<p>I don’t think there’s any reason to show up at 10 except for the fact that you won’t have to wait in any lines. ;)</p>
<p>You can eat lunch on campus (I think) or at least in the general vicinity of campus. </p>
<p>It is hot. And humid. But really not horrible. It’s breezy so when you’re in the shade it’s not terribly uncomfortable. Some people carry umbrellas as parasols! I’m normally not much of a ‘sweater’ but I’m definitely glistening here… ;)</p>
<p>Bring an umbrella, as the skies have opened a few times since we’ve been here. (Last evening there was a TORRENTIAL thunderstorm with some wicked lightning).</p>
<p>@westcoast11, my daughter said the same thing! Keep Dad out of the French Quarter so he will not have the impression NOLA is a party town, lol. See you at orientation.</p>
<p>@oliver17, we are from Northeast Ohio; from what I can gather from DD there are at least 7 or so students from our area attending TU. I don’t have enough posts yet to reply to PM’s, so send me your email or FB info if you like. I think our children might be FB friends.</p>
<p>First day of orientation was a success, if you measure success by the fact that my son had no interest in meeting up with me to go look at the dorm room OR to sit with me at dinner. (we have a very good relationship, so it’s not that… he made friends right away and it was just “nice knowin’ ya, Mom”.)</p>
<p>He is not a FB guy so he hadn’t connected with anyone prior to orientation. I’m pretty sure he’ll tell me today that he found a roommate last night (they hadn’t gotten to the point of discussing roommates yet when I spoke to him at dinnertime).</p>
<p>OH and remember that safety video that we saw posted on CC awhile ago, made by students who had been mugged in the area around campus? I asked the head security guy about it and he said that video was the reason he was hired, that it was made over a year ago but THOSE KIDS are on his advisory board. They have a virtual escort system now (not sure if that was in place before he came).</p>
<p>They said bike theft is down also in great part due to a ‘bait bike’ program. Your kid can even put a sticker on his/her bike that says ‘this may be a bait bike’.</p>
<p>Leaving tomorrow for Tulane. Any other packing tips? Are people pretty casual since it’s so hot? Did they talk about computers at all? We need to get my daughter a laptop and a lot of times if you get them at/near campus, there are benefits.</p>
<p>Very casual. Just be comfortable, it gets really humid.</p>
<p>There should be resources there to discuss computers. Just ask some of the Orientation leaders and they should be able to steer you in the right direction. You can get the computer through Tulane. Not the cheapest option, but there may be service benefits. Not sure. Would be a good question to ask.</p>
<p>We just called Tulane Tech services and they said if you buy through them you get a $200 discount for a Mac. We asked for an official quote and will let you all know if it’s true!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the information everyone. Jozuko, will I see you tomorrow or Monday? We are going in tomorrow for Monday’s orientation since there are no direct flights. Anyone else going for orientation Monday?</p>
<p>Apple always gives student discounts so I don’t think that’s special to Tulane. ;)</p>
<p>Have fun, everyone going to Orientation! We loved it. My son is COMPLETELY PSYCHED now. His favorite thing? “The people”. It doesn’t get better than that.</p>
<p>Report from orientation… Well I am back in my hotel room after day 1 of orientation and let me say that it was a long but great day. So much information was provided that it was almost too much to process. I’m sure that I won’t remember a fraction of it. But, I have to say that they really try to make the parents feel involved and informed. DS and I arrived on campus around 11am (too early -should not have come before 12) We checked in, dropped his stuff off at the dorm and then walked around camps. We then browsed the bookstore, ate lunch and hung out in the LBC. The session for students and parent was from 1:30-2:30. Then the kids left in small groups with their orientation leaders. From 2:30-5:30 there was a series of presenters. All good information, but it was a bit too much. A special thank you to Oliver’s hubby who went out and bought us yummy cookies! At 5:30 we met up with the kids and had the option of going over to see some dorm rooms. Then it was on to Bruff for dinner. Some kids ate with their parents but many ate with just kids. At dinner there were a few more presenters about the meal plans (must admit that i stopped listening at this point (Way too much info!) After dinner the kids left us again to go bowling and I’m not sure what else. A parent reception at the alumni house followed. There was wine and more food and more mingling. Busses back to area hotels were provided which was very nice and convenient.
The best part of this experience so far was meeting so many parents, especially some of my CC friends! My older son went to Colgate University in upstate NY. In the four years he was there I met very few parents. Tulane already feels like a family. People are very friendly. I’ve barely seen DS today and I don’t think that I will see him until the end of the day tomorrow. Hopefully he’s having a great experience too. </p>
<p>Btw, the Hampton inn on st Charles is very nice. Great location too.</p>
<p>We attended the same session as jozuko. I enjoyed meeting some of the parents, especially at the nice cocktail reception tonight, I thought there was almost too much catering to parents. I mean, this is, after all, about the incoming students. Maybe it’s just too late . . .</p>
<p>I might be off base on this theory, but maybe the extra catering to parents is because of the New Orleans location. Here is what I mean.</p>
<p>Essentially there are three major factors with Tulane being located in New Orleans: A) For the majority of Tulane families it creates a lot of miles between parents and student; B) As any of you that read this forum regularly know, there is a lot of concern, and largely misinformation, about New Orleans’ crime and its impact on Tulane; C) After Katrina, there was tremendous anxiety and trepidation on the part of parents (mostly) about being in New Orleans. These are facts, not speculation.</p>
<p>What is speculation is whether the extra attention on parents is a result of these factors and therefore this is Tulane’s effort to address them. Or maybe it was always this way, or maybe it is just New Orleans hospitality. Just a thought. I really don’t know what similar schools such as WUSTL, Vandy, etc. do.</p>
<p>I had a conversation with Vincent, Tulane Director of Public Service, about this last night while at the parent reception. He explained that Tulane feels if the parents have unanswered questions and concerns it creates anxiousness with the student. The goal is to foster an easier student transition.<br>
I also thought the presentations were long (due to parent questions), the Bruff presentation was ineffective (most had stopped listening by that point), and the reception was nice.</p>
<p>Thanks, FC. Reasonable explanation. My son and I did campus tours at a number of school, and the more urban locations did emphasize campus safety, but in a more summary fashion. In contrast, since I’m at orientation, and thus my son is committed to Tulane, it is logical for the university to devote more time to this crucial issue, for the reasons you cite. I’ll bet orientation at the U of Chicago, Fordham, Boston U, etc. have a similar focus for the same reason.</p>
<p>Great info you guys - can’t wait to hear about day 2 jozuko! Hubby + S leave tomorrow for orientation thurs. + fri!!! Prom, senior class trip and now NOLA - not a bad week for my S!!!</p>
<p>Did anyone have a kid who decided on a roommate at orientation? If not, is it just a random placement by housing - any questionnaires the kids fill out?</p>
<p>Has anyone heard about NOLA experience yet? I know we were told “by” the 19th but thought it might come out earlier.</p>
<p>Basically two ways to get a roommate. The first is the random assignment, of course. The second is to fill out the housing form they provide, I think right after Orientation ends. On here the student gets to designate their first two choices of dorms, and a roommate preference. They have several ways of meeting a roommate: Orientation, Facebook, Roommate Click (a program I am assuming Tulane still uses specifically designed to match interests and lifestyles such as morning person/night person, neat vs. messy, etc. and get them talking based on that), or someone they already know from their local area or otherwise. Once they decide they want to room together, they just need to make sure they designate the same dorms as choices #1 and #2, and name the other as their roommate choice on the form.</p>