Tulane Engineering Scholar Day visit

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tulane University
1

<p>S and I just completed a one-day event for admitted engineering students who have received merit scholarships. There were probably about 15 families there hosted by about an equal number of current students and at least 7-8 faculty members.</p>

<p>General campus impressions: In a beautiful part of the city, just past the Garden District and across from Audubon Park. The main quad fronts on St. Charles Avenue and consists of stone and brick buildings in a pleasing mix of traditional architectural styles. Behind the quad, the campus opens up wider into a series of other quads and sectors of both traditional and more modern buildings. Some key buildings are under construction, the new Student Center and two new residences, to be completed in early ‘06.. Some dorms (mostly female-only?) have that nice older architecture; the newer dorms are nothing to write home about imho. (S doesn’t care – if there’s a computer and playstation in the room, that covers it for him). Greek is a minority % on campus – I kept trying to figure who was and who wasn’t, and couldn’t. Walked past several Greek houses, but nothing really going on there during the day.</p>

<p>The prevailing mode of dress on campus is very casual – tee shirts and shorts/jeans/jeans skirt; no noticeable pocketbook factor, carolyn ;). I have seen many questions/comments re diversity on campus – the stats can be looked up and speak for themselves, but this is what I observed: Asian SU holding a food fest (all campus invited) on the evening we arrived; Hispanic engineering student org. holding a Fiesta (all campus invited) on the afternoon of our event; posters re upcoming Black Arts festival. Engineering faculty we met (largely chairs of each dept) showed much diversity (India, Greece, Hispanic origin etc.). Very friendly campus with faculty, staff, and students open and helpful and going out of their way to stop what they are doing and answer questions, point the way, etc. </p>

<p>S spent the night in dorm, which obviously went well as he was invited to stay the next night which was not part of the organized agenda. Since S has already chosen Tulane for next year, I am thrilled that he has already found a comfort zone.</p>

<p>Engineering specific impressions: Clearly a very undergrad-oriented faculty; mentioned that there are only 3 seniors to every faculty position. To pass the required fresh eng. “survey” course, students must have lunch w a professor and visit at least 3 eng. Research labs; many mentoring possibilities are set up with faculty, grad students and/or alums with the goal of each student being paired w a mentor. The faculty member handling this works very hard to achieve this even when it requires efforts equivalent to “pulling teeth.” The Dean of Engineering has an Alumni Advisory Board of 60 members (HP, Exxon-Mobil, Yahoo, Entergy etc. etc.) who meet twice a year with him and – at each of those sessions – have lunch with undergrad eng students. TAs are not used in engineering classes, although they are used in labs in the Calculus classes that eng students take in the Math dept. TAs do provide help sessions for some eng classes. I was most impressed by not only the credentials of the faculty but by how personable they all were – a key element in approachability by students, as I see it. As each described his work/research, I found myself salivating and I am no engineer!</p>

<p>As has been said elsewhere on this Board, Tulane is reaching up in rank. Average SAT score was reported to have gone up 120 points in the last few years. One faculty member spoke of a recent graduate who had chosen Tulane over MIT, who excelled at Tulane (tho not valedictorian) and was accepted into several top MD/PhD programs after his biomedical engineering BS from Tulane. The professor’s analysis was that this student, by choosing and excelling at Tulane may have had better outcome than had he chosen MIT. He concluded that the top 10% of undergrads eng students at Tulane will do as well or better than had they chosen a more prestigious school; conversely, he believed that the bottom10% at Tulane would do nowhere near as well in terms of future opportunities as the bottom 10% at MIT. Perhaps obvious, but an interesting way to put it, I thought.</p>

2

<p>Jmmom, I"m glad you found the visit interesting. Your observations seem to be right on par with what I have found over the last year.</p>

3

<p>Hey Jmmom,</p>

<p>I am deciding between Tulane and Northeastern (was leaning towards NEU before reading your post, now taking another look at Tulane). Can you comment more on the facilities and dorms at Tulane? Was it well-maintained?</p>

4

<p>Some postscripts to my report:</p>

<p>The weather was scrumptious.</p>

<p>I walked quite a bit west of campus - residential and then cafe/restaurant area. Felt quite safe. Our taxi in came via north of campus - what I've heard is the less safe area. It was certainly not a postcard-worthy part of the city, but did not bother me (a city girl). As previously stated, east is the Garden District and south is Audubon Park and then the river.</p>

<p>joyjoy - Yes, well-maintained. Perhaps alongforride and concerneddad will join in - they have been there more than I. The grounds are lovely - well landscaped, students sitting in groups on lawns, etc. I was in the Engineering Building, Admin. Building, Music Building, the "bubble" (temporary student center) on this visit. All nicely taken care of. S reports that dorm was well-maintained. He cares about the physical condition of a place (even tho he may store his clothes on the floor) and is used to a clean house (<em>mom takes bow</em>), so he would be turned off by scuzzy surroundings.
He liked the food - and on that count, he is an expert having eaten at many top places.</p>

<p>There is a brand new dorm going up which I believe is for Freshmen. </p>

<p>I'm not sure (from your other post) why you think New Orleans is not a great city - maybe just because you haven't been there? I know Boston quite well, but have only visited New Orleans. I LOVE Boston (as I also love DC, San Francisco - all places I have lived). But I would put New Orleans in the same category - it is a beautiful, diverese city with a winning climate (at least during the school year). The Bourbon Street scene is a subculture that you can opt into or out of; I'm told students spend little time there. There are a wealth of cultural activities, restaurants, etc. I don't want to sway you, but I do know Northeastern a little as I went to Wellesley and have spent plenty time around Boston. Tulane's setting is much superior, I would say. And, as you could probably tell, I was most impressed by all aspects of the Engineering program. So I would not want to see you discount Tulane due to a poor impression of New Orleans. Is there any chance you can visit?</p>

