How will I best fit in at Tulane?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
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<p>Hey everyone! I am choosing between Tulane, Occidental, and St. Andrews (Scotland). I feel as though Occidental may be nice the first year, but after a while the resources/school spirit may feel limited. So it's really between St. Andrews and Tulane haha two very different schools. But let's focus on Tulane:</p>

<p>I go to a new england boarding school so I have never been to a high school party (since I live at school). I'm outgoing and would probably go to parties if I went to a regular high school, but I am not a party animal. I imagine that in college, I will want to party and drink sometimes but definitely not all the time. I want to be able to party WHEN I WANT TO and not feel like I will be left out if I choose not to party. If I don't join a frat, will I feel left out to some extent? Is Tulane frat-dominated/ is it a big part of the culture? </p>

<p>As for dorms, I feel like I will probably want either Monroe or Sharp. It sounds like these are the most social dorms. I fear that the other dorms are less "cool". Anyways, I don't want to be in a dorm where I will feel lame for studying instead of partying at times. And I don't want to feel pressured into drugs or drinking when I don't want to (I am not into drugs at all). Will I fit in at Monroe or Sharp? I'm really into music, jazz especially, and I just want to be around chill, fun people, but I feel like I'd want to be in Sharp or Monroe for the experience. Can anyone offer any advice?</p>

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<p>Tulane is definitely not frat dominated. Less than a third of men join frats, a higher percentage of women join sororities. You can totally party as much or as little as you want and you will still have plenty of people to join you either way. One way to go about this is to join two or three clubs (or other activities) that attract different kinds of people. That way you make friends in both worlds and can balance your life.</p>

<p>No one will pressure you to do drugs. By that i mean of course you could run into a jerk that tries to push them on you, but the vast majority of people are cool with you saying no. Drug use happens at Tulane, of course, but you don’t have to do them to fit in or have fun.</p>

<p>Monroe and Sharp are certainly the most social, but everyone has to study. You won’t be seen as lame unless you are doing nothing but studying. The key to living in Sharp or Monroe and still doing well in school is self-discipline. As long as you can balance work and play, you will be fine. Besides, you can always go to the library to study, or there are tons of favorite quiet places on campus people go. Or on nice days you sit out on the quad or in Audubon Park. You don’t have to stay in your room to study.</p>

<p>College just isn’t like high school, even boarding schools. You are much freer and have more time to schedule yourself. So you aren’t being judged the same way as high schoolers tend to do, but you also have to schedule yourself wisely and make good choices.</p>

<p>This would be a good one for TulaneFreshman to weigh in on and say if he thinks I am basically correct or sees things differently. Or any other current student, of course.</p>

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<p>Hi Jazz1005,</p>

<p>Fallenchemist’s perspective is pretty spot on but I will try to add a little more information. To your first point that you went to a boarding school, and may not be “familiar” with the whole “party scene” - many people that I have met came from small private high schools, because of this many Tulane students have not experienced larger parties with crowds of people. Therefore, you are not alone in having not gone to a “crazy” hs party. Although Tulane has a reputation as a party school, students also have a work hard, play hard mentality (as cliche as that may sound). Of course you will always find the people that go out every night - if you want to party you can find a party - but if you want to stay in on a Friday/Saturday night to study, watch a movie, play some video games - no one will judge you. </p>

<p>As for fraternity life: (my perspective is limited on this as I have only been at school a few months) But I think Greek life is perfectly balanced at Tulane. Frats at Tulane have a presence on campus but not an overwhelming presence. Greeks are friends with non-greeks and vice versa. On the weekends you will always be able to find a fraternity throwing a party, and unlike some other schools, the parties are not usually exclusive - meaning anyone can get in. Although participating in Greek life is a great way to make friends and connections, if you do not think fraternity life is for you, your social life will not suffer by any means. </p>

<p>To your last point about being pressured into drugs and alcohol: I live in Monroe, a “social dorm” and I have honestly not seen any serious instances of peer pressure. With that being said, of course it goes on to some degree. This is college and people are just looking to have fun. If you walk into a party and someone hands you a beer, this shouldn’t be mistaken for peer pressure (and by a beer I mean root beer of course). If someone tries to pressure you into drugs/alcohol, then quiet honestly these are not people you want to be friends with. Any person that is able to get into Tulane has the mental capacity to say no to drugs/alcohol. Basically, if you do not want to drink no one will think any lesser of you. </p>

<p>Hope this helps! If you have any questions feel free to post or dm me
-TF</p>

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<p>Thanks for elaborating TF. You are a great resource.</p>

<p>Regarding frat life, a phrase I like to use is that at Tulane, Greek life is significant but not dominant. Kind of sums up what you and I were saying.</p>

