<p>I heard today of a third freshman who is planning to transfer elsewhere. Can current students please speak to their likes and dislikes? Were there things you hadn't expected? How are you adjusting? Are you happy? Unhappy? Somewhere in between?
Looking forward to hearing from current students, and from students who chose to transfer elsewhere.., especially for reasons other than post-katrina issues and program closings.</p>
<p>jym626 -- I'm not sure you'll get the information you seek from this board. From my experience over the last year there are few current students who still monitor this board. Mostly I think it's us parents who tend to read posts and try to provide information based on our own children's experience (or what we know of them). You may find more information on the Tulane website itself looking into bloggers or through Facebook regarding contacts with current students.. I know there are a few freshman that monitor the Tulane High School Network group: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2216714953%5B/url%5D">http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2216714953</a></p>
<p>I do support you trying to obtain a balanced viewpoint of the good/bad for Tulane itself just not sure how best to suggest you contact current students. Give Facebook a shot and hopefully you can find the information you are seeking.</p>
<p>Thanks, hovermom. I've taken a brief peek at the facebook page. I don't think I feel comfortable posting my question there as I am not sure if it is possible to ask anonymously. Also, with so many admissions would people listed on that facebook site, do you think current students would feel comfortable posting pros and cons??</p>
<p>I'm sure you can find the "cons" by searching the Tulane site on CC.. there have been a few dissatisfied or unhappy people within this last year that have posted their concerns. These are certainly things to look at in terms of your interests. I'm sure there are no problems with people feeling comfortable posting "pros" on either Facebook or CC. I guess my concern for you is how best to gather the information you desire to make your choices since I haven't seen much evidence of a lot of the current students at Tulane interacting on CC discussion threads.
I would certainly recommend a visit. I know when we visited last year our face-to-face contact with students on campus (not affiliated with admissions) made a big impact on our perceptions of the campus.</p>
<p>Don't know if any of what I know will help, but here goes.</p>
<p>General NOLA situation. Two sophomores who went to Loyola last year (next door to Tulane). One is a music major. She loved her freshman year, is back as a soph, and plays gigs in NOLA clubs, meets musicians, is having a great time. The other girl is a business major. She felt extremely unsafe, like she couldn't set foot off campus w/o dire consequences. She transferred to UT Austin and is much happier.</p>
<p>Tulane. One boy is back for soph yr after seriously considering transferring back home to state u. He hated his classes at Tulane, but I guess spring semester went better. Second boy was going to Tulane right up until last May, but wound up at state u. Don't know why he changed his mind. Sister of boy no. 1 (sis was nmf, her bro was nmc) decided not to go to Tulane even tho' both her older brothers are there. Sister got the free ride scholarship, but turned it down to go to state u honors college.</p>
<p>Lastly, girl in D2's class went to Tulane post Katrina on free tuition scholarship. She's having a great time and is dating the guy whose family owns House of Blues.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>I also spent an airplane ride home from Pittsburgh with a woman whose son was starting grad school at CMU after finishing at Tulane. She had a lot of interesting things to say about both schools (TU and CMU). Her son really liked Tulane and had a great experience both before and after the storm. However, she had to do battle for him on his Katrina semester transcripts (he went somewhere in Calif) so as to get in Carnegie Mellon, as Tulane was screwing him over on his Katrina semester grades. I think he had a 4.0, but all Tulane would give him was pass/fail and the mom had to get the Calif school to send their own transcript to CMU so they'd see how bright the guy really is. There were a few other issues, so pm me if you want more info.</p>
<p>These schools don't realize that people talk on airplanes and when we wear our kids' schools tshirts/caps, other parents open up.</p>
<p>Sorry. I forgot another friend's D is a senior at Loyola, graduating in music business, her mom said she loves being in NOLA and it has loads of opptys for the musically inclined kid. She doesn't feel that unsafe either.</p>
<p>My S decided not to apply to Tulane after much back and forth. We visited and he felt like it was too preppy rich kid greek life for him. It is and always has been a preppy rich kid greek life kind of place.</p>
<p>S's gf is thinking about going to Tulane tho'. Mostly 'cause they gave her a scholarship and she can avoid the dreaded state u if she goes there. Her mom said they visited last week and the mom felt there was this eery feeling of nobody being on the campus. Kind of a dead feeling. Like there really weren't that many people around. It sort of creeped the mom out, but her D loved it (Tulane, not the dead atmosphere).</p>
<p>Since all the performance venues in NOLA are still not functioning, stuff like the opera, ballet and symphony all have their concerts on the Tulane campus. That means a lot of what there is to do happens right on campus, so there is a lot to do and there's no problem getting to it.</p>
