powder. There’s pictures on the facebook if you wanna look!
I hope this answered some of your questions. If you have any super specific questions you can message the IATU facebook group. They are really good about responding!
Well, we looked at this from the lense of opportunity. We’re Asian (Chinese American) and looked into some schools that were aiming for more diversity in hopes that my D would be an attractive hook.
We visited Tulane last summer and our tour guide was Indian-American (Pratika). Our info session presenter was originally from Puerto Rico. At least half of the tour group were people of color (Asian, African-American). If you look at the numbers over the past few years, and the multi-cultural fly-in weekend, the office of Multicultural Affairs, etc., Tulane’s efforts are paying off. The incoming class (according to Dir Jeff Schiffman) is the most diverse class ever. This will only help the university (in so many ways), and increase the diversity of the applicant pool for years to come. It’s a very cool time to go to Tulane!
I’d like to add that one of the most attractive things for my D is the multiculturalism of New Orleans. There are so many different cultures – Creole, Cajun, French, Spanish, Southern, etc. and of course the students from across the country and the world at Tulane, too. The history of the city and the region is fascinating and completely unique compared to any other city in the US. So while there are cultural clubs that you can participate at Tulane, it would be fun to explore the distinct cultures that are central and celebrated in New Orleans.
@btsarmy12, I don’t know if I answered your question fully, but you attending will add to the Tulane community. Have you made a decision? Let us know!
There is a sizable Vietnamese immigrant population in New Orleans as well. Their culture has left an indelible imprint upon the city.
I’m an Indian at Tulane and I can chime in. IATU is kind of clinky and I honestly can say there isn’t a huge Indian presence, but it is growing. Be careful though, because at every college, minority groups clump together and it ruins the purpose of recruiting a diverse class.
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You need to take self reported diversity numbers with a large grain of salt. They are self reported and Asian students are wise to leave this question unanswered or to select 2 or more races. You will also have blue-eyed blond American Indians. International students are not reported but tend to run 75% Asian, and 10% of students list 2 or more races or do not answer this question. In general you can add 5-10% to the Asian students and subtract a few percent from all the other races to get a true racial demographic.
There is also a lot of pseudodiversity at top universities across the nation. The students look different but when you look a little closer they are not very different. They come from magnet, private, and affluent public high schools near large metro areas, volunteer at the local hospital, play soccer and the violin, have the same God, same tax bracket, and are pre-professional students.
Integration is also more important than numbers. Spend a day on USC’s, or the UCLA campus. Lots of diversity but little interaction between students of different races.
Be the diversity you want to see in the world.