<p>I don’t mean to put you on the spot, but if you had to guess, what percentage of Tulane students do you think use drugs that are considered “worse” than pot and alcohol? If you just can’t even hazard a guess that’s fine, but just thought I would throw that out there.</p>

<p>Hope you had a solid first semester and that you have a great winter break. Enjoy!</p>

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<p>Thanks, both of you. Your information really helps and I think Tulane University must really appreciate people like you who are always around to help prospective students!</p>

<p>As for the size…
Does it feel too big? Like does it feel like you are always introducing yourself to new people, and then never see them again. And then you see a new person and introduce yourself and then never see that person again? Is it hard to for a solid friend group, and is joining clubs the only way to do that?</p>

<p>Also, many colleges near cities say that their students go into the city all the time but I know for schools like Northwestern, that is not true at all. How easy is it to get into New Orleans, and do students explore the city a lot? Tulane Freshman: What are your favorite things to do at Tulane?</p>

<p>As for the food…
Are there enough dining options? And how good is the food? Is it normal for people to sit alone at the dining hall, or will I feel uncomfortable if none of my friends are at the dining hall? </p>

<p>Back to the dorm questions: Is it hard to get to know people in Monroe because it is so large? I am afraid that if I don’t go to Monroe or Sharp, it may be easier to get to know people in the smaller dorms, but I feel like they are the “less cool” dorms? And is the size of your Monroe dorm room ok? What is the true difference between Monroe and Sharp and why did you choose Monroe?</p>

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<p>Tulane does not feel too big, I think it is one of its greatest assets that it has the resources of a strong research university, but feels in size and atmosphere more like an LAC to undergrads. Not quite all the way to a small LAC of 1000 students or whatever, but it is very undergraduate oriented. A great balance. Also, the campus is fairly compact. If anything, Tulane probably wishes it had a bit more free space. Just so you don’t get the wrong idea from that, I don’t mean it is wall-to-wall buildings crushed up against each other. Quite the opposite, it has significant green space (plus Audubon Park across the street which almost like the world’s biggest college quad), and Tulane doesn’t want to change that atmosphere. My point is that you do see people in passing all the time. In fact, now that my D just finished up at Tulane for good last week, I was kind of going over with her people she had met along the way that I hadn’t heard anything about in a while. For example, her roommate freshman year was a math major and a competitive fencer. My D is a double humanities major and did several non-athletic activities. So they ran in completely different circles, but she told me she would cross paths with the ex-roomie several times a year and they would chat. I think that is quite typical.</p>

<p>Clubs are definitely not the only way to make friends. There is the dorm, classes (study groups), obviously frats if you go that direction, and chance meetings that develop into friendships. A lot depends on how outgoing you are, but even so you will meet people in various ways. Being into music/jazz should be a natural way to make some initial friends. You could maybe get involved with the school radio station WTUL.</p>

<p>Tulane is actually in New Orleans, albeit in a residential area about 4.5 miles from downtown. Northwestern, on the other hand, is in Evanston. Takes more of an effort there to get into the city. I suspect people stay Uptown near campus more than getting into the FQ, Bywater, etc., but these are easily accessible. With your interest in music you and your new friends may choose to frequent some of the clubs in these areas more than the typical student.</p>

<p>I will leave the food and dorm questions to TF, other than to say that of course you have incredible food options near campus. It’s New Orleans.</p>

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<p>Thanks! What dorm was your daughter in? To me, it sounds like to play it safe with a decent social life I should apply for monroe and sharp. Do people in monroe and sharp view people in wall and patterson and butler as weirder or less social? </p>

<p>Also, are football and basketball games big? Do you think it will become bigger with the new football stadium?</p>

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<p>I think it will become bigger with the new stadium, and I think the team is going to continue to improve. I think this is going to be a down year for basketball, but hopefully they will improve in the future as well. Attendance is OK, not great. The women’s team is quite good, I think.</p>

<p>My D was in Butler her first year, JL her second (single room), then she was in China for a year, and then lived off campus the last 3 semesters. I don’t think anyone cares where you live, there really isn’t that kind of judgement made. People may generalize on here about the dorms, but relationships are definitely not based on which dorm you are in. People hang our in other dorms all the time. So it isn’t like when you meet someone and say “I live in Butler” they immediately think you are anti-social and blow you off. It just isn’t cliquey that way. But are you more likely to meet people that are ready to head out and find a party if you live in Monroe or Sharp? Sure, on the whole.</p>

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<p>I’m a freshman at Tulane this year and I had the same concerns about the party scene that you did. I never partied in high school, but wasn’t opposed to it in college. But I still really wanted to do things other than party. Unfortunately, partying is the past time of choice at Tulane. With that being said, you shouldn’t feel pressure to party if you don’t want to. No one judges you for staying in to do work or simply just not wanting to go. Frats do dominate the social scene. They are where everyone goes every weekend, but they don’t really affect day to day campus life.</p>

