Experience So Far

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
1

<p>I'm not sure how many other people on this board are feeling the same way, but in case you are, I have to post this (or want to, rather.) I find the classes not even remotely challenging here (maybe one out of my six are kinda frustrating.) Otherwise, I think that they are so much easier than high school classes. I think if I want to pay 49K for a school I'd rather have had better quality of professors (And i don't mean that in the least arrogant way i just think they're not even as good as high school teachers.)..(which weren't even good.)</p>

<p>Also, I feel like everytime I'm alone i want to just kind of roll up into a ball and cry. I think that's because SO MANY PEOPLE are fake here (And you don't realize it on move in day or a week later, but once you see the true heart of people here aside from the , "oh let's hang out!." and never do kind of attitude, you realize that this isn't the school for you...for me, rather...)
I feel like a lot of the "Friendships" i've made are not going to last, partly because most haven't actually.</p>

<p>Bonds form quickly, ("bonds",) and then die off. I've made very few close friends. and even they are unstable at times. i miss my old friends from home and cry so often thinking of them.</p>

<p>ok that was emo moment number one. otherwise, many peple will object to this. every school has drinking, yes we all know this! BUt, tulane has a huge issue with people going out every night and partying their BUTTS off, every single night. it's absolutely insane, and this can definitely be defined as a party school! i haven't met many people that don't drink (not to say i haven't, but the majoriyt ARE drinkers.)</p>

<p>Is anybody kind of getting the gist of what I'm saying? I'm confused as to why I'm here, maybe it's just a phase. Maybe i'm just going through a weird transition, and some people are feeling simiolar to this. BUt, I am definitely not handling things well. My mom is driving down in 2 weeks from Pittsburgh which is like 16 hours and i'm so excited i just want to tell her to take me back and never let me see the campus again.</p>

<p>see...It's weird when you visit a school (no, at the time it's definitely not.) You look at the school, the architecture, maybe the few people you meet, you see, you hear talking in the quad. THey're happy. Nothing's bad. Maybe visit a class, it seems great. Then you move in and it all seems like a put on. Everything changed. My perspective on EVERYTHING. Don't get me wrong, i love new orleans, but that in and of itself consists of mainly partying. and don't get me wrong, i love to go out dancing, but all the people i go with always end up turning me "the sober one" for help and needing me to drag their sorry a$$es back to campus in a cab or something. It's really embarassing</p>

<p>Maybe this honestly is just me in abad mood...but it'd be an awfully long bad mood if so :-. Does anybody have any input or is this just very abnormal?</p>

2

<p>Jeremy - I do not believe two weeks is anywhere near ample time to summarize your college experience.</p>

<p>First - tell your mom not to come in 2 weeks. You must have her worried to death and she has invested alot of time and money in this.. </p>

<p>In the meantime -
make an appointment with a counselor or advisor on campus and walk him/her through your issues. Have you done this yet?</p>

<p>next - get involved. Megapartying is not done by all or even the majority of students, clearly not on a daily basis. Did you paint school classrooms? Did you join Hillel? Are you active in any extracurricular activities - make this your social life. Did you go to the footballl game on Satuday? Get a job on campus - Reilly Center, etc. Then you will meet people who have other interests than getting hammered all the time.</p>

<p>Classes easy? Congratulate yourself so far. This may change very quickly. Wait until after your midterms. If they are so easy, you should be get 4.0 GPA this year. And you would be eligible for moving into the Honors Program -a little more challenging and involved.</p>

<p>Friends. You said you made a few close friends. That's great in 2 weeks. </p>

<p>Don't mope around. People will see you as a whiner and negative and won't want to hang around you. Stay positive. Blow off some steam by going for a workout or running/walking around Audobon Park. </p>

<p>Jeremy - why did 90% of the students return to Tulane after Katrina? Some went to Ivy League schools and other top 25 schools? I know many current students and graduates - all who are very pro-Tulane, and all had some issues - that's expected. I also know of a few who transfered but mostly because they were either homesick.</p>

<p>Take a deep breath, and go have a good time! (PS tell Mom not to come until homecoming week!)</p>

3

<p>haha she already booked the hotel. i mean i'm alright, i don't here, but it's not what i would have expected SO far. plus the major isn't necessarily that great here (music.)</p>

4

<p>i recommend you start doing drugs</p>

5

<p>HAHAHA . I don't want to, and that's the thing a lot of people do them here. I'm not bothered nearly as much as I would've initally figured, but it's disturbs me that peopel have nothing better to do. I'mnot saying i'm perfect, oh no, don't assume that, but it's just...isnt' there anything ELSE to do besides work not and play hard? i seriously think that's the schools motto lol...</p>

6

<p>Can any of the other current freshman and/or current freshman parents who have regularly posted on this site, comment on your (or your S' or D's) experience at Tulane so far, in terms of how challenging the classes are, the work hard/party hard atmosphere (how balanced it is or isn't) the friendliness of students, quality of professors, etc., or just your experiences in general? Thanks!</p>

