So now it's all about the persuasion, eh?

<p>Hi all! I got into Tulane, and I am very very interested in the school. My cousin went there and absolutely loved it. Although, I have so many other schools I applied to, I want something to convince me this is THE school for me lol. What is the selling point? What makes is so great? And, it says a tulane education is better than ever. IS it really true and all that? I just want to be sold on this so that if i decide to go to destination tulane i won't be too disappointed (did anybody go on it? worth it?)</p>

<p>Thankee!</p>

<p>wat other schools r u considering?</p>

<p>Bucknell, U of Miami (FL), Brown, Pomona, McGill Northwestern, Case Western, James Madison, University of Pittsburgh. lol :P</p>

<p>if u get into Brown and Northwestern and like the enivornment of them, then u should go there. but other than those I will go to Tulane and plus if u like to get a great education with a great party scene and okay sports team, then come to tulane. My cousin goes to tulane too and she loves it and she love her professors and classes. So it really up to wat kind of person are you?</p>

<p>Just go visit. If that doesn't make your mind up for you, then it probably isn't for you. My son was accepted and got a scholarship from Chapel Hill but chose Tulane over it because of the international nature of the city and the peculiar appeal of the school. You have to be there to "get it." He's very happy. Just go find out.</p>

<p>Congrats on your acceptances - some good choices. </p>

<p>I agree with ctymomteacher. Visited a LOT of schools with our D, and she had some very good choices, including scholarship offers, and including some 'better' ranked schools (I treat most of the rankings with a VERY strong grain of salt). When she visited Tulane, she felt it was the place for her, and is now thriving, both academically and socially.</p>

<p>I can't emphasize the need to visit enough (have done so in earlier posts) - whether you choose Tulane or another school is really irrelevant - you need to find the right place for you to thrive. And the cost of a visit is but a very small fraction of what you're going to spend over the next four years. And unless you've already travelled to all the cities where the schools are located, the trips themselves will be educational (my wife and D had never been to NOLA, so they took that trip together - worth the trip just for the food, not to mention the culture - I travel a lot, and there is nothing to compare with the restaurants in the Big Easy, which makes it very easy for me to go for parents weekend, even if we didn't see our D! If you go, read through other posts on this site for hotel / restaurant recommendations). In your case, though, you might want to limit your trips to your primary choices, given the geographic spread - otherwise you've going to be very busy in the next couple of weeks...</p>

<p>I think the best way I can answer this is to say the three reasons why I enjoyed my experience as a student at Tulane. Here goes...
1) The size. Tulane was the perfect size for me. Not too big, not too small. It’s the type of school where you can walk across the camps in the morning and see ten of your friends, and then walk back at night and not see anyone you know. It’s the type of school where you will be on a first name basis with many of your professors and never feel lost in a crowd, but also you won't feel like it's confining and so small that everyone knows your business. It's also a great combination between a big research school and a small liberal arts school. It's big enough that we are DI sports, have 250 clubs and groups on campus and are a national research institution, but we are small enough that our classes are small, and all those clubs and groups, well it's totally easy to get involved in any of them.
2) The students- Easily my favorite part of Tulane. Tulane is currently the most geographically diverse school in the nation. In fact, 75% of our students come from 500 miles away or more. I loved that about Tulane. My freshman English class had 12 students in it from 12 different states. It makes the experience here so much fun and so much more enriched. I loved it. I always tell students that if you want to come to a school where you will meet a ton of people who are a lot like you, and even more kids who are nothing like you, Tulane is the perfect place to look.
3) The city- I can honestly say that I have never been bored for one second of one day living here in New Orleans and going to Tulane. It is a city with so much culture, flavor, excitement... the food is amazing, the city is beautiful, the people are so friendly... all of the above. Also, is a great place to get an education. Whatever it is your studying, you can foster that knowledge thought the city. Architecture students study French Quarter architecture, engineering students study the pumping systems of the Mississippi River, art students research local artist on Royal Street and Julia Street... the possibilities are endless. I also just loved living here. Tulane and New Orleans give you a great combination of an exceptional academic experience mixed with I would say arguably the best social experience I think you can get in college. It really was the best of both worlds. </p>

<p>That's my two cents. I agree with CTDad... come for a visit and see for yourself. As the Dean always tells us, "There are no bad schools, only bad fits." I hope you'll come down for a visit and see if Tulane is a good fit for you. I can almost guarentee you that it will be!</p>

<p>One of the interesting things that impressed us about Tulane when my daughter and I visited (she is enrolled now, finishing her freshman year) was the "soft sell". You would think that after Katrina, there may be a tendency to be a little more aggressive with prospective students. In fact, it was the opposite. Tulane admissions explained to an audience that if you were accepted here - you were likely accepted to other fine schools - and you could not go wrong on getting a quality education if you chose those other schools. some of the other schools we visited were a little more "pointed" towards why their school is better than Tulane.</p>

<p>We just got back from visiting and I agree....you need to visit Tulane to get a real feel for it, more so than many other schools we have visitied. (and we have been to dozens over the last 5-6 years) </p>

<p>The students and staff were very, very personable and you get a strong sense of community when you walk across campus. The students are geographically diverse, which I found interesting, yet they all seemed happy to be there and bonded with each other as well as the professors and staff. Many schools say they know their students well and on a first name basis, but we felt it was actually happening on this campus. These are the values and attitudes that will not show up on a ranking guide or in print. You have to visit to get it.</p>

<p>Not sure where my son will end up, but he is deifinitely not eliminating Tulane as a good choice.</p>

<p>That is interesting, as we saw the same thing the year immediately before the storm. It seems that it's always been true that Tulane is either the right place for you, or it's not. I neglected to cite one of the most striking things we experienced when we visited during Honors Weekend the spring before the storm: EVERYONE was happy to stop and talk about how happy they were there. Students, staff, faculty--all were happy to be there and please to tell us about it. Relaxed, too. I don't really see a change since the disaster, although I know people who were hurt by it and are no longer there. Of course, it's been bad for them, and they deeply regret not being there--the ones I know. but those who choose to be there and can be are happy.</p>

<p>They kept saying that it was all about finding the right fit.</p>

<p>We had a few students (or groups) stop us or yell out to us that my son should come to Tulane. It was very relaxed and friendly. The students there really want to be there. They do not seem to be there by default. It was an active decision.</p>

<p>Pretty much, that is the general idea. I or my friends may have yelled at you guys if you see us hanging out around the hammock that we have set up outside of room of Irby.</p>

<p>Thanks for all ze great feedback! I have been watching videos and now Tulane is one of my top choices lol. Not THE top, but I've definitely gotten a good feel for it. I just have to send in my music cd and hope to get accepted. and if all else fails, and i get in, i'll go here!</p>