My son is at Tulane and complaining that he wants to transfer (after one month) because Greek life is the only form of social life. Is this accurate? Or is he just not looking very hard?
Honestly? He isn’t looking very hard. Greek life is the easiest way to meet people the first couple of weeks, except on your dorm floor. Join clubs, sit with random people at meals, talk to people in class. Over half of Tulane is not Greek, so how can what he says actually be the case? It just takes a little time and effort.
While it does appear that Greek life dominates, there are a lot of other things going on, you really have to make an effort to find it however. My son is not part of Greek Life and he struggled the first year to find people who weren’t into that scene either. Getting involved in Community Service (cactus), some of the religious organizations (if he has any religious association)- Catholic Club, Hillell etx. My son found friends at Reily (the rec center) and got involved in pick up basketball games. He goes to concerts, joined the club for his major and tried some club sports. Loved Ultimate Frisbee but it is very time consuming. What dorm is your son in?
I was on my iPad when I wrote my first reply so I hope it didn’t come off as too terse and unfriendly. I didn’t mean to imply that it is always easy. It is a slower process for some people, and like I said the first couple of weeks are both atypical and can be very hard emotionally. But I would also point out that it really isn’t that different at many other schools, especially those that are relatively comparable to Tulane. I don’t know if it helps, but tell him that we here on CC hear a dozen or so stories like this every year, and they resolve in a very favorable manner 95% for the time. @dolphnlvr6 intimates this. It just takes some people as long as a semester to find their way. If he takes the kind of steps dolphlvr6 suggests, I am sure he will find his group. Maybe he can talk to @dolphnlvr6’s son? Just a thought.
Funny my son didn’t rush last year because he said not many males are in Greek at Tulane and none of his friends were rushing. Greek life is minimal especially for males compared to other universities plus Greek life doesn’t even start for freshmen until the spring (aside from a few information gathering sessions). He is definitely not looking if he can only find Greek life activities.
I would tell him to get to know his classmates and dorm mates. If he is only looking at Greek life than that is all he will find - sometimes you only see what you are looking for and don’t notice the other things around you. Hopefully he will adjust and find like minded people.
Even though they are not rushing (formally), the frats throw parties all the time, so that is what the young man is perceiving, @dbcbs5. You are correct that the number of men going Greek is down, females are up compared to 5 years ago. These things are cyclical, plus a couple of frats are no longer active at Tulane due to violations, and no one has stepped in to take their place. Or at least that is my understanding, I don’t follow Greek life very closely.
My daughter is also a freshman. She’s at Wall and has already met and made friends with many there. She is an extrovert and she’s easy to get along with, but she also joined several groups and club sports teams. She absolutely loves it and was lucky in her roommate pairing. She has zero interest in Greek life but she does go to the rec center often as well as available student functions.
I think your son should give it more time and follow the advice of others who have posted.
My daughter is somewhat of an introvert, but she has found her place at Tulane. The problem is that everyone is different, and not everyone will. Her friends are almost exclusively dorm based as that is who she has the most contact with. The school itself offers has a lot of clubs and social groups that are very easy to join. Honestly, it is leaps and bounds above where i went to school (state school) and it really just takes putting yourself out there. My daughter does not “party” but has found a great group of kids that like to explore and eat at all of the local joints. The more you get out of your comfort zone, the more likely you are to find that group. He should look in to the different clubs and see what he likes, … Frisbee golf, training service dogs, the list really is long.
My son attended “Greenie Camp,” one of many 4- and 5-day optional programs offered to entering freshmen just before school started in August. Now, six weeks later, he is still tight with his Greenie Camp pals (a mix of male and female), and they live in every freshman dorm on campus. This means that my son has made other friends in those dorms as well … roommates, floormates, etc. of the Greenie campers. Although my son likes his dorm friends, too, I think it’s a real plus that he started the semester knowing people in all of the other dorms as well. The programs are not cheap but I think it is money well spent.
While I realize that this suggestion won’t help parents whose children are presently at Tulane, I hope that some prospective parents will keep it in mind for next summer.
Meanwhile, @Momoffrosh … if your son is still unhappy and you want my son to contact him and make some plans with him, let me know. It might just be a temporary solution to a greater problem, but I’m sure my son would be willing to help. He’s also organized a flag football team (coed) that seems to have participants of varied abilities and levels of experience, and I think they MAY still be looking for more players (not sure about that but I could find out if your son is interested).
Sally, I agree Greenie camp is the greatest! My daughter did it last year and her best friends are still kids she bonded with during Greenie camp! Socially doing one of the pre-programs is a big plus!
Let’s make sure as a group we push Greenie camp on here come April/May when the students are committing to Tulane.
@DebmomNY -I asked Jack (my son) if he thought that his Greenie Camp friends would be his good friends through four years at Tulane. As the words came out of my mouth, I realized it was one of those sappy “Mom” questions that he probably hates, so I was pleasantly surprised when he quickly replied that he did think so.
