<p>Not too much - they left Crawfest right before the rain, and he went with his older brother (2011, 2014 Tulane Law) out to eat. He loved the bioscience classes he sat in on Monday. He went to Destination Tulane Friday and only got caught in the rain once. </p>
<p>Oh and they also looked at the new stadium. I was disappointed that they were sold out of Angry Wave retro t-shirts!</p>
<p>Hi everybody, wanted to share my daughter and husband’s experiences at TSW. I hope this won’t come across as negative… I truly want to be helpful and allow others to benefit from our experience. I also know you won’t all agree with this, and that’s okay too.</p>
<p>My daughter had narrowed down her choices to Tulane and University of Georgia. It’s been a very long, not-always-so-fun process with a lot of heartache. But she flew into NOLA on Saturday night, feeling like she would probably end up at Tulane and she was excited to see it. On paper, most signs pointed out to her that Tulane was the better school for her. </p>
<p>However, when she and my husband arrived at the campus on Sunday, they were really surprised at the condition of the school. They felt like it was dirty (which it possibly was, since Crawfest was the day before) but also very rundown. @fallenchemist was a bit surprised when I shared this insight with him, because he said most people don’t feel like that, but he agreed the campus can seem a bit dirty after rain because it needs to drain away. My daughter also said the technology at the school was lacking… when she registered for classes, it was on old 2000-era PCs, and all the professors were writing on chalk boards (they use white boards at her public high school). She said walking into some of the classrooms made her feel like she was being transported to the 1950s.</p>
<p>My husband thought that given the prices for this school, the facilities should have been better. I realize Tulane’s endowment isn’t comparable to WashU, Vandy or Emory (all schools that we toured/applied to/considered), but since those are competitors, he thought Tulane should spend money on improving the buildings, not building a $600M football stadium. Perhaps if they spent more money on improving the facilities, Tulane wouldn’t need to provide such generous scholarships… they could attract students based on the beauty of the campus and the outstanding academics. (My daughter also thought the bathroom in Monroe where she stayed was really gross, but she acknowledges that is hardly the reason to say no to a college!) :)) </p>
<p>For my daughter, I think the biggest objection to Tulane, however, was how enmeshed the school is with NOLA. I know NOLA is a huge selling point for Tulane and an incredible city, and offers a great deal of culture and excitement to the school. Tulane clearly uses NOLA in all of their marketing, and even when Scott Cowen spoke to the TSW students and families, he basically said, “if you don’t like New Orleans, then this might not be the place for you.” Well, my daughter just didn’t like NOLA… at all. She said that last year too, but agreed to give it another chance this year and she still doesn’t. She respects that NOLA has its own culture, history, food, even its own language… she just doesn’t care for it. As a result, you simply can’t get away from NOLA if you go to Tulane, and if you don’t like the city, you probably won’t like the school.</p>
<p>Finally one other point to share with all of you… she interviewed lots of students (including her host) and found that the party atmosphere at Tulane is VERY pervasive. I know, this sounds like a lark, especially since she is going to end up at a recognized “party school.” But partying IS part of the Tulane culture and she felt she would end up being pressured to go out and drink 4 nights a week. She said the dorms actually smelled like alcohol. The students talked reverently about Mardi Gras and how the parties start 3 weeks beforehand, and they can go to bars at age 18 and kids can wander the streets with open beer cups and not be busted by the police for that. She said, “look Mom, this is college and I know drinking is a big part of college. But that is just too much for me.”</p>
<p>My daughter acknowledges the academics are probably superior at Tulane and she was really excited about her classes that she had registered for during TSW. And she said she probably could have gotten over all her objections and gone to Tulane and made the best of it, but she just couldn’t overcome her objections to New Orleans. She felt like she should have come away from this weekend absolutely loving Tulane, and instead she was disappointed. And so with this weekend behind her, we will be sending in our commitment deposit to University of Georgia today. </p>
<p>Feel free to ask any follow-up questions!</p>
