<p>@almostdonehere - On the first paragraph, thanks for that clarification. It sounds like they have changed the program even more than I thought. I was aware of this new Top Scholars program for 75 students, but I didn’t know it was starting this fall. Can you confirm that is what you heard? It is my strong assumption that it is going to be similar to the already established Newcomb Scholars Program, but not just for women. <a href=“https://tulane.edu/newcomb/scholars/”>https://tulane.edu/newcomb/scholars/</a> Has your daughter looked at that program? If not, she really should. It could be just the kind of thing she is looking for. In any case, it does sound like they have widened the net for a general Honors Program and created a more selective program within it for the most academically talented of the students. If it is similar to the Newcomb Scholars Program, then HS stats still play a big role because the selections are made pretty early in their Tulane career. Students get applications right after Labor Day and the process proceeds through the first semester. So while they no doubt do look at how the student is doing first semester, a large part of the selection is based on high school performance, for sure. Anyway, if after reading all this there is still any interest in Tulane, I would advise calling back to the Honors Program and seeing if the program is going to be similar to the Newcomb Scholars, except unrestricted by gender. If so, that would also be an advantage for your D since she would have two programs to have a shot at. As a DHS recipient, I would think her chances of being selected would be pretty good.</p>
<p>Regarding the second paragraph, I get where you are coming from now. I would frame it all differently, however. It isn’t the Honors Program that helps them develop outside of academics (although I could definitely see how this new Scholars program could, as the Newcomb Scholars program has for some of the participants), but instead it is Tulane itself. Not only do a lot of students blossom naturally once they are away from home for the first time, especially at a school like Tulane, but Tulane of course has two semesters of the service requirement, which gets the student involved in a community largely outside of academics. I can absolutely tell you that there are dozens of cases I know personally where this requirement either changed the student’s life goals completely or at least was a highly transforming experience. Not always, of course, but it is an exposure that students don’t get at most schools.</p>
<p>So if you have already moved on and this is all for naught, so be it. Others might benefit from the info. But if this makes you rethink the decision a bit, perhaps some follow up calls are in order. After all, it is a big decision and as you said, the DHS is worth a lot of money.</p>
<p>I don’t see anyone as being negative, everyone has their own impressions and likes and dislikes. Not everyone “gets” NOLA and there is no escaping NOLA if you go to Tulane. For my son it is a huge draw. I think John Goodman summed it up best: “Someone suggested that there is an incomplete part of our chromosomes that gets repaired or found when we hit New Orleans. Some of us just belong here”</p>
<p>@jocjarmom - “while DC is certainly colder than NOLA, it is a great place for school”
Thank you for the AU comparison. When you say “colder,” do you mean the personality of the people, the weather, or both?</p>
<p>@donnaheal - “My husband, DD and I all love historic architecture (our house was built in 1906), and really appreciated the older buildings on campus.”
I love historic architecture, and I appreciate older buildings, homes, and college campuses as well. But I don’t like a campus (Trinity College in Hartford, CT comes to mind), where the interior of the buildings are stuck in the past. I’m looking for interior spaces/classrooms/auditoriums that offer modern conveniences, technology and comfortable seating (Wake Forest comes to mind). As I have not set foot in any Tulane buildings other than the rec center, do you think the above statement holds true for the interior of the historic buildings at Tulane?</p>
<p>@fallenchemist & @dolphinlvr6: This was not a planned repair/shutdown on the streetcar. About 4 blocks after we transferred from the bus to the streetcar, that green box (looks like a transformer?) made a loud pop and the car stopped moving - stuff happens - I get it - I was just saying that was the only issue we had, and the people on the streetcar with us made the trip worthwhile. </p>
<p>I live in Chicago and have managed shelter kitchens so I was not shocked or frightened by the homeless area. I am sure NOLA is working on it - all major cities have this problem. It is very tough to deal with because the population largely suffers from mental health problems that are difficult to manage or monitor. It’s a particularly bad situation in Chicago in the winter - we had numerous below zero days where people could not be coaxed into warming shelters - at least in NOLA one is not likely to freeze to death. </p>
<p>@ireneb - I was only in two older buildings long enough to notice interior details- both were comfortable for me. They had modern bathrooms and wifi. On the other hand, I have no problem with blackboards and I find comfort (and character ) in old things. </p>
<p>College boys drinking beer early in the morning in the public place is definitely not the worst thing that could’ve happen. It was just odd they chose to do it away from residence halls in an area with so much activities and were so relax about it. </p>
<p>Also, now I back tracked our activity that day, it was actually around 10:25 AM and not 9 AM. </p>
<p>@donnahead ah yes. I always tell visitors the streetcar is charming but not the most reliable mode of transportation! </p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone, I love reading about visits to Tulane and hearing about your experiences! Makes me so excited for my son to be going there! </p>
