Experience So Far

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
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Try to separate your constructive suggestions for Jeremy from your need to protect your investment in Tulane's reputation and/or ranking.

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<p>That's ridiculous Mark. Most of our children were admitted to numerous wonderful univerisities, many requiring a significantly lower "investment." We endorsed our children's choice because they felt most "at home" at Tulane. I can assure you that I wasn't concerned with ranking or reputation at that time and I'm certainly not concerned now. I'm just thrilled that my daughter is estatically happy -- that's all I ever wanted. Are you a parent? If not, hopefully you'll understand that objective someday when you're sending your children off to school (or, then again, maybe you'll be one of those persons who is obsessed with rankings -- but, for your sake, and for the sake of your future children, I hope not. :))</p>

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<p>Quote:
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>lewmin, my boy beach is giving this board a more releastic representation of what tulane is really like by means of giving the board more balance. there are a lot of people like this at tulane. if a few weeks jb you will start to realize this and probably will find yourself in a group that goes against the grain at tulane and the prevalent obnoxiousness that encapsulates it. your complaints really could be describing any college in the country. i think college freshmen react to the whole stress of the new situation by acting in the way you described. all of this isn't unique to the place of tulane, although i'm sure the new orleans atmosphere doesn't help and probably only underscores your perception.</p>

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<p>armcp - agree, agree, agree.</p>

<p>This board does need some balance. At the same time, I don't want anyone who could be really happy at Tulane to get scared away.</p>

<p>JB, here's my story fwiw (and btw, one of my Ds goes to Pitt, so I know a little about where you're from). </p>

<p>First, I took my S to visit Tulane last spring. He's now a senior. My impression was that the school was basically the same place it was when I went there in the 70's. Same type of kid, social life, vibes, etc. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy; I love the place! I have two cousins who went there the same time I did. They are passionate about Tulane.</p>

<p>BUT... my life at Tulane and my cousins' were sooooo different. I was a total Greek socialite. The entire scene. My H teases me I should watch this new show Greek to relive my youth (he is anti frat). My cousins were both ROTC, one went on to the Navy, the other the Marines. The Marines' W was also Tulane ROTC, and became a lady Marine. She was a gdi scholarship girl. My crowd certainly would have looked down on my cousins. They were NOT my friends' "people". But you know what? We were ALL HAPPY. </p>

<p>Try to find you niche and maybe you can be happy too. If the drink every nite crowd is not for you, then stop hanging out with them. If you like music, try to get a job with the radio station (they do still have one?), go work on the newspaper, find out what ec's there are at the music school. Do what you love and the friends will follow.</p>

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<p>more fwiw -</p>

<p>in addition to ROTC acting like its own frat for my cousins, a good friend of mine was in the marching band at his state u (a big greek dominated football school), and the band functioned like a frat for him. A different friend's S is at that same school now doing the same thing - hannging out with all the band nerds instead of the frat boys. A girl from my Ds' hs who pretty much didn't fit in at the hs has gone to state u and become highly involved with the campus newspaper and the literary journal. She hangs out with all writer nerds. Then there's the music/radio people. Etc., get the drift?</p>

<p>I am NOT saying you're a nerd. My point is (and I do have one) that every campus, including Tulane has a variety of groups and niches, and sometimes they are activity based or related. If you pursue those activities that mean the most to you (how you love spending your time, forget the social consequences), that is where you are most likely to find people like minded with yourself. ie, friends, the real kind.</p>

<p>Be a joiner; be a doer. The friendships will happen. Be patient and give it time. The activities you love will fill the gap in the meantime. Good luck to you!</p>

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<p>yo sorry hear the bad news. Two of my best friends are freshman at Tulane and both do not drink and they say that they are enjoying thier first couple weeks. My suggestion is to get invovled in some clubs and network. Usually if you meet drinkers and meet thier friends and then meet their friends then you can usually find some other cool people to hang out with who do not drink.</p>

