<p>Hey everyone. I just got back from my destination tulane visit and i'm definitely going next year... very, very excited.</p>
<p>I have a few questions about the dorms that I forgot to ask the other day:</p>
<p>First is about Wall. I am interested in living in Wall next year, but I don't want to rule out Sharp or Monroe. If I apply to Wall and get accepted, is that binding? Or do I still have a chance to live in Sharp or Monroe.</p>
<p>Second: (kind of stupid question) do the dorms have key cards or old fashioned keys?</p>
<p>No stupid questions, lol. I think the older dorms still have regular keys for the rooms themselves, but cards for getting in the building. At least Butler is that way. No idea if the newer dorms use cards for all doors, but someone will surely pipe in here.</p>
<p>As far as Wall, it is popular enough that I suppose if you changed your mind something could be worked out. But what would change your mind that you cannot find out before housing applications are due? If they assign you to Wall and a roommate, it could be messy to change your mind. Since Wall requires an application, I suggest you just give it as much thought as possible before you tell them your first choice and then stick with it. Of course Wall could be your first choice and you might not get it anyway, as you basically state.</p>
<p>Congrats on coming to Tulane! I am sure you feel great having that major decision over with.</p>
<p>The students are all getting new ID cards with updated microchips in them in these upcoming weeks. Have to wonder if maybe they’ll be changing the dorm rooms to cardkey access. Dont know – jsut guessing.</p>
<p>The way Wall works is you can apply and then should you get accepted you are asked to confirm whether or not you intend to live in Wall. So my advice to you is to apply and then decide later. You don’t want to regret not applying to Wall later on… and as a student who lives in Wall I cannot tell you how many times I have been told by other students that they wished they had applied to Wall. Good Luck!</p>
<p>thanks that really helps. Do you ever regret not being part of the Monroe/Sharp scene though? I like the feel of the Wall activist community, but I don’t want to miss out on the “real” freshmen dorm experience</p>
<p>I have the same question that murphy2048 has in regards to potentially missing out on the sharp/monroe scene! I have a friend of mine applying for monroe, but I am looking into wall. I am a very serious student and grades are very important for me, but like murphy, I don’t want to miss out on the ‘freshman experience’.</p>
<p>I’m a current freshman living in Wall and I PROMISE you will not miss out on the Sharp/Monroe scene if you live in Wall. I have friends in every dorm, so you’re not restricted to only your dorm’s “scene”. Personally, I think Wall has added to my freshman experience.
For some more insights into Wall (I don’t have time right now to expand, but I’ll be back), scroll down a bit on this discussion page to see my roomie Catherine’s posts; I think they’ll be very helpful: [Questions</a> about Tulane! | Facebook](<a href=“Facebook”>Facebook)</p>
<p>I just want to point out that I believe living in Wall pretty much equates to the same experience as living in Monroe/Sharp… despite the bathroom situation. People are friendly and hang out in hallways and lounges too. Everyone on each floor makes friends with the others. They are socialized the same and in some ways are more social. Many have friends in other dorms as well, as said above. And it’s not like Wall students don’t do the same things that other freshman do, cause they completely do. And it’s definitely nice to be a freshman and know some upperclassmen to recommend classes and professors and help you with studying for harder classes. Wall really is a community. Sharp/Monroe is a community as well, but each are focused on other goals. In all honesty, if you are considering/interested in Wall it probably means that you will be a good fit. Most people who are drawn to Wall really like it. I hope that helps.</p>
<p>I completely agree with what Tigerlily has said about Wall. I lived there my freshman year, and I have to say that it was a really positive experience and I would encourage anyone interested to apply. Wall is not for everyone, but it is still worth your time to apply. You will NOT miss out on the Sharp/Monroe “scene” at all if you live in Wall.</p>
<p>Regarding your question about “keys” for Freshman dorms Sharp, Butler, JL, and Patterson all use the old-fashioned dorm keys. Only Monroe and Wall use the ID cards, and you have a 4-digit PIN you punch in. For upper-class dorms you use your ID cards except for Warren and Aron. I’m not sure about Leadership Village.</p>
<p>The following dorms use keycards: Wall, Monroe, Irby, Phelps, Aron, Willow, Leadership.
