<p>the low retention rate was due to katrina, and the fact that the school is very hard academically...</p>
<p>graduate schools love students who went to tulane, it really means a lot to them and they consider it to be very elite</p>
<p>It had a low retention rate before Katrina. The stats I gave were from before Katrina. I don't know what they are now. </p>
<p>Part of the reason the retention rate is so low is <em>because</em> it is very hard academically. Many people party too hard and don't do well and lose their scholarships and have to leave.</p>
<p>I thought Tulane was very challenging. Honestly, my current school, Brown, is harder, but Tulane was also hard. I had a lot of great classes at Tulane. I think some of hte professors at Tulane are actually better than some here (I loved my intro to women's studies professor at tulane, I HATED my intro to fem theory professor at Brown)</p>
<p>exactly, and tulane has a new medical school professor from harvard</p>
<p>Jayhawk, what is making you say that? </p>
<p>Tulane has a good reuptaiton, especially in the south, but it's not necessarily "elite"</p>
<p>My sister went to Brandeis, which is an incredible school, but doesn't really have the name recognition to make it "elite" </p>
<p>Being "elite" is more about prestige (which is stupid...I don't like prestige) than about quality</p>
<p>I'm not trying to outright dis Tulane. I think it's a very good school. I think there are better schools, but Tulane is still very good. </p>
<p>I think Tulane has a lot of problems that don't have to do with the quality of its academics (save a few things...like very bad intro science teachers) </p>
<p>If you'd like, I can outline in detail why i transferred out.</p>
<p>sure do so, but we both know its academics are top notch</p>
<p>Well actually you don't know. You haven't been there. But you're right in believing that they are. I wouldn't say they are the best out there (like I said, Brown is more challenging) but that doesn't mean they aren't great</p>
<p>Do you actually want to hear why I transferred out? I can tell you, but it will take a while, and I don't want to do it if you won't read it. If you want to read it, I'll gladly do it</p>
<p>i go to summer school there!!!</p>
<p>Eh...that's a bit different. But I'm sure it gives you some idea so I do stand corrected</p>
<p>yes do it please</p>
<p>Okay: </p>
<p>First, I had originally wanted to go to Brown (very badly), so I kept that goal. But I would have transferred anyways, Tulane wasn't right for me. </p>
<p>And (in no paticular order): </p>
<ol>
<li><p>My major was neuroscience, and Brown has probably the best neuroscience program in the country. Though Tulane's is also good. Ironically, my major is now art. </p></li>
<li><p>I really (really really really) wanted to play rugby and Tulane's team was hardly a team at all. Brown has one of the best teams in the country (#9 D1) Clearly this is not a reason that applies to most people.</p></li>
<li><p>Tulane is fun. Very fun. Too much fun!! There are a lot of people who care a lot more about partying than about school. I wanted a better balance. </p></li>
<li><p>The intro level science (except for intro eco biology) are atrocious. They are usually brand new teachers from like Germany who don't know how to teach at all. You don't get to see senior level faculty until your Junior/Senior year. Here at Brown, you get senior faculty from day 1. Except for calc 1. </p></li>
<li><p>There are A LOT of brilliant people at Tulane. But there are also a lot of ditzy people there. Or at least smart people that pretend to be ditzy. </p></li>
<li><p>Discussing stuff is not super common. It happens, and I had some fabulous discussions with some of my friends, but it's not the cool / common thing to do. Tulane doesn't have a very "intellecutal" atmosphere. It's a lot more common to talk about which beer is better. I was looking for a more intellectual place. </p></li>
<li><p>A lot of people were actually snobby. I met a few great people who became close friends, but in general, I didn't super click with a lot of people. Or at least not the way I do here. </p></li>
<li><p>There isn't a very wide variety of classes to choose from. Many of the classes in the catalog aren't actually offered (like a lot of the honors or more offbeat (and interesting) classes)</p></li>
<li><p>There was little sense of community at Tulane. Most people move off campus after fresh/soph year and don't feel paticularly connected to the school, or each other. </p></li>
<li><p>The sense of community that was there was the Greek scene. The Greek scene is huge. I hate the "typical" Greek scene (the kind that is at Tulane is very typical) </p></li>
</ol>
<p>That's all I can think of right now...</p>
<p>yep, tulane academics are top notch!!!</p>
<p>ClaySoul, I appreciate that your experience is real, but since I am very familiar with some of the same features of the place from my son's experience--and since many of the same things have mattered to him--I will balance a few of your points. (Those omitted have no relevance for him. For example, he doesn't play rubgy....)</p>
<p>He's a neurosci major, too. Maybe he's not getting what you are--we wouldn't know, but he's happy. As a third-year but a by-the-hours senior, he's taking a 700-level course this fall in the area. He has had no problem getting courses in his area and with what you might still call upper division professors before this.</p>
<p>He's had the same experience that you had finding people he regards as having a different social view from his own, but he's also found those who share his own. Those are the ones he hangs with. He's on scholarship, so it's not that ahrd. As for community he's very friendly guy, and he stayed on campus as an RA, so that makes it easier. You don't have to move away into isolation as long as there's room for you. He's not "Greek," but he still has friends. </p>
<p>He's had an amazing intellectual connection with his professors and with at least some of his friends. I don't know how many nights they stay up talking all night as we used to do in college, but I know there's some of that. It's not all about beer.I guess the bottom line might be that you could have to spend a little more effort to seek these things out at Tulane. I really wouldn't know. I find it hard to believe that it would be more difficult at Tulane than it was at UF when I was there. (At the time it was the #1 party school in the country.) I just had to say that these things are still possible at Tulane if you make them happen.</p>
<p>I'm really glad that you found such a good fit at Brown, CS. That's what it's all about. My best to you. And I hope everyone finds/has such a good fit.</p>
<p>Getting back to what this thread was started for...</p>
<p>I was accepted to Tulane (among all of the other schools I applied to...including one that was ranked in the top 10).