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<p>As a current senior, I can definitely tell you that you are jumping the gun a little bit Jeremy. Did you sign up for any clubs at the Activities Expo? Get involved with something, and you'll definitely connect with some great people. I wouldn't trade my experience here at Tulane for anywhere else, but I can understand the freshmen jitters. Give it a little bit, branch out, and you'll probably love Tulane in a little bit.</p>

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<p>Wow. I've been out of the country and so just saw this thread. I'd respond with some info about the high contrast with my son's experience, especially in terms of academics (he's now a TRIPLE major with his eye on graduate school), but I've given that info on other threads, I believe some of it to you, JB. You really do make much of your own experience. If you don't have enough to do , there's plenty to add to the experience, including work. Good luck.</p>

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<p>JeremyBeach's view on the people at Tulane is fairly accurate in my opinion (and don't accuse me of having Freshman jitters...I'm a junior). Before going to a school make sure you'd be happy there even if your social life sucks. I'm not much of a partyer and don't really have a social life Fri. and Sat. nights unless I feel like drinking or babysitting my friends (hence why I'm on here), but I still know Tulane was the best choice for me. The Public Health program is gonna get me where I want to go in life, and I already have a great career-related workstudy job, am volunteering in a lab, am involved in meaningful extracurriculars, and have met some good faculty members. Just something to think about for future freshmen.
That being said, I've found the people in classes to be really friendly. The professors have been pretty laid back and approachable (maybe I just got lucky), and I feel like I'm actually learning in my classes. The partying thing will be everywhere, so for non-partyers, you just gotta find something else that will get you through those 4 years (academics, sports, etc). And no, not every school is gonna have that "something" for everyone, in which case transferring would be the perfect decision.</p>

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<p>Jeremy,</p>

<p>It is really comforting to hear a fellow student with the exact same views. I am having a fairly horrible time here. To be honest, I have already filled out a couple transfer applications. I can hardly imagine staying a semester. I truly had a different opinion of Tulane when I came to visit and it was extremely incorrect. I, too, agree that classes are way too easy and I would love to be challenged more. My advisor is HORRIBLE so I am confused as to what I need to be doing, etc.
Anyways, just wanted to let you know that you are certainly not the only one. Best of luck!</p>

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<p>yeah my advisor is an old very confused lady who doesn't quite know the meaning of the word "credit." HAHA. oh well. i guess i have to be my own advisor soon.</p>

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<p>I'm not sure I talked to my advisor more than once in my college career (and I never even met with my advisor in high school). I read the catalogue, figured out what courses I needed to take, and then registered for them. And managed to graduate with two degrees.</p>

<p>One of the purposes of college is to help you learn to function on your own - but that requires that you make some decisions and then take some actions. </p>

<p>If the school is not working out - it happens - then make a decision and get out. Or make a decision to go out and meet some people. Or get involved in something. </p>

<p>But if you sit in your dorm room and be the victim, then it really doesn't matter where you are - you will be unhappy anywhere.</p>

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<p>Gosh, I really wish it were that easy. I guess there would be no need for advisors if every student were expected to learn everything about enrolling for classes in the school catalogue. Unfortunately, I have some questions that my advisor has yet to answer because she is never in her office during "drop-in hours" and my attempts to make an appointment have failed. Also, there doesn't seem to be any info on transferring in the course catalogue. </p>

<p>I don't know about Jeremy, but, for me, this school is not working out. I wish it were with all my heart because I KNOW transferring will be a pain, but I am ok with transferring. There is a reason I enrolled in Tulane but I am completely unsure what that reason is. </p>

<p>Tulane is great in some of its aspects. The different activities they offer are great and the level of diversity is something that I have never experienced elsewhere. However, the people here are, to put it lightly, horrible. Not all people, I have met some very nice people, but the majority. </p>

<p>I, also, am not a fan of New Orleans. I don't really like the city and have recently realized that it is not for me. </p>

