Tulane Freshman Will Answer Your Questions [+ Restaurant & Hotel Suggestions from Parents, etc.]

I know this question is a bit premature but I’m wondering about orientation and registration. My daughter was accepted to Tulane ED. She is planning on attending one of the LATER orientation sessions in June. Does this mean some of the more popular classes might fill before she has a chance to register? Is it first come, first serve or are registrations processed after the last orientation? When does freshman registration open and can you register before orientation?

Congrats, @dabmom, your daughter should be fine. They open a limited number of seats in the popular freshman classes for each of the orientation groups. They cannot register before they meet with an advisor at orientation.

Housing questions: My son was admitted EA and wondering what the next step is regarding housing…does he get to select the dorm he would like to live in? If so, which dorms (non-honors) are considered the “best” for freshman to live in to get the best opportunity to meet people, etc? When does he sign up for housing and can you do so prior to commiting to the University? Does the University offer overnight visits? Thanks in advance!

@fallschurchmom - Sharp and Monroe are known as the “cool,” typical freshman dorms. Monroe is a highrise (12 floors I think) and Sharp is a low rise. My son lived in Monroe his freshman year. . Monore has double rooms with one large communal bathroom on the boys side and one on the girls side. During my son’s sophomore year, he lived in Greenbaum. There was a mix of freshman and sophs. I loved Greenbaum because it was shiny and new! There are beautiful common areas, study rooms and kitchens on each floor and a huge kitchen on the first floor which hosts visiting chefs and special events. In Greenbaum, my son lived in a double room which connected to another double through their own bathroom.
I believe that you can put in your request for a specific dorm, but these are only requests. They are not guaranteed.
Check out this Youtube link to watch video tours of all of the dorms…https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoOhmP-uiiOLw9HPrc5Uj2vLRYZAOlJMW
These videos will give you a better feel for each dorm.

@fallschurchmom Don’t worry about housing. Typically the housing requests aren’t due until the summer. He can either choose a roommate or go random and he will have the chance to list his choice of dorm in rank order. The 2 most social dorms for freshman are Sharp and Monroe, and while parents think of them as classic old dorms the kids love them. They immediately meet the people on their floor and branch out from there. Here are the next steps, Destination Tulane, which is for admitted students to see the campus and help make a decision before the May 1 deadline. If his has selected Tulane he can wait until orientation in May or June, which will include an overnight on campus with a group of committed students. At orientation they will do activities to meet other incoming students and select their first semester program. Orientation is a great place to meet a potential roommate and take tours of all the dorms.

@jozuko and @DebmomNY…thanks so much for the information. We have visited campus once, last year and plan to visit again to refresh his memory. I wish there were more Destinatation Tulane dates earlier as it seems a very long time to wait until March! We may go visit sooner so he can solidify his decision. Thanks again.

@fallschurchmom You can visit the campus any time, no need to wait for the Destination Tulane. I would not visit when the students are on break. It’s best to see the campus when it’s in action. Either go in the next 2 weeks (which might be quieter than usual due to finals) or wait until after MLK day when the students return for the Spring semester.

But avoid Mardi Gras. Everything is more expensive and it’s harder to get around town due to parades.

@fallschurchmom freshmen have a decent amount of housing options for freshman year! I chose to live in Butler because I preferred the smaller size and it was nice to be among people who saw Sharp and Monroe as “party dorms”, something I wasn’t interested in. You can also opt to apply to an RLC program, and I think people accepted to the program live in Paterson and Greenbaum, both great dorms.

@DebmomNY do you think next Thursday-Friday (12/15-12/16) would still be a good time to visit, or will the campus be relatively dead by then? I just got in EA tonight and have never visited campus (from the northeast), but I’m trying to decide whether to do some more apps with January deadlines and would love to visit before then if possible.

@nac7890 - 12/15-12/16 is part of finals week (finals run till the 20th), so there will be students there, however, you may not get a “real feel” for the school. My son (a senior) is actually flying home on the 15th. But if this is the only time you can visit, then go for it!

congratulations @nac7890 If that’s your only chance then at least you would see the campus. Finals week is always quieter but if that’s your best time- go!

Which way is the best to go about roommate selection? Is there a survey that most people end up happy with or is Facebook the best way to go? I have friends in college that have recommended both but I was wondering if there was a “best” way for Tulane.

@hg2021 I would say the best bet is probably though the Facebook page. I would recommend talking to potential roommates on Facebook but also then trying to either go to the same orientation or even FaceTime to see if it would really be a good match.

@nac7890 I would really urge you to visit when there are kids at school. I know personally I visited Tulane my senior year during their spring break and it can be really hard to get a feel for a school without all the students there. I ended up going to visit for a DT.

@hg2021 - personally, I think that the best way to find a roommate is through friends of friends (ex, your friend from home’s cousin’s best friend from camp…) someone who knows you both and thinks that you would be a good match. However, this is not always possible. Facebook can be a great resource and, in many areas (NYC for example) a lot of kids on the FB group organize meet ups. You also might meet someone at a DT event or even at orientation. You can also go random and hope for the best. Of course, there are no guarantees no matter how hard you try. My son went random freshman year… he and his roommate were not a great match. But he did become very close with the two boys who lived next door and he now lives with them in an off-campus apartment. The bottom line is that you will meet tons of people at Tulane (your floormates, your dormmates, people in your classes, in clubs, your TIDES class etc). Your roommate, is only one of them, so don’t stress.

Hotel: Prytania Park. Inexpensive and has free off street parking (great for those cars full of stuff destined for a dorm room). Has included breakfast in the courtyard, but its pretty basic (coffee, danish, hot water for grits/tea/oatmeal, etc). The cool things are the 2nd story 2 queen bed rooms are 2 story, the second bed is in a loft with a spiral staircase. We always bring the whole family, so this is a nice break from staring at the kids for too long.

They also have the Prytania Park, but its adults only, so I’ve never stayed there.

Does Tulane have a deal with a local business that will allow us to purchase dorm items (bedding, toiletries, etc.) online and then have it delivered to her room on move-in day?

I believe they do with one of the national chains. They will cover that at orientation (or maybe before)

@TheParentLurker They don’t deliver it but you can shop at your local Bed Bath and Beyond and pick up at one of the stores in NOLA. Many people do this every year. There is no way businesses can deliver. Once you join the parents FB group you will get lots of information on this.