Student answering questions

<p>Bando15: There is a shuttle service from Airport to Tulane (visa-versa) and the cost is I think $20. I can ask my S for the details.</p>

<p>Bando15, </p>

<p>Is there public transportation from the airport to Tulane that most people use? Is it safe (for a single girl) or do most people catch a taxi or another private company?
Most students are from out of state so you will definitely not be the only person catching a cab. There’s actually a facebook page specifically for Tulane students to find people to share a cab with. Besides that, a lot of people just post on the regular 2016 group asking to share. So you probably won’t have to take a cab by yourself if you don’t want to! But even if you did have to, it is safe if you go with United Cabs. That’s the service the school recommends and even gives you the number for. There is also that shuttle service which okla2012 mentioned. I find it easier to catch a cab though!</p>

<ol>
<li><p>In my acceptance letter there is no mention at all of merit aid or any programs. Am I correct in assuming that this means I did not receive any aid or acceptance to programs? Can I switch into the honors program? Will it even make a difference? </p></li>
<li><p>I love being surrounded by intelligent people who are interested in their work. I also want to have an active social life (parties… Sorry any parents on here). Is the student body divided with academics and scholars, or are people more like me/work hard play hard environment </p></li>
<li><p>What are the differences between sharp and Monroe? Major or minor </p></li>
<li><p>Does the business major dominate? Are there specific majors that everyone seems to love or hate? </p></li>
<li><p>How do people generally feel about the quality of the hard science programs? Are there a lot of research opportunity?
I know that was a lot. Any details will be appreciated. Thanks!! :-)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>

That means you did not get any merit scholarship nor were you invited into the Honors Program. For the latter, however, it does not make much difference. I mean that two ways. First, the HP main benefit is to keep students that want to graduate with the highest honors (summa cum laude, GPA 3.80+, at least 4 honors courses and an honors thesis or magna cum laude, GPA 3.60-3.79, the rest the same as summa on track to do so. They also have special advising for those who want to try for the most prestigious of post-graduate scholarships and fellowships, such as Rhodes, Goldwater, Truman, etc. But in the other sense you could be asking about the difference, it isn’t like the students in Honors are in a totally different school with different profs, etc. In fact, even if you are not in the HP you can still sign up for any honors course or honors section of a course you want, there is almost always room. So then if you get into the HP (which to answer that part of your question yes, you can earn your way in by getting a 3.6+ GPA freshman year) you already have honors courses towards meeting the 4 course requirement. So it all depends on your goals and your own values as to whether being in the HP makes a difference or not.</p>

<p>

I’ll leave that for collegehopeful to answer, I just want to say that all of us parents know that you guys are going to party, and of course you should. We just hope you stop short of doing anything really dumb, like getting totally blitzed and/or getting arrested, or worst of all putting yourself at risk. But by all means, party! It’s college.</p>

<p>

She already answered that (post #8) and said the differences are minor, and that is true. The rooms and hall layouts are pretty similar, and the atmosphere of both is very similar.</p>

<p>I’ll leave the last two for her as well, since you want an “on the ground” opinion. Except that I will say as a science grad who keeps up with that part of Tulane a lot, there are tons of research opportunities. Undergrads doing research are critical to a lot of what gets done there, and it is fantastic when you find the right research prof. You can definitely get your name on published research papers. It was some time ago for me, but I was co-author on three papers from undergrad research. It hasn’t changed, if anything there are more opportunities than ever.</p>

<p>Bando, there is also a free shuttle service during breaks (thanksgiving, winter break, etc) that you can take, although it’s not always on time. Many students take advantage of that, and if you come to Tulane, I advise you to do the same.</p>