<p>I live in Monroe and I love it. But I think the dorm situation is basically luck. I know a couple people who live in Sharp this year and from what they’ve said, the partying there is much more intense. I haven’t discovered any pressure to drink or do drugs. I drink much more here than I did in high school mostly because I find the frats intolerable if I’m sober. Drugs aren’t a huge part of the social scene here. Drugs weren’t too prevalent in my high school, so I was very surprised when everyone on my floor expressed that they enjoy smoking weed. It shocked me at first, but it’s really not a big deal. People who do drugs at Tulane smoke weed socially - with the same attitude they see alcohol. I still have not done drugs and I don’t care to.</p>

<p>There really isn’t any pressure I’ve found at Tulane. If you choose never to go out, never to drink, never to do drugs that’s your choice. Although partying and frats are pretty big at Tulane, I wouldn’t count Tulane out. I had your same fears and I’ve done pretty well here. My best advice to you is to make tons of friends from different places (dorm, classes, clubs, etc.). That way it’s much easier to find someone who wants to do something other than party one weekend.</p>

<p>If you any other questions, feel free to message me.</p>

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<p>FC: “what percentage of Tulane students do you think use drugs that are considered “worse” than pot and alcohol? If you just can’t even hazard a guess that’s fine, but just thought I would throw that out there.”</p>

<p>I think this would be a very low percent, maybe a little over 5%. (Of course this is an educated guess) But I rarely see drug use besides pot and alcohol. </p>

<p>As for food:There are definitely many dining options between the dining hall Bruff, Luff (Loyola’s cafeteria) Luff is better in my opinion, the LBC food court, Le Gourmet, etc. Additionally there are probably 50 restaurants walking distance between Freret, Maple and Oak. I am yet to have a bad meal. In terms of eating in the dining hall - its completely normal to eat alone between classes. However, as time goes on you will start to recognize faces and sit with people you know or go eat with a few people on your floor.</p>

<p>In response to your question about the size of Tulane, I think the size is great. You can get pretty much anywhere in 15 minutes. Tulane’s class size allows you to always meet new people and at the same time you will be walking to class and will run into people you know.</p>

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<p>LOLOL. I enjoy the different perceptions of different students. I’ve spoken with several current students and alumni who all said that drinking/frat parties is NOT a huge part of the social scene (unless you seek it out). They have all enjoyed many other varied activities and didn’t partake in that party scene. You’re social life is what you choose to make of it. As it is at ANY college.</p>

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<p>Maybe the first semester as students are still making friends and learning what is available, frat parties are more of a focus. As with so many things, once you are through the first semester this changes as you get far more comfortable with being on your own, getting around New Orleans, and developing a focus on what you like to do best in all areas. Of course these are generalizations, the specific reality is as different as there are people.</p>

<p>I think from reading your posts, jazz1005, you are wanting to know as much about each potential school as possible, and of course that is good. I would just be a little careful about over-analysis. Don’t be afraid of a little bit of the unknown, I would be quite surprised if you didn’t adapt just fine at Tulane or anywhere else, as long as that place had the basic things you are looking for. So if you are sure that being in a place that is freezing most of the school year just doesn’t suit you, then for sure that is a negative. Same for a place that is very rural. It can wear on you. But as far as these kinds of social interactions and traversing that landscape, dolphnlvr is right. That will be somewhat similar at any college. They all have epic parties. They all have some drug use. They all have segments that are much more academic, or artsy, or sports driven. You will no doubt navigate those waters just fine.</p>

<p>I am not trying to discourage you from asking questions by any means. Quite the opposite. I just don’t want you to be overly concerned about how you will “fit in”. Tulane students, like most but who knows maybe even a little more so, are really very open and welcoming. Trust me, most are as nervous about these things as you. Some are just better at hiding it.</p>

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<p>TF - Thanks for the opinion. I had the same 5% number in mind, actually. Of course it is not scientific, but it seems about right.</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone, for your honest answers. FC: You are right, there’s no need to over analyze because all colleges will be similar in some aspects. Would you agree with ilspc87 in saying that although it is not dominant, everyone seems to go to the frat scene for weekend events? ilspc87: Does it bother you that that is the scene? From what I’ve heard on CC, it sounds like although frats are big at Tulane, it sounds more like an OPTION rather than a NECESSITY. Which could actually be nice. I feel like I will want to go to parties, but I may not want to be committed to joining a frat–is that OK? </p>

<p>Also, I was considering applying to occidental, which is a small college but is sorta close to LA. Although I liked occcidental, i feel like after a while, it seems like the resources it has to offer would be limited–ie: less things to do. Which is why tulane sounds so great–theres so much to do.</p>

