<p>Thanks for asking! My son attends public school currently. He is the only kid in a district of a couple thousand, who wears a kippa (yarmulke) daily. He’s relatively liberal in his politics, and has a very diverse set of friends. His very best friend is of a different race and totally different religion (don’t want to specify for privacy). We live in New England. My son loves to learn, but does not like a back-bitingly competitive environment. His main interests are math and classics, so far. I was thinking Tulane could be a great match - but I worried per the unsophisticated comments of my student, that it would always be obvious to my son, for another four years, that he’s a tiny minority. I.e. “there’s a menorah at Christmastime”.</p>
<p>Suffice it to say I think you are concerned about something that simply doesn’t exist, fretfulmother. We are not Jewish, and my D never felt in any way, shape or form that any of this was an issue at Tulane. Sure there is a strong Jewish presence at Tulane, just as there is at WUSTL, Northwestern, probably most of the Ivies, etc. There is also a strong LGBT presence at Tulane. And an African-American cultural group just put on an art festival <a href=“http://tulane.edu/news/newwave/021414_black_arts_fest.cfm”>http://tulane.edu/news/newwave/021414_black_arts_fest.cfm</a> I am not exactly sure what anyone is afraid of or concerned about.</p>
<p>Tulane is anything but “back-bitingly competitive”, I am not sure where that came from. I would say if any one thing binds Tulane students together, it isn’t any religion, race or political view, but instead it is just Tulane itself and all it represents. Strong academics, New Orleans and fun, and the service aspect of life that Tulane promotes.</p>
<p>Since your son wears a kippa, that implies to me he is Jewish, but perhaps that is my ignorance. I am going by what Wiki and other links say, I cannot find it tied to any other religion. Are you saying he might feel like a minority because he is Orthodox? I can assure you he wouldn’t be looked at askance at all.</p>
<p>Frankly, this whole discussion is rather off base in the sense that it presumes a focus at Tulane that simply doesn’t exist. All schools have their various clubs and groups, some of which identify by race or religion or orientation or … Tulane is no different in that respect, but on a day to day basis this is but one aspect of the complex set of factors that make up student life at Tulane. NJDad is right, Willster (a one time poster, I might add) was just trying to stir the pot. Unfortunately racist, anti-Semetic remarks cannot go unchallenged, either.</p>
<p>From what I know about Tulane it does sound like it would be a great match! All the students seem to feel there is a work hard/play hard environment. Set in New Orleans, it would be hard to avoid the play hard aspect,lol. I’m sure some of our current and former parents could comment more on that. Have you visited campus? There is also a group on Facebook for Tulane Parents that would probably be able to address some of our concerns as well. </p>
<p>dolphnlvr’s post reminded me that in my rant, I forgot to address that, indeed, a math and Classical Studies student would be very comfortable at Tulane. I have known several students that have majored in each and enjoyed it, and have done quite well for themselves. I don’t think I know anyone that has done that particular pair as a double major, but I see no reason that wouldn’t be entirely feasible at Tulane.</p>
<p>
I’ve heard people at UOregon bemoan students from the Bay Area, LA, or just California in general, and people at UOklahoma bemoan all the Texans who attend the school. I wouldn’t necessarily ascribe such a comment to antisemitism, in so much as possibly feeling uncomfortable around people who are generally much wealthier than the average student.</p>
<p>Fretful- I would suggest you contact both Hillel and Chabad not only at Tulane but all the schools on your list. I can assure you your son’s kippa would not be the only one on campus. My daughters are Jewish but not observant and have not involved themselves with Jewish life on campus. However it exists for those who want it. And a number of them do get involved. One tradition that is particularly sweet is the roving group of students who go from dorm to dorm blowing the shofar on High Holidays</p>
<p>I agree with you, whenhen. The remarks could have been code for antisemitism, but absent other markers it could just as easily been a comment that this area of the country seems overly represented relatively speaking. Of course, Tulane only reports by state and region, so it is hard to say how many are actually from these particular areas. No doubt they are well represented, since they have a high population density, as does the Northeast. And as I have pointed out numerous times, Tulane’s definition of the Northeast is quite expansive, going from Maryland to Maine and west to (I think) Ohio. That’s a lot of ground.</p>
<p>@fallenchemist - I’m sorry I wasn’t clear. We had put Tulane on the list precisely because it <em>doesn’t</em> have the “back-bitingly competitive” reputation. 
And thanks everyone for the suggestions! DS does not want an insular experience with everyone “like him”, but it’s good @Vitrac to know that there would be some kids “like him” too. My worry upon reading some of the less open-minded postings was that there might be a weirdly high amount of anti-semitism on campus.</p>
<p>Those postings are from people that are not at Tulane and just like to stir up trouble. They are known as ■■■■■■, and simply have no life other than to perpetuate exactly this kind of misinformation. Antisemitism is the last thing there is at Tulane. Just hearing that said made me laugh, no offense to you. President Cowen, the president of Tulane for 16 years, is Jewish. He is retiring in July, but that of course shows you that could hardly be the case at Tulane. Don’t get taken in by one or two nut-jobs that decide to post on here. It is the great weakness of the internet.</p>
<p>Do as someone (Vitrac?) suggested and visit Tulane as soon as possible, and while there talk to the head of Hillel and Chabad. I know Hillel is very active, I know much less about Chabad but if Vitrac recommends them I know they must be a solid organization. That will put all your doubts to rest.</p>
<p>BTW, if you like history, you will be interested to know that after New York City, for many years in the 19th century and into the 20th, New Orleans was a center of Jewish life in the United States. There were, and still are, many synagogues and a strong JCCA, or whatever it is called these days. There is a fascinating and strong connection between the development of New Orleans and the Jewish leadership from those times. I have to believe there are several good books on this subject. A quick Google search came up with a few fascinating articles and references.</p>
<p><a href=“http://isjl.org/history/archive/la/new_orleans.htm”>http://isjl.org/history/archive/la/new_orleans.htm</a> (talks a lot about Touro, whose name is still all over New Orleans, including several of the leading medical facilities)</p>
<p><a href=“Jewish History in New Orleans”>http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/multicultural/multiculturalhistory/jewish.html</a> (similar info to above)</p>
<p><a href=“The Jews of New Orleans and the Mississippi Delta”>http://www.neworleansreview.org/the-jews-of-new-orleans-and-the-mississippi-delta/</a> (A recent book)</p>
<p>Fretfulmother, from your description of your son, I think he’d fit well at Tulane.</p>
<p>Chabad has better food!!!</p>
<p>If the OP is pre-med I would say that the OP couldn’t go wrong if the OP was at Tulane. Then again I do not know how good is Alabama or TCU for pre-med…</p>
<p>@Pennylane Thank you!! :)</p>