<p>I can't be the only parent that is wondering what will happen if our kids can't go back....</p>
<p>Prior to S applying to Tulane we did our research and read about the displacement of students during Katrina. I remember reading that it was very chaotic at first, but the students eventually were sent to one of 492 Universities that took them in. </p>
<p>I'm sure that IF it happens this time around the financial implications will be straightened out sooner (ie I remember reading that there was initially issues with how tuition would be paid). </p>
<p>I do have some questions for the parents and students who dealt with the displacement 3 years ago.</p>
<p>How was the decision about what school your child would attend handled?? Did Tulane pick the school, or did they give you options??</p>
<p>What was the impact of starting classes after the rest of the student body??
How was housing handled (were students tripled?? did they live off campus?? etc)</p>
<p>Finally, I know that Tulane accepted the credits, but were the grades calculated into their Tulane GPA??</p>
<p>I'm sure that by this time next week our kids will be back in their dorms at Tulane with life going on as usual, but as a parent I still have these questions in the back of my mind... Thanks in advance for responses.</p>
<p>jjcddg (or anyone else for that matter) i did go through this 3 years ago (daughter at Loyola and her boyfriend at Tulane) If you have any questions on specifics, PM me. Im not sure if things will be handled the same way this time, but I might be able to give you some ideas.</p>
<p>Each student handled their own placement. Many attended school on their home city, others picked up and attended a school they either applied to and were accepted or picked a school out of the blue. My son came home and attended a local LAC. Of all the students we talked to, our local LAC was difficult to deal with. It took 2 weeks before they would admit my son, which was a week after classes started. </p>
<p>My son lived at home, so housing was not a problem. Most of his friends that went to schools not in their home city rented apartments. I know this is different as my son was a senior so his friends didn't live in dorms anymore at Tulane and didn't want to go back to that kind of living arrangement.</p>
<p>None of the kids had a problem adjusting to classes. If classes were already in session, all professors were more than willing to work with the students. Again, these were seniors so I know a freshman might not react the same way. </p>
<p>Credits earned during Katrina were only giving transfer credit. The students received the hours but not the grades. My son took one class pass/fail before knowing how the credits would work. I am sure Tulane not has in print how credits will transfer, but at the time of Katrina it was unknown. My sons biggest problem was finding the courses he needed to graduate. He was a Neuroscience major and had a required course that wasn't offered here. He couldn't get in touch with his advisor, so he took the closes course he could. Tulane at first wasn't going to accept the course, but he was able to change their minds!</p>
<p>I am sure Tulane will keep you informed as the days go on, but hopefully you will have nothing to worry about. Look at this a an unexpected school holiday; my son's class had two evacuations before Katrina so we have been there.</p>
<p>S was a Katrina freshman who ended up attending his state flagship university. However, he had already been accepted there so the "transition" was easier administratively than for other students. </p>
<p>The students have to find their own options. One thing that really bothered me was that we still had to pay full Tulane tuition, no matter what college your student ended up attending. Whether your kid went to a community college or attended an Ivy, you still paid Tulane tuition.</p>
<p>In our case, even though he was eligible and received a state HOPE scholarship, we still also paid Tulane too. Knowing what I know now, if he needs to do this again, I would encourage him to attend a school that is comparable in tuition. At least I'd feel better about the expenditures. I had a hard time mentally letting go of the fact that we paid for Tulane but got something much less. </p>
<p>The national affiliation of colleges and universities (can't recall the name) basically made a deal with Tulane to take their students. However not all schools participated. It would be a good idea to at least be thinking about potential options. But I wouldn't think universities will be willing to seriously discuss taking these kids until it's certain that Tulane students won't be able to return.</p>
<p>I will say that most universities made it as easy as possible for the Katrina kids to attend. Some schools seemed much more "difficult" to work with, as mentioned above. S heard about some problems other kids had, but most people he knew were able to find a school. It was hard for S because the college he attended had already been in session 3 weeks. Another thing I'd try to look at is schools that just started or will soon, rather than ones that commenced weeks ago.</p>
<p>Housing issues varied widely....S was placed into a freshman dorm at his very large school. But other friends of his ended up in a variety of situations depending on the school, from triples to apartments.
The poster above covered issues of credit transfer and GPA.</p>
<p>Class choice was much less an issue for S than it will be this time as he is a senior now. I can't tell you how much I'm hoping that they will all be headed back to campus soon.</p>