College GPA: 3.62
HS GPA: 3.96
Had excellent LORs but I worked on a lot of projects with my professors (campus climate survey, hate crimes, etc.) and we got to know each other well.
Wrote an excellent essay (from what I'm told by friends)
Studied abroad at Cambridge (didn't want to leave..perfect balance of work/play...& play is usually drinking while discussing some event, book, etc.)</p>
<p>I received 25k in scholarships from Tulane.</p>
<p>Ultimately, people shouldn't look at prestige when deciding where to go to receive an education (that's something that some employers might look at, but I'm strongly against going to college just to get a job)--& shouldn't put much weight on US News since the main difference in those schools are not in Emory is better than Vanderbilt is better than Tulane etc....in some fields yes, in others no. Someone who chooses Vanderbilt above Georgetown who is majoring in international relations is crazy! Tulane has great programs (from everything I've read, not from personal experience) in international development, latin american studies, tropical medicine, finance, french, and a few others...I'm sure all of the programs offered at top tier universities are good, but each school decides what programs to focus on (which is why Tulane no longer has a school of engineering). Rice is known for music and engineering. I choose to go to Tulane because I'm interested in a variety of fields from international development/relations to sociology and french. Also, what better place to learn about non-profits and disaster relief at the moment than in New Orleans?</p>
<p>^^ true that</p>
<p>Rankings are way overrated. Granted, it's easy for me to say that now that I go to a very highly ranked school, but I still believe it. Rankings, while having some merit, do not directly equate to the quality of academics at a school. And there are so many other things to consider, like location, atmosphere, access to professors, attitudes of the student body, social life, intellectual life, and the strength / availablity of individual programs. And is there REALLY a difference between number one and number two? At a certian point it's all just a competiton and prestige-mongering</p>
<p>I'm glad I transferred to Brown because it is so much better of a fit for me socially and intellectually, and I get to play my preciosu rugby, but I do miss a lot of things at Tulane like their glass blowing program (arguably the best in the country -- I reccomend it to everyone and anyone!), their women's studies program (which is exceptional at tulane and actually not very good at Brown), certain professors I met, and of course the location!</p>
<p>This is unsolicited, but I'd like to add it. I post on this forum despite no longer being a student here because I like to try to give a balanced view of Tulane. There were a lot of things I liked and a lot of things I didn't like (see my above post for reasons for transferring -- of course this doesn't include all of the wonderful things I found at Tulane -- I can post those too if anyone wants to hear them). Tulane certinaly isn't for everyone, but it is for a lot of people. So I like to try to guide people accordingly.</p>
<p>And ctymom, you nailed it. You CAN find those things at Tulane, it's just harder and not the common theme of the school. I didn't want to work so hard to find it and I wanted it to be the common theme. I wanted it to just be there. It's all about personal fit in my opinion.</p>
<p>Claysoul,
I really think it's time for one disaffected student who transferred out of Tulane to move on. Everyone is well aware of your reasons for leaving by now. There is no balance if the Tulane board is constantly listening to your complaints/criticisms - which are further and further removed from the current reality of Tulane because you don't go there anymore and haven't for awhile. I'm sure you only have the best motivations for posting here to potential students - but you don't have current info anymore.</p>
<p>I disagree. Things don't change overnight at schools. It takes a long time for attitudes and environment to change. I say plenty of positive things about Tulane as well.</p>