<p>Im a current sophomore and CCer back from the grave who's here to share some thoughts concerning Tulane's reputation as a 'party school'. Im a little bit disheartened by the amount of emphasis prospective students are placing on the party scene at Tulane. If you come here solely because of it, you are going to be bored out of your skull by the end of your Freshman year. If partying isnt your thing and youre considering passing up Tulane up because of that, then Im worried youre not looking at the school close enough. </p>
<p>I recently spoke to a prospie who was concerned she would have difficulty making friends because she doesnt like to drink or go out and party. If I, the shyest person EVER, can find a great group of friends who are always a ton of fun without drinking (and who also share my affinity for all things quirky and bizarre), then Im confident that anyone else who comes here can do the same. Second yes, there are a lot of partiers. But theres a whole other world of students here and they run whole gamut. It sounds cliché, but I feel that theres a place at Tulane for everyone. If you like to party, then thats totally cool. But if youre a shut-in, athlete, nerd, hipster, weirdo, straight edge, circus freak, tree-hugger or a completely normal person then there is a place for you here too.</p>
<p>P.S. I realize this isnt how everyone sees Tulane. I wanted to throw my thoughts out there because its so weird for me to hear anyone worrying about coming here because they feel they wont fit in at a party school when I dont even really consider Tulane to be a party school. Again, there are probably A LOT of people who disagree. Just another perspective </p>
<p>My son was just accepted to Tulane back in October. We visited and he loved it. However, I was a little concerned when I saw the “no fire arms” allowed sign hanging on the fence by the basketball arena. In addition, I thought the dorms were in terrible shape, inside and out, along with the only dining hall on campus. Can you comment on these things please. My son loves the school and he received a 100k scholarship so I would love to love it too. But I’m on the fence.</p>
<p>The dorms are no palaces, but I would never say they’re in ‘terrible’ shape. They’re like literally every other college dorm I’ve been in. Same deal with Bruff. Pretty standard, though I guess some individual dorms are nicer than others. If you do happen to see something wrong with your room just fill out a service wave online and they come and fix the problem really easily.</p>
<p>I’m not sure why you’re concerned about the ‘no fire arms’ sign. It’s a sign you see at most colleges, stores and malls so this doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary to me. My guess is you’re worried about safety, so I’ll just reiterate what you’ve probably already heard and say that Tulane is safe and I’ve never felt unsafe on or around Tulane’s campus</p>
<p>Also…I get that you want the best for your son, but is it necessary that you <em>love</em> the college in order for him to go there? My parents were skeptical too, but they knew that I would never opt to go so far away from home if I wasn’t 100% sure about the school. They trusted my judgment and things have worked out splendidly. Hope that helped. (Also, if you have any other questions feel free to shoot me a message)</p>
<p>S2 is in Sharp and loves it. Aside from a little recurrent elevator trouble he has really enjoyed living there. It was the dorm he wanted to liven in from the outset, though he could have lived elsewhere. He is quite gregarious and does like going to parties, but he also loves his courses and enjoys the work. He and his friends also seek out those who are a little less social to make sure no one is left out of an activity unless they so desire. I find that to reflect well on Tulane and it’s students.</p>
<p>In some states where it is legal to carry fire arms public places are required to post that no firearms are allowed. This may be the case in Louisiana.</p>
<p>iadorking - I was thinking the same thing, but I wasn’t sure about the laws there. I certainly have seen the same signs in many places where you wouldn’t normally expect it (by which I mean you would just assume no firearms), including other college campuses.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your imput. Coming from NY you might think that I have seen that sign before but thats not the case. And we have visited over 23 colleges, some located in cities, like Columbia, NYU and Syracuse and I never saw that. Of course theres a first time for everything. </p>
<p>What are the requirements for housing? I went on the tour and info session but now I forget. Can Tulane house you for all four years or do you have to move at some time. I remember the apartments on campus but forget the rule.</p>
<p>Tulane houses for the first two years. After that, most people (in most years) that want to live on campus can get something, but it is by lottery I believe. Enough kids want to move off campus that there is usually enough space. This last year was a bit of a crunch because they lost some space when FEMA took their mobile housing back, and the new dorm isn’t done yet. Oh, and retention is higher. That’s a good thing for everything but housing. Still, hopefully with all the new beds in the new dorm, everyone that wants to stay on campus will be able to. Bottom line though, it is not guaranteed after 2nd year. Just very likely.</p>
<p>I live in Monroe and absolutely love it. I wasn’t too concerned about the aesthetics when I was choosing my housing. I wanted a very social atmosphere, and certainly have gotten it. While the dorms aren’t great, they’re not in “terrible” shape. I too had visited many schools, about 15, and found most of the dorms comparable to Tulane’s, with very few exceptions. With the recent renovation of Bruff, I also don’t know how you can think that it is in poor condition. Again, I’ve seen few better but many in worse condition. I won’t address the no fire arms sign as it has been addressed and, personally, I think your concern over a sign made me laugh.</p>
<p>As far as I know, students are guaranteed housing for only the first two years. They are building a new residential hall now, but I don’t think that will alleviate the housing crunch. With the large class size this year and the higher retention rate, it’s doubtful that it will change.</p>
<p>After visiting Tulane for the first time, I knew it was where I wanted to go. Of course being offered the Presidential Scholar Award and later the DHS certainly definitely sweetened the deal. It’s only my first semester, but I know I made the right decision, I love it here. I have made so many great friends and am involved in many social, academic and service activities. Currently I’m involved in a chemistry research project which, in many schools, would only be offered to upper class and/or grad students. If you or your son have any questions, ask away.</p>
<p>Gabby1116 and Fallenchemist: Thanks for getting back to me.</p>