<p>Deepthoughts, </p>

<ol>
<li><p>In my acceptance letter there is no mention at all of merit aid or any programs. Am I correct in assuming that this means I did not receive any aid or acceptance to programs? Can I switch into the honors program? Will it even make a difference?
Perhaps Fallenchemist can better answer this question? I do believe that you will receive your financial aid package sometime this spring. And I know that you can later transfer into the honors program if you were not accepted this time around. </p></li>
<li><p>I love being surrounded by intelligent people who are interested in their work. I also want to have an active social life (parties… Sorry any parents on here). Is the student body divided with academics and scholars, or are people more like me/work hard play hard environment
Tulane epitomizes the “work hard/play hard” attitude. We definitely like to have fun but academics are the priority. If you want to have an active social life and thriving academic life, you just have to learn how to balance it. Most people here learn quickly! </p></li>
<li><p>What are the differences between sharp and Monroe? Major or minor
Well, I sort of answered this in a previous post but I’ll add some! Monroe and Sharp are virtually the same. If you ask someone from Sharp, they’ll say Sharp is better (because it is :P). If you ask someone from Monroe, they’ll say that’s better. Both are very lively and social if that’s the atmosphere you want! From my biased observations, I would like to say that Sharp has a better sense of community. But I think that also depends on each individual year and the people on each floor. One con to living in Monroe is that the elevators are slow and often break down so if you live on one of the top floors that really sucks. I have to be perfectly honest, both of them get really gross. It’s really a trade off. You get the better social life in these dorms as long as you deal with the random stains, smells, and trash that seem to always appear. The cleaning staff does come very often to clean but things happen. </p></li>
<li><p>Does the business major dominate? Are there specific majors that everyone seems to love or hate?
There are certainly a lot of business majors. I wouldn’t say that it “dominates” per se but it’s popular. The business majors are somewhat more visible since they often congregate outside the b-school, walk around in suits and ties, and are generally considered the “social” ones. I wouldn’t say that there are any majors that people hate! Outside of business majors, architecture, pre-med, and engineering are popular! Although pre-med isn’t officially a major, there are quite a few people on that track. </p></li>
<li><p>How do people generally feel about the quality of the hard science programs? Are there a lot of research opportunity?
Sorry, I’m not sure that I can answer this one very well as a b-schooler!</p></li>
</ol>

<p>That’s OK collegehopeful, I can cover questions on the Honors Program and the sciences, which I did for this one already (post #24). I will just add with regard to majors that I am led to understand that Political Economy, Psychology, and Biology are all well represented majors. Biology is subdivided into three (I think) areas of specialization, and when you add them up there are a pretty significant number of people in these areas. As you say, pre-med is a popular track at Tulane and naturally biology is a fairly common choice among those on this path.</p>

<p>I would say the quality of the hard sciences is very good for undergrads, because Tulane is much more undergraduate oriented in these areas than schools like Stanford or Harvard. Not saying those schools don’t have great departments, of course they do and they are very famous. But the profs at places like that are far more concerned with their research and thus their (numerous) grad students, along with writing grant proposals, consulting, etc. Tulane has that too but to a far lesser degree. That is why research opportunities are plentiful as well. Great for undergrads.</p>

<p>Wow, I wasn’t expecting responses so quickly. Thank you so much for your detailed responses- very helpful!</p>

<p>How strict are the campus police and police officers for drug related offenses? Im interested in knowing if arrests are common, as they can really ruin my entire future career and life. Thanks.</p>

<p>I can add to the question about the science majors. Tulane puts a lot of focus on the “hard” sciences. If you are going to major in one you need to be ready to work a lot–these classes are hard. However, as hard as the classes are the programs are seriously good. A new building called Flower hall just got finished being built and is totally dedicated to science/engineering research ([Tulane</a> University - Dedication opens Flower Hall for innovative research](<a href=“http://tulane.edu/news/newwave/121212_flowerhall.cfm]Tulane”>http://tulane.edu/news/newwave/121212_flowerhall.cfm)). I’m not personally a science/engineering major but almost all of my friends are and they are continually impressed with how well rounded the science programs are.</p>

<p>hugoblack- TUPD (Tulane U police dept.) are really only strict with drugs excluding alcohol. Yes, if you get caught with alcohol in a dorm there are consequences but they will not impact your future by any means. Most times if TUPD catches you will alcohol outside of the dorms they’ll just have you pour it out. If NOPD catches you off campus with alcohol you could get a Minor In Possession charge, but once again, that won’t affect your future. However, if you’re caught with marijuana or anything harder both on or off campus, TUPD or NOPD will get you in legal trouble. Arrests are very very rare. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone getting arrested for alcohol related offenses.</p>

<p>Yeah, I just want to emphasize what jph is saying about illegal drugs (not alcohol). Very serious, and they will tell you up front that if you are caught with them you end up in real jail i.e. New Orleans jail, not “Tulane jail”. So if you are into any of that I am sure you will find out who does what and how, but you are risking your future, absolutely.</p>

<p>I don’t know how serious things can get if you are caught with drugs, but I can say that they are pretty popular on campus (particularly marijuana). </p>