<p>Thanks for the very honest and extremely well written post, @jocjarmom. You hit it on the head, NOLA and Tulane are not for everyone. NOLA being a more unique city, and therefore Tulane a more unique school, your post made me realize in a more concrete way that Tulane is going to generate feelings that are at more opposite ends of the love it/don’t love it spectrum. I didn’t say love it/hate it because I doubt few truly hate it, although that might happen too. But I think schools like WUSTL and Vandy that are in more mainstream locations are less likely to generate those kinds of reactions, while I know people that see NYU and Northeastern, for example, either love being in that urban an environment or are repelled by it. I think for different reasons the same thing can happen with NOLA/Tulane. Thanks for helping me crystallize that aspect.</p>
<p>I will still maintain that the party culture at Tulane really isn’t different that these other schools. Maybe because it is NOLA the students are just more open about it. Hard to say. But even that openness can be part of feeling like it is a fit or it isn’t, even if the facts on the ground say there isn’t a difference in what actually goes on.</p>
<p>BTW, I know that is a typo but the stadium was around $60M, not $600M. Actually I think I read that in the end it was going to be about $70M. But it is important to realize that most of that money were directed donations. Could Tulane have raised that money anyway for upgrading other aspects of the campus? Perhaps some of it, certainly not all of it. Anyway, not to distract from the thread, I just wanted to clear up that point.</p>
<p>@Moonmaid - Now I am very sad, I didn’t know they were going to have my beloved angry wave on shirts. I have a few angry wave things. You can tell people still like it a lot since they continue to use it. I think it has so much more character than the current logo.</p>
<p>@jocjarmom - I forgot to say best of luck to your D at UGA. I am sure it will be great for her.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for everything, @fallenchemist. Yes, the $600M may have been a typo!</p>
<p>@jocjarmom - If your D is 100% sure at this point, which I guess she is since you are sending the deposit to UGA, she should tell Tulane right away so they can open up a slot, so to speak.</p>
<p>Funny how different people view things differently. My D is so excited that Tulane and NOLA are a package deal. That is one of the selling points in her view.</p>
<p>My first post here. I just want to share our experiences of the event. Tulane was our first choice but now we will likely commit elsewhere. My DD received the DHS (a little surprised) and she is a NM finalist so it was really difficult for us to pass up free money. We had done extensive research on Tulane and read all the discussions on CC before out visit. We were glad we the visit helped us finalize our decision. I still like Tulane a lot but it is just not a good fit for her. </p>
<p>Positives:</p>
<p>Really felt welcomed by the event staffs and student volunteers.
I like the president’s talk. He positioned well on why Tulane and differentiate Tulane’s offering. I don’t recall the president saying anything about that “if you don’t like NOLA, then this is not the right place for you”. He did say that “if you don’t like the service commitment at Tulane, then it is not the right place for you”. He did stress that safety is a priority at Tulane and should not be a major concerns.
Undergraduates have research opportunities with professors (this was our main attraction to Tulane), summer research opportunity for underclassmen. Travel/Study abroad. Small classes and major flexibility. Graduate in 4 years and double major/minor.
Honor program staffs bring faculties and discussions/activities to the Butlers honor dorm. </p>
<p>Negatives:</p>
<p>I’d like to see more focus on the academic (since the weekend has a very specific target audience). Outside of the president’s talk and honor program session, the weekend does not feel it is designed for the top scholars.
Race diversity - while visiting, I kind of felt the diversity ratio was worse than what is in the CDS.
I’d like to see more “academic kids” represented at the TSW. I can guess why they are not involved with student activities. My daughter is more of nerdy type but I thought Tulane would offer her the opportunity to break the mold. I would have loved to hear to some success transformation stories.
Also felt everyone oversell the “NOLA” aspect. I would like to see more focus on Tulane. A better balance would be great.
The general honor program is too large (400 kids out of 1600) for me. I believe of the 400 kids, 75 of them would be offered the Scholar program. The scholar program is not based on the HS stats as far as I know. Since my DD received the presidential scholarship and the DHS, it would be nice if these factors are considered.