<p>I feel like when I visited Tulane, I was basically brain-washed into thinking what a great school it is and how academically challenging it is, how friendly the people are, etc. and I (along with others I have spoken to) feel lied to. </p>

<p>I think that Tulane is for a very specific type of person. I also believe that you either love it or hate it. And, unfortunately, I am one of those that hate it. I am sure I will be happier wherever I decide to transfer to and I am perfectly content with that decision. I certainly do not feel like a victim, just an unhappy, but optimistic college student.</p>

<p>Also, Tulane is such a party school and, for various personal reasons, I do not drink. If you don't drink here, you are basically considered anti-social. I realize that I am in a city where alcohol is part of the culture, but I was told when I applied that tons of people at Tulane didn't party. And while this may be true of upperclassman, I have found very few freshman who don't like to drink. It seems the view of people here, as stated earlier I think, is work none, play hard. I am in awe at the amount of alcohol that is consumed on the weekdays, let alone the weekends. I also realize that this is the first time that some kids have been away from their parents, etc. but we are closing in on a month of being here and the partying has not slowed down. I would even venture to say that it has become more intense, especially on the weekends. </p>

<p>All this to say that Tulane is a good school. If it is for you, more power to you, but it's not for me. I wish all those the best of luck who decide to stay at Tulane.</p>

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<p>What's interesting to me is that the type of person you two say you are (needful of academic challenges, not heavy drinkers, etc) is largely the type my son is, and he's been very happy and productive at Tulane all along. I guess the first semester doesn't count since he had to spend it at Cornell, and that was really hard for him since he wasn't where he wanted to be. Maybe he would have been unhappy if he'd had it easier. I don't know, but he works two jobs and has three majors and doesn't seem to ever gave had time to be as unhappy as you are already. (And he certainly wasn't brainwashed--he was washed away at first--got back whatever way he could and most certainly not to participate in a work-free life!) I hope you find that your expectations can be met more nearly elsewhere, but I echo the idea expressed elsewhere here that talking to a counselor where you are would be a fine first step toward a more productive, happy experience wherever you end up.</p>

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<p>Ok, I apologize if I offend anyone, but I really feel the need to chime in here...mostly due to the shenanigans going on in the Fordham forum.</p>

<p>To the parents:</p>

<p>It really isn't your place to attack and put down a student simply because you don't agree with how they are feeling about their college experience - Quotes like this come to mind:</p>

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<p>If you're offering advice about where to go to get involved, or who to talk to to talk things out with, then that's totally appropriate. But when a lot of parents with NO current, firsthand, experience basically say "Your experience is wrong because my kid loves it", then you aren't contributing anything positive to help Jeremy out.</p>

<p>By the way, unless your kid is really unhappy or really honest, you will not hear about all the ups and downs that come with being at their current school. I certainly didn't tell my parents about all the times i've felt all alone, annoyed by the kids on my floor, how much I drank/partied/slept around, or the time I played dodgeball until 3am while drunk last tuesday. When Mommy calls and asks how I am doing, I simply reply "I'm doing fine, and i'm studying"; i tell her what I know she wants to hear.</p>

<p>I don't want to single out people in this thread, but really - some overzealous parents are really out of line to post here with the sole purpose of wagging their finger at Jeremy. On the other hand, I do applaud those who've posted constructive comments - the first semester of college, or even being at a new school are really trying on oneself. </p>

<p>For Example: I didn't make my first real friends whom I really treasure up until this day, until my third year of high school. It's easy to be frustrated by all the fake, obnoxious people who are the first ones to make themselves known - the real folks will work their way out of the woodwork soon...hopefully.</p>

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<p>Thank you for letting us know our place.</p>

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<p>I'll try to know and remain in my place. </p>

<p>My son is a senior at Tulane who had to deal with the partyers as a non-partying freshman. He's now a senior who's had a great college experience and stil is not a drinker. He has many friends, challenging classes, involved with a lot of activities, and says New Orleans is a great place to go to college. </p>