<p>I told my dad my feelings about Tulane and he is a huge fan of University of St. Andrews in scotland(another school I got into). He likes that it is a top university, but he mostly likes it because he feels like employers will say “well this kid really pushed himself and immersed himself in a new environment and that makes him special”. My dad feels that tulane, having a party reputation, won’t be bad for employers but that employers will say “ok, tulane is a good school but its a lot of fun, this kid (jazz1005) needs to PROVE to us that he is more than just a party kid at a good school”. Do you understand how my dad may feel that way?</p>

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<p>

I think that is probably a little overstated, but most likely he has made friends where that happens to be the case. I have met far too many people that say it isn’t that way, and a few others that see it as he does. Probably about 5:1 or so. What I will say, and maybe this is what he meant, that everyone that wants to go to parties on the weekends go to the frats. But I would still say that a very healthy percentage of Tulane students don’t “party”, in the sense being used here, on the weekends but choose other fun activities. Music clubs, sporting events, movies, video gaming all night, etc. Lots of choices. Frats are absolutely just an option and far from a necessity, both in terms of joining and in terms of having fun.</p>

<p>You seem very concerned about the small size of Occidental. Hey, that’s OK. LACs are not for everyone. You might as well apply and keep your options open, but I always tell people that this is one of the fundamental factors they should be choosing from. Location (urban vs. rural), Location (weather), school size, sports scene, Greek dominance, things like that. These are important and if Oxy is too small for you and a little too rural, then don’t agonize over it. You know what makes you comfortable, so go for that. We have the luxury in this country of thousands of colleges, several of which should fit the criteria for any given individual.</p>

<p>I do understand your Dad’s feeling on this, but he may know colleges more than the average person. Without even getting into whether I agree that St. Andrew’s is considered a “better” school than Tulane (I am not sure anyone can say what that even means), I can say that most employer’s here won’t know a thing about it. You could certainly spin it as immersing yourself in a new environment, but isn’t going to school in New Orleans also accomplishing that? The friend’s daughter I told you about earlier in the other thread has a very tough time finding work back here after going to St. Andrews. She had a much easier time finding work in London, even though the economy there was even worse. Then she went to law school, etc. On the whole, I have found that most people react very favorably when they hear “Tulane” and think (actually usually say) “that’s a very good school”. If you make good grades and can show some activity in community service, which you have to at Tulane but I mean maybe even a bit more, and do some decent summer work the party thing won’t even come up. Your resume will be too impressive.</p>

<p>In fact, that is a good way to look at it. Think about what you want your resume to say the day after you graduate from Tulane, then plan from the start to make that the reality. If you do that, you will be in great shape. I can tell you that my D just got “the call” for a very competitive summer posting with a high level govt. department, and they certainly didn’t seem to worry about Tulane being a party school. Neither have Harvard, Stanford, Johns Hopkins and several other high level grad schools she is trying to decide between for the fall. Tulane stands up very well in that regard if you can show you did the work and acted maturely in college. Everyone knows you will have some fun. I probably wouldn’t hire someone who didn’t. It’s all a matter of discipline and balance.</p>

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<p>Also another thing to consider is the opportunities for internships and practical experience. My older son went to college locally and decided to move to California after graduation with some friends. They all had a really really hard time finding jobs because they had no network in CA. They were competing with hundreds of thousands of recent (and not so recent) grads looking for the same position but lacked any contacts. Which plays into FC’s comments about the friends daughter having a hard time finding a job in the states after going to St. Andrews. I work in Career Services and finding jobs now is all about networking. Competition for jobs is FIERCE and less about WHERE you went to college than what you did while you were there. Not just your GPA and classes but co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. And also building that network of contacts that can help you get that foot in the door or recommend you or know people that are hiring. Just another thing to keep in mind.</p>

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<p>Does Tulane’s location in New Orleans make it harder to find jobs than other schools in say, Boston? Because New Orleans isn’t exactly silicon valley or boston and it’s not very close to any other cities. However, I have heard that Tulane has a strong alumni network in the northeast…</p>

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<p>Well…New Orleans is one of the fastest growing cities in America. There are opportunities in many fields. Check out this article from Forbes last year [A</a> Look Into America’s Fastest Growing City - Forbes](<a href=“http://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianalopez/2012/07/26/a-look-into-americas-fastest-growing-city/]A”>A Look Into America's Fastest Growing City)</p>

<p>I belong to a job search service through work and did a quick search of full time jobs available in NOLA and over 2500 came up that were posted through that site. Granted not all fields are prospering and if you want to work for a Big 4 Accounting firm or a high tech firm you will not find those kinds of opportunities. But Tulane does have a large and successful alumni network.</p>

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<p>Also these would be great questions to ask of the Tulane Career Services dept if you do a visit!</p>

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<p>And as for classes, are any of them discussion based? What is the average class size and how many lectures can I expect?</p>