7

<p>Hi ERPMom,</p>

<p>Classes are not challenging (I mean...yes, they are, but they're MUCh easier than AP.) Plus, there is so much more time to do work, so I haven't felt overwhelmed at all whatsoever. The party atmosphere is so prevalent here (That's why i don't lik eit that much.) EVERYBODY drinks here it's rediculous, and when i say everybody, i mean litereally E.V.E.R.Y.B.O.D.Y. It's almost embarassing. My motto ftor the school is "work n ot, party hard." People are really lazy here, not to say there aren't smart ones. A lot of people go tin here with below a 3, so it's not necessarily a completely intelligent student body. and seriously i am not condescending to them, but it's not even nearly as selective as they say. last year, they claimed to have admitted 38% of students, whenin fact they admitted literally 55%...I read it on another site. </p>

<p>So, it's a good school, but do let it be known that when you visit it's much different htan living here!</p>

8

<p>ERPMom -- My D is currently a freshman and she appears to be having a very different experience than Jeremybeach. She is mainly focused in the sciences and seems to be enjoying her classes and likes her professors. She certainly took many AP's at high school and granted not all classes are making her study for hours each night, which is fine with her and with me...
She is in the Honors program and is currently taking 3 courses from honors. She is a non-drinker and has also met other non-drinkers so I would say the statement that EVERYBODY drinks is an exaggeration. But, it maybe her perspective that is different. She has become involved in honor societies, intramural sports and community service events as best she can in the short 3 weeks she has been there. So far, I've heard very little in the way of drawbacks from her experiences.</p>

9

<p>My son graduated from Tulane 2 years ago. Yes, there are many students that drink; there are also many that don't. The freshman that are out drinking every night, might not be enrolled at Tulane in the Spring as their grades will drop! Most freshman are away from home for the first time and are doing all the things their parents kept them away from in high school. They will burn out soon or realize they are in over their heads. My son did drink, but he also realized he couldn't keep up with his work if he partied all the time. </p>

<p>You need to find activities to keep yourself busy. The gym is excellent at Tulane and there are many intramural sports available several afternoons a week. I am not familiar with the music program, but I am sure there are plenty of opportunity.</p>

<p>Next semester find some challenging course; ask around and see what courses or professors would met your needs. I know you can find what you are looking for, you just need to look deeper!</p>

10

<p>Thanks Hoverman. Anyone know anything about the Business Program at Tulane? For example, are the courses challenging, do they have to work hard ( like science), etc? Any other feedback would be great!</p>

11

<p>Whoa, my first visit to the Tulane thread and I run into this! </p>

<p>I've got more research to do but I think many prospective parent/student's don't need too much to discourage them from attending Tulane. I'm hoping to find some positive things going on that may change my mind. </p>

<p>Then I find this from the President's letter:</p>

<p>" • We will take advantage of the extraordinary opportunities in community-building resulting from Hurricane Katrina by requiring all students entering in Fall '06 and after to participate in community-service work and help to rebuild the city of New Orleans, prior to graduation. "</p>

<p>I don't know. My church sent a group down shortly after Katrina and again in the summer of 06 sent the youth down to do more work. I'm looking for a university that is going to stretch my student but I don't think re-building New Orleans is one of them. </p>

<p>Seems the safer thing to do is just quietly move on to explore other college choices (that way no one is going to get their feelings hurt) and I suspect that is what many prospective HS students are doing.</p>

12

<p>Oops sorry - I meant Hovermom in my previous post!</p>

13

<p>Cressida, </p>

<p>Hi there. I definitely agree with you. New Orleans is also highly unsafe (for all of you out there that are willing to argue that every city is unsafe, oh boy are you right!...But new orleans EVERYWHERE is unsafe past like 8 at night. IT's bad. they arleady have curfews up for kids not to be out past 8. what other city in the us has that?)</p>

<p>I think that rebuilding the city is a nice task, but i'd rather it be highly recommended than required to graduate.</p>

14

<p>yeah, i definitely think you should give it more time. college is something you're just thrown into and it may take weeks, even months, to fully adjust to it. just make the best out of the situation. i understnad how you feel!</p>

<p>i'm thinking about transferring to tulane in the spring and studying music as a minor. i've played the violin for 11 years, so i take orchestra very seriously. from what i see, the music program isn't very strong.. i just don't think the fine arts are a priority compared to the other majors. i'm debating about going to rice because they have the major i want (architecture) and a really strong music program.</p>