5

<p>As has been said many times on the Tulane threads, New Orleans is a city like no other. That's what draws millions of tourists there every year. That's what makes it so popular for conventions. However, like Jmmom has said, most students don't frequent the French Quarter. My son almost never goes there. Only if there's a specific restaurant or jazz venue they want to go to. The area around Tulane is nice. I think Jmmom's description of the campus is quite good. The real estate around there is quite pricey, and Audobon Park with its magnficent alley of live oaks is worth a trip to see.</p>

6

<p>Jmmom, first off I have to say that I appreciate your concern in following my posts. I would love to visit Tulane, but it is long plane ride from the west coast; my work and school also prevent me from visiting. I have seen pictures off of the website and off the DVD but need some personal opinions. </p>

<p>The area I live in now is not that nice, but I don't want to spend my next four years in a ghetto area where I am not comfortable/safe. </p>

<p>As you may have read, I got waitlisted at Rice (currently top choice) and now have until May 1st to put a deposit down at another school (Tulane or NEU), so I am scrambling to find a good fit, as difficult as it is without visiting. I know if I do visit, I could remove all doubt and make a good choice, but I don't have that luxury. From what I heard, Boston is a much better place for academia than NO. </p>

<p>"I don't want to sway you, but I do know Northeastern a little as I went to Wellesley and have spent plenty time around Boston."</p>

<p>Oh please do sway. I need all the opinions I can get. Why do you think Tulane's setting is far superior to NEU?</p>

7

<p>
[quote]
Oh please do sway. I need all the opinions I can get. Why do you think Tulane's setting is far superior to NEU?

[/quote]
Only because of the physical setting, really. I'm a city girl myself, but I like more of a campus-y, green feel for a college, for some reason. That's just my opinion, obviously.</p>

<p>I have to agree with you that Boston is a fabulous environment for college, because of all the colleges and universities there and because it is a great city.</p>

<p>Since you mention Rice, I would have to say that Tulane is a lot more like Rice than Northeastern is. S thought Rice was the most beautiful campus of all we saw, altho he didn't end up applying there, and he is, of course, going to Tulane. Rice and Tulane are much more similar in size, atmosphere, physical setting and type of student than Northeastern and Tulane.</p>

<p>Being on the waitlist just prolongs the agony, doesn't it? I certainly hope you find yourself off of the waitlist and IN at Rice. But those are my comments, in the event you don't. Like I said, I really don't want to sway you, but I am more than happy to answer any questions you have, since we have been there and you are unable.</p>

<p>Btw, I know it's a long plane ride (we just flew back and forth from New England), but if it is not absolutely cost prohibitive, I would do it if I were you. Find a way to schedule it, and if you haven't been to Rice - visit both.</p>

8

<p>I think I would prefer a more "campusy" feel for a college myself. But NEU probably has it too. I don't know when you visited NEU, but it has supposedly been improved much over this last decade in selectivity and environment. Everything at NEU is brand new which is a huge plus. </p>

<p>Tulane definately has it pluses though. It definately has a stronger student body and offers much more academically (M.Eng and Masters of Engineering Management). I also like how you said that the professors are very close to the students. </p>

<p>But NEU gives lots of opportunities for co-ops. What about co-ops, research, or internships at Tulane? From your visit, did it seem like students get a lot of opportunity for these? Does the city of NO hamper the ability for find engineering experience? I saw in the accepted students video that a couple students were doing research, which was neat. </p>

<p>If you could give me some information about why your son chose Tulane so quickly, that would also be helpful. What made it "the one" for him that distinguished it above others. I hope it wasn't the scholarship, lol. </p>

<p>Again, jmmom, I appreciate your time in helping me with this college decision. I think I will definately have to visit Tulane before making up my mind, but your comments so far have been a great help.</p>

9

<p>Joyjoy- I don't honestly feel qualified to comment on how available internships/research oppys are at Tulane. They were discussed, but I can't comment on how many. I think you said you received the DSA (or other merit aid from Tulane)? The Eng. School is really reaching out to such students. Even if you didn't, I STRONGLY encourage you to call or email Dean Jack Grubbs or Dean Andrew Martinez. They want students such as you and, as I said, are very approachable, and would be anxious to answer this type of question. Dean Grubbs, in particular, is charged with "recruiting" the new class, I think.</p>

<p>As to my S, he was drawn to Tulane (before he got scholarship) by the campus (he really cared about appealing campus architecture that felt like "college" to him), the city, the quality of the program and just a feeling that he would be comfortable and happy there. Once there on our recent visit, he just "fell right in" with his host and others he met in the Honors Dorm.</p>

<p>In truth, I have not been on the NEU campus in many moons, but have "driven by" a few times recently. There may be a "green campus" in there which is not visible from the main street.</p>

<p>Hope that helps. PM me if you need phone numbers for the two deans (I don't think I should post them on the public board).</p>

10

<p>jmmom, </p>

<p>I was offered the DSA scholarship. I also emailed Grubbs myself, and he put my concerns at ease about the opportunities at Tulane. I did more research between the two schools and it seems that Tulane is the better one academically offering more programs and a much better student/faculty ratio (9:1 vs 5:1). So far, that is all the questions I have about Tulane, and it has definately risen to the top of my list. Thank you for all your advice.</p>