Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
1

<p>1) Is the school on a rolling admissions basis? I thought I wouldn't find out until April 1st but I found out my decision today. I only sent in my application a month ago and my supplementary materials were sent mid-January... this seems almost too good to be true.</p>

<p>2) What's the social dynamic like? Does Greek life dominate like with some other southern schools? How accessible is the city? How's the party scene? How's the dating scene?</p>

<p>3) Safety? I've heard some not-so-very nice things about New Orleans, but I hear the French Quarter is great.</p>

<p>4) Is there a Chipotle nearby?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>It's not too good to be true. They guarantee to give applicants a decision within 4 weeks of receiving all application materials.</p>

3

<p>I had the same question about the safety of the school and the New Orleans area. We are really concerned about the things we are hearing about NO since the hurricaine. Any advice/opinions would be appreciated.</p>

<p>Congratulations on your acceptance to Tulane.</p>

4

<p>If you search back in this thread you will find several Q&A's regarding safety in New Orleans. In my experience, going back to S1 in 2003 through S2 today - I have never felt unsafe in New Orleans - especially in the Tulane vicinity. That said, I use common sense and avoid areas of the city that have higher crime rates. These areas are generally not in the neighborhoods that Tulane students would have a reason to visit.</p>

<p>The campus itself is located in an upscale, residential neighborhood about 3 miles from the French Quarter. The campus and a several block radius surrounding the campus where students is patrolled by it's own Tulane police dept. Most of the media coverage of NO since Katrina is not balanced and has focused on neighborhoods that are rarely, if ever, frequented by students or visitors.</p>

<p>I've never noticed a Chipotle nearby. But there are so many fabulous places to eat in New Orleans - trust me - you'll never miss it.</p>

5

<p>Chipotle hopes to have a restaurant in NOLA no later than 2016.</p>

<p>Honestly, there are so many good restaurants in New Orleans that you won't miss the chain eateries.</p>

6

<p>There's a reason that there are virtually no chain restaurants in New Orleans. The city is known worldwide for it's food. There are excellent restaurants in every part of the city in every price range. Trust me, you'll eat way better in New Orleans than you would in any chain restaurant city</p>

7

<p>1) Yes, we are on a rolling admissions system. It's amazing. Tulane was one of my first acceptances and does so much to get your attention before you get your Ivy acceptances so it seems like they really really want you, whereas schools accepting kids later aren't able to woo you as much.</p>

<p>2) Wow, that's a lot of questions. I would say that the social dynamic is AMAZING. I love college for that reason- you get to pick your friends, your social scene, your life. Especially at Tulane, everyone seems so friendly and you really do get to know everyone in your class.</p>

<p>Having just finished recruitment season, right now it does seem like Greek like dominates. But haha don't worry, that's not all the time. The reason recruitment is going on right now is because Tulane offers deferred rush, so that you have a semester to adapt to college before making the huge decision about whether or not to go Greek. It's a great opportunity if it's the right thing for you, but if it's not, there's absolutely NO reason to worry. I'm not in a sorority, but I've already got my suite planned for next year with seven other girls, and in our suite alone three of the six Tulane sororities are represented. It's so easy to make friends and stay friends with people outside of your sorority/frat and the Greek scene.</p>

<p>The party scene is of course wonderful. As a freshman, there's usually about two open parties a week, and we have the best bars ever. A lot of the time frats also have buses to bars and an open tab. Also, once you get your tight group of friends together, you'll find that no matter where you go out, you'll have fun.</p>

<p>The dating scene is what you make of it. I have a boyfriend that I met here in September, but it also wouldn't be hard for me to live without a boyfriend. You do see people hooking up, but it's also usually with the same people. So basically, you can hook up with a lot of people you want if you want, or just a few, or find yourself someone who wants to settle down. There's a giant range and it's pretty much just what you're looking for.</p>

<p>3) You're in a city, and of course there are going to be unsafe spots. That being said, I've never had a reason to go to any of those spots. Tulane is great with transportation, shuttles, and everything. There's also cabs and the streetcar so you don't have to walk through bad areas. In addition, everything you need on a day-to-day basis is within safe walking distance. At night, you should still be safe as long as you are with a couple other people. I wouldn't go walking around at night alone, but I don't think that's really safe anywhere you go. So use your judgment, listen to what the Tulane authorities tell you, and be smart.</p>

<p>4) I have never even heard of Chipotle so I'm sorry! But definitely know that there are great restaurants everywhere in this city. Pizza places, diners, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Indian, regular restaurants, everything. You want it, New Orleans has it.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

8

<p>I have another general question about the weather...is new orleans very sunny? I can deal with cloudiness every once in a while but I could never live in a place like Seattle where its cloudy and rainy the majority of the time.</p>

9

<p>I know this totally unrelated to the topic, but the Seattle rainy weather thing is one of the biggest myths I've ever come across.</p>

<p>And yes, New Orleans is fairly sunny.</p>

10

<p>Thanks for starting this thread. I'd like to expand on Question # 2. I read that US News referred to Tulane as the school for "cool, smart kids." I'm getting the impression that the social scene is very important at Tulane (as it is at most colleges), but how would you describe the level of social competition? In other words, is there a sense of pressure to be "cool" to fit in?</p>

11

<p>^ Compete to be cool? How exactly might one go about that?</p>

<p>(You may interpret that as a "No.")</p>

12

<p>Uggh....this is why I rarely ever post on message boards, but just read them for information. I can't understand why many posters feel the need to be so sarcastic to people who are just asking a question.
Sorry, maybe my question wasn't clear enough. I have noticed that the social atmosphere on some campuses seems to be accepting of many different types of people and there doesn't seem to be pressure to dress a certain way or to hang out with particular groups of people in order to feel accepted. On other campuses the social hierarchy seems more clearly defined, and the atmosphere feels more socially competitive than academically competitive. That's what I meant by the phrase "pressure to be cool."
I was just trying to get a better picture of the social climate at Tulane.</p>

13

<p>It's definitely not that socially competitive. I mean, I come from a family with not a lot of money, from a small town, not knowing anyone before I got here. I still have the best friends in the world here, and I wouldn't want anyone else. It's so different from high school in that if you don't want to see or talk to someone, you don't have to. Come here outgoing and willing and ready to make friends and you will find the perfect people.</p>

14

<p>Trackie, thanks for that response, good to know. I'd like to ask another question, I don't hear a lot of emphasis placed on students' relationships with professors at Tulane. Or on the academic rigor of the school. How would you characterize those aspects of the Tulane experience?</p>

15

<p>I'm not sure if posting links is allowed so I'm not going to post a link, but there is an article on nola dot com about a student rape this morning. There was a serial rapist caught not too long ago. Please be cautious and careful everyone.</p>

16

<p>Tulane is very academically rigorous, similar to other private liberal arts schools. With average SAT's most likely approaching 1400 this year, and lots of kids that have graduated in the top tier of their class, I feel confident in saying a student will not be able to just slide by without putting in some effort, in most cases. I have always maintained that a lot of what makes a school academically good or not so good is the level of your peers. I took courses in the summer once at a local state school, used same book as Tulane did and prof was very good. But it was sooo easy compared to Tulane because the other students were just not of the same caliber as those at Tulane.</p>

<p>Tulane has always had the rep for the profs being very accessible. They certainly were when I was there, although that was some time ago. Still, cultures like that don't change much.</p>

17

<p>I definitely agree with everything fallenchemist has said. And yes, the professors are still very accessible - I've loved all of my professors and each one genuinely just wants all of the students to do well, and they are all incredibly helpful</p>