Many of the honor program and school offerings are available to the kids but the kids need to proactively approach/seek the resources. I was told with the Scholar program, they would be able to take a more proactively approach with the kids in the program (since it is smaller)
I stated this as a positive but I also wonder how does the students were able to double major and has a third minor and still graduate in 4 years (stated by one of our tour guide that this is pretty common with many students at Tulane). So a question mark on the rigorousness of the program.
School did feel a little old and tired. The president’s talk was held in the McAlister auditorium and I had expected a nicer facility. I know it was built in 1940’s. But maybe it is just me.
Saw several kids drinking beer (concealed in brown paper bag) at 9 am outside the LBC building on Monday. I understand this is just 2-3 kids but it did not represent well and not sure why the school did nothing about it (appear they have been there for a while and were quite comfortable).
It would be nice if the school offer linen services for the overnight stay (not a major issue). The sleeping bag and the pillow was half of our luggage. DD had to sleep on the floor. </p>
<p>@jocjarmom
Thank you for your detailed description of your daughter’s visit. My son is deciding between American University and Tulane. He attended an admitted students overnight at AU last week, and we go to Tulane next week. At this point, he is leaning toward AU. We visited Tulane in December, but it was the Friday before Christmas and the campus was deserted. Nevertheless, I was surprised that our tour guide did not take us into any of the buildings (other than the rec center), dorms, or classrooms. It was unlike any other tour I’ve had at other college campuses, and I wonder if it’s because the condition of the facilities is as you describe. I also think that DC is a better town for a college student than NOLA. We toured NOLA and found it to be dirty and run down in places (we’re from Denver). I guess the reason we’re revisiting is because of the school’s ranking and reputation. If nothing else, the re-visit will help solidify my son’s decision. </p>
<p>I love New Orleans and am a big fan of Tulane. Yet, it is true, New Orleans is not a “clean” city. It runs the gamut, like NYC (for example). Some parts are wonderful. Other parts are pretty bad. Some parts are simply… funky (in a good way, if that is to your taste. Not good, if not your taste).</p>
<p>On another thread on CC, a student is trying to decide between Case Western in Cleveland, U.Rochester (in Rochester. :-/ ), and Tulane. I kind of think that anybody who thinks New Orleans does not beat both Cleveland and Rochester is a bit daft. Yet, everybody has their own taste. </p>
<p>New Orleans IS definitely unique. Nobody can take that away.</p>
<p>@almostdonehere - This isn’t to try and talk you back into Tulane, of course, but I do have a couple of questions.</p>
<p>
I don’t know what you mean when you say you can guess why certain kids were not involved, and I don’t know what you mean by success transformation stories. Can you elaborate?</p>
<p>
I don’t think those numbers are right. Just a few years ago, the percentage in the Honors Program was about 12-15%, so about 200 per class. I wonder if what you heard was 400 for the whole school (some no doubt leave the program if they don’t get the grades) so that is 400 out of about 6000. The program is absolutely based largely on HS stats for the initial invitations, and only those that got the Presidential and some that got the Distinguished Scholar Award are invited. This is definitely not 25% of the entering class. What made you think it wasn’t based on HS stats? I know the program is being redone, but it is still for the top academic achievers.</p>
<p>
I assume by “the program” you mean each major. The top students can do this because many come in with a lot of AP credits. Those that come in with none or only a few would have trouble getting in a double major and a minor. But as you point out, the audience here were students that mostly have a lot of AP’s. My D went in with something like 21 AP credits (I forget the exact number, might have been 23. I know it was in the 20’s) so she had more than a semester of credits going in. Some schools cap this at a lower number, but in either case it doesn’t take away from the rigorousness of the programs. In fact, because Tulane doesn’t force them to repeat intro level courses, they can take more courses in their major(s). I have compared the requirements for different majors at Tulane to those at WUSTL, Vandy and a number of other schools. The requirements are nearly identical. My D had a double major and a minor, btw.</p>
<p>The beer incident is really unfortunate and I honestly don’t think representative of the school. If they had been spotted by TUPD they would have been cited and the beer taken away.</p>
<p>Finally, as far as linen service, there just are not enough beds to house visiting students during a semester. At Orientation in the summer, the students are put up at Butler and linens are indeed provided.</p>