<p>Gabby: Whats your major? What other schools did you apply to before deciding on Tulane? Have you had to meet with teachers for extra help? If so, how accessible were they? </p>
<p>Dungareedoll - I am pre- med double majoring in Chemistry and Public Health. I applied to Emory, Vanderbilt, UNC, Duke and University of Richmond. I was accepted in to all except Duke, where I was wait listed. I took myself of the wait list, so I am unsure whether I would have been offered admission. </p>
<p>I have never asked for extra help, but I have contacted professors via email to ask questions and what not. One professor I have schedules meetings with students after exams to discuss the test. I have attended study sessions offered by the professors prior to tests also. I have found all but one pretty accessible. There is a program called Take a Professor to Lunch which I participated in by taking my Chemistry Professor. The lunch went better than I ever could have imagined. While dining, I spoke of my interest in getting involved in research as soon as possible. At the end of lunch he said lets go. I thought that was the end of our lunch. Instead, he introduced me to other Chemistry professors who were running research projects. All of the professors that I met had offered to accept me into their projects, due to the recommendation of my professor. After a couple of emails and one meeting I landed the one that i really wanted. Since I am only a freshman with the knowledge of only a freshman, the professor and a grad student work on a separate project with me in order to acclimate me to the workings of his lab. It has been a truly awesome experience. I know I’m rambling on and on and I could probably ramble for another 20 minutes, but I will save you from boredom. I just wanted to give an example of how the professors (or at least some of them) will go above and beyond to help the students.</p>
<p>Some profs are pretty easy to get ahold of, but some seem more focused on their research than interacting with students. I’d say that it would be like that at most universities, anyway.</p>
<p>To add in terms of research: the opportunities are there, but a lot of it comes down to luck. I was also able to secure something the first semester of my freshman year, but I know a ton of sophomores and juniors who are having trouble getting into labs. If your D/S is a prospective science major, doing some research the summer before coming to Tulane at the local state U. would be an awesome decision because it will help them stand out when vying for research positions.</p>
<p>dungareedoll-good luck to you, i know it’s a long and confusing process trying to decide on a school!</p>
<p>Hi-
I was recently accepted to Tulane and think I will be going there in the fall! I have a few questions regarding the housing situation. I got into the Honors College, so Butler is an option for me, but from what I’ve heard (especially from my sister who lived in Butler), it’s not the best choice. I’m a bit apprehensive about being in Sharp or Monroe because of their party dorm reps. Is there truth to this? Any recommendations? Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Well, as you can read above, it really depends on what you are looking for and your personality. My D lived in Butler and thought it was just fine. She even survived the pile driving that went on as they started the new dorm next to it. You might want to try for Wall, which is much newer, suite style, and is a Residential College format. That means a prof lives with his family in the dorm (although obviously in an area more like a large apartment), and everyone gets involved in some way with the life of the dorm. You have to write an essay and get accepted to Wall. You could also consider JL. It is all female, but don’t let that put you off. I cannot tell you the number of times I heard freshman girls complain about getting assigned to JL before the school year started and by Christmas they are thrilled they are there.</p>
<p>That’s pretty much all the choices. Well, I guess there is Paterson. I think some freshmen live there. I don’t know what that is like these days. It is called the “wellness” dorm, but the rules are the same in all dorms. I think they focus a little more on having programs regarding healthy living and the like, but not really sure.</p>
<p>It really does depend on your personality. Sharp and Monroe are definitely more party dorms than the others. I don’t know about past years but this year Sharp is crazier than Monroe. That being said, living in Monroe, I haven’t had trouble sleeping or studying. Day-to-day studying takes place in my dorm but, pre-exam studying takes place in the library. I choose Monroe over Butler or Wall because I wanted a more typical dorm experience and I definitely don’t regret it.</p>
<p>I wanted to address dungareedoll’s concerns a bit as well. </p>
<p>While I understand where you are coming from, I have to say it is never a good idea to give fear power in decision making. I am a girl and will be graduating a year early in June at age 16. I have been admitted to Tulane and am just waiting to hear if I will be receiving scholarship money, it is definitely one of my top choices. I am very close to my mom and she, like you, is very concerned about my safety; both at Tulane and other schools I have applied to and am interested in, some in far less appealing locales than Tulane. She knows, however, that I worked very hard to have the opportunity to study what I want, where I want. Our relationship would never be the same if she tried to prevent me from going where my heart tells me is right for me. She raised me to make judicious decisions and at some point, the time comes to put that to the test. I have known people who gave up on dreams or desires because of guilt or pressure from parents and it broke something in them. You cannot say that you trust and believe in your son, and then not back it up with your actions.</p>
<p>If your description of your son is correct, I would say he is much like me… it would be unfair to raise him to be a successful, confident and hopefully happy person, and then try to hold him back from reaching his highest potential.</p>
<p>Thanks for the compliment. It is great to hear things like that since I tend to be overly critical, when I reread it I mostly saw awkward sentence structure and overuse of the word “very” haha.</p>
<p>This just happens to be a subject I have thought about a lot. Given my age and gender, I probably had more convincing to do than most, and I knew being articulate was the way to get what I wanted. My mom initially thought freshman year at the dorms at the state school 10 min from my house, and then the remaining three at home, was being generous!</p>
It’s only my first semester, but I know I made the right decision, I love it here. I have made so many great friends and am involved in many social, academic and service activities. Currently I’m involved in a chemistry research project which, in many schools, would only be offered to upper class and/or grad students. If you or your son have any questions, ask away.</p>