<p>hang in there buddy</p>

15

<p>
[quote]
But new orleans EVERYWHERE is unsafe past like 8 at night. IT's bad.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>jeremybeach -- I'm really sorry if your first few weeks are not going as well as you had hoped, but I think you might be seriously overreacting to a normal case of freshman jitters. You're not alone -- lots and lots of kids, all over the country, go through the same feelings. But, you're doing a serious disservice to the school to post generalizations such as the above, or to state that all classes are easy, etc. Those of us with happy students at Tulane know that your comments are patently untrue, but how about those who are just now exploring college options? Do you think it's fair to post in this manner just because you're unhappy? </p>

<p>My daughter (a sophomore) had to fly back to school a couple of days late this year, with just a couple of suitcases. I drove her "stuff" to the campus this weekend. She was soooooooooo happy to be back. I can't count how many times she said, with a huge smile on her face, "I love this town," or "I love this school" as we walked around this weekend. As a parent, that's all you can really ask for! And, I couldn't be happier with the quality of her education, her interaction with professors, etc. I'm really sorry if your experience isn't what you hoped for, and sincerely hope you'll be happy soon.</p>

16

<p>Jeremy - it is important that you vent your issues with a counselor on campus. You are polluting the board with all negative thoughts. </p>

<p>I would ask any parent considering sending their kids to Tulane to visit the campus and stop and ask the students what their feelings are. Believe me, you will get a very different perspective than Jeremy. </p>

<p>Also, I wouldn't categorize the student/faculty atmosphere and admissions criteria as not that good. I do believe that the majority of students you are looking down on are very bright and most came in with SAT's much higher than yours. </p>

<p>Why shouldn't volunteer service be a requirement? You knew that when you came in, now you are knocking it.</p>

<p>When you wake up each day, think about something that you are going to do to make your college experience fruitful. I included a list for you on the previous post. A start would be to make an appointment with a counslor, paint a schoolroom this weekend, and cancel your mom's visit in two weeks. YOU CAN DO IT!</p>

17

<p>As the parent of a current HS Senior, I've been following the posts on this board, and I can echo jersey44 regarding the original post - as I read it, I felt like I had been hit in the face with ice cold water! Jeremybeach- I also sincerely hope that this is just a case of freshman jitters and that things will improve for you as you settle into college life. I'm anxious to hear from other freshmen, as to your experiences. We have visited many colleges over the past 18 months and S has sat in on many classes. He's considering 10-15 schools, running the gamut from Yale and Cornell to Tulane, WashU,. Vandy, Lehigh, American, GW. He found Tulane to be warm and welcoming and felt most comfortable there, than anywhere else. He was welcomed by the professors whose classes he attended, and although most students were indifferent towards him (didn't expect anything other than that), some went out of their way to welcome him. Walking around campus after the tour, we found students to be very friendly and helpful as we stood staring at the map of campus - something we didn't find on many other campuses. We also felt quite safe at Tulane - similar to being at Vandy and not realizing the city is just outside the gate.
As the parent of "a high achieving student who is definitely not a nerd, and wants to learn, but also wants a social life - (which may include drinking, eating, music, community service, clubs. etc) I'm concerned about Jeremybeach's post - $50K per year (or less with scholarship) is a lot to spend on classes less challenging than HS, in an atmosphere of "work not play hard" with an 8 PM curfew. This is quite a different picture than those painted by the student bloggers on Tulane's admissions website. Where does the truth lay, or is it truly somewhere in the middle?</p>

18

<p>Jeremy-</p>

<p>Thank you for posting your comments. If I read what you wrote correctly, you would benefit from having a more meaningful and less superficial experience, and, in particular, from the chance to develop a less superficial relationship with other students at Tulane. Your experience is very normal for first year college students. Because of Katrina and its aftermath, Tulane's location offers a unique opportunity to add meaning to your academic experience by getting involved in volunteer efforts to help New Orleans recover. In particular, if you have not done so already, I suggest that you contact Tulane-based student groups who are involved with post-Katrina work in the community. This could provide an opportunity to connect with other Tulane students in a more meaningful way as well. I think that you owe it to yourself to investigate whether you can improve your experience at Tulane before giving up on the university.</p>

19

<p>To the parents who have responded to Jeremy-</p>

<p>Try to separate your constructive suggestions for Jeremy from your need to protect your investment in Tulane's reputation and/or ranking. I am sure that the Tulane admissions office is perfectly capable of doing it's job.</p>

20

<p>Makr - considering how few Tulane students actually post to this site - I believe there is a difference between "protecting my investment" in Tulane versus countering the hysteria of one unhappy freshman.</p>

<p>I have sent 2 sons to Tulane. I have heard nothing but positive, enthusiastic comments from them and their friends. My older sons' friends have graduated and have gone on to wonderful jobs in business, teaching, excellent medical schools and law schools. One is a Rhodes scholar. They all enjoyed a good time but found their classes challenging and rewarding and learned very quickly how to manage their free time with their study time. The first few weeks of Freshman year in the Freshman dorms is probably different from the remainder of their college experiences.</p>

<p>To Jeremy, I urge you to talk to someone on campus and see if you can find your niche.</p>