<p>Like I said, this isn’t really to change any minds but to clarify some issues. Although to be 100% honest, I always hate to see a DHS go unused, especially when Tulane was a high choice.</p>
<p>@ireneb - I actually went to AU for grad school, and I’ve got to say that while DC is certainly colder than NOLA, it is a great place for school. The campuses are about the same size. When I toured Tulane last year with my daughter, neither of us thought the facilities looked bad, so when she walked into the buildings this past weekend, she was really shocked by what she saw there. (Ironically, we were just in Denver this weekend!)</p>
<p>@almostdonehere - It’s possible that is what President Cowen said “If you aren’t into community service, this isn’t the place for you.” Remember, I was getting this as 2nd hand info. My husband also noticed that about the race diversity. I think it was the “oversell” of NOLA that convinced my daughter this wasn’t the right school for her. When we toured Emory, they all talked about “the Emory bubble” and how the school was really its own little island in Atlanta. But she didn’t feel like there was a “Tulane bubble” and she realized that she couldn’t get away from NOLA even if she wanted to just be at the school. Does that make sense?</p>
<p>That’s interesting, because people actually do talk about the Tulane bubble all the time. It is quite possible to be on campus and rarely venture out, it is just that very few want to.</p>
<p>That is a little weird that it would appear the facilities were that much different in a year. Obviously they don’t really change that fast. I wonder if Crawfest had more impact than I could have imagined?</p>
<p>I’m surprised too because any time we have ever been on the Tulane campus we always remark how immaculate it is. We were just there for Mardi Gras and it was no different! I was surprised how clean it was even in the middle of Mardi Gras. New Orleans isn’t for everybody. It’s my soul city so I am extremely biased about how wonderful it is. :)</p>
<p>I hope I don’t sound like I’m totally being negative about Tulane and the dirt and facilities, etc. I am really just repeating what my husband and daughter said. And yes, we are all aware that this school is full of students who totally love Tulane and NOLA… unfortunately, she just isn’t one. And yes @fallenchemist we will definitely let Tulane know ASAP so we can open up a spot for somebody else.</p>
<p>My husband, DD and I were at Tulane for TSW last weekend as well. We saw no difference (or problem with) in conditions on camps since our first visit (October 2013). We were actually impressed with how well they had cleaned up Crawfest in 12 hours or so (maybe the still remaining port-a-potties gave some people the wrong idea?). </p>
<p>There are still a few minor and major (library addition) construction projects going on - but that’s a good sign of a healthy school. My daughter’s overnight host was a Honors student in Butler, there were 3 honors students on the Honors Program presentation panel, and we were surrounded by students invited to the Honors Program- I actually would have found some more non-Honors students refreshing! </p>
<p>Now, we are from the NW suburbs of Chicago, and are used to sharply contrasting neighborhoods, so when the streetcar broke down between Tulane and our hotel in the CBD and were “abandoned” under a highway viaduct that was inhabited by a small village of homeless people, we were right at home, but I’m not sure we will take that streetcar route again. That was our only negative experience in NOLA, and the friendly locals we met on the streetcar more than made up for it. Gotta love NOLA - and if you don’t, unless you are antisocial altogether, you are not going to love Tulane. </p>
<p>DD was just happy to see the Mardi Gras tree and campus cats were still there. We had a really great campus tour guide, and enjoyed it even tho it was our 3rd or 4th time thru. Still the only campus visit that fed us while serenading us with a full horn band- God bless those kids who got up early Sunday morning to play for us- it left a lasting impression on us both times we were there. </p>
<p>I have to say my daughter felt a bit ignored by her host - a freshman, who together with her roommate was hosting 3 girls. 3 girls on the floor of a butler double! I guess they took the visitors out with a large group of their friends and the visitors were lost in the crowd. Also- they took them for “real New Orleans food” - turned out to be rather ordinary calzone- anyone in Chicago knows better than to eat Italian food in the south or on the west coast. Fortunately we took DD to Ralph and Kacoo’s the night before. </p>
