<p>I've always been interested in going to a big school with sports teams and tons of spirit. I don't care about athletics I I just love the sense of community that comes with organized sports. More importantly, I love the social aspect of sporting events.</p>
<p>But, I've run into a predicament. I've been accepted to Tulane University, a great school in New Orleans. I really love it, but I keep second guessing myself. I have some questions that I need answered, but I don't know anyone who goes there. If you can help me, please answer the following questions and give me any insights you have about making this choice. I would love to hear stories about you or your friends at Tulane, if you have the time.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Whats the social life like? Is it as fun as a big school, like U of Michigan or U of Wisconsin?</p></li>
<li><p>Is the Greek system big there? I want to join a sorority.</p></li>
<li><p>Its also a medium sized school. Will I be missing out on important aspects of big school university life if I have a class of 2000 rather than 5000+ students?</p></li>
<li><p>Will it feel small after 4 years?</p></li>
<li><p>It's about 60/40 women to men. Is that apparent on campus? Or does it feel gender balanced?</p></li>
<li><p>What are known to be the best majors there?</p></li>
<li><p>Whats Tulane's reputation? I won't be offended if you say something bad about it, I genuinely want to know what people think about a school that could be my future university. Its one of the lowest ranked schools I applied to, but I really don't understand why it is ranked that way. I think of it as a prestigious, selective school, but I've talked to some people who have never even heard of it! Let me know.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Please please please help me out if you know about Tulane or have any words of wisdom about choosing between a big or medium sized school.</p>
<p>Best wishes to all seniors applying to college right now.</p>
<p>@shk909 - You ask some questions that, while certainly legitimate and understandable that you ask, are so dependent on your personality that to answer them in any definitive way is not possible. But with that in mind, here is one take on what you ask. Oh, and I am assuming that finances are not an issue?</p>
<p>
Probably the hardest to answer, since it is so subjective. I think most people would say the social life is active and plentiful, with everything from hard partying involving a fair amount of drinking, to sports clubs, to game playing, to people more involved in quieter, more cerebral activities. Is it like big state schools such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, etc? Generally no. Is it as much fun? Well, yes probably for most people it is. After all, how many can you invite to a party after which the number becomes kind of meaningless? But there is a big difference between being in college towns like Madison, Ann Arbor and State College versus being in a city like New Orleans (or Chicago, New York, etc.). If you are looking for that huge, state school experience where “everything” revolves around the next sporting event and the tailgating that goes with it then Tulane is probably not the right school. If you are looking for a lot of school pride that is more balanced between athletics and the overall quality of the school, then Tulane is much stronger in that sense. It is worth throwing in here that Tulane football is playing in a new, on-campus stadium starting this fall <a href=“http://www.wafb.com/story/24810053/tulanes-yulman-stadium-expected-to-be-complete-for-next-season”>http://www.wafb.com/story/24810053/tulanes-yulman-stadium-expected-to-be-complete-for-next-season</a> Combined with the (I feel very confident!!) continued improvement in the football team, who had their first winning record and bowl trip in years this past season, I think there will be far more activity and fun surrounding football season.</p>
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It is significant, especially the sororities. I think somewhere between 40-45% of the women join sororities in recent years. Frats are less, but still significant. I think it is fair to say that the Greek atmosphere at Tulane is one that is important without dominating the day-to-day atmosphere of the school.</p>
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Which important aspects? This is always a trade off. Each Tulane class is closer to 1500, btw. Most students seem to like being in a school that is small enough to have reasonably sized sections of courses, where you can actually get to know your profs, you are constantly running into people you know rather than being a faceless one of the masses, etc. Yet large enough to offer facilities and opportunities that rival the large schools. But this is a very individual preference. Like I said, it depends on what aspects a large state school offers that you think are important and would either be missing or less prominent at Tulane.</p>
<p>Also it has to be mentioned strongly here that, being in New Orleans, Tulane offers many things these other schools could never match. New Orleans is, in many ways, like part of the campus. Tulane is more tied to its location than almost any other urban school.</p>
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This is similar to your last question in many ways. But in general I think most people would say definitely not, especially since New Orleans itself is so amazing.</p>
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That one I cannot answer very well. Perhaps some of the current female students or parents with female students attending can respond better. My D just graduated and she had friends that were pretty evenly split men/women, I guess a little more heavily weighted towards female. But she was not a big party or sports person so I cannot say if her experience is “typical”, if there is such a thing. Suffice it to say your interests seem different than hers.</p>
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Tulane is a very well rounded school with many excellent areas. This is true of all the top schools. It would be easier to comment on majors that you might be considering.</p>
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Several things here. First, Tulane’s reputation is somewhat varied in the sense that many people know it as one of the top schools in the country and one of the strongest in the South, while others immediately say “Oh, that’s a party school”. The last is kind of ignorant, to be honest. All universities are party schools in the sense that the majority of students, being 18-22 year old people away from home with relatively few responsibilities, will have a very good time. Most balance this well with their academic and other responsibilities, a few don’t. This is no more or less true at Tulane than elsewhere, whether you are talking about Harvard or the University of Idaho (not picking on Idaho!! Just making a point).</p>