<p>I hope I stayed in my place.</p>

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<p>"It really isn't your place to attack and put down a student simply because you don't agree with how they are feeling about their college experience"</p>

<p>From a parent's perspective, I don't see anyone attacking JB - some are pointing out different experiences of their children and some are giving advice - but don't confuse direct and straightforward advice with attacks. If you read closely, you'll find that the parents giving advice are pretty much responding as if it were their own child who were dealing with these issues... Most of us were college students once, and while you may find it hard to imagine, most of us had to deal with similar challenges. But the advice many of us got was probably pretty much the same as we're giving: either do something different or move on, but don't sit there and mope...remember, doing the same thing and expecting different results is a pretty good working definition of insanity... </p>

<p>Finally, in the interests of balance, keep in mind the incoming class this year was 1375. So, unless the the entire class is thinking of transferring, hearing from a couple parents whose children are thriving is hardly showing lack of realism... </p>

<p>That said, I'd also be surprised if JB and samdub were the only two on campus dealing with these issues...a number will transfer out. I'd be further surprised if there weren't kids dealing with exactly these issues at any other college in the country...some 200 transferred in.</p>

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<p>I think that no matter what school you are going to look at you are going to find people that love it or hate it. I'm sure there are freshman that feel the exact same way about their experience at every college campus. It's a huge life change and a big adjustment. </p>

<p>I remember freshman year of high school I knew about three people coming in and it took me until the second semester to make close friends. Now as a freshman at Tulane, I have found it easier to meet people because everyone is in the same boat (coming in not knowing anyone), unlike high school where groups were present even before I got there. In my experience thus far, everyone has been really open to meeting people and very friendly. </p>

<p>I would advise you to go out on your floor lounge and study or just watch T.V. and talk to the people out there. I have met a lot of my friends through just simply going out to the lounge and talking with people on my floor and meeting everyone. It's probably one of your best opportunities to meet people and get to know people on your floor.</p>

<p>I will agree that Tulane is a party school, but I think so far there has been a very skewed view of the party scene. The first two weeks a lot of people went out because almost every frat was having a party. This last week there were much fewer parties and I saw a lot fewer people out in comparison with the first two weekends. I think the balance between school and partying has already started to even out. </p>

<p>As for drinking during the week, a majority of the people I know go out one or two days tops during the school week if at all. There are those that go out three or four times, but they are in the minority by far. Again promoting the lounge, most of the people on my floor will finish up studying around ten and just relax and watch a movie in the common area. If you're not into drinking , I'd say that's one of your best bets for entertainment during the week. On the weekends, I know there is a huge music scene, as well as football games, and many student organizations. </p>

<p>I'd say just give it time. You will meet people. There's 1,400 people in this year's class. It might just take awhile to meet the ones you click with.</p>

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<p>Hi, </p>

<p>I hope none of you three took offense to what I said, it's just that the whole "parents ganging up" thing is happening a lot on CC nowadays. It's interesting that some of the more inflammatory posters haven't made more than one post in the thread...</p>

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<p>greg-star may have a point (to a degree). In reviewing my two posts on this thread, not one (I don't post that often in my 2 years on this site), I was perhaps a little too strong in one sentence in my dialogue.</p>

<p>Needless to say, viewing it from a parents point of view, I would be frustrated that I spent alot on admission, and my son/daughter was not having a good college experience based on lack of taking the power into one's on hands and being proactive.</p>

<p>But if you read my posts, I will stick with my original suggestions to at least do something before JB gives up - - join one of the many organizations, get involved, paint schoolhouses, go to the football games/volleyball games, get a job on campus, talk to a counselor. (I have not heard JB say that he is even attempting to do any of these things).</p>

<p>I don't think just attending class and going out drinking is a fullfiling college experience.</p>

<p>By the way, I did know someone who transferred out last year and one main complaint is that the classes were not challenging enough. She had a 3.3. GPA at Tulane. While that is impressive, I'd expect someone with that complaint would get a 4.0.</p>