<p>As FC was saying, biology is pretty popular, although many pre-meds are now going with neuroscience as their major. In general, the classes are a bit easier (and more interesting, IMO) in neuroscience. Bio would probably prepare students better for medical school, though. Feel free to message me with any questions in regards to science majors at Tulane.</p>

<p>Thanks for doing this! I am torn between Butler and Sharp; is the social life in Butler much worse than in Sharp/Monroe?</p>

<p>Do a lot of students smoke cigarettes? What’s the situation in the dorms re cigarette smoking?</p>

<p>Traditionally Bulter has been the honors dorm therefore less social than Monroe/Sharp, however this year they placed non-honors freshman in Monroe, Sharp and Butler. I don’t live in Butler nor do I have any friends there but from what I’ve gathered it’s a social dorm just maybe not as wild as Sharp or Monroe. </p>

<p>Smoking is very big on campus. There are designated places on campus where students are allowed to smoke but no one really cares about that so people really smoke everywhere. It’s not like you’re constantly walking in a cloud of haze, but I’ve noticed people smoking in front of really every building as well as in all the bars. I know that the Undergrad Student Government is trying to pass laws banning smoking campus wide but I’m not sure how successful they’ve been. Smoking isn’t tolerated in the dorms. It will set off the fire alarms. No one does it.</p>

<p>First of all, thank you so much, collegehopeful94 and fallenchemist, for taking the time to answer questions. I am still in high school, but I have been interested in Tulane for a while now (disregard my username), and I even attended an informational meeting in San Francisco about Tulane. A few questions:</p>

<p>–I told my mom that Tulane is in New Orleans, and she immediately cringed and said that N.O. is too dangerous for me to go there. Is New Orleans ever scary at times? Is it safe to walk around New Orleans? Is Tulane in a safe part of the city?</p>

<p>–You mentioned that many students are pre-med. Is there really a prevalence of pre-med students? I plan on being pre-med with a major in neuroscience, so how popular/good are neuroscience classes?</p>

<p>Thanks again for doing this.</p>

<p>MITObsession:</p>

<p>My parents had the same reaction when I committed to Tulane. But in all honesty New Orleans is a really safe place if you know what not to do and where not to go. Tulane is in THE safest part of New Orleans, and the campus is full of Tulane Uni. Police Dept. officers. I have never had a problem on campus, off campus, or in the city. That’s not to say New Orleans isn’t dangerous. It has the highest murder rate per capita in the country. But as long as you don’t join a gang or start selling drugs you won’t become a part of that statistic. It’s all about common sense aka not walking alone at night in odd parts of the city and not carrying large sums of cash with you. If you take the necessary precautions and be smart about what you’re doing you will be perfectly safe. As for premed, there really are a large amount of pre med students on campus. It is probably (outside the business school) one of the most common majors at Tulane and as a result, Tulane has really fine-pointed its pre med program. The pre med courses are well developed and challenging and as a result a large percentage of students get accepted into med school (don’t know the actual statistic). I’m not too well versed on neuroscience at Tulane but I know quite a few people who are going through that track and while they say it’s small, they feel like they are receiving a good education through it.</p>

<p>MITobsession, </p>

<p>Is New Orleans ever scary at times? Is it safe to walk around New Orleans? Is Tulane in a safe part of the city?
New Orleans can certainly be scary if you’re not careful. It’s a big city and you have to be smart about it. Tulane’s campus, on the other hand, is completely safe. I walk around campus by myself at night and feel perfectly safe. There are TUPD officers all over campus and I’ve never felt unsafe! It’s in New Orlean’s uptown area, which is the wealthy portion of the city. I even run all over uptown by myself. But the closer you get to the quarter, the more careful you have to be.</p>

<p>Ugh, have to say I’m disappointed about the smoking. In NYC and the surrounding suburbs, very few people smoke. My son’s dad died of lung cancer so he’s particularly sensitive…not sure if this will be a deal-breaker, but I guess we’ll find out when we visit in January. (and I thought college students were supposed to be smart??)</p>

<p>matvitale…i just had the same reaction to the smoking comment. kind of shocking. very few kids around here smoke. and i can count on one hand the number of adults that i know who still smoke. and since all NYC and NJ restaurants banned smoking several years ago, non smokers are rarely subjected to second hand smoke. i know for sure that DS would never smoke and I doubt that this would be a deal breaker, just dissapointing.</p>