<p>hmmm... I wonder if the visit where the campus appeared "dead" was on the day that most of the student body was doing 'community service' day... I know recently they had a whole day to work off campus with various organizations helping to rebuild different areas...</p>
<p>I know when we visited last year, one of the things that my d liked was that we walked around on a Friday evening and there were lots of soccer, baseball, frisbee being played as well as lots of kids sitting outside on benches or at tables around campus.. seemed a good thing that on Friday evening lots of kids were very happy just to relax and have fun without having to leave campus...</p>
<p>i think that most of the people who transfer out of tulane do so because they want to go to a higher ranked school. many of the students who enroll at tulane were on the cusp of getting into a more prestigious school, such as an ivy, but didn't, and ended up coming to tulane due in part to a large scholarship. this is not to say that tulane isn't prestigious, it's just that there are at least several dozen other schools out there that are clearly at a completely higher level in terms of prestige.</p>
<p>so, i feel, that when many students transfer from tulane, the transfer has more to do with the student's ambitions and mentality rather than the school itself (probably true with many other schools as well).</p>
<p>some people will tell you that tulane is a huge party school, and some dissidents of tulane would tell you that this is the primary reason why students leave. but, although i cannot deny people's perceptions, i think these people fail to see the larger picture. </p>
<p>tulane's very visible party element is in a way so obnoxious that it spawns a student reaction against it, which sees all of the debauchery in a critical light and provides shelter for people who don't want to be perpetually drunk. and i have to admit that being a part of this more moderate unit at tulane can be a lot of fun, watching everyone else acting like an idiot and so on. </p>
<p>personally i have grappled with tulane as an institution, and if you read my entire posting history you may think that i have been fairly inconsistent. but i RECOMMEND tulane, for those who want an adventurous, unique, and sometimes downright weird college experience.</p>
<p>i actually transferred for reasons stated above, and i really regret it sometimes.</p>
<p>i no longer see tulane as this greek, rich school. what i now see in tulane is the really awesome, but strange, people i met there--and these people strongly deny those preconceived caricatures. and i'm sure that if you come and truly give this place a shot you will witness the same transformation. trust me, if the school worked out socially for me, as likely one of the most neurotic, awkward, people in the world, it can work out for anyone.</p>
<p>thanks for your insight, armcp. just out of curiousity, were you Greek at Tulane?</p>
<p>no, but i spent a lot of time at greek parties my freshman year, although i never rushed</p>
<p>Hello, I'd just like to talk a little bit about my experience here...frankly, I have nothing but positive things to say. </p>
<p>To introduce myself, I am a current senior at Tulane. I will graduate in May with my BA in Political Science, with a concentration in international relations and Latin American Politics and a minor in Spanish. I have worked closely with the Housing and Residence Life here on campus and have lived in the dorms all four years of my time here. I am a big proponent of the community experience that is gained from on campus living. All students are required to live on campus freshman and sophomore year. Each dorm offers a unique atmosphere; some are geared toward students who are particularly involved in campus programming, others for those that are interested in Fitness and Health (in-house yoga classes etc) and yet others that are a bit larger and offer a great chance to meet a wide, diverse group of students.</p>
<p>In addition to absolutely loving the on-campus life that I have experienced, I can only speak the highest praises of the time I have spent inside the classroom. My professors are extremely knowledgeable, passionate and engaged. Our average class size is 22 students, though it is likely that you will have much smaller classes beginning even as early as your freshman year. I even had a class that was only seven students! Given the small class sizes, interaction with the professor is frequent and common, and allows students to gain rapport with them at an early phase in their educational career. </p>
<p>Obviously a large part of our recent history is our experience with Hurricane Katrina and the recovery process afterward. As a senior, I can speak of both my pre and post hurricane experience. When people ask me how the hurricane has effected us as a University, and how things are going now, my first response is "things are better than ever." While we were away from campus for a semester, we returned about 6 months after the hurricane actually hit. Most students chose to attend a different university for a semester, attributing to a unique atmosphere once we returned. We had a 93% return rate, proving just how much students respect and love Tulane. My quality of education has not changed a bit post-storm. If anything, I feel my professors are even more vibrant and passionate now, given that they have returned to the city and invested themselves in our University. Also, students at Tulane are even more actively involved in community service and activism in the city and region. A community service portion has been implemented into the curriculum that again puts students at the forefront of the recovery effort. </p>
