<p>D visited Tulane last week for Honor's weekend and then Johns Hopkins a few days later. Going into it, Tulane was a long shot and Hopkins really excited her. I am attaching HER thoughts about the 2 places from an email she just sent her college counselor, with just a little editing to retain privacy. D is really interested in music and was divided about whether to major, minor or just do it as an EC. She can be a bit long-winded too, but the words are hers.-</p>
<p>"Somewhat surprisingly, I LOVED Tulane. The visit was a bit of a mixed bag (we had an awful tour guide) but overall I really, really like the place. The most impressive thing, to me, was the attention I got from the music faculty there. I was there for two days. The first day, I talked with two professors in the music department, who were very nice and encouraging. They referred me to another professor there, and the next day I went to her office to see if she was there. Without any prior notice, she sat down with my mom and I for almost a half hour, discussing all the opportunities I'd have available in the music department there, and she gave me her card with an offer to make herself available if I should need advice if I do decide to go there. Later that day, one of the professors I met the first day said that he talked to the chairman of the department about me, and that he wanted to meet me. He was encouraging from the get-go and - to my surprise - made me do an impromptu vocal audition, essentially. He was very impressed with me (finishing the meeting with a purposeful "look forward to seeing you next year") and he, too, was extremely generous with his time. I left there feeling really excited about all the opportunities that I'd have with pursuing my musical ambitions (wherever they may end up leading). </p>
<p>Also, I really love the city of New Orleans. Sure, it's kind of dirty and smelly, but I LOVE the fact that - everywhere you turn - there's live music --- it's incredible! The campus of Tulane is very pretty, the students all seem really happy to be there, and I liked the feeling I got while I was there and liked that there were a lot of opportunities there for me. I emailed the president of the honors program (he responded very quickly, too) and it seems like most of my classes will be normal classes (ie, with the non-honors students) with some honors seminar-style classes interspersed, but even so...both the classes I sat in on were normal lectures and they weren't too big or boring. Anyway, Tulane is not the PERFECT place for me...but I think that it could be a very good place for me. (Our tour guide was still a TOTAL downer, and I get a little hesitant still when I think of her...it's just unfortunate that she had to rain on my parade. But, like my boyfriend pointed out -- if I still had such a great reaction to the school even despite the wet blanket girl, that's a good sign.)</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins, on the other hand, not so much (very surprisingly). It was like day & night difference compared to the warm welcome I'd received at Tulane. I do realize that Tulane was trying to sell me on it, but even so...the people I talked to seemed genuine, and talking to (my friend) definitely helped me a lot because we seem to have had similar situations regarding the whole college process (she even applied to mostly northeastern liberal arts schools...so I know she's not the southern belle type) and she absolutely loves Tulane, so that's good. </p>
<p>ANYWAY - HOPKINS: When I got there it was just a very "fend for yourself" type of environment...I arrived 20 minutes late due to my flight, and already they had packed up the welcome wagon and there was nobody there to help you (God forbid one of the students should say "are you lost?"). Then the rest of my visit went kind of the same way -- I really enjoyed my time with J and her friends, but otherwise I was unimpressed with everything except the Writing Seminar class (which, I will say, was exactly the type of unabashed intellectual conversation that I'd dreamed of). </p>
<p>The student body there was far too easily generalized -- I do realize that generalizations are imperfect, but I'm just commenting on the vibe I got from all the kids I was around: the guys all were either nerdy/quiet or outgoing, but with an air of "jerk" about them. The guys who were friendly didn't seem genuine, they mostly had this sort of "oh I'll talk to you, simply because I'm benevolent and want to grace you with my fabulous wit and charm" - at least, this is how the guys in the Writing Seminar were, for sure. And the girls were either (A) clearly smart, but very frumpy (not that this is a criticism...just a note. I completely understand the beckoning of baggy sweats) or (B) relatively pretty, but acted like they were completely stupid. And that just made me horrendously aggravated. I actually met a girl who used to go to (current HS), and all she could tell me about was her boyfriend, and how he gave her a t-shirt with the logo for that movie The Losers that comes out next week. Here's how it went:
Her: "And I was like...are you calling me a loser??" (valley girl voice, not joking)
Me: "Haha don't worry -- it's a comic book that's being turned into a movie...kind of a guy thing"
Her: "Oh...(turns to the other girl) and I was like...if you're calling me a loser, we're done! hahahahahahahahha"
Me: (Cue rolling eyes and movement away from that conversation)</p>
<p>I'm sorry this is so judgmental...I just feel inclined to share my whole visit with you (I may or may not be like the Writing Seminar guys right now...going on with my witty observations) BUT! I think they are useful, and hopefully entertaining.</p>
<p>Anyway, the whole vibe I'd been getting was proved correct when I ran into A (I believe he graduated 2 years ago) and he said, "I like it, but there are definitely things wrong with it. If you're into the whole campus-y vibe, then this probably isn't the place for you...but if you're more all about what you're doing and don't really care about the campus-y stuff, then I guess it's good."</p>
<p>So, in short, Hopkins is a no. I tried to like it simply because I would give (almost) anything to live on that architecturally gorgeous campus for 4 years...but I just couldn't handle the majority of it. Also - in a more substantial criticism - the arts are practically a moot point there (dancers rehearse in chem classrooms, and the a cappella groups seemed known for drinking excessively). I looked into possibly cross-registration at Peabody, and the administrator basically told me not to view Peabody as a plus for Hopkins, because the chances of getting a cross-registration spot are so low."</p>
<p>So there is her comparison. We are off to NYC for 2 final visits. Gotta get this wrapped up. But the Hopkins trip was really worth it!</p>