<p>I think in the future I will recommend against these overnight experiences- my sons in earlier years as well as friends of my DD this year all had lackluster experiences with overnights. I think they can be very misleading because kids are randomly thrown at other kids and that is just not how the actual social situation evolves. Luckily my DD is smart enough to realize this and shrugged it off. She is still very excited about Tulane. She met with an advisor and registered for 1 class (the Tides class which had limited space), and will finish online this week, armed with a list of suggestions from the advisor. She thought the process was very efficient and found the staff more helpful than that of her (very well funded) suburban high school. She didn’t complain about the computer she used so either she had a later model than others or she’s just low-maintenance. </p>
<p>I think so many colleges are marketing country club-like features to parents (um, I mean kids), that maybe in comparison, Tulane is not as shiny. My husband, DD and I all love historic architecture (our house was built in 1906), and really appreciated the older buildings on campus. </p>
<p>We were at LBC at 9:00 Monday morning and missed those kids with beer in paper bags! While I certainly would not have been impressed by that, if that’s the worst thing my daughter comes across at a Tulane, I will be both surprised and relieved. </p>
<p>I think it’s hard to manage expectations and keep much perspective at this point in the process. For a lot of us, this has been a long and intense process and almost any “decisive” visit will feel anticlimactic. DD committed in October, so we had our anticlimactic moment months ago. I don’t know how any college can live up to the hype of “the Right One” in the current college search climate. </p>
<p>Good luck to all still trying to choose - soooooo glad that is behind us (forever, since DD is our youngest ). May the force be with you and propel you in the right direction. </p>
<p>
Rest assured these are both treasured campus fixtures and will be there long after your D graduates.</p>
<p>I will also throw in the comment that in my 4 years at Tulane the streetcar only broke down once (and I took it a lot) and in my D’s 3.5 years it never broke down while she was on it. So I think you just got really unlucky, at least in the sense of being on a streetcar that stalled. </p>
<p>@jocjarmom - You are not sounding totally negative at all. It is the impression your D and H had. That’s just the way it is, it cannot be right or wrong. I could be off on this, but it really sounds like her uncomfortableness with NOLA was the most critical factor in the decision. Not saying it was the only thing, but it seems to dominate somehow. In that aspect, she absolutely isn’t the first and won’t be the last. That is how it is with eclectic places. I know people that have strong negative feelings about San Fran because there were so many homeless hassling them, and they hated all the hills, lol. I love San Fran. Many people hate the noise and congestion of NYC, even as students. I probably would have been one of them. Obviously most people revel in all the opportunities of NYC. It just is what it is, and once you feel uncomfortable it is hard for much else to seem good. Which is not to say her other issues were not real to her, but that there becomes little reason to find positives once you think there is no way you could live in a place. I don’t think anyone is put off by your comments at all. It is, in fact, interesting to compare impressions and continue to observe how differently two people can see the same thing. It really reinforces the whole narrative about fit being such a critical factor when it comes to college selection, rather than some of the other factors people sometimes (erroneously, IMO) get focused on.</p>
<p>@fallenchemist </p>
<p>We spoke with the associated director of the honor program and 400 is what she quoted. She confirmed it when I responded that worked out to be twenty-some %. For the TSW event, the president stated the kids were among the top 20% admitted so your # for TSW is probably accurate as well. Apparently the honor program is also offered to admitted students outside of the TSW invitees. The Scholar program (something new this year) is selected among the candidate from the honor program. She did not elaborate on how the 75 students are chosen so I assumed it is not based on HS stats since this is selected after they attend Tulane. I probably should have asked her to clarify the selection criteria.</p>
<p>My daughter focused mostly on her academic and interests (music) during high school. I would love to see her become more engaged with school activities while attending college (but I doubt that she would volunteer herself). None of the student volunteers talked about the honor programs so I am if they are in the program. All the student volunteers were wonderful and during the entire event, I kept telling her that she needs to develop her personality during college (which she was not too happy to hear). For me it is not surprising to hear how honor students excelled in the academic are. What I meant to say is I wish I heard more examples of how the honor program students transformed during their time at Tulane to beyond academics. I would also like to hear from the administration on how they are reaching out to these kids in order to get them involved.</p>