<p>Sorry to hear about your brother's story. My son lived off campus in the same neighborhood last year - but the Broadway side of campus. He had no problems with crime or vandalism. Parked a car on the street without incident. His friends had no problems either. He never felt unsafe - just took normal precautions when walking at night as you might in any large city. He has several friends who chose to remain in New Orleans for an extra year after graduation - living in the same general area. They love it. He misses it.</p>
<p>Yep, my brother is definitely missing New Orleans now that he's graduated. I think New Orleans is sort of different from a lot of cities in that you can't say one neighborhood is all bad or one neighborhood is all good. I remember being near Whole Foods in Uptown New Orleans, and there would be those huge (very upscale) mansions on Nashville and surrounding streets, whereas if you go a couple of blocks towards Winn Dixie's, it gets much sketchier at night. It's a very integrated city, which is refreshing. I think you just have to be careful -- it's a good experience, IMO. </p>
<p>Jym626 -- if you need housing advice, Tulane has a good list of slumlords to avoid as well as suggestions on specific apartments. The landlords my family members have rented from were all very laid-back, responsive, and helpful.</p>
<p>I live in Baton Rouge and visit N.O. often because of work related reasons. I applied to Tulane and what serendipityRing said is correct about the city. Strange city, but a lot of energy</p>
<p>With the whole "happy or unhappy" thing... What is more useful than one or two people's personal experiences at Tulane is to remember that all universities evolve. Student populations change, administrations change, and faculty members come and go. Tulane, because of Katrina, has had to evolve at a much faster and more drastic pace than any other school in the country. An alumn's experience could not possibly be the same as yours if you were to attend Tulane next semester. I attended summer classes there as a high schooler and then much later as a college student; my experience was nothing like that of other Tulane students or of my cousin or of my brother. I was there immediately after Katrina. I saw the most disgusting things/creatures that none of you will see these days (they have cleaned up the area VERY well since then).</p>
<p>It's a bizarre, unique, exciting, and exceptionally diverse/integrated city... I have a love/hate relationship with it, but for everyone I know who stayed there till graduation, they love it. I think someone above talked about his regrets on not graduating from there. I sometimes feel that way as well (despite loving my alma mater, and seeing all the things I saw after katrina). How can you not? Nola and Tulane are true originals.</p>
<p>
[quote]
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
[/quote]
Just a little clarification here. This is not a case of Tulane "screwing over" someone. This is how credits are typically transferred from one school to another. Credit is given, but grades do not show up on the transcript. The student, when applying elsewhere (transfer, grad school, whatever) submits transcripts from all schools in order to show grades received at each institution. There may be exceptions, but that is the general way.</p>
<p>My S transferred out of Tulane, post-Katrina, because his was one of the majors eliminated. His new school is substantially higher ranked. He liked Tulane better for a number of reasons. He was in the Honors Dorm, found many like-minded serious students along with a balance of interest in the fun side of college life (not extreme partying, not frats etc., but enjoying NOLA etc.). His current school's student body is, to his mind, less balanced and overly focussed on academics.</p>
<p>He had his fair share of good, not-so-good and really good profs at each place.</p>
<p>I think most Universities of this size (both of his schools) have a critical mass of each type of student; imo, the students at Tulane who don't find "serious minded" students haven't looked in the right places. Students like my S, who don't find "balanced" students at his new school, aren't making enough effort or looking in the right places either.</p>
<p>Hello!!
I am currently taking off the spring semester (of my freshman year) at Tulane. I can say there are many pros, and complementing, many cons.</p>
<p>Pros:</p>
<p>*<em>BEAUTIFUL neighborhood
*</em>Great restaurants--benefits of being in a college town
*<em>Easy access to alcohol (if you like it--more later.)
*</em>Great science/math departments.
*<em>Generous financial aid.
*</em>Some nice people.</p>
<p>Cons</p>
<p>*<em>Don't go to this school if you don't do science/math--I was a music major--wrong choice
*</em>Don't expect not to see alcohol like you've never seen it before. I didn't know it was a party school till I got there--OMG was it insane. Even the ra's would smoke pot and stuff.<br>
*<em>Dangerous city (it is an amazing city besides that.)
*</em>Horrible advisers.
**Shallow/materialistic/snobby people.</p>
<p>Now, with that in mind, there are like 5-10% of people who don't drink, but stepping on campus you'd never know. People party and drink like fishes who haven't seen an ocean since the last ice age. </p>
<p>Also, I feel like New Orleans is an amazing city and I might transfer to Loyola which has a better music school. So, it's all relative. I know a kid who only wants to transfer b/c of the partying situation.</p>
<p>I also got homesick--first fo rme.</p>
<p>Is there another university like Tulane? The university and NOLA provide a unique environment in which many people thrive ... and a few don't. My D's experience has been wonderful, and she can't imagine being anywhere else. But that's her story, and another student with different needs might feel differently.</p>
<p>Going off the pro/con list... Science and math is strong here, but I'm a Political Science and History major and I think the Liberal Arts programs here are phenomenal too. That said, music and performing arts are definitely not Tulane's strongest suit--most programs there are for people who want to do music on the side, either as a hobby or a minor. For either of those, it's fine. But if you want a great music school in NOLA, go to Loyola.</p>
<p>That said, Tulane is a bit of a party school, but it's academically challenging enough where people can't get away with "nothing but partying." That would be somewhere like LSU, with less challenging academics. Academics come first, even for the intense partiers, because if they don't you fail out or lose your scholarship. I'm in a fraternity and, yet, I only drink maybe one or two nights a week; most of my nights are doing homework or just hanging out with friends in the dorms.</p>
<p>And the RAs often do party too, but that's almost a blessing, because I would definitely not want a Nazi prison guard running my freshman dorm. I became good friends with my former RAs--and still am--which I think is really a great thing because they helped me a lot freshman year; more than they would have if they didn't understand having a social life.</p>
<p>I think New Orleans is a great place to go to school; it's fun, it's cultured, it's crazy, and it's a place like no one at Tulane has ever experienced before--which makes it such a great choice to spend 4 years of your life. As for being a dangerous city, that's a little overblown; maybe I'm just being stupid, but I walk around Uptown, up and down Broadway, and feel very safe. Yeah, there have been muggings and robberies and such, but I actually find the violent crime near campus to be significantly lower than a lot of other schools, including my brother's small-town college in the Midwest. Any crime here is generally people wanting to rob drunk college kids, which easily avoidable if you travel in groups of 3 or more on Friday and Saturday nights. It sucks, but getting your wallet stolen is not the end of the world. On the flip side, I find it very reassuring that I can't remember the last time I heard of any rape attempts or assaults involving strangers and Tulane students. Violent crime is generally in New Orleans East, not Uptown.</p>
<p>As for people being materialistic and snobby--somewhat true, but there's enough people who aren't like that because Tulane gives such good scholarship. None of my friends are the stereotypical rich kids from New England; in fact, a lot of people, myself included, can only afford to be here because we got such great scholarships.</p>
<p>It's just important to keep all things in perspective. Tulane's not a great fit for some people, but for others, it's an awesome experience. The only way to know is to visit it, see what kind of people are on your tour/walking around campus, and ask a lot of questions when you're down here.</p>
<p>jmmom - </p>
<p>You may be right about the transcript issue being the way it is normally done, I've never had any personal experience with that; just repeating an airplane conversation. This boy's mother was a little ticked off at how it had been handled, esplly considering her S had been forced to spend a semester at another school due to Katrina (not his choice in other words).</p>
<p>Other than that one thing, this mom had great things to say about Tulane. Her S loved it, enjoyed both his pre K and post K experience. In fact, he was having trouble adjusting to CMU cause he missed Tulane and nola. He felt like your S in that he felt CMU was less balanced and too focused on academics. Obviously it's grad school (for him) so it should be a little different, but I do think there may be a more fundamental difference in the student body that could account for it as well.</p>
<p>Obviously the Tulane education quality got that kid into a terrific graduate school program, so that is very positive. Plus it's one more Tulane alum who very deeply misses Tulane and New Orleans.</p>
<p>Tulane's experience will be what you make of it!
Party school? perhaps....Students at Tulane DO HAVE FUN !Some kids who do not drink at all, still have a blast...and they fit great.
Yes, there are a lot of people who drink....but I challenge you to find a school similar in prestige to Tulane that is a "dry" school.
A lot of students actually learn how to "drink responsibly" at Tulane...after getting wasted, hangover and sick a couple of times ;).
New Orleans, like any city can be unsafe. To make it safe, you should have good judgment (ie do NOT walk by yourself at 3 am in deserted streets... that is plain stupid !).
Tulane undregraduate campus is on a lovely well maintained neighborhood, in front of a beautiful park, generally very safe.
The streetcars are operating again and that facilitates the transport of students who want to go off campus.
There are great many professors at Tulane...and some sucky ones....again you will find the same thing even at the best schools....ask around before you pick your classes.
If you choose to come,... make it a good experience. New Orleans is a colorful mosaic, very diverse, great music, great festivals, awesome food, good sports, Mardi Gras, all included with a general " "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" attitude.
Good luck to all!</p>
<p>As a current student..I am happy. :) I can probably elaborate if you have a more specific question.</p>
<p>oh sorry..also want to add that in addition to being happy, I
1. don't drink any alcohol
2. don't smoke
3. don't do weed/pot
4. am not involved in greek life
5. still manage to have a LOT of fun.
6. I also know a lot of people (most, if not all, of my friends) who would say the same for my #1-5. you choose your friends. if you want to get wasted every weekend - that's your choice.</p>
<p>At first I did not like Tulane that much, mainly because I thought the party scene was a bit much. However, I then visited friends at Emory and WashU and they felt the same about their schools. The difference between Tulane and other research universities isn't so much in the amount of partying, but rather in the type. It seemed to me that people at Emory & WashU partied a lot in the dorms as opposed to going to bars (age restrictions). Since 18yr olds are able to go to most bars, they have more interaction with upperclassmen, which in turn fosters a stronger campus community. A lot of people have talked about Tulane being a "rich kid" school. There are a lot of wealthy kids at Tulane, but what I have found is that they aren't the ones who are flaunting their money, it's the people who don't have it that do that. As far as academics go, Tulane is very challenging (at least in my department). One of my courses this semester requires me to write six 8-10pp papers and a 20pp paper, with the rest of them exhibiting similar requirements. My professors have been great (except one, but that's anywhere) they are willing to help students out with just about anything (LORs, writing grants, contacting friends at different institutions, etc.). Plus, they have all had terminal degrees...one of my professors in addition to your typical BA,MA,PhD, has an LLM and JD. The point I'm making is that there isn't much of a difference between top research universities in terms of partying and academics. Believe me, Yale students can party just as hard as the rest of em. I love Tulane and wouldn't trade it for the world!</p>