<p>A second point you mentioned is the fact that Tulane is conceived as being a "party school." I would first of all like to distinguish the difference between a "party school" and a "party city." I acknowledge the fact that Tulane is located in New Orleans, which has the stereotype of being a "party city." Bourbon street, Mardi Gras and the French Quarter are what you see on TV; a 20-30 minute drive uptown from these things is where the Tulane undergraduate campus stands. Freshman who are new to the New Orleans area generally spend a weekend or two partaking in the nightlife that downtown New Orleans offers. However, after realizing that A) downtown is a bit touristy, and very expensive and B) a student at Tulane can't academically afford too many nights on the town, students choose to spend more time partaking in on-campus activities and enjoying the restaurants, coffee shops and bars located nearer to campus. You are hard-pressed to find any student that comes to Tulane expecting to spend more time partying than studying that makes it past their freshman year. Don't get me wrong though- we know how to enjoy ourselves! New Orleans offers a wide range of cultural activities that keep students busy. Festivals (especially Jazz and Vodoo music fests), museums and dining experiences keep students active and involved in the larger community. </p>
<p>Hope this helps address any worries about Tulane, and also gives a little insight into my personal favorite aspects...</p>
<p>alil44-
Thanks for your information! I sent you a PM.</p>
<p>my D is a sophomore and very satisfied with the experience. I think you will find a correlation on this website that happy students at Tulane seem to be involved in many of the campus and community activities, and those that are generally unhappy just went to class and/or partied too much. Tulane appears to be the type of school with the culture is to "get very involved", and those that don't seem to have trouble adjusting.</p>
<p>lewmin-
I am glad your daughter is happy. This is helpful information. However, the kids who have expressed a desire to transfer are in actuality the opposite of what you describe. They are engaged kids, active in the community service, but felt that they hadn't felt challenged enough academically or found as many students as serious-minded as they. They felt there was too much focus on partying.</p>
<p>My family is a big Tulane family... Very good experiences there overall. My cousins are current students at Tulane and my younger brother just graduated from there in December. They all LOVED the academics, the professors, and the weather. My brother just left New Orleans in December and he already misses the city like crazy.</p>
<p>S reports mixed feelings. Although he loves NO, he doesn't love Tulane.<br>
He likes it well enough, is happy he chose it overall, but does feel it could be better, particularly in areas of administration, advisement, and most definitely Housing options/administration. Since he was a "Katrina" kid, he did have his 1st semester at his 2nd choice school. And so, he does have some legitimate comparisons he can draw. But he has also said that without a doubt, he is much more academically challenged than at his Katrina school, which is ranked similar to Tulane (but a large public).</p>
<p>I think Tulane is a particularly unique school given the city it is in and the Katrina recovery. It seems from our experiences (3 years now), it is critically important to really examine "fit" once accepted. It's not for everyone. That said, S does not regret his choice, but certainly isn't giving the school an "A" across the board.</p>
<p>He has also seen a few friends leave the campus--some due to Katrina, some due to inability to maintain scholarships, and some for homesickness. Tulane claims to have a tremendously diverse student body (highest % of students who travel 500 miles or more from home), so the level and type of independence in that city is just too much for some students to handle. </p>
<p>But S absolutely loves the people there, the music, the quirkiness that is New Orleans and has acknowledged that he's really glad he was able to experience it.</p>
<p>Serendipityring-
Didn't you post some problems your brother had living off campus? It now looks like you edited that out. That was actually very helpful information. Would you mind sharing it again?</p>
<p>I'm trying to stay here as long as possible. Could not possibly be having a better time.</p>
<p>jym626--</p>
<p>Yes, I did, but I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to post that here.</p>
<p>I believe the city can be safe if you live in the residence halls. </p>
<p>Off-campus is another story. My brother lived on Freret Street, near the business school and law school, and he was mugged (while 100% sober, and on a week night...). A year later, a demented homeless man vandalized his apartment (as well as his neighbor's) very badly; I think he was trying to live there after his homeless shelter was shut down or something (not sure what his deal was). They called 911 but the cops were reluctant to go after the guy, claiming he'd just come back to terrorize more students if they arrested him. So that was a disturbing incident.</p>
<p>However, I do have to say that my cousins AND my brother chose to attend Tulane after Katrina, and they chose to stay there despite those issues, and they would not go to any other school... So I would still recommend it to anyone.</p>