@fallenchemist - Good idea … though we shouldn’t just push Greenie Camp but any and all of the “Explore” pre-frosh programs. I don’t think it matters much which program a student does because all of the programs allow students to bond with a small group before they are thrust into the whole Tulane community and to spend time on campus without academic demands hanging over their heads … two big pluses.
I agree- all of the Explore programs sound wonderful and they can meet kids with similar interests.
Yes, I did mean that as an umbrella term, which it isn’t. It is a specific program. I admit I haven’t kept up with the naming, because what started out as “The NOLA Experience” about 8 (?) years ago and was much more limited in size and scope compared to today, has indeed grown a lot. More students can take part and there are more choices. It is pretty spectacular and really smartly takes advantage of Tulane being in one of America’s great locations. Not just the city but bayou country as well.
So has the “Explore” name replaced The NOLA Experience, or is the latter still the headline name for Greenie camp and the other programs that would come under it? Not the most burning question in the world but it would be good to get the naming right.
@fallenchemist - I stared at the Web site a few gazillion times last summer, and yet I never entirely figured out the terminology. I think that all of the optional freshman programs fall under the “EXPLORE” umbrella. This includes a group of six or seven “tracks” (focusing on arts, sports, food, etc.) that are “The NOLA Experience” programs.
Greenie Camp, however … plus four or five other options (e.g., “IGNITE,” which is community service) … all are “EXPLORE” programs but are NOT part of The NOLA Experience.
So, if I’ve got it right (which I may not), all NOLA Experience programs are part of EXPLORE but not all EXPLORE programs are part of the NOLA Experience!
In any case, based on the scuttlebutt I’ve heard and my own son’s reports, I’m a fan of all of these opportunities.
OK, I think I found the answer. https://tulane.edu/studentaffairs/orientation/programs/explore/explore-index.cfm
So EXPLORE seems to be the umbrella title, and under that are the programs Greenie Camp, Summer Journalism Experience, Down & Dirty, IGNITE, ENGAGE, and of course The NOLA Experience. Some of those, like NOLA Experience, then have specific choices like eating your way through NOLA, exploring the history of NOLA, etc.
ENGAGE is a community engagement program run by Hillel that sounds like it focuses a bit more on getting to know all the different parts of Tulane and NOLA and how to get involved, while IGNITE is run by several of Tulane’s public service centers and introduces students to the huge assortment of organizations that are available for getting involved and helps them sort through them to find the best ones for them. ENGAGE sounds a bit more like a very nice attempt to smooth the transition to a new environment.
Summer Journalism is for Hullabaloo aspirants, not the local NOLA paper. It does require an application, interviews from current Hullabaloo staff, etc. Not everyone is accepted.
Down & Dirty is just what it sounds like, a very outdoorsy experience in SE Louisiana.
Greenie Camp is a fun look at the history of Tulane, along with its relationship to New Orleans.
The NOLA Experience is usually 7-8 tracks to select from. This year the choices were:
[ul]
[]21st Century Citizenship
[]beWELL NOLA
[]Home Field Advantage
[]InternatioNOLA
[]Muses & Mystique
[]Street, Stage, and Screen: Performing in New Orleans
[li]Take a Bite[/ul][/li]
An explanation of each can be found at https://tulane.edu/studentaffairs/orientation/programs/explore/explore-nola-experience.cfm but of course these may change for 2016.
For the OP, clubs are one of the best recommendations. They are easy to join, and don’t require a lot of work for the freshman. DD has surprised me with the many clubs she’s joined, or sampled. Urge DS to get out to the club meetings, it is not too late in the year since I don’t think it is ever too late to attend a club event.
And two thumbs up on the EXPLORE program. DD did Ignite, and had a great time with the community service work, and also enjoyed the other “playtime” activities. As far as the “playtime” activities, there is overlap between many of the EXPLORE programs, i.e. a bunch of different groups went to the trampoline place, often at the same time.
I am very pleased with most of the changes Tulane has made since Katrina, but the pre-move-in programs starting with NOLA Experience and now the evolution into EXPLORE are some of the best for sure. It makes me start thinking that maybe they should move that up yet another few days, do registration and other activities that normally occur in June Orientation then, and have all students participating in programs. The cost is an issue, of course, so it isn’t simple. But it does seem like that would be an even more positive step. Of course, then you lose a couple of the advantages of coming down in June, seeing the dorms, meeting potential roommates, …hmmmm Well, it would still be great if even more of the incoming class could get involved in EXPLORE, even if it means waiving the fee for some families.
Orientation was a great intro to the school for both students and parents. I wouldn’t want all that thrown into the moving in process. These new pre-move-in programs are wonderful and serve a different purpose than orientation. Each has it’s place in the adjustment process.
Yeah, the more I thought about it the more I came to the same conclusion. But sometimes I like to think out loud, so to speak. Maybe some generous donor will set up a fund so that kids with tight resources can participate as well.