<p>@ireneb - I was definitely referring to the weather! I used to live in DC and practically froze my tush off! I haven’t spent enough time in NOLA to say whether it’s friendlier than DC. I will say that while Tulane does a masterful job marketing the school so you know you’re going to get a taste of NOLA in everything you do there, AU did a great job integrating DC. Granted, my master’s degree was in Political Science, but I took some of the absolutely coolest classes at AU that totally took advantage of all the politicians and pundits in the area. My favorite 2 programs I participated in were the Lobbying Institute and the Campaign Management Institute. And they actually wound up putting our final presentations on C-SPAN (where we had a viewership of 40 people… 2 parents for each participant in the program! :)) )</p>
<p>In any event, I can say that my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law and family all live in the DC area and they said it’s been one of the worst winters in recent memory. When the most recent snow came about 2 weeks ago, my sister-in-law was ready to pack up and move in with me.</p>
<p>On the other hand, my sister-in-law is a genius when it comes to finding amazing, interesting and FREE things (educational and otherwise) to do in DC. My 2 nieces have been exposed to so many things that my children weren’t (growing up in Atlanta). So while I’ve had the much better weather and significantly cheaper real estate values living in ATL, I sort of envy what my nieces have gotten to do.</p>
<p>@almostdonehere I’m a student who is going to Tulane, and after visiting both Rice and Tulane in the past week (TWS and Owl Days), I think a few of your negatives are a bit unfounded.
First of all, being able to double/triple major is something that a lot of good schools emphasize. Both Rice and Tulane discussed this as an option, because of AP credits.
Second, are you seriously concerned about beer? I had way more trouble getting alcohol at Tulane where I had to fight to get into a frat party than at Rice, where there were kegs openly at one of the residential colleges. (And I don’t drink, I’m a fan of expensive beer while hanging out with my family, not getting drunk on a Friday night.)
Third, you always sleep on a floor when you visit a college. I slept in a bean bag at Tulane and on the floor one night/couch the second at Rice.
Lastly, your kid is in college. Being proactive about your own education is how you achieve success. These are adults, not children, and even as a senior in high school I don’t believe that I should be handed opportunity on a silver platter. No one’s going to baby them anymore.</p>
<p>@koalathebear - I am always curious as to why students made the choice they did, be it Tulane or another school. If you don’t mind sharing, why Tulane over Rice (and anywhere else you might have been seriously considering)?</p>
<p>@koalathebear very well said about achieving your own success. I was high fiving you reading that. I was writing a similar response in my mind but hearing it coming from a current student had much more impact! And going to a academically competitive school, like Tulane you have a lot of highly motivated students around you as well! </p>
<p>I really loved Rice - like really really loved it. But Tulane gave me full tuition, which will be stable over four years, and I won’t suddenly not be able to afford college with my family’s weird financial situation. Additionally, I feel that Tulane will be slightly less competitive, and since I’m premed I’m hoping to make mostly A’s. Obviously I will still have to work very hard, but Rice seems much more like my high school: extremely rigorous and somewhat unforgiving. Tulane comes off as more relaxed. And although mostly unimportant, I hate Houston. Rice, on the other hand, has amazing residential colleges and a more diverse and nerdy student body. </p>
<p>I think that is a pretty good description overall. And not liking the location of a school is really not that unimportant, IMO. After all you will be living there for 4 years, and you don’t want to have to stay in the Rice bubble the entire time. It’s funny, but I am also not fond of Houston. I have some family there, In fact there is a building at UH that is named after a great uncle or cousin or whatever. Tulane is moving to an all residential college format, but it will take some years to transform them all. But every new dorm is residential college format. Congrats on the DHS btw. That’s a pretty good reason of course. That was certainly a big factor in my D choosing Tulane.</p>
<p>@koalathebear I have to 2nd what @fallenchemist just said re: not liking the location of a school. As mentioned before (and not to beat a dead horse), that was one of the primary reasons my daughter chose NOT to go to Tulane. She just didn’t care for New Orleans, and couldn’t see herself there for 4 years. And congrats on DHS.</p>
<p>Just to give all of you an update, my daughter went to UGA last night for a party with some of her friends and had a blast. She couldn’t get over how comfortable she felt there, and how much she enjoyed being there with her friends. It was a gorgeous spring day and both of us were blown away by how pretty the campus looked (minus the pollen). She got to tour some of the freshman dorms and pretty much has her top 3 choices in mind. </p>
<p>Finally, this afternoon we got together with one of my closest friends from my college days whose daughter is also going to UGA (the girls didn’t know each other). They hit it off so well, they’ve agreed to be roommates. So it looks like everything is falling into place. As sad as I was to hit that button telling Tulane that she wasn’t coming, I feel like a really good decision has been made.</p>