The following dorms use actual keys: Sharp, Patterson, Mayer, Warren, JL, Modular (RIP ) Butler
I think thats right… maybe one or two off. Housing plans to eventually phase out keys and move to a completely card operated system. </p>
<p>As to my suggestion as to where to live?: Sharp and Monroe. While the other dorms are slightly newer, fresher, cleaner… you will never experience TRUE collegedom like Sharp and Monroe.</p>
<p>Too often I see parents walk into Sharp/Monroe and say “Damn, looks the same as 1986, same paint”. </p>
<p>The noise is bearable and the comradery will be found in all dorms… but whereas in Wall your friend group is usually 5-15… Sharp and Monroe it will be 30-40. Go SHMO or go home.</p>
<p>The new Splash Cards will allow us to eat off campus using our Wave Bucks. That, for one, is quite awesome. </p>
<p>From my understanding, you will be able to enter buildings by flashing the card rather than swiping in. That will save students a few seconds every time they enter the dorm or buy something at the LBC.</p>
<p>Actually, iDebate, you won’t be able to use wavebucks off campus, you’ll be able to use a separate thing called NOLA bucks and so far they seem like a ripoff. in some meal plans you only get $25 to eat off campus…</p>
<p>I agree ellie. I was going through the new meal plans last night and some of them make no sense to me. Now I think you can add NOLA bucks to a plan that already has NOLA bucks from the start, but so what? You can just spend real money too. I guess there might be a small convenience factor, but that would be pretty small, as far as I can tell.</p>
<p>Of course there is already a thread about the new meal plans, and looking at the FB board there is going to be a Hullabaloo article about it. I am going to wait and see what it says, but as of this moment, I cannot for the life of me figure out how the Wavebucks 45/900 plan makes sense. Anyway, wrong thread for this topic. Let’s get back to it after the Hullabaloo article. Maybe they will have some fact we currently cannot see that makes it make sense.</p>
<p>The 45 is Bruff swipes and the 900 is wavebucks.</p>
<p>Also I believe the advantage is that using NOLA bucks removes taxes. This is why greenbucks make more sense than just normal cash as you spend the extra tax cash when you use your personal money.</p>
<p>NOLA Bucks would also give parents the convenience of giving Tulane money rather than their kids to prevent pointless spending (a la Boot store) in preference for food spending. Kind of defeats the purpose of sending your kid to college (to grow up!) but some families roll that way.</p>
<p>Hi JTulaneD - Yeah, I understand the 45 is Bruff meals. When you do the calculations (subtracting the 900 wavebucks from the total cost of the plan), it comes out to $23+ per meal at Bruff! Unless I am completely missing something, that makes absolutely no sense to me. That is what I am hoping will be cleared up by the article (or, God forbid, confirmed). NOLA bucks will be good at some local merchants as well, correct? In that case does it still remove taxes? But you are right, it does mean the student is only able to use the funds at select locations, unlike a debit card or cash.</p>
<p>I hate that the most NOLA bucks sophomores can have in their meal plan is 75. For students who are paying for room/board through loans and don’t want to be forced into paying exorbitant prices for Bruff meals and the like, there’s no alternative. I’d rather cook often for myself, and 75 NOLA$ is only worth about 2 trips to the grocery store at max.</p>
<p>I know, tigerlily. (This thread is devolving, lol). Can you confirm or dispel that once you buy a plan wth NOLA$ you can buy more? Even if true, I realize it isn’t a big deal since it is still spending more $$, and not at a discount.</p>
<p>This seems to be more of a curse of being a sophomore. Once you are a junior you don’t have to buy into a plan at all. Still sucks, but at least only one year. Again, unless I find out I am totally missing something, I really disagree with Tulane on this one.</p>
) Butler