<p>Next, rankings. Ignore them. I won’t go into all the flaws in the US News ranking system, but they are many, significant, and the whole thing is a farce. I will tell you that two reasons Tulane dropped in the last decade is because Katrina posed a double whammy of demolishing 6 year graduation rates, and causing a number of incorrect perceptions about the recovery of Tulane because of sloppy news reporting, which affected “peer assessment”. These two factors are the most heavily weighted by USNWR. Yet Tulane has actually gotten much stronger since Katrina (2005) with students being more academically accomplished coming in, and having a community service program that is a model for the country and the world. But if public perception based on ranking systems is important to you (and it is to some number of people), then you have your answer already. If you can put that aside, Tulane might be a great fit. There are always people that don’t know colleges outside their area except those that are big sports schools, or the handful that are extremely famous like Harvard and Stanford. You would be amazed at how many people think NYU and University of Chicago are state schools, and have no idea how highly thought of the latter is, especially. But most people that will affect your future regarding employment will know Tulane and respect it very much. I can certainly tell you it hasn’t been a problem for my daughter so far. (To be continued)</p>
<p>So that is one take on your questions. It is worth repeating that you could talk to 10 people and get 10 different slants on some of this, because it is so individual. You definitely have highly contrasting choices. I cannot emphasize enough that going with your instincts is crucial. Sure, you can and should have pros and cons lists, give it a lot of thought, and talk to people that can fill you in. Even if you don’t know anyone that goes to/went to Tulane, if there is a major you are particularly interested in the school can arrange for you to talk to a freshman or sophomore that is perhaps from a similar background as you, that is also in that major. But talk to your school college counselor. Maybe someone from a class or two ahead of you went to Tulane but you just don’t know them. That would be the best scenario. Because then you can use the Tulane “phone” book on the home page of tulane.edu to get their email address and contact them. Just a thought. Anyway, after all of that, you will hopefully have a gut feeling of the right choice for you.</p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck, and we are all happy to continue this discussion with you. Filling in some specifics that I asked about will help.</p>
<p>I am a senior at Tulane and will try to answer your questions as best I can.</p>
<p>Whats the social life like? Is it as fun as a big school, like U of Michigan or U of Wisconsin?</p>
<p>The social life is great and very varied. As far as being as fun as a big school, it all depends on what fun is to you. If you’re interested in attending a school where sports are important, Tulane is not for you. That being said, there is no place like New Orleans! On campus there is always activities going on and many clubs to join. Off campus is amazing, there is something for everyone. The food, the music, and the constant festivals are amazing. </p>
<p>Is the Greek system big there? I want to join a sorority.</p>
<p>Yes, it is. They have a very strong presence on campus. I am in a sorority so if you have any specific questions, I would be happy to answer them.</p>
<p>Its also a medium sized school. Will I be missing out on important aspects of big school university life if I have a class of 2000 rather than 5000+ students?</p>
<p>I don’t know what you think you will be missing out on. After four years, I don’t feel that I missed out on a thing. I feel sorry for my friends who go to large schools in rural communities where there is nothing to do other than what happens to be going on on campus or going to some chain restaurant.</p>
<p>Will it feel small after 4 years?</p>
<p>I think it will be as small as you make it. Most of my activities, especially this year, have been off campus with different groups of people. Remember, campus is is New Orleans!!</p>
<p>It’s about 60/40 women to men. Is that apparent on campus? Or does it feel gender balanced?</p>
<p>To me, it seems pretty balanced. It never really crosses my mind.</p>
<p>What are known to be the best majors there?</p>
<p>As Fallenchemist said, there are many excellent areas. If you have questions regarding pre-med or any science major, I would be happy to give you my opinion.</p>
<p>Whats Tulane’s reputation? I won’t be offended if you say something bad about it, I genuinely want to know what people think about a school that could be my future university. Its one of the lowest ranked schools I applied to, but I really don’t understand why it is ranked that way. I think of it as a prestigious, selective school, but I’ve talked to some people who have never even heard of it!</p>
<p>It was also one of the “lowest ranked schools” that I applied and was accepted to. I don’t understand the low ranking at all. I am from the Northeast and just about everyone knows it and thinks very highly of it. But, when I was choosing my school, rankings really didn’t come into play. After my first visit to Tulane, I knew this is where I wanted to be and I have never regretted my decision. I can tell you that as far as employment opportunities and professional schools after graduation, all of my friends are already set up either with great jobs or have been accepted to a professional school (med school for me).</p>
<p>@Gabby1116 Thanks so much for your response. I am hoping to be a Communications major. I think I want to be in the entertainment industry (Production or public relations probably). Is there internship opportunities in New Orleans? I’m hoping to get some job experience as a student. </p>
<p>Yes there is and the Career Service Center can help you out. Most people do not intern during the school year but rather during the summer break. They can help you with internships in your hometown or any other city for that matter.</p>
<p>@gabby1116 Thanks for your help. If you have time, I have a few more questions. Have you had an overall positive experience in a sorority? I’ve heard that at some southern schools its very hard to get a bid from a sorority. I’m from Cali where sororities aren’t as big as they are in the south. Is it very competitive at Tulane? Also, I know there’s “sorority rankings” of cool ones and not cool ones. How much do these rankings matter? If I only got a bid from a “not cool” house or a house that I don’t click with the girls would it be better to drop? </p>
<p>I have had a great experience with my sorority. Most of my close friends I met through the sorority. I, personally, I don’t like the whole process. It’s very judgmental and many times quite shallow. However, the process seems to work and people end up where they belong. I wouldn’t recommend you drop right of the bat if you don’t get into a “cool” sorority. I have a couple friends that are in what is considered the “not cool” sorority and are incredibly happy. But, be prepared, that you may lose some of the friends you made at the beginning of school after bid day. Most of my friends (including my roommate at the time) wanted a bid from my sorority. When i got in and they didn’t, there were a lot of hard feelings and the new friendships I had made didn’t survive.</p>