D is driving us crazy- got Academic Achievement award to Tulane, no FA. Got an overall $20,000 (not per year) and $6500 FA to UMich Stamps Art School, and $19,000 FA to College of Holy Cross. Finances count, so Tulane best financially, but other options would result in $50/60m overall debt after 4 years. Here’s why she’s stuck: she’s a quiet type, I think her concern with Tulane is if she doesn’t want to party she will not find like-minded people like herself and will wind up watching TV in her dorm room. She was not accepted into the honors program. I know she could do that dorm, though. Are there kids that partying is not their main thing? She said the school may be “too much” for her. I think she felt at Holy Cross, which is much smaller, it wasn’t as focused on that. My concern with this HC is the liberal arts curriculum and that she doesn’t plan on going to grad school immediately. Additionally, study abroad is very more limited and if you go it’s for a year. I think Tulane has better options for that. In fact we spoke to a student and she said she was in Peru with Tulane living in the same college as the HC kids (yet I’d be paying less for that same experience). She loves the option of many majors at Tulane. UMich is out I think at this point- too big, freshman move off after 1st year, and we found town to be gritty.Any opinions out there about the atmosphere for a non-party animal? I also didn’t love the male/female ratio at almost 40/60.
@LImammabear: I have read that the students at Tulane are friendly, love their professors and they are easly accessibile, they have a division 1 football team and the academics are rigorous as well. The party scene is at every college and I’m sure that if your d dosen’t want to participate their will be others also that are just like her with similar interests in other activities. The best thing is the award, if the COA is cheaper and will say $ then Tulane should be the right choice.
My daughter is a freshman this year. She lives in Monroe- one of the “party” dorms, but she and her group of friends enjoy getting together to go out to dinner, watch a movie, talk or study. Her roommate loves to bake with her friends in the honors dorm. I’m sure you can find a party going on at any time at any of the schools you listed, but you can also find those who choose not to party.
I honestly believe that more kids at Tulane don’t party hard than do. Don’t laugh, I really think that is possible. And if I am wrong, I definitely am not wrong by much. Of course the party kids are far more obvious, and by their nature the shyer kids have a bit of a harder time initially finding each other. But I can almost guarantee that if she joins a few of the right clubs and makes a small effort to introduce herself to others that seem to be like herself (and she will be able to tell), she will have friends in no time that like what she likes. I think the trick is that once a group of friends like that get established, someone has to take the lead on deciding what the plans are for the weekends or whatever and make it happen. Even if it is just hanging out.
@LImammabear - Two girls from my son’s high school class (plus my son 
) will be in the Tulane Class of 2019. These kids have diverse interests but are definitely not party animals. Also, we live in MA and, when I think of winter in Worcester vs. winter in NOLA, it’s a no-brainer!
Is your daughter considering living in Wall or Greenbaum? Being part of a living/learning community would help to get her out of her room and involved in “social” activities that she would probably enjoy. It should also get